Motels evolving beyond places for clandestine lovers

A room at the Ppeulang motel near Konkuk University, eastern Seoul, which is specially designed for parties, and has a whirlpool and a bar. / Courtesy of With Innovation

By Lee Kyung-min

Motels are shedding their seedy image as short-term lodgings for clandestine lovers.

They are reinventing themselves as places for young people who opt to spend time there for other reasons.

An increasing number of young people are choosing motels as a viable alternative to bars, clubs or cafes. Many motels offer spacious private rooms with nicely designed interiors, serving as an ideal hangout for a small group to have a party or after-work gathering, or even use as a study room.

“It’s like a group of friends gathering at someone’s home,” a woman in her 30s said.

“If we have friends over at home, the host has to clean up, cook, clean again after the gathering is over and get mentally prepared for the burden of having visitors in general. So a simple reservation at a clean, decent motel is a great option for all of us involved.”

“Nowadays, motels are not what they used to be. The rooms are clean, spacious, and well-decorated. It’s a great economical alternative to having a gathering at unnecessarily expensive hotels.”

According to a survey by lodging reservation app “Yeogieottae” of 1,440 users from March to April, 46.9 percent said they have used motels for various purposes other than sex.

Those surveyed included 38 percent who’ve used the rooms for parties, 29.1 percent who engage in pastimes such as watching a movie or playing online games, 9.6 percent for events such as proposing to their significant others and 3.4 percent for group study.

Some motels have separate rooms only for party purposes with a large table, chairs and karaoke machine. Some other rooms are equipped with spa bathtubs, barbecue grills or even swimming pools.

For a group of university students, a motel room is a great place to prepare for exams. Daytime use of a room usually costs 30,000 won for up to six hours.

After studying for a while, they can take a nap when they get tired. Students can ask one another questions, read their study materials aloud or have a debate, all of which they dare not dream of doing at school libraries, where only the sound of turning pages is allowed.

“My friends said a motel is sometimes better to gather at to prepare for group assignments, because we can work with our laptops turned on,” a student from a university in Seoul said.

“We can’t spend hours preparing for our presentation over some cups of coffee in cafes or cafeterias in and around schools. We can’t concentrate on our work at such places anyway as they are noisy.”