Japan's zoning system was modified when, in 1985, there was a crackdown on love hotels. Revolving beds, mirrors larger than 1 square meter, vending machines selling sexually exciting products, hallways which lead directly from a private parking space to a room, lack of a restaurant, or lobbies less than 30 square meters make it a love hotel. Love hotels are subject to additional zoning restrictions.
Amusingly, one effect was that love hotels put in restaurants to comply, and, to the surprise of management, their unashamed customers starting ordering meals. So more regular hotels put in rooms with sexy features, and love hotels started getting guests who just wanted a place to sleep. The distinction between the two has gradually disappeared.
When I stayed in Japan for a few weeks last year I stayed in a love hotel for a few nights. It was the best deal around Kyoto by far, and I was blown away with the amenities. It felt more like a luxury hotel than seedy.
One funny aspect is when you order room service, they give it to you via a little privacy sliding door. I assume so couples can order food after having already "slipped into something more comfortable."
I could. It felt like a normal (albeit nicer) hotel that also had a vending machine in it that contained sex products. The bed was incredibly comfy and MASSIVE and the bathroom was incredible. It was one of those bathrooms where you shut the door and the shower is built into the entire room, and to the side there was a whirlpool tub that would do flashing light display if you pressed a button on the wall.
This was Japan, so it doesn't need to even be mentioned that everything was incredibly clean and in perfect working condition.
> It was the best deal around Kyoto by far, and I was blown away with the amenities. It felt more like a luxury hotel than seedy.
I agree. They're also great for traveling by car if you have two or three people, since they're always by the exits. Rather than paying per person, you pay the room fee, pick your length (4, 6, 8, 12, 16 hours being common ones) and sleep in/relax/plan as long as you want.
Some chains are particularly picking up on this trend and going modern-natural, with wood/leather furniture and classy designs, with hardly a hint of "love" in the hotel other than the requisite jet bath and slippery gel mat.
The sliding door thing is common for food / tea service in regular hotels / Onsen hot spring hotels. It's also common for their to be a scheduled visit by a concierge where they give you an instructional 'tour' of say when meal times are what time you can do X activity and when activity closes for the night. Worst thing you can do in any Japan hotel is start getting intimate soon after your arrival in the room. Expect to get a courtesy visit, sometimes from the owner of the hotel.
We stayed in a wide variety of hotels during our trip including Hōshi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C5%8Dshi_Ryokan) (sorry but I have to brag about that :-) but only saw the sliding door in this one scenario. It makes sense though, kind of felt like a dumbwaiter.
Amusingly, one effect was that love hotels put in restaurants to comply, and, to the surprise of management, their unashamed customers starting ordering meals. So more regular hotels put in rooms with sexy features, and love hotels started getting guests who just wanted a place to sleep. The distinction between the two has gradually disappeared.