Motels have always been shelters Here are some Bogotanos looking for new experiences when it comes to having sex: some meet their official partners, others secretly, occasionally even the famous ‘suites’ are places where young people meet to organize big parties.
(You may be interested in: “Sometimes I ask God to take me”: Natalia Castillo’s mother)
Until a few years ago, its mysterious and almost secret nature was the perfect material for hundreds of people. Afraid of discovering their sexuality, they parade day and night in rooms reserved for ‘ratics’.
Those days are gone today, and motels are on the verge of collapse, with a particular focus on Bogota because most of them are located here and they provide 3,000 of the 10,000 jobs in this industry.
According to figures from InHotelCol and Asomoteles, entertainment revenue for these venues last year they were reduced by 40 percent as an effect from the prolonged closure of the pandemic. However, looking at the data, it is seen that the crisis has worsened since 2019 and in the last three and a half years, about 25 of these establishments have been closed in Bogota alone.
(You can also read: Seizures continue in Bogotá for cannabis-containing gums)
But the question is what’s going on in motels According to Sonia Pérez, general manager of InHotelCol, the crisis in the industry is primarily about security issues.
“Insecurity means that people no longer want to take to the streets for nightlife,” said Pérez, who believes the insecurity in the capital is so great. “People no longer have the confidence to be on the street and that’s why they leave offices at home”.
Although the security crisis has also affected motels in recent months, especially with extortion and intimidation, just like the four organizations in the tourism sector. Venice, which was attacked with Molotov cocktails in June and July, The truth is, there are three other factors that could explain Bogotanos’ lack of “will” to go to one of these places.
Lots of places for romantic dates, changing sexual tastes of the public. pandemic and the transformation of the city’s daily routines sheds light on what has happened in these organizations during these years.
(You may be interested: Who was Diego Felipe Becerra and how did the case progress after his death?)
The multitude of options for enjoying a romantic or just a sexual encounter in the city has been the main enemy of the city. Motel experience in the capital.
The creation of platforms such as ByHours, which allows users to rent space on an hourly basis, has been one of the factors putting pressure on the decline in motel revenues. Although these places are not suitable for sexual encountersif they are suitable for the use you want to give them.
“While the motels were the first to close and the last to open during the pandemic process, the hotels remained open. The phenomenon of hotels starting to provide hourly service has occurred, has been createdor the ByHour platform, which allows people to book apartments hourly or daily; All this has caused customers to stop going to motels,” Sonia Pérez explained.
City motel users Ana María Peralta and Andrés Sanchéz explain that sometimes it’s better to opt for hourly rentals, Airbnb, or even escaping to a Glamping plan near Bogotá because of the benefits it provides. These are cleanliness, safety and possibility of discretion.
While for some, attending in disguise is a factor that increases sexual desire and the excitement of dating, the truth is that going to this type of place is “extremely stressful” for such couples. Not because they see it as a “taboo”, but contrary to the idea of discretion offered by these organizations, because they believed itThese are very “scandals”.
According to Martha Mejía, a sexologist at the National University, the decline in motel revenues is closely related to the proliferation of venues. “What we humans are looking for is novelty, another status, different places that feed sexual desire, for example spas, this has become an alternative”.
But the expert also says that this has become a headache, especially for old security motels, because “people now give everything in the virtual world, have access to sex toys and are looking for sensory, new experiences and different things; Motels of this size don’t have much to offer anymore because there’s no excitement factor. Or it creates anticipation,” he said.
According to InHotelCol and Asomoteles, only in Bogotá, There are 450 motels to compete with There are approximately 148 hotels that offer 3, 6 and 24-hour room service.
To this we must add nightlife venues such as spas, sex cabins, bars offering rooms for sexual encounters, and now secret public places in the city where people meet for sex. An app known as “cruise”.
There is another setting that increases the number of new places to experience. The almost two-year quarantine that Bogotans were subjected to due to the epidemic changed the sexual routines of men and women.
Experts say there has been a “compromise” with their field to improve sexual activity. During the curfew, people had to adapt their homes to meet this need, but they also gave the practice a new meaning.
“During the pandemic, sex went from being so mundane to more emotional and sensual, so it’s now associated with the home and the home.. It also has to do with refusing to go to motels because it’s linked to lust,” explained psychologist Jean Philip Gutiérrez, analyst at Central University.
But if there is one thing the analysts consulted agree on, it is that the epidemic either “orders the disordered or ends the already damaged.” In this sense, Motels also lost a large number of customers with extramarital affairs.
Times when people are more likely to be unfaithful, according to a survey conducted by “Second Love,” the digital platform that specializes in connecting unfaithful people. Casual sexual intercourse with someone who is not your partner is between 4:00 and 6:00 in the afternoon.
This lane is special because visiting a motel during “office” hours reduces the chances of being discovered.
However, this has changed with the epidemic. “Universities and offices are closed and remote work has arrived”As the general manager of InHotelCol said, new social dynamics prevail even after Covid.
These data match up with what the motel association identified as one of the highest drops. “Monday to Friday from 16:00 to 19:00, This is the lane where the business moves the most but it has dropped a lot,” Pérez added.
Adriana Silva, representative Colombian College of PsychologistsHe explains that the reason people don’t go to motels so often anymore is because of the epidemic, “because at that time people may have found new creative ways to enjoy sexual and That means they don’t need to go back to motels.”
It also puts the economic factor on the table. He assures that paying the high costs of some motels “could destabilize the family economy”, which has already been greatly affected by the great economic changes in the country. A room by guild A motel equipped with a jacuzzi and toys can cost between 150.00 and 200,000 pesos.
While there is no certainty as to why people stopped going to motels, the union urged citizens to return to these areas. InHotelCol stated that they were prepared with adaptations for thematic areas, decorations, extensions, offers and reservation systems, love and friendship season discount, They hope that the “stay in the city” motivation will be revived.
One of the root causes of the low influx of motels may be related to security. The union says what happened in the capital at night had a direct impact on this business.
EL TIEMPO spoke with Andrés Nieto, Undersecretary of Security, and explained that they are working on a motel maintenance network of eight leaders in the Nieto, Restrepo, Venice and La First sectors, based in Antonio Nariño, Kennedy and Tunjuelito. May. Three strategies were implemented to protect the motels: Instant connection to the nearest quadrant, camera connection to C4 and certification with the CUIDAdano seal, It is a document that confirms that organizations comply with all security regulations.
JONATHAN TORO ROMERO
BOGOTA STAFF
TIME
Source: Exame
