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How can you make a loved one happy on Valentine's Day? Going shopping, to restaurants, or to the movies has fallen out of fashion. So an increasing number of couples in China's big cities have adopted an unconventional way of celebrating the annual holiday dedicated to lovers.
Many now choose to spend a night in so-called love hotels, where rooms often decked out with novelty furnishings can be rented cheaply and for a few hours at a time.
Ctrip.com, the leading online travel agency in China, said a large number of love hotels have double the number of rooms reserved for Monday than any other day of the year.
On most days, love hotels usually have an occupancy rate of 30 to 50 percent, according to Ctrip.com.
According to the agency, love hotels have been booked up in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Lijiang in Yunnan province, and other cities for Valentine's Day, leading to a short supply of rooms for couples who dreamed of having a romantic evening but were late to make a reservation.
"All 78 of our rooms were reserved for Valentine's Day by as early as mid-January," said Xu Wen, manager of Shanghai-based We Love Hotel.
According to Xu, the hotel usually charges from 200 yuan ($30) to 400 yuan for the use of a room for three hours.
A staff member with Ai-hotel in Beijing said the hotel's 22 rooms were booked full for both Valentine's Day and the day before, despite room rates having been raised by 200 yuan.
Borrowing from similar businesses in Japan, most Chinese love hotels try to attract customers by outfitting rooms with novelty furnishings, including rotating beds, ceiling mirrors, karaoke machines and eccentric lighting.
For some, a change from humdrum everyday existence is just the thing needed for a special occasion.
Despite concerns that love hotels might do harm to traditional Chinese morality and lead to an increase in prostitution, the industry has enjoyed a rapid development since its introduction in China in 2007.
In the 1980s and 1990s, a man and a woman who wanted to stay together in a hotel room had to show their marriage certificate, a police officer from Beijing municipal public security bureau, surnamed Li, said.
（中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語點(diǎn)津 Helen 編輯）
About the broadcaster:
Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.
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