5-Star Hotels in Asia and the Business of Prostitution
By
Tibs
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If you are familiar with 5-star business accommodation in Asia, you know many of these prestigious hotels have a bar or a nightclub where freelance prostitutes can offer their services without being disturbed. On the contrary, the management of these venues often encourages working girls by giving them a free entrance and free drinks. The tolerance of the hotel managers/owners for prostitution activities within their walls may seem surprising. These are famous, reputed brands such as Hyatt, Hilton, or Intercontinental, and yet they facilitate an often illegal business. It is actually very logical and it can be explained easily. First, most of the clients in these hotels are males who are traveling alone, usually for business purposes. For them, the availability of (paid) sex is the main reason they will choose a brand over another. Any hotel with a happening pick-up bar is guaranteed a high-level of occupancy. Second, many clients prefer staying in hotels that have in
Update May 2014: The Jakarta City Administration has closed down Stadium following the death by overdose of a policeman who partied there. Jakarta's mythical nightclub, Stadium can be extremely crowded on weekends and for special events. It has four floors, each supposedly with different themes but tribal techno/progressive is dominant. Stadium is big enough to get you lost and so dark you could not recognize your mom if she was dancing 1 meter away from you.
Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City is full of naughty massage parlours and spas where you can get "extra service" (also referred to as "happy ending", "rug and tug", "plus plus", or simply by what they are, handjobs). I enjoyed Saigon nightlife several months when I was living there, but I had actually not been to one of these massage parlours/spas. Nevertheless, as I am a sucker for web traffic, I'm listing here all the places that provide such services in Saigon. Most of the information below comes from tips from friends who are expats in Saigon, completed with research on internet forums and blogs. Many of the spas are located inside hotels. If you are looking for a girl-friendly hotel in Saigon , it is a good idea to book one of them. I included a direct link to Agoda to help you. I make a small commission on every booking so if you like this review and value the hours I spent writing it, please book your hotel using one of the links !
You would be surprised to know that 90% of Jakarta's main clubs, bars, spas and karaokes are in the hands of less than 50 persons and only about 30 groups. It is quite difficult to know precisely who owns what because there are usually several partners in each business venture . This is a way to minimize the investment cost, to spread the risks and to help with the promotion. Each of the owners brings his network of friends, family, strategic connections and partners to support the business and to make it grow. Within the same group, it is also not uncommon to have several companies (PT) with different shareholders each. Another difficulty is that the real owners are sometimes hidden behind a nominee. This is especially true when the venue is reputed for hosting illegal activities such as drugs, prostitution or gambling. The best illustration for that is Tommy Winata who has the particularly of being a nominee who uses other nominees: He owns stakes in multiple compan
Ho Chi Minh City nightlife, in Vietnam, is one of the craziest in Southeast Asia. I lived in the city for a few months and this is my report about its best nightclubs, bars, karaokes, spas and beer gardens . Note that Ho Chi Minh City can also be called Saigon, HCM or HCMC. I will also give more general nightlife tips for clubbing and having fun in Vietnam. Saigon Nightlife Summarized in 100 Words If you don't have the time to read my whole review, here is a short summary: - Best midrange hotel near the nightlife: Sanouva Hotel (40$ per night) - Where to party as a young tourist: Bui Vien street (just walk there and you'll see over 50 cheap bars and clubs). Music is EDM, Rn'B and Top 40. - Meet girls online: VietnamCupid , Tinder (read my article about the best dating apps for Vietnamese girls ) - Meet sugar babies: Seeking Arrangement - Most popular nightclubs for expats: Lush , Glow - Best rooftop: Chill Skybar - Best techno/alternative nightclub:
One of the biggest changes to Bali nightlife since the past 5 years is the seemingly growing number of prostitution or semi-prostitution venues in Bali. Those places were once discreetly located in Sanur or in some seedy streets in Denpasar, but they are now everywhere and they are certainly not trying to hide. In Kartika Plaza, you have the new District Club which features sexy dancers and karaoke rooms with Lady Companions. It is owned by Tommy Winata, famous for being behind naughty clubs like Golden Crown in Jakarta. Other naughty KTVs include EC Bali, Tang Chao (for Chinese) and Level One. In Denpasar, Akasaka was extended with a new room called A-Club, also with sexy dancers and prostitutes. The old room in Akasaka is packed on weekends and during my visit there, I saw fully naked women trying to sell tequila shots to customers in exchange for private lap dances. Considering the head-banging music that was played there, we can imagine most people inside were taki