Spanish town fights 'Fifty Shades' bondage hotel
Spain's first bondage-themed hotel - equipped with a massive dungeon and all the latest gear – has been stopped from opening its doors by the local village authorities. The Local talks to the businessman behind the project.
The small Valencian village of Vilafranca, with only 2,500 inhabitants, would have gained notoriety on Friday had the opening of Spain’s first BDSM (bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism and masochism) hotel gone ahead.
“With the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon in full swing, I saw a business opportunity that hadn’t been exploited yet in Spain,” the businessman, who preferred to remain anonymous, told The Local.
The entrepreneur rented out Vilafranca’s L'Om del Llosar hotel with plans to cater the roadside property to a ‘niche’ market, announcing the launch on Facebook for August 1st.
Renaming it the Roissy Castle in honour of the French chateau featured in classic erotic novel The Story of O, he has told potential guests they’ll “be able to enjoy games, flaunt themselves and share experiences with other visitors” in the twenty hotel rooms and four dungeons, three of which are private.
Vilafranca’s town council representatives aren’t too happy with the news however, arguing that it is “unsuitable” to “have an establishment of this nature in the village” and so close to the “chapel where dozens of people come every day to visit the village’s patron saint”.
“Our restaurant and bar have been full of villagers since we opened at the start of the summer,” the savvy businessman told The Local.
“It wasn’t until just a few days ago that one of Vilafranca’s online dailies ran a piece on our plans to open the sadomasochist hotel and this huge uproar began.”
Oscar Tena, Vilafranca’s mayor, has already begun the legal procedure to block the launch on the basis that the businessman doesn’t have the necessary paperwork to have a hotel and restaurant licence.
“Four emergency lights and an extinguisher, that’s their excuse. The hotel’s proprietors were the ones who didn’t install them in the first place but they’re closely linked to the local town councillor.
“It’s abuse of office. I’ve spoken to my lawyer and we’re going to sue the town hall,” the businessman said.
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The small Valencian village of Vilafranca, with only 2,500 inhabitants, would have gained notoriety on Friday had the opening of Spain’s first BDSM (bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism and masochism) hotel gone ahead.
“With the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon in full swing, I saw a business opportunity that hadn’t been exploited yet in Spain,” the businessman, who preferred to remain anonymous, told The Local.
The entrepreneur rented out Vilafranca’s L'Om del Llosar hotel with plans to cater the roadside property to a ‘niche’ market, announcing the launch on Facebook for August 1st.
Renaming it the Roissy Castle in honour of the French chateau featured in classic erotic novel The Story of O, he has told potential guests they’ll “be able to enjoy games, flaunt themselves and share experiences with other visitors” in the twenty hotel rooms and four dungeons, three of which are private.
Vilafranca’s town council representatives aren’t too happy with the news however, arguing that it is “unsuitable” to “have an establishment of this nature in the village” and so close to the “chapel where dozens of people come every day to visit the village’s patron saint”.
“Our restaurant and bar have been full of villagers since we opened at the start of the summer,” the savvy businessman told The Local.
“It wasn’t until just a few days ago that one of Vilafranca’s online dailies ran a piece on our plans to open the sadomasochist hotel and this huge uproar began.”
Oscar Tena, Vilafranca’s mayor, has already begun the legal procedure to block the launch on the basis that the businessman doesn’t have the necessary paperwork to have a hotel and restaurant licence.
“Four emergency lights and an extinguisher, that’s their excuse. The hotel’s proprietors were the ones who didn’t install them in the first place but they’re closely linked to the local town councillor.
“It’s abuse of office. I’ve spoken to my lawyer and we’re going to sue the town hall,” the businessman said.
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