Bathrobes hang on a wall of an empty room at a branch of Hotel Yaja in Seoul
Bathrobes hang on the wall of an empty room at a branch of Hotel Yaja in Seoul, South Korea, July 21, 2015. The grimy windows, racks of adult videos and red bedroom lights are disappearing from South Korea's short-stay hotels as they move upmarket to lure young people who are shedding conservative attitudes in favour of more openness about sex. Competition is heating up amid the falling numbers of the so-called "love hotels", which featured this year in television advertisements by smartphone app companies targeting young, privacy-seeking couples who form the bulk of customers. At the Hotel Yaja Wangsimni in Seoul, part of a growing franchise chain, amorous couples can enjoy rooms with whirlpool baths, laptops, brand-name amenities and fresh bedsheets, all for 30,000 won ($26) for three hours. To match story SOUTHKOREA-LOVE HOTELS/ Picture taken on July 21, 2015. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji