Japan: Love hotel business zooms despite downturn | cnn.com

Even in the midst of Japan's deepest economic recession since World War II, the country's love hotel industry is thriving. "I'd hate to use the term "recession-proof," but it's certainly proven very resilient over the last six to nine months," said Steve Mansfield, CEO of New Perspectives, which operates six love, or "leisure," hotels in Japan. One of them, the Bonita Hotel in Isawa, boasts a 257 percent occupancy rate. Rooms can be rented for three to 24 hours. Mansfield's company estimates the industry in Japan pulls in $40 billion a year in revenue.