Spain’s bondage-themed hotel gets tied up… in red tape

Spain boasts one of the world’s finest, most varied selection of hotels, with enough choice to suit even the fussiest of travellers. But one budding entrepreneur who felt that he had spotted a gap in the market has run into a few difficulties this week.

Spain’s first bondage-themed hotel, set to be called Roissy Castle and inspired by the hit book and soon-to-be-underwhelming movie, Fifty Shades of Grey, has become tied up in red tape in recent weeks as locals in the small Valencia town off Vilafranca complained.

The hotel, which is rumored to have 20 S&M-themed rooms and its own punishment dungeon, was all ready to open last week in the heart of the sleepy village. But the mayor of Vilafranca – a pueblo of little more than 2,500 inhabitants – has told The Local newspaper that he has personally sought to prevent its opening.

A local businessman had hoped to capitalise on the buzz created by the book, about a shy 20-something woman who begins an electric affair with a suave, domineering millionaire and which became an unexpected international bestseller in 2012, by setting up a hotel dedicated to the novel’s key themes of sexual domination and submission.

“With the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon in full swing, I saw a business opportunity that hadn’t been exploited yet,” the businessman – who to this day wishes to remain anonymous –  told The Local.

The existing L’Om del Llosar Hotel has since been retrofitted as Roissy Castle, and was due to have the appropriate “equipment” installed last week, with the themed rooms offered to guests from last Friday. The businessman said that he hoped the hotel “would offer guests the opportunity to enjoy their games, exhibit themselves and share experiences with other visitors.”

However, locals have objected to the hotel’s presence, claiming that it is too close to a church, which was, ahem, erected in honour of Vilafranca’s patron saint. A petition overseen by Mayor Oscar Tena has claimed that the owner has failed to secure the required license in order to run it.

“We are very angry with this person for causing this scandal without saying anything to the proprietors of the hotel or the town hall,” he told ABC news. “We don’t want this in our village because it is right next to our residential centre and our chapel; it is located in a very beloved place because we celebrate lot of things here.”

Whether Roissy Castle opens or not, it has at least succeeded in putting sleepy Vilafranca on the map…