Geylang, which covers an area of 10 square kilometers around 3. In between open-air eateries and shophouses are licensed brothels, many of which closed during the pandemic. The red-light district is enclosed within the even-numbered streets — known locally as lorongs — in the southwestern part of Geylang. There are a total of 42 lorongs in Geylang. It's a controversial area in an otherwise buttoned-up city-state, and those who frequent it often do so in secret.
I've lived in Singapore for more than two decades, and prior to this reporting trip, I had never visited the area. The hotel has average ratings online, mostly from tourists' reviews. The majority of Hotel 81's properties are rated between three and three-and-a-half stars on websites like TripAdvisor. But among locals, it's a different story: The hotel chain is generally considered a love motel. While the hotel's management markets the chain as a no-frills hotel meant for budget travelers, many locals have not shaken off the perception of it being a "sleazy" spot for one-night stands.
Eight of the chain's 28 hotels around Singapore are located in the red-light lorongs of Geylang. Several of the hotel's properties have also seen criminal activity. In , a man murdered his lover before killing himself at Hotel 81 Palace. And in , a man burned towels in Hotel 81 Violet when he couldn't enter a room occupied by two of his friends.
I was curious if the hotel was really as bad as people have been telling me over the years. And since some are located within the red-light district, I figured it would be my chance to explore the neighborhood, too. So I booked a one-night stay at Hotel 81 Premier Star pictured above on Geylang's Lorong 18, one of the few with available dates in April.
Most other properties were fully booked. Insider paid for my stay in full. Hotel 81 Premier Star is located on Lorong 18 pictured above , one of the lorongs where prostitution is legal. While there are around 20 brothels in a neighboring lorong alone, the lorongs themselves were pretty low-key — nothing about them was screaming "pleasure district. My first impression of the neighborhood was that it was quaint, and so unlike Bangkok's famous red-light district.
