Georeferencing and classifying love hotels in Lima: A comparison between field research and Google Maps

Hostales (love hotels) are a common yet understudied institution in Perú. Their widespread use and capacity to concentrate large numbers of people about to have sex make them a potentially important setting for sexual health interventions. Given Perú’s high rates of unintended pregnancies, its potential role as a location for implementing new sexual health policies should be explored. The first step towards this is to document their prevalence, characteristics and distribution.We conducted a census over a 4 km ² area of southern Lima, georeferencing the location of all hostales and photographing their visual characteristics. We classified them according to their size and appearance, and the findings were compared against their appearance in Google Maps to assess the platform’s reliability as a secondary data source.We found 114 hostales , one every 35 m ² . Their spatial distribution varied across neighbourhoods, reflecting distinct patterns based on local characteristics. Most of them stated their sexual nature through their advertisements, names or offered amenities. Notably, only 45% of those we found were present in Google Maps. Hostales are a highly prevalent and heterogeneous business. They differ considerably in terms of offered services, sizes, and styles. They cluster around commercial areas but can also be found in residential and industrial areas. Google Maps proved unreliable as a data source.Given their ubiquity and potential for policy impact, hostales warrant more attention. Targeted interventions in them could reach a sizeable sample of at-risk populations, providing a unique opportunity to improve sexual health.