ABSTRACT
Human trafficking for the purposes of prostitution and sexual exploitation has increased markedly across Europe in recent years. This chapter reports on the implications of human trafficking for the hotel industry in the Netherlands, where prostitution is not illegal if undertaken by an adult freely and without coercion. This creates difficulties for the hotel sector because it is hard to detect incidents of sexual exploitation, particularly, as some hotel management practices encourage reduced staffing levels and increased guest self-service. These trends to limit guest-host interactions increase the potential vulnerability of hotels to becoming unwitting hosts for sexual exploitation. This chapter reports on interviews with key individuals concerned with sex trafficking and the hotel sector in the Netherlands and steps taken to involve Dutch hoteliers in staff training to sensitise them to detect potential sexual exploitation taking place in hotel properties. The incidents of hotels being used as venues for prostitution are rising at a time when some budget and mid-price-band hotels are reducing contact between staff and guests. In these circumstances, hoteliers may run the risk of either direct prosecution or loss of reputation if it becomes widely known that the hotel is being used as a venue for prostitution.
