Toronto Crime Stoppers are using a fake hotel website to educate the public about the dark realities of human trafficking, which they say can pass right beneath people’s noses if they don’t know how to spot the signs.
The website for the fictional (“Hotel of Youth†in French) looks like any other hotel site at first glance, with a crisp layout, high-resolution pictures of the suites and amenities and reviews featured prominently on the page. However, the site begins to give up its darker secrets upon closer inspection.
In one photo of a bed, an open condom wrapper can be seen at the edge of the frame, resting on the mattress. Another feature photo shows a young girl in an ill-fitting miniskirt staring out a window. Meanwhile, featured quotes from the rooms scroll across the screen with the images, promising “really attentive service†and “convenient and private†accommodations.
“I was able to text to negotiate a price… and she was ready for me when I got there,†one fictional john’s review said. “The room was basic, but the bed was firm, and the walls were thick enough that I felt comfortable getting pretty vocal. Would definitely come back.â€
Another review by a fictional human trafficking victim called the experience “a night I won’t forget.â€
“I don’t know how many men came – I stopped counting,†the review said. “It was exhausting. Sometimes I shared a room with another girl. She was younger, and I could tell she was struggling. She’d cry when we were alone… Sometimes we’d get a bucket of ice, which felt nice on my bruises. If it were up to me I’d never go back.â€
The hotel lists a number of questionable to downright illegal guest services. Amenities include text message booking, a secluded parking lot, anonymous check-in and dimly-lit hallways. OxyContin, marijuana and cocaine are among the “dining†options, while room service offers sexual acts from massage to intercourse to bondage.
A photo gallery shows many of the telltale signs of human sex trafficking. One image shows a young girl in the fetal position on a hotel bed, with a backpack in the corner that clearly belongs to an underage person. Another shows an image of the bathroom sink, with a young girl and an older man visible together out of focus in the background.
The website’s “parking lot suite†promises soundproof walls, underage girls, hourly rates and “kinky fantasies.â€
Each suite description includes a “LEARN THE SIGNS†button where users would typically click “BOOK.†The site includes many fine-print messages about human trafficking, as well as the phone number for the Crime Stoppers tip line.
“Canada’s cities and tourist destinations are hotspots for human trafficking,†one message reads. “And the signs are often hiding in plain sight.â€
Toronto Crime Stoppers has also launched an Instagram page featuring simple illustrations that show signs of human trafficking.
Toronto Crime Stoppers worked with the Tribal Worldwide ad agency to develop the campaign, which will also include print ads on transit, at gas stations and in Mac’s convenience stories. Additionally, the campaign will also feature ads on Facebook and Instagram for individuals who list travel as one of their interests.
These ads place human trafficking clues in plain sight and encourage readers to notice them by looking twice. One such ad shows the nightstand in a hotel room, where the intricate wallpaper features various scenes of young girls in distress.
Tribal says online banner ads for the hotel will also start popping up for users who search for hotel accommodations in the Greater Toronto Area.
“The signs of human trafficking hide in plain sight and can easily be dismissed if you don’t know what to look for,†Marketa Krivy, executive director of Tribal Worldwide Toronto, said in a news release. “But once you, do, it becomes much harder to ignore.â€
Krivy added that the advertisements are meant to reach people “right before they enter into a known human trafficking hotspot,†so the signs are fresh in their minds when they check into a hotel or board an airplane.
The Crime Stoppers site lists the following as signs of potential human trafficking:
- Young girls wearing too much makeup or clothing inappropriate for their age
- A large age gap between an older male and a younger female, with no explanation for their relationship
- Young girls with expensive clothing, phones or jewelry and no reasonable means of affording them
- Many male visitors coming and going from a hotel room or parking lot
- Young girls who look underweight or malnourished
- Girls whose companion does all the talking for them
The site also features a more for individuals working in the hotel or tourism industries.
If you suspect someone may be the victim of human trafficking, call the Crime Stoppers national hotline at 1-800-222-8477.
