BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - Five suspected prostitutes were arrested early Friday at a Colonnade hotel.

Birmingham police carried out an operation aimed at the world's oldest profession in response to complaints of prostitution at the Courtyard by Marriot on Colonnade Parkway, said Birmingham police Lt. Scott Thurmond.

The women, he said, weren't just loitering around the hotel. Instead, they set up dates through a website and then would meet the johns at the Courtyard. "It was a popular place for them to go,'' said Birmingham police Lt. Scott Thurmond.

Thurmond said the police department's Vice and Narcotics Unit got complaints about the prostitutes from both officers who work the area and citizens. On Thursday, they set up dates with the women for about midnight.

The arrests began about 1 a.m. and continued throughout the early-morning hours. The website they used was backpage.com.

The women are charged with solicitation for prostitution. That is a misdemeanor crime.

Those arrested are: Lorraine Raftery, 31; Marla Stevens, 43; Sheena Dixon, 32; Susan Otts, 38 and Tiara Atkins, 20.