Aggrey Rwetsiba, a Ugandan delegate to the UN Biodiversity Summit in Colombia, ends up in an unusual accommodation: a motel normally reserved for dating, with rooms with sex swings and stripper poles.
Like other visitors to the Colombian city, his hotel booking fell through and Rwetsiba had to make last-minute arrangements.
As traditional hotels burst at the seams, hourly motels came to the rescue of stranded delegates like him.
The delegate shows AFP his room at Motel Deseos (Desires) and points to the large double bed, walk-in shower and an unusual feature: a ceiling mirror.
Some of his clothes hang on hangers from the shower screen, others are folded in a small cubicle with a door in the room and another that opens to the hallway.
Usually rented for a few hours at a time, there are no wardrobes in the rooms. And in the double-door cabin, staff can pass drinks to guests seeking seclusion.
“I’m not sure I fully understand what a motel should be, but I’ve seen some unique features… Like the mirror on the ceiling. I’ve never seen that in a hotel,” Rwetsiba told AFP.
He also pointed to the only electrical outlet next to the bed, instead of the table where he has to power his laptop.
“So the setup is very different,” he said. “I’ve never seen a hotel where every room had a parking space,” all enclosed, with its own door leading directly to the room.
– Bursting at the seams –
Motel Deseos manager Diana Echeverry proudly showed AFP the facility, with 40 rooms spread over two floors, and one wing reserved for a dozen COP16 delegates.
Throughout the rest of the building, rooms feature amenities such as jacuzzis, ‘kama sutra’ loungers and dance poles.
“We have adapted our establishment a little to accommodate the guests of COP16 and foreigners,” Echeverry told AFP.
She said the motel contacted local authorities at short notice. She quickly settled on a daily rate of 150,000 Colombian pesos (about $35) per night and introduced breakfast service.
Room rates typically range from 65,000 to 100,000 pesos for three hours.
The staff also “took out the love swings, ‘love machines’ and Kama Sutra chairs and left the rooms without those types of items,” Echeverry said.
The biodiversity summit has been good for business, she added.
“It has ensured that (the delegates’) rooms have been occupied during that time and… the remaining rooms now change much more frequently to meet the demands of our regular guests.”
Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder told reporters this week that the city’s hotels were “100 percent” full, and that Airbnbs, houses and apartments were also rented.
Initial expectations were that between 12,000 and 15,000 people would attend COP16, but in the end there were closer to 23,000 registered delegates, Eder said.
According to the Cali Chamber of Commerce, there are 166 registered motels in the city – more than anywhere else in Colombia.
As elsewhere in Latin America, motels are generally places where you can spend a few hours with your loved one.
In Cali they have names like ‘Kama Sutra’, ‘Cupid’ and ‘Extasis’.
Pleased with the facilities at Motel Deseos, Rwetsiba said he had informed other colleagues, and there were now five Ugandan delegates in rooms that were “more comfortable” than many traditional hotels.
“It’s… spacious. That’s why we’re here. We’re not complaining,” he said with a big smile.
“We are all happy.”
mlr/acb
