The hoax of the 8,000 motels in Cali

Sol&Luna

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are not romantic songs, nor discotheques, as people outside Cali, the capital of Valle del Cauca, might think.

These are just some of the iconic motels in the main city in western Colombia that since 2022 have made headlines in major media such as

or

with the repeated data that that city has 7,950 of these establishments.

The exorbitant figure went viral on social media and became a trend on X. However, the Chamber of Commerce, the supposed source of the figure, only registers 180 motels.

Although the origin of the hoax is not clear, it appeared in September 2022 in a ranking of transit hotels by city published by

, which cited the Chambers of Commerce of each place as sources.

The list was headed by Cali.

Barranquilla followed, with 800 motels, and Bogotá appeared with 681 establishments of this type.

However, the Cali Chamber of Commerce explains to EL PAÍS that it only has information on 180 motels, and that of Bogotá indicates that the capital will only register 279 by 2023.

That fake news is repeated in different media is not new;

A month ago some newspapers claimed that research indicated that chicharrón was healthier than some vegetables, but the famous study never existed.

In the case of motels, the data seemed to support the idea that Cali is “the city of love,” as its then mayor, Jorge Iván Ospina, even said in 2020.

An idea that gives its name to the Asoamar union (Association of Motels, Furnished and Residences in Valle del Cauca) which, according to its spokesperson Orlando Pérez, represents around 13,000 “residences” in the 41 municipalities of the department.

The man explains to EL PAÍS that there are thousands in Cali, but that many are either not registered or do not appear as motels.

The motel crisis

In addition to the fact that the figure is wrong, the reality is much less buoyant.

The union leader says that a few years ago motels provided the discretion that their clients sought, since they usually did not keep a record of the identity of the visitors.

However, in recent years, competitors such as Airbnb have emerged, offering the same thing, and many customers prefer to rent an apartment, which provides them with larger spaces and, sometimes, at better prices.

All with minimal restrictions and with a growing offer.

Pérez adds to this a generational paradigm shift regarding sex, which has been reducing the use of these spaces.

Sociologist Viviam Unás, who has investigated Cali motels for the academy, agrees.

She says that, as a university professor, she has evidenced this in class with students of a younger generation.

“The motel met a need that probably had to do with the idea that sexuality, except that which was exercised formally under the figure of marriage, was not admitted.

That has changed for the new generations,” she analyzes.

The pandemic, with its confinement, also hit them.

The National Association of Owners of the Hotel Industry of Colombia (InHotelCo), which represents hotels, motels and hostels, explains that they have only managed to replace 40% of the income they obtained pre-pandemic.

For this reason, on several occasions the motel owners and their different groups have warned of the crisis.

In light of those difficulties, in 2023 they declared August 29 as Motel Day.

They chose that date in advance of the Day of Love and Friendship, which in Colombia is celebrated on the third Saturday of September.

“We want to invite Colombians to visit us and take the service, live a new experience and get out of the routine and renew love,” the union argued in a public statement that revealed the strategy of changing the image of being meeting places. sneaky to one of connection as a couple.

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