THE Cagayan de Oro Hotel and Restaurant Association (Cohara) said they expect restaurants, not hotels, will be fully-booked Tuesday, Valentine’s Day.
The association said hotel rates remain steady, and will not increase or decrease even for this special occasion.
Nelia Lee, Cohara president, said this is because Valentine's Day, for Kagay-anons, is not only for lovers, but for family gatherings.
Restaurants are offering special rates for group orders and reservations.
Lee said residents prefer motels than hotels, because of lower room rates and in motels, a person can choose the duration of stay.
"For us kasi (you know), Valentine's Day is like Thanksgiving Day in America, it's not just for lovers but for our lola (grandmothers), mothers, fathers, mao ng atong naandan (that's what we're used to). Mao pud ng reason nga sa Cohara (that's our reason why in Cohara), we expect nga restaurants, kaysa sa motels, ang puno because kung mag-gather ang family, mangaon gyud na (restaurants, rather than motels, get fully-booked because when families gather, they usually dine)," Lee said.
Philtown Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in the city, is offering normal rates from P900 in its tourist class room to P1,300 in its corporate class suite.
Will's Place, a suite located in Velez Street, said it always has an available room even for Valentine's Day.
Renato Ramayan, information desk in-charge of Will's Place, said they are offering discounted rates since January this year, from P500 to P350 for a 12-hour stay.
Yen, staff member of GSuites located along Yacapin St., said they did not increase their rates. Every Valentine's Day, Yen said they are fully booked.
For D'Morvie information desk in-charge Jessie said whether it is Valentine's Day or not, they are "always fully-booked."
D'Morvie is known for its cheap room rates, which is at P280 for a 12-hour stay.