Hotel Valencia and J-mart are both located along the national highway of this city midway between Davao and Cagayan. Valencia to Cagayan is around 150 kilometers, around the same distance from Valencia to Davao.
The trip from Davao to Cagayan de Oro passing through Valencia and Malaybalay cities takes about six hours along the winding road.
Sometimes, travelers drop by Taipan or the D’Azur café for meals or snacks, to connect to the net.
Divine Bayoc, head of the accounting staff of the 26-room Hotel Valencia, said they started the wi-fi service only last month. There is no wi-fi access in the rooms as yet; only at Taipan Restaurant. The daily room charge is P855, inclusive of breakfast and now, wi-fi access.
Bayoc said their clients are mostly sales representatives from agricultural and pharmaceutical firms, and were the ones, in fact, who urged them to offer wi-fi services.
Ann Danlag, cashier at the 12-room D’Azur Apartelle says they started the wi-fi service in “September or October” last year, a claim Elvie Sunico, manager of the J-mart, disputes.
“We were the first to go wi-fi,” Sunico told MindaNews. “This was in November so they (D’Azur) must have started in December.”
Danlag says guests can connect to the internet from their rooms “but they say it’s faster to connect from the café.”
“Medyo mahina daw sa room” (They say it’s slower in the rooms), she said.
The daily room charge in D’Azur is P750, inclusive of breakfast, and yes, wi-fi.
Like Hotel Valencia’s, D’Azur’s clients, mostly sales agents and medical representatives, also urged them to provide wi-fi access. In both hotels, no password is required for wi-fi access.
But in J-mart, can’t just park your car near the mart and connect to the internet because a password is required.
Also, you must purchase P500 worth of gasoline or crude oil for you to gain wi-fi access for an hour.
Bayoc, Danlag and Sunico agree that business has been “very good” since they provided wi-fi access.
In Malaybalay City, located about 120 kilometers from Cagayan de Oro and 30 kilometers from Valencia, Pine Hills Hotel has wi-fi access but you have to buy a card for P50 or P100.
Pine Hills has 28 rooms with daily rates of between P1,200 and P2,000.
Guests con connect to the net from the lobby, poolside or restaurant.
Wi-fi access is not a problem in either Davao or Cagayan de Oro cities. (Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews)