Cop16 delegates check in at 'love motels' as Cali runs out of room space

Robert Baluku, a Ugandan delegate to the UN's biodiversity summit in Colombia, found himself between a rock and a hard place when his team's accommodation was abruptly cancelled, leaving them stranded before the start of Cop16 in Cali.

- Phoebe Weston

The city's hotels were packed to capacity with thousands of country leaders, scientists, government ministers and UN negotiators, and Baluku was left scrambling for options – until the Motel Deseos (Desires) came to the rescue.

Now, Baluku finds himself among at least a dozen delegates and negotiators accommodated by the city's hourly rate motels, which come with circular beds, "love machine" chairs, dance poles and sex swings.

Showing the Guardian around his room, Baluku said it was "very unusual" to put a mirror above the circular bed. "I don't know the motive behind that," he said. He noted that it was "very funny to watch yourself falling asleep".

The Motel Deseos's manager, Diana Echeverry, said she was called by the local government one week before the start of the conference asking if it had space for delegates. She removed the love swings and added blankets and coat hangers. "They came and liked it so much they told their friends and colleagues to stay here too," Echeverry said.