On the other hand, the geisha s covering of her face with a fan is reminiscent of Victoria s logo: b

The word motel is a Filipinism, a foreign word (e.g. salvage ) which, when localized, corner shelf is given another denotation and connotation. From motel s American meaning motorists hotel or travelers stop-over or overnight place it has evolved into a public house of private rooms for sexual fun.
Motel, in the Philippines, has been perceived as a sex den for prostitutes, hideaway for couples engaged in hot extra-marital affairs, refuge of forbidden lovers, or just about anyone itching to get laid but could not in the privacy of their homes, for the lack of a legal or socially accepted reason. And in this country, they are emphatically third world a curious imagery for the filthy and derogatory acts they are infamously known for. Until Sogo came.
Roland Tolentino narrates in his Bulatlat essay Sogo at Lehitimasyon ng Bawal na Pagnanasa the development of motels corner shelf from the cheap liko biglang yuko type found in Recto, Pasay, Caloocan, and Ermita to hotel style ones like the now successful Hotel Sogo, which keeps on expanding in the national capital region and nearby provinces (such as Laguna) especially in politico-economic centers (Cebu). Like many other landmarks, these hotels are lined up along commercial establishments which are far from cheap and shabby.
Tolentino believes that sex, just like motels, is now as legal (or legalized) as the Arroyo regime. Now with twenty corner shelf branches[1] in the Philippines and hundreds of outdoor advertisements, Sogo has also entered the Filipino jokes ( nakita kitang pumasok sa Sogo! ), sexual innuendos ( Sogo naman tayo ), and literary stories (e.g. Perstaym in the erotic anthology Kuliti[2]), all of which refer to Sogo as a place where human beings mate, with Catholic guilt. The place has around three hundred rooms and at night all of them are occupied as evident in the never empty waiting lobby and ever busy monitoring staff especially every 15 th or 30 th of the month, as observed by Tolentino during paydays. We even see guests who would start kissing inside the slightly covered seats while in the long wait. The geisha in Sogo s logo suggests that the place is for short time pleasure which is not unlike the happy hours sold in such known motel as Anito.
On the other hand, the geisha s covering of her face with a fan is reminiscent of Victoria s logo: black and white silhouette of a woman with a finger making a shush sign. Both images imply privacy, if not secrecy. Ironically, the over-all red paint of Sogo screams for attention. And as if to live up to the motel s original meaning, these hotels are along main highways waiting for the next motorist. Curiously, these hotels are to be found near areas where prostitutes corner shelf are sighted: foot bridges full of sex workers are near Sogo Cainta, Aurora, and Cubao; Manila pimps are just around the corner of Sogo Recto and Malate; and gay pokpoks abound Quezon Avenue and Banawe. Apparently Sogo hotels corner shelf stand on areas where the masses hang around not in Rockwell Makati but in Guadalupe, not along Roxas Boulevard corner shelf but Malate, not in Filinvest but Alabang Rotonda. Sogo hotels geographic location is exposed as that of Jollibee, its periphery as peopled as SM, and its operation as busy as 7 Eleven.
On top of all that, what makes Sogo popular nowadays is advertising. Outdoor posters, traffic signs, public service ads, and other transport advertisements with the geisha corner shelf in them are ubiquitous, while Sogo discount cards are promotional materials easy to come by. Side by side the tagline corner shelf and the information about the hotel rates in these ads are friendly road reminders, and in marketing, this is a smart add on. PR advertising gives companies a good image and a way to consumers heart, i.e. public acceptance. Sex inside Guests are usually a man-woman couple, but sometimes there are m2m (men to men) and a pair of women, too.
The corner shelf lobby is splashed with warm hues, orange and tan. True to the hotel s name, Sogo s theme is Japanese: open cubicles that cover the benches are reminiscent of Japanese houses sliding doors made of paper only that the ones in the lobby are made of translucent corner shelf glass with wooden edges. Seats are for two and their cover walls, which are about four feet high, are attached to left, right, and back of the cushioned bench.
These cubicles are neatly aligned, facing one direction so waiting guests do not see each other unless one stands to get a number or go to the washroom. Guests are usually a man-woman couple, but sometimes there are m2m (men to men) and a pair of women, too. The hotel s desk is manned corner shelf by employees garbed in red uniforms with yellow lining. Guests get their number here the moment they enter the place, then wait while seated until their number is called, in other words, until rooms are available. corner shelf The employee who stands in front of the desk explains the rates while the one behind the desk inputs the length of stay in the corresponding rooms. In the lobby everything is neat. Even