Davao City's Lispher Inn Still A Place To Stay

Lispher Inn: 13 Juna Avenue, Juna Subdivision, Matina, Davao City, Philippines 8000 Tel No.: (6382) 299-1610.

As usual, my recent stay at Lispher Inn was good. The hotel has put up additional rooms. The front desk is now a bit larger than it was. I stayed at the ground floor – one of the old rooms, but Wi-Fi access is good, although the room smells like an old cabinet.

The rate is P1,700 a day and free breakfast for two at the coffee shop.

I did not get fresh supply of shampoo and bath soaps, although the house keepers cleaned my room everyday and put new towel in the bathroom.

Outside my room, workers rush to finish the painting of the lobby. It was daytime so the smell of paint was strong.

The coffee shop now offers a variety of coffee mixes. Food is good and cheap. The food attendants are courteous, although some of them are clumsy. There is also not enough supply of daily newspapers, not even magazines at the coffee shop and also at the front desk. The food outlet closes at 10 p.m. which I think is still early, although room service is available.

The front desk people are like zombie. They are stoned-face workers who did not know the importance of being at the front desk. They don’t greet customers whether they come in or go out and seldom say thank you to those who leave their room keys or get back to get their keys.

They seldom smile and converse to customers about their hotel or the amenities Lispher Inn offers. The hotel owner should give these front desk people some training on public relations. From 1 to 10, I can rate the front desk people 3!

I have also noticed some photos which won in recent contest displayed at the lobby. It’s good, but the hotel could have put these winning photos in frames and display them at the lobby.

The day time bell boys are quick in their job. They know their jobs well. But some would not even open the hotel doors to customers, although the private guards once in a while open the doors for customers.

And the good news is that the hotel acquired a generator set and this means continuous supply of electricity, despite rotational power outages in Davao City.

Overall, my stay was good and I will return again in future trips to Davao City. As I previously said, Lispher Inn is my favorite – it is cheap and clean and near the NCCC Mall and SM.

And the exotic fruit Durian, which smells like hell, but taste like heaven, is cheap in Davao City, about P25-30 a kilo (Puyat variety) and there are many grill restaurants in Davao which offer roasted native chicken, stew and fresh seafoods and the roadside restaurants offer a variety of dishes cooked from goat meat such as papait, sinigang, caldereta, kilawin.

The Editor.