My dad and I stayed here on our way back home from Thunder Bay. It was an unpleasant night, to say the least.
I like to think I'm pretty realistic with my expectations. I know what I'm getting at a standard motel. It's almost always what I expect so I hardly ever feel the need to write reviews, but my experience here was so frustrating I'd like to at least share it while it's still fresh in my mind.
We'd been driving all day and were glad to finally stop somewhere to rest. We entered the lobby around 8pm and an older lady directed us to the end of the hall where we met the owner. My dad asked what her rates were to stay the night and she told us $109 for the both of us.
My dad paused for a moment because it did seem rather expensive for a dingy motel. To give you some perspective, we could've stayed at the Marriott in Sault St. Marie for basically the same price (we actually wanted to stay there originally but there was a convention in town and it was hard to find rooms anywhere, so we kept driving and ended up here).
Everything went downhill from that point on. Have you ever watched an American Idol compilation of rude contestants? That's what it felt like talking to this owner - entitled, rude, and her expression and tone with anything she said almost seemed like she was annoyed with us? It was really odd. The place was practically deserted, you think she would be happy to have any customers at all...
Anyway, while my dad paused to think, she must have been getting impatient because she blurted out, "Everyone else is charging $119 so I'm actually giving you a DEAL, oKAY?" (in a very BE THANKFUL sort of way)
My dad reluctantly asked to see the rooms and she literally told us to "go look online", as if we were asking the impossible. Keep in mind most of the rooms were empty and take maybe 20 seconds to walk to. Were we really being that unreasonable?
We probably should've just left right then and there but we were really tired, so my dad asked again if there was ANY way we could take a peek at the room beforehand. Visibly annoyed, she let out a sigh and then showed us the room.
It was not a $109 room. I mean sure, it seemed clean enough but the whole thing looked very bleak and average. It was exactly what you'd expect the inside to look like just judging from the quality of the motel's outer appearance. If I had to guess the price based on that, I'd say no more than $80 for the both of us? Maybe I'm just used to staying in hotels where the price is similar to what we paid because I can't help but feel like we got ripped off. Unfortunately, that feeling would only get worse.
At this point we really didn't want to keep driving so we ended up getting the room. Despite the owner's antics, I was willing to overlook all of that because after a long day of travelling, I was excited to get online and talk to some friends. That didn't happen.
We were put on the 2nd floor so far away from the modem that we couldn't connect from anywhere in our room. It wasn't just our room either - it was the entire 2nd floor (I literally walked along the whole 2nd floor checking the connection with my phone with no luck). To connect at all, I had to walk down the creaky staircase and loiter near the front lobby. Maybe you'd get a signal on ground level but I'm quite convinced the WiFi doesn't work anywhere on the 2nd floor. I would've asked to change rooms, but the few on the first floor were occupied already with the only other guests that night.
What was even more annoying about all this was that none of the WiFi limitations were made known to us UNTIL WE PAID. I called the front desk about it and the owner said something like "I warned you it was slow. It's not our fault, it's the city's!"
It IS the owner's fault. The internet works fine on the first floor. All you have to do is install a modem for the 2nd floor so that the connection is strong enough to accommodate your guests staying there. If you do have a modem installed there already, I urge you to fix it for your next guests so they don't have the same issues we did.
Even despite the internet issue I probably wouldn't have written this review if it wasn't for the owner. If she happens to be reading this, a word of advice for you. A little respect and courtesy can go a long way. After a long drive, the last thing a tired traveler wants is to be subjected to a stuck up, impolite motel owner who can't even accommodate a simple request without making her customers feel like shit.
tl;dr - Rude, entitled owner and charges way too much for the quality of the room you're getting. If you just need a place to stay for the night and don't mind getting overcharged, then this place will do. If getting on the internet is something you absolutely need, find somewhere else. If you're put on the 2nd floor (where I stayed), you won't even be able to connect. read more
