Hospitality in Regina

So I made my way here to Regina. Concert is in about 3 hours but I have already had my daily dose of aggravation.

People told me before that Regina is not a great city to visit, as the crime rate here is considerably high than other parts in the country. They were mentioning that people here are rather rude. I got the first (and hopefully last) taste of it today.

Before leaving Saskatoon, I checked some places to stay in while in Regina. I came across this motel called “Inntowner Motor Inn”, quoting me the rate of $48.95. Not bad.

So I’m arriving at the place. Looks a bit run down and the area doesn’t appear to be safe. Door was locked, then the owner of the place shows up. The minute I saw him, I knew that something is just wrong in this picture.

First it turned out that the rate is higher than what he quoted me. OK, that’s fine. No big deal. Probably my mistake.

Then I basically asked him two things:

1. Can I see the room?
2. Is this area safe?

So he showed me one of the rooms, which appeared to be fine. Then I got to ask him the second question about whether the area is safe or not.

Guys, believe me when I tell you that he started to give me a 20 minutes lecture about, basically, how dare I ask such a question. At some point, he told me that if it was Saturday, I’d probably not get a room there as I ask too many questions (on Saturdays, occupancy rates are higher).

I was amazed and waited for him to finish. I couldn’t believe what I heard. After he was done with his lecture, I asked him: “Are you the owner of this place?”

He said: “Yes, I am the owner. Any more questions?”

”No” I said, and fled the scene.

Now I don’t know what this guy’s problem is. It’s very easy to say that he’s an a**hole and so forth, but one thing I learned in life is to refrain, as much as I can, from judging somebody before I put myself in his shoes.

Still, we’re trying to operate a society here. If you’re in the lodging business, better be patient and kind. Whatever problems this guy has at home or in his personal life, this is really inappropriate. If you can’t show at least a bit of professionalism, don’t own a motel.

Too bad that this guy, and similar other people, are giving Regina such a bad name.

So there you are. The place is called “Inntowner Motor Inn”. My suggestion: never stay there.

Consulting my GPS, I ended up parking my rear in Sherwood House Motel, further down the road and closer to downtown. $75, but at least I feel safe in here.

Time to eat, and then the concert…

See you soon,
Isaac