No Vacancy

Imagine our thrill on seeing someone at this property…someone who looks like they should be there. A quick introduction, some confusion over our motives (honestly, this is what we do), and we’re in. However, the light’s failing, we’ve got the wrong camera and no tripod, so we’ll have to make due. This small town motel is still in business, but the row of cabins seen here, the oldest units in the complex, are no longer used. Can you say no vacancy?

Our new friend did not appear to be the chatty type, so we didn’t ask if they knew the history. Anyway, we enjoy the research phase and given the type of business, knew it would be easy to find a bit of backstory. Old phone books, here we come! We’ve known of this place for a long time, but never searched out the owners, so this chance happening came as a blessing.

Funny how it plays out – there we were heading back from a snack run, minding our business and with exploring the last thing on our minds, then out of nowhere, opportunity knocks. Our proper gear was at the crash pad (another “dive*” motel in town), so while unprepared, we say what the heck.

Here’s what we know, thanks to AGT and later Telus.

The motel first makes mention about 1965. At the time, it’s listed as having five units but a couple years later that number doubled and soon after, doubled again. Ten units are still used today, on the other side of the property, and by the numbers must be the final ones built.

For most of the ’60s and ’70s their ads read: “Fully modern with TV & Radio”. That’s not much of a come on, but with only one local competitor (at the time – an old hotel, still in business), perhaps they didn’t have to try hard. They were not far off the highway and given how everything’s laid out, were the first accommodations you’d pass if heading into town.

In the mid-1970s they advertised new owners and their tag line went like this: “20 modern units with TVs and some with kitchen. Comfortable and reasonable.” We’re sold! By the 1980s it changed: “20 modern units. Colour TV – Telephones – Kitchens.” Colour TV? The future is now!

In the mid 1980s they were under new management again and advertised the following: “20 modern units, AC, satellite & colour TVs, kitchenettes and launderette.” In the early 1990s they offered “Bachelorettes (the room, not the party), plus weekly and monthly rates.”

That they were touting long term rentals at this point, tells us they’re were courting the non-tourist trade. You know, transient workers and it’s likely the units were also used for social housing. Taking on these roles became a fate that befell many old motels and the section still in use sort of continues along these lines.

The motel operated under one name for most of its history, but has had several owners as you’ve seen. In the early to mid-2010s they closed this section and at this time, the combined office/manager’s house on the property was torn down and business then handled remotely from elsewhere in town. You want a room? You have to call and wait for the key-master to show up.

Photos of the cabins taken near the end (found on an old travel site), show them looking rather run-down (as they are today) and not terribly welcoming. Local contacts in our circle tell us it was a no-tell motel at the time and with a questionable reputation.

Reviews speak of its seedy character: “Cheap, cheap, cheap…Keep repeating to yourself: at least it’s cheap…overlook the smelly carpet, the bare wiring…at least it’s cheap.” You get the picture. For the continental breakfast you got a toaster, a loaf of Wonder Bread and jug of Tang and if you use your Bates Motel chain reward card, you get a free night’s stay every third visit. If you survive! We’ll get your room ready as soon as we remove the police tape.

The section that remains in operation still has that old-school vibe and given the name of the business changed a few years back suggests new owners once again. While it’s no Fairmont Banff Springs, it serves a need and not as bad as some places we’ve stayed at. We’re forced to travel cheap and have no choice in the matter.

Are these cabins no longer used due to lack of demand or that they needed some serious work? Hard to say for certain, but the latter seems more likely as it’s clear they’re not in great shape. Still everything here seems intact, albeit faded, cracked and weathered. We’re not sure the purpose of the A-frame building seen, but maybe it’s the laundry(?).

Unprepared as were meant we knew the photos would turn out pretty ugly. It happens when you push it hard. No wait, that raw and gritty feel…it’s an artistic statement. You know, edgy and of extreme contrast, a reflection of man’s internal struggle with self. Yeah, something deep. That’s it!

Extreme ISOs were the rule this evening, and the grain that comes with it begrudgingly accepted. Finally an excuse to crank it to 12.8k! Full power captain and with the sensor glowing red hot we could only ask for more. Most of the photos were no good, due the low light, but so be it. Truth is, it’s about the fun and memories that come of these adventures and not the photos (shhh, don’t tell anyone).

The cool reception given us by our host had us thinking brevity as the best option, so after a few snaps we hightailed it out. We say our thanks on leaving, a greeting barely acknowledged, and while they go back to rooting through their car, lit by flashlight (dome light busted?), we drive off.

We wish we had more time and better light, but we’ll take what we can get. Maybe we’ll try again another day…

*Dive: an endearing term for old motels of character.

Stay tuned for more fun and adventure!

They’re saying…

”They have no fear when it comes to searching in remote areas, and they have an artistic eye for picture taking. It’s a very enjoyable site.” James Robinson.

Hotels and motels…
Bluebird Motel Claresholm – That retro vibe.
Ymir, Friday Nights – Karaoke night @ the Ymir!
Crowsnest Pass then and now – Chinook Motel – A decades apart comparison.

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: contact us!

Date of Adventure: August, 2020.
Location: Small Town, AB.
Article references and thanks: Old phone books at the Calgary Public Library and the Medicine Hat & District Genealogical Society.

No Vacancy!

It’s the closed section of a small town motel.

These cabins date back to the 1960s.