Northern Motor Inn — Hotel in Area E (Thornhill)

Ah, the Northern Motor Inn (NMI)! This hotel, which is technically located in Thornhill, has been around since the very early 1980s, if not even earlier. My grandparents once told me that they’d stayed here in and around the mid 80s and I wouldn’t be surprised if it – the hotel – looked the same now as it did back then; that is to say, the NMI is kind of like going through a time warp – it’s looking a bit dated and even tired here in 2019. The general layout, décor and ambiance all hearken back to a decade nearly 40 years past. But more on my stay in a moment.||||Located out in Thornhill, the hotel is a few minutes’ drive from the downtown core of Terrace. For some, this might be a bit of an inconvenience, especially if you’re without a vehicle, but I found the location quite ideal: Being away from busy downtown, the area was a lot quieter and thus resulted in a much better sleep quality. Even if you’re without a car, there are other amenities within walking distance. For example, the Thornhill Meat Market offers a nice selection of hot eats and sundry items, as does the gas bar adjacent to the NMI. As well, the NMI is less than 10-minutes away from the Terrace airport which, for me, was another clear and definitive plus.||||As for the hotel itself, as I said, it’s an older building and reminds one of the so-called “big 80s” in style and feel; however, it is clean and welcoming. There is ample free parking for standard and over-sized vehicles; and once indoors, you’re greeted by friendly, chatty staff and many a bear motif (which I quite enjoy). The interiors, though, are quite dark and feature rather dim lighting. Everything from the main lobby to the hotel room corridors are lit in such a way and, for me, this kind of contrasts with the upbeat staff. I understand that the NMI is going for something of a “backwoods/lodge” type feel, but I think this is also what makes the place a bit dated.||||Given the nature of small town hotels, you might expect service to be a little sleepy at times. With respect to the NMI, I would say that’s half true. Check-in and check-out were a breeze and the in-house restaurant staff were efficient; however, housekeeping kind of sucked. On more than one occasion I had to wait until well past 4PM for my room to be made-up. In retrospect, it would’ve been far more efficient for me to just straighten the bed sheets myself.||||That said, the NMI does feature a good number of the amenities we now tend to take for granted of a modern hotel: It features vending machines in the main lobby to satisfy those late-night snack cravings; a small laundry facility in the event you’re here for an extended stay; meeting room facilities, complimentary WiFi; and good in-house dining via “The Bear Family Restaurant.” And for those who want a bit of the hair of the dog that bit you, the NMI also features the spacious – but loud – George’s Pub, as well as an on-site liquor store (oh my!).||||The in-house restaurant at the NMI deserves special mention because it punches well above its weight. The hotel’s (dated) website says the eatery offers “a taste to satisfy every appetite” and I’d say this is true. The menu is wide-ranging, as it kind of has to be being a hotel restaurant, but everything I’ve tried has either been very good to excellent. Of particular note are two seemingly contrasting items from different worlds: The wonton soup and grilled salmon. While both dishes are on completely opposite sides of the spectrum in terms of flavours and execution, they’re both equally awesome. The wonton soup is rife with fresh veggies, house-made wontons and broth that is a little spicy yet full of flavour. I’ve had wonton soup in places that allegedly specialize in Chinese food and their offerings didn’t even come close to this one. Likewise, the grilled Pacific salmon was nothing short of divine. I’d ordered this dish with a bit of hesitation (I mean, come on, seafood in a cheap hotel restaurant?), but was pleasantly surprised by the item as a whole. The presentation was simple and straightforward: grilled, colourful vegetables on the side; a modest serving of steamed rice; and ample, perfectly grilled salmon topped with a beautiful lemon sauce. The salmon was tender and juicy. In fact, I’d go so far as to argue it didn’t even need the sauce. Who would’ve thought you could get top quality seafood in the NMI? Certainly not me. The lesson here? Never judge a book by its cover! In summation, I found the “Bear Family Restaurant” to be above average when it came to lunch and dinner; however, breakfast wasn’t quite as exciting (despite what others have said).||||As far as accommodations go, the rooms are very small and dated but clean. My unit featured a double bed which, even though the smallest of bed offerings at the NMI, still made the room feel a bit crowded. The bed itself was a little too firm for my liking and the sheets and pillows kinda felt like they’d been there since “Day 1.” On the plus side, the room did feature a microwave, flat-screen TV, mini fridge, coffee machine, complimentary water and a strong WiFi connection. The bathroom, while clean, was reminiscent of an airplane washroom – very small – and thus hearkened back to hotels of yesteryear, which were designed in the same way.||||I do have a few issues with this hotel, however: 1) The walls are very thin and so you can hear people as they simply walk by your room, etc. As this place has a popular pub attached, I imagine it can probably get rather noisy on the weekends. 2) The water temperature in the bathroom shower fluctuates wildly. It will move from hot to cold and back again, OR it’ll just keep getting hotter regardless of how little you’ve got the “hot” water turned on. I’m surprised I didn’t end up with burns on one occasion. So, you’ve been warned. Finally, the hotel doesn't have an elevator, so if you've got mobility issues you'd better request a ground-floor room otherwise you'll have to climb a couple flights of stairs.||||In summary, I’d say that, overall, the Northern Motor Inn provides for a decent place to stay. The rooms are clean (but dated); it’s close to the airport (less than 10 minutes); and the in-house restaurant is a pleasant surprise. It’s not a perfect hotel by any means, but it does well in those areas that matter most. Plus, they’re quite inexpensive, advertising rates at just under $100 a night . . . a nice change of pace in a town where the rates are creeping up in anticipation of the...

FOUND BED BUGS IN ROOM! ||I brought the bug to the front desk in a ziplock bag and the front desk worker was not that surprised and said oh you found a bed bug, asked if I would like a new room which I replied “no thank you I’ll just pack up our stuff and check out” THIS WAS JUST AFTER 9AM SO WITH TWO KIDS AND OUR STUFF IT WAS POINTLESS AND UNNECESSARY TO MOVE OUR STUFF INTO ANOTHER ROOM FOR A HOUR... so I did so and came back to officially check out a hour later because that’s how long it took me to pack up our things in garbage bags and get the kids situated, I asked the clerk if I was getting any sort of refund or anything to which he said sorry since you booked through Expedia I can’t do anything for you which I understood. So I called Expedia after check out and they put me on hold to call the hotel and she comes back and says that the hotel couldn’t compensate me for anything because I refused a new room.. I told the Expedia worker why I refused said new room and she said sorry but that’s what the hotel said so the only thing I can do is put 50$ on your Expedia account.. thank you Expedia SCREW YOU NORTHERN INN! DO...

Well I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised with my stay here last month , Normally my company puts me up in the Holiday Inn just across the street from The Northern , but for some reason or another the bookings got mixed up and there wasn't anything else available that night , so I got dropped off at the Northern . I wasn't overly excited about the idea and with no other options I went inside and checked in . The receptionist was very friendly and helpful , even helping me carry my bags upstairs to boot ! You now know the downside of this place , no elevator to get to the 2nd floor . . Once inside the room , it was clean , and not worn out , maybe a little out dated , but it was just fine . I needed extra pillow , no problem , they got one for me . No bad smells or stains , clean linen , the lights worked .The T.V. was an issue with 2 remotes , frustrating !Room was quiet , no bugs (bonus) . Restaurant has really good food and amazing service . Main reason for not staying before was the out dated slightly run down look of the outside . I will stay here again , don't judge a book by its cover !...