North Powder Motel — Hotel in North Powder

A great advantage of checking Yelp and Trip Advisor first is being able to find a place like this that isn't on Hotels.com. What can I say? I Go out of my way to check out a little place like this. Especially since the 3 prior reviews didn't actually tell me much and the only picture posted was the sign lit up at night. ||We bypassed La Grand with its ample supply of normal hotels and came here because when I phoned to ask about a room the fellow cheerfully said he'd hold a room for me...like in the old days. I really had my fingers crossed that I'd like it. The finger crossing thing worked. I LOVE it. ||It's clean. It's got everything including a comfortable bed. Room 8 has vinyl flooring instead of carpeting so ask if you have a preference. There is a tiny FRIDGE and a MICROWAVE and COFFEE MAKER. Even some shower goodies and soap. I think I paid $56. BARGAIN of the century. I hope they light the Christmas lights every night forever. It's awesome. Check out the BENCHES made out of old SKIS! ||The owner is Sung. Pronounced SUNG...as in that song was sung by an angel. I wish we could have met her but she was away on a short trip so we met her son. ||According to her eldest son Gene, she bought it 2 years ago as her retirement project. He is now helping her out. I love family run motels. ESPECIALLY when they are new owners in fix-up mode! It's just going to get better as time goes by. ||I can also tell you that this place, like all wonderful old places, will always be a work in progress. It will keep Sung busily occupied through her retirement years! She owned a small restaurant before this. Hopefully she will consider possibly offering some home cooked goodies someday?||Gene is so nice. When he showed me the room, as we walked out he muttered something about "dusty" so when I came back, I thoroughly checked it out...I swiped the TOPS of everything. The only place I found dust was on top of the picture frame above the bed. I'm betting that after they read this, that picture will be clean as a whistle from now on! If it's not...when you stay in room 8...let me know! Gene...Post a reply when you get that dusted!||Even the fronts of both wall heaters were clean. That's a place that often gets missed. ||The one quaint little issue is a lack of power outlet in the bathroom. Not easy to fix quickly. The only outlet is the dark 2 prong outlet on the light above the sink. BUT IT WORKS! So we could use our Waterpic...And we are charging our toothbrushes between the fridge and microwave where they provide a great power strip. ||There are available wall outlets on both sides of the bed for phone charging. The bedroom wall heater has a thermostat on the opposite wall. The bathroom wall heater has a controller on it. Both heaters work as does the AC. The sheets are soft as are the towels and they provide soft plush blankets that make the bed feel like home. ||Gene said there is a train track nearby but we have not heard a train yet. We arrived about 6 pm and it’s almost 11am. So perhaps it is not a frequently used track? I think my hearing is good!||The Wifi was just upgraded and is awesome in room 8. Gene said the router is actually across the parking lot so I imagine it's good everywhere but always check that out at check-in if that's an issue. See the speed test picture. Yes that's INSIDE room 8. ||I want people to come and enjoy the charm of this sweet old fashioned place, ALONG with the great budget pricing. I love staying where the owners manage it themselves. It's just different. So if you expect modern upgraded perfection...don't come here. Stay at the big places along the way. COME HERE to step back in time and enjoy a one of a kind, sweet nights sleep, ALONG with the TRAVELERS CONVENIENCE of the LAUNDRY next door, & the COUNTRY STORE across the street. And if you're hungry you're in luck because the little NORTH POWDER CAFE is only a quick trot down the road a block. They serve a good BREAKFAST ALL DAY. See my review of the cafe to view their full menu.||If you find this review...

We recently stayed at the North Powder Motel while skiing at Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort. We knew that the motel would provide a very humble accommodation for our ski weekend, since we had viewed it previously on our trips through the area. It was that. We did get a bed (double) to sleep in, heat that kept us warm, and a hot shower. We also got extremely shoddy furnishings and bedding, rust in the hot water, and a property that is in desperate need of a good clean-up (there were 2 vehicles parked outside our room that were broken down). My advice to the owner: we would love to use your facility on a more regular basis. For us to do that, however, you MUST CLEAN IT UP and conduct much needed upgrades. Please use the money you made from our stay and, at the very least, buy new bedding! A fluffy duvet with a coverlet would serve nicely. And remove all the extranneous, unnecessary items from the room: a large table with 3 chairs (when only 2 sleep in the room?), old chair pillows, two TVs that do not work (at least we could not find a remote, nor figure out how to work them), that HUGE wardrobe piece of furniture in the bathroom that blocks the closet, and the ice bucket (where are you going to get ice?!?) And, reduce the price. The room really shouldn't cost more than $60.00 per night--which is probably what the walk-in truckers are charged, right? Please, please help us like your establishment. You're a lovely person, but you have to do better with...

We called 2 hours of ahead of time on a cross country trip late at night and this was the only place who would let us do a late check in. Kim the owner is super sweet, she stayed to make sure we got in ( around midnight) and let us pick between two rooms. When I asked about check out time, she said not to worry about because she could tell we were exhausted, and just to leave when we’re ready. Her daughter Min met us in the morning and was super accommodating and friendly. This place is a little time capsule and it was great. I’ll take superior customer services for 90 a night over a best western or chain any day. I would definitely come back here again! Thanks Kim and Min! And Bruce Lee...