Thorsby Hotel Bar & Grill KITCHEN MUSIC SOCIAL — Restaurant in Thorsby

☆ THIS IS A HOTEL REVIEW ☆

Do not stay at this place.

I regret the $80 a night I spent here. I really wish I had rented at another location.

I expected small. I expected old. I expected second-hand furniture. I didn't want luxury. I wanted the bare minimum. And I didn't get it. I've stayed at small town inns before. I'm no stranger to cheap hotels, but this was just nasty.

Here's what was wrong with our room:

• Even the most minimal cleaning procedures were not followed. There was a dirty beer glass on the table in the room, the bottom of which was caked in some long-congealed liquid. We brought in our own cleaning wipes from the car. It was clear the table had not been cleaned in a long time.

• The floor was grimey and, in some places, sticky. We didn't take our shoes off except when we slept because it was unpleasant to do so. They could have mopped the place i 10 minutes but it looks like it's been months since any attention has been given to the room other than changing the bedsheets.

• One of our beds seemed clean (we looked it over thoroughly) but the other one had a weird grease stain on the blanket and a small spot of snot on a pillowcase.

• There was a TV on the wall but placed so that the cord couldn't reach an outlet. What is even the point?

• There was a set of nail clippers and a (wrapped, unused) family planning item on one windowsill

• EVERYRHING WAS STICKY?! The fridge handle was sticky. We opened one set of drawers in the room, but there was a ton of dust and random debris in it. The remote in the drawers was sticky and I had to wash ny hands after touching it. I accidentally brushed my calf against the drawers and even the outside of it was sticky! No idea why EVERYTHING WAS STICKY.

• The owners BLAST obnoxious auto-tuned hip hop and rap every morning in the restaurant. It's impossible to talk with someone, or even think straight. We did 't stay for breakfasts because of this. I'm under 30, and I don't mind most music, but this was pretty bad and WAY TOO LOUD. It sucked to stay at an Inn with a restaurant attached.... and not feel comfortable eating at the restaurant for breakfast. (I will say the one time we got some breakfast sandwiches to go, they were pretty good!)

Here's what was good about our room:

• There was a small air conditioner. Despite the windows being unopenable, at least we had that.

• It was pretty secure, with a solid metal door - locked at all times - at the stairs leading up to the rooms

• It was surprisingly soundproofed from the bar. We thought the noise would leak through, but it didn't. There were no other guests, so I can't say how soundproof the walls between rooms are.

• There's wifi. It's not very fast, but it's functional.

• The locals are very friendly. We participated in a karaoke night at the bar and it was a lot of fun!

• The provided soaps were from a local Indigenous-owned business. The facial bar was creamy and everything had a lovely, fresh smell. For those interested, Mother Earth Essentials is the name :)

While we could have spoken up, it was clear the manager we talked to could not be less interested in his job. He spoke in a flat, monotone voice, and answered any questions with dismissive, vague answers. He did the bare minimum of saying things like "thanks for staying with us" or "call if you need anything" but it was obvious he was phoning it in. He really seemed to hate his job. Don't expect any customer service here.

We could have stayed somewhere else, but we didn't want to fight over any fees and we weren't familiar with the area. We had trouble gauging hotels using Google Maps. It's small town Alberta. You go with the options you have. Little did I know that there's a really great inn just on the other side of the lake. We'll be staying there if we ever come through the area again.

This was supposed to be a nice weekend away with my partner since we won free tickets to a music festival. It WAS fun during the day, when we were away...

Update: Spoke with the owner & had a very good chat, he addressed all my concerns and was very understanding about all of it... I appreciated the chat and resolution that he offered. ... Giving 5 stars... Thank you Ordered 2 poutines for take out tonight for dinner and although the fries & gravy were done well, I have to say that I was quite disappointed in the amount of gravy used which didn't cover half the fries and the potion size. It was in a small to go container and was only 3/4 filled, I would say that it was not even the size that you would get as a side with a burger for $15 each that was very disappointing for the price. I don't know if someone made a mistake tonight but if not and that is what it is usually for that price I'll be sticking to the other restaurant in town that serves double the portion for basically the same price... I would have given 5 stars if not for the...

Jason and his current staff have done an excellent job on the Hub's renovations and how the establishment is run since he's taken over.

The staff, whom are all friendly, courteous and respectful, are turning the Hub into a great pub with a welcoming atmosphere.

The drinks special and food menu are equally great. My wife and I have become proud, regular patrons at the Hub. As far as I'm concerned ,, Jason has made a Big Difference for the better,, as the Owner/Manager. I've also attended a few of the events and Music bands,, We had a great time each time. Would highly recommend checking out the Hub... Keep up the great work Jason and...