Guest User
January 31, 2023
I have to provide a little context before getting to the review itself. My cousin and I are in our early 80s and taking advantage of the fact that we're both in good health and our wives are tolerant (if not happy) about us taking long driving trips to out-of-the-way locations they would never think of visiting. So, on these trips, we also stay in places they wouldn't possibly consider staying in. We don't do micro-inspections of the rooms and realize that sometimes things won't work as well as they might have when they were first installed. We also take into account the fact that locations that are at or near the end of the supply chain likely have higher costs and would likely need to charge a higher rate for accommodations that would be available for less somewhere else. With that context in mind, I reserved a room in May using the internet for a mid-August one-night stay. The reservation process was routine, and the front desk had all the information correct on our arrival. Check-in was easy. The room was as described in the reservation I made. The room furnishings were clean, but a bit worn. The toilet leaked around the base a bit after flushing, so the wax seal was probably no longer intact. Sleeping was comfortable. I don't know if it's quiet or not because I sleep with ear plugs. The room was sufficiently dark even though sunrise was earlier than our wake-up time. There is an on-site restaurant, Key's Dining, which is very good and fairly reasonably priced given costs, So, what would my advice be about considering the Ptarmigan Inn? If you're traveling through and will be in Hay River or the surrounding area only one night, it's OK. If you were going to stay longer, I'd consider another location, but not necessarily rule this out. Based on the reviews I read before booking it, I'd say they were fair and would expect varied reactions by lodgers. Overall, I suppose I'd have to say it was like staying in a small-town hotel that was the only place in town in the '60s. I've stayed in worse, and I've stayed in better. If someone said I had an obligatory trip to make to Hay River and I had to stay at the Ptarmigan Inn when I was there, that would be OK with me.