FEB. ‘26. UPDATE: Hi! How’s the search going? This Description is intended to be an accurate reflection of what it was like to live (from about Jan. ’24 to Jan. ‘26) at a One-Bedroom Motel-Apartment (in Kamloops.) I’m vacating it in order to live at a Motel-Room at the same property. In my opinion, the Motel-Apartment could easily house two considerate Occupants. If you want to make enquiries, could you please contact the Motel-Owners?
It may be that you won’t be able to move in until, for example, the Bathtub’s Tub-Surround is replaced, which is a Repair that might be extensive & time-consuming. I don’t know for certain, but had thought that the Tub-Surround is the original one & that there’s “Black Mold” behind it. (I’m trying to get some uncomplicated upgrades finished that weren’t authorized by the Motel-Owners. IDK, but perhaps there are additional matters the Motel-Owners & Residence Maintenance Man want to address? A possibility: The Flooring, throughout the Motel-Apartment, is comprised of Ceramic Tiles. The Grouting seems to have dried out & become gone, bit by bit, in clumps. Many of the Tiles are loose. Perhaps the empty Grout-Lines are also one location from which generations of (Pharoah- or Sugar-) Ants have been invading the Motel-Apartment? IDK: Maybe all one has to do is add new Grouting to the empty Grout-Lines, which may improve on at least two problems?)
Just so you know: My impression is that many of the problems at the property were passed down from previous Motel-Owners. Maintaining a property is a lot of work. It goes to show you that anyone trying to hold something together deserves appreciation :)
Re: A One-Bedroom Motel-Apartment in Kamloops, BC, at the Desert Inn:
Re: Unit #265-755 West Columbia Street, Kamloops, BC, V2C 1K8. (C/O: The Star Lodge Motel-Office: 775 West Columbia Street, Kamloops, BC, V2C 1K9.)
In ‘24, an “Initial Site Plan” was done at the Desert Inn & nearby Kamloops Star Lodge. IDK what it means. Likely constructed in the ‘60’s or ‘70’s, the Motels are owned by the same Company, are located at Kamloops’ “Sahali-” area & are within walking distance of Thompson Rivers University.
In my opinion, disadvantages at Motel-Apartment #265 include:
-Noise from Columbia Street;
-An occasional strong odour of (eg, 420 or tobacco) wafting in from people nearby. In ’26, I noticed that a smell of tobacco smoke seems ongoing;
-Meagre Soundproofing: Please exert that you reduce-to-0 any noise you make. It seems noise travels downwards; therefore, as a good Tenant would, please try to be mindful of impacts on other people at a Building, particularly when walking on the Floor. A downstairs Neighbor indicated that noise, made in my Unit, is loud;
-Obsolete Fire Safety-features that include a Smoke Detector who’s piercing sound seems to go off for no reason: In ‘25, it passed a Fire Safety-Check. In addition, it seems I’ve had to replace its 9V Battery ≈ every 1-2 months. But in Dec ‘25, the Smoke Detector went off when I’d let a pot of water boil on my Hotplate for too long. To my relief, almost as soon as I opened Doors & Windows to flush out any Smoke, the Smoke Detector stopped beeping;
-No Surveillance-Technology;
-Ongoing Gaslighting- or Harassment-Behavior (CCC: Article 264. (1)) w/Building Associates, something for which I’ve no proof. My impression is that, generally & on any given day, I didn’t start things (?) But you should talk to everyone concerned, because I certainly criticized, bickered & quarrelled audibly (in an attempt to stop the behavior?) I figure who could work the best with the nearby Neighbors might be someone who’s socially aggressive & somewhat conscience-impaired. Despite what might be certain behaviors they have, my Neighbors seem to know about being seen in a good light & are more than capable of being nice. Me, I certainly wasn’t always at my best behavior & would talk back to my Neighbours, with some regularity, while I was inside the Unit. As far as I recall, I’d try to do this at a reasonable Volume. I’ve no hard evidence (eg, camera footage) showing that the unwanted contacts, committed by anyone, took place;
-(Pharoah-? Sugar-?) Ant- & Spider-Infestation: At Unit #265, I didn’t see bedbugs, cockroaches or rodents (which I consider worse than ants or spiders.) My most recent tactic, which so far seems to have had little overall success, was to create (Paper Cup) Ant Repeller-Stations, which contain about 3TBSP of Unused Coffee Grounds, & place them at different spots around the Motel-Apartment. (Is it true that the smell of Coffee repels (Pharoah- or Sugar-) Ants?) The Ants will likely keep coming & are populous!
But advantages at #265 seem to include:
-The Motel-Apartment is warm, dry & comfortable;
-The other Guests tend to be extremely quiet, seem to retire early & are considerate & friendly, especially when you meet them outside :)
-The Motel-Apartment has a lot of natural light, & the Floors, all Hard-Surfaces, are easy to clean;
-The Managers have let me fix things, are easy to work with, are good at fixing things & appear to be talented Gardeners, who’ve permitted me to enjoy Produce from small Gardens they tend (located near the Motel-Office.)
(You might want to volunteer (eg, to water the veggies or do some weeding during the summertime) when Mr. & Mrs. Basi may want some down-time. You might find that your efforts pay off handsomely (eg, you could obtain some fresh, healthy Produce!))
Furthermore, IDK for certain if pets are allowed. But I’ve seen what appears to be well-behaved pets at the property.
-The Unit has: 1 Bedroom (w/a Door that has Locking-Hardware,) 1 Bathroom (w/Shower & Bathtub,) 1 Open-Area w/a combined Kitchen/Living-Room & a Sundeck that, to me, seems to have been built with compromised structural soundness & might be unsafe for people to be on;
-It seems it’s possible for more than 1 person at a time, while inside the Motel-Apartment, to use the complimentary WiFi-service;
-There are coin-operated Laundry-Appliances at the Star Lodge (or you could do your Laundry & Dry-Cleaning (more expensively) at a “McCleaners-” outlet on Summit Drive.)
Here are some suggested (House-) Rules, partly in case you want to have (a) Roommate(s:)
Thank you!
Renee K. Taylor, Guest, The Star Lodge/the Desert Inn, Kamloops, BC.
Without Prejudice/IMO.
(Opinion.)
Hi: To any Rental-Seekers, browsing online & wanting to check out the Motel-Apartment, I can say I’d recommend it. However, you do have to know how to deal with 24/7 Harassment (done quietly) from the Neighbours (bless them,) & a few of what I see as additional, minor issues.
I believe the Neighbours have serious (behavior-, etc.) issues. However, I’ve also got no medical training for supporting that statement. My other Roomies Description is intended to say what I’m like. I’d like you to have a balanced viewpoint. It’s possible that at least a few of the Long-Term Residents are in a Group Booking with Corrections Canada (?) This is my own idea & I’ve got no proof that backs it up. If it’s true, IDK what the implications are.
In my opinion, CDN renters never had veritable “Peaceful-” or “Lawful Enjoyment” that would be enforced by a Landlord. It’s only b/c the housing-crisis (& an intense pressure on Tenants who, aware of a frightening shortage of spaces, are forced to stay put) has made it clear that, unless a Building has miked surveillance & is exceedingly well-managed (perhaps partly by requiring that Tenants occupy themselves with healthy activity?) Then mixing random strangers in a bldg (to have easy, “first come, first served-” Paperwork?) Who perhaps hold animosity towards one another, may well produce (an ongoing, psychological “witches’ brew,” “quagmire,” “sewer,” “toxic waste-dump,” “psychic war,” etc., also known as:) Conflict, tension, confusion, friction, chafing, etc. I think someone should have the right to exercise (perhaps rather iffy, but basically harmless) habits inside his Unit & do it quietly. If someone chooses to inflict his negative behavior (while standing anywhere in a bldg) onto other Residents, & even tries to manipulate them (into triangles with other Residents (?)) Then that person has “thrown the first punch,” & “the milk is curdled” & a home-environment likely ruined unless the behavior is seen to be punished. (A Tenant, proven culpable, could be moved to a Basement Unit, next to a Boiler Room & away from other Residents!) I think a malignant choice, like hard-to-detect Neighbour-on-Neighbour Harassment, would more than likely have an impact that spreads.
WorkSafeBC, our province’s Employer-Insurer, entails a “Workplace Violence & Prevention-” policy that can help mitigate Workplace Bullying. We don’t have laws that are clear about stopping Employee-on-Customer bullying, or for when you’re at public- or privately-owned spaces, including rental-facilities, & you’re being bullied by Associates there. I’d like to help strengthen the legislation. Perhaps we could at least decree that the CA Charter & Criminal Code are considered in effect, as long as you’re standing on Canadian soil?
Q.: Instead of spending a lifetime trying to get inside a certain type of Enclosure, why not make it a priority to find the environment(s) you’re most suited for & work backwards (from agreed-on Default(s?))
Tips:
AFAIK, Adults 18+ are expected to address conflict openly & coolly. Your Landlord isn’t a Referee. Opaque cultures, take note! In North America, we prize openness, transparency & assertiveness. In this Hemisphere, it’s mostly about the individual. If possible, please take some time to learn, via “trial & error,” how to survive if it seems you’re absolutely alone. It certainly seems my people (White Europeans) were remiss in not instructing this information appropriately, at least to our valued young people!
Furthermore, I haven’t known for positive if the Star Lodge/Desert Inn property is for sale, how long the current Owners intend to keep it going or what’s the absolute longest you can stay there. But it might be wise to get in the habit of changing your settings now & then. Then perhaps you can return once in awhile & not wear out your welcome?
Good luck! I hope you get a good situation!
Renee K. Taylor.
Feb. ’26.
CA
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