This past weekend I went to Quesnel for a wedding. I stayed at the Billy Barker Casino Hotel as it was the venue for the reception, and wedding guests received a discount on an already reasonable price. (The regular price for a basic room, $94 a night, was reduced to $74 a night.) In addition to being clean and quiet (the two most important factors for me), there were conveniences such as a coffee maker and mini fridge in the room, and the wifi was excellent. (Note: the wifi did not connect in the restaurant on the first floor, but it connected in the hotel lobby and the lounge on the first floor.)
I can't say I have any complaints about the hotel--it was a comfortable stay and the price was reasonable--but the décor in my room was quite... odd. Each room apparently has a different decorating scheme, and some even have a theme (ex. the Asian and Parisian suites). My room, room 312 (you can see a photo of it on the hotel's website under the Room Gallery link) was decorated with a cherub theme. Yup, cherubs--those chubby, naked child-like angels. There was cherub wallpaper, a cherub painting, and the pièce de résistance, a cherub statue on the desk. So while I'd recommend the Billy Barker Casino Hotel if you're staying in Quesnel, if you're hoping to get laid, I'd suggest staying in a different room. Unless cherubs put you in the mood. (Hey, no judgement--everyone has their kink.)
I was initially going to give the hotel 3 stars (I generally only give 4 or 5 stars if I am super impressed and wowed by a business), but I am upgrading it to 4 stars due to the way they handled a minor incident.
On my first morning in Quesnel, I went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast and ordered a Mexican breakfast skillet, which consisted of veggies, cheese, and ground beef. To my horror, the server brought me a skillet brimming with sausage and ham, two things that I absolutely do not eat. I politely told her that it was not what I had ordered (I would NEVER order anything with sausage or ham), and she replied back, quite rudely, "Yes it is!" Taken aback, I repeated that it certainly was not what I had ordered, and to ensure that I hadn't misread the menu or something (which I knew I hadn't), I asked her what the item was, and she said that it was a Milner's skillet (I think that's what it was called). I told her that I had ordered a Mexican skillet, and instead of apologizing and offering to bring me what I had ordered, the server ARGUED with me and insisted that I had ordered the [Milner's] skillet. (As someone who is very careful to check the ingredients of what I order--I will question the terms "cheese" and "meat" to find out precisely what type of cheese or meat--I would NEVER mistakenly order a dish with sausage and ham! Ugh!) I insisted that I had not ordered that item, and she just wouldn't believe me or take any responsibility--she pretty much accused me of ordering that dish or changing my mind; she just could not fathom that perhaps I was correct. I told her that I could not eat the dish and did not want it, and she snapped, "So you don't want it?!" and took the porky skillet and stormed off in a huff.
I understand that mistakes happen--I said Mexican, and she heard or wrote down [Milner] and brought me the wrong dish. Not the end of the world, and it can easily be fixed. But the correct way with dealing with the situation is to say, "Oops, my apologies, let me bring you out the correct dish", not to argue and accuse me of trying to pull a fast one on her.
I was pretty upset by the way she treated me and left without paying for the disgusting coffee (the packaged coffee in the room was better), and went up to the reception desk, in tears (I was already emotionally sensitive due to bullshit going on in my life, and this incident just made me feel like crap), and told them about the situation. They asked me which room I was in and when I told them, they said that they would take off $20 from the bill. I was surprised, as I was in no way demanding or expecting any compensation (except to not pay for the coffee I had ordered), and just really wanted to vent/report the incident. They also offered me a free breakfast, but despite being hungry and becoming hypoglycemic, I had lost my appetite and so just ate some toast and orange juice (which I did not have to pay for).
So for correcting a pretty upsetting experience, I think this hotel deserves 4 stars. read more