Espace Globetrotter

We were forced out that same night, left in the cold rain with nowhere to go, over a payment problem that wasn’t our fault. This ruined our vacation. I’ve lived in Canada for more than 10 years, including 3 in Quebec, and this was the first time I’ve felt I was a victim of racism here. Please think twice before booking. Tourists trying to rest for one night don’t deserve to be treated this way. I’d booked one night in Rimouski for my 60-year-old mom and me during our Canada Day trip to Percé. I stepped out briefly for dinner while she stayed in the rental to rest. The host suddenly arrived, said he hadn’t received payment, and threatened to kick us out. My mom speaks neither French nor English and was overwhelmed. I rushed back and showed proof the payment had gone through, but he kept insisting I pay again and wouldn’t listen. He had to check with the booking platform to receive the money. His behavior was aggressive, and the way he treated us felt discriminatory. We are Asian and don’t speak French very well, and I believe racism was the main reason we were treated this way.

A decent dorm, but it is a dorm. Everyone was respectful, and I didn’t see any abusive behavior. If you’re sociable, you can meet some really cool people. Towels are provided, which is nice when traveling, and you can come and go at night whenever you want. Check-in and the last day aren’t included. The owner is sympathetic, though some decisions seemed odd. A few guests couldn’t stay another night even when beds were empty, and were moved to hotel rooms that cost more, even with the discount the owner offered.

The room was very basic and small, with a decent bed, pillows that felt like cushions, and a desk I found pretty useless. Storage would have been more helpful. There was no appliance apart from a lamp, and a fan would have been welcome since it was 28 degrees Celsius that night. The bathrooms were only kind of clean. I didn’t really inspect the kitchen, though people were cooking, so I assume it works. No breakfast. WIFI was weak upstairs and fine elsewhere. At $100 a night for a double room, this didn’t feel like an affordable hotel. Long story short, avoid it if you can. We stayed one night at the start of July before touring Gaspésie. The location suited us, near the bus station we arrived at and several car rental places. But the welcome put me off. We were told to take off our shoes at the small entrance and leave them there, awkward with our big packs. Then they asked us to put our sleeping bags in the entrance cupboard for hygiene reasons. In less than two minutes, they’d twice suggested we might be dirty. I understand they may have had problems with guests’ cleanliness before, but treating everyone as suspect made me feel unwelcome. If guests can’t use their own sleeping bags, asking them to put them with everyone else’s seems ridiculous. It felt like we were being exposed to other people’s bed bugs so the hotel wouldn’t be. I know it’s a hotel, not someone’s home, so the shoe rule struck me as odd and annoying. The short welcome briefing also emphasized the sleeping bag rule. Those policies sent the wrong message to me.

I stayed here in early May and would recommend the hostel to anyone traveling this way. The owner was really friendly and helpful. The dorm rooms are a little small, but the mattresses are great, and couples can book a double bed in a dorm too. There’s a very functional kitchen, clean showers and bathrooms, and some parking. A great experience in a clean hostel.