Garrison Motel

The place smelled awful, the sheets were stained, and the fridge was wet with ice spilling out. The soda machine barely worked, they didn’t refill things or clean, and the workers didn’t seem to do their jobs or check on anything. When the power went out, we had to switch rooms, but then had to rent again for the room we’d already paid for. The manager yelled and screamed at us, raising her voice and going on about how we expected them to stay there in 90-degree weather. I’m never coming back. This place is just bad, and they’re racist too. (A summary and rap I spent 2 minutes on)

I saw a disturbing Tweet on Twitter this morning. A page from your employee guide is going viral and appears to discriminate against Native Americans. I would have emailed you about it, but there doesn’t seem to be an email address on your webpage. The alleged page says not to let in guests considered questionable, listing “drunks, Indians, or broke,” and claims the motel has had bad luck with natives. It says to keep them to a bare minimum and to say “WE ARE FULL” if a questionable person arrives, even when 50 rooms are open. I left out some of the exclamation points because there were so many, but you get the idea. As a Native American who appears very white, I hate thinking I might have been allowed to stay while my dark-haired, dark-skinned mother would have been turned away. This Native American won’t be staying at your motel.

We stayed seven nights in this cabin with four dogs and a party of five. It’s clearly set up for hunting and fishing, and there isn’t much else to do in Garrison ND. If hunting isn’t your thing, you may want another place. The Garrison Motel also has regular hotel rooms. The cabin has two bedrooms. One has two full beds side by side and sleeps two; the other has two queen bunk beds and sleeps four. There’s also a loft area that could sleep two, with an inflatable mattress and pump, plus a futon in the living, kitchen, and dining room space. There’s just one bathroom, and the shower is tiny, about cruise-ship size. I worried we’d run out of hot water, but even with five men showering one after another it stayed hot the whole time. The kitchen was adequate. The stove and oven worked great, as did the microwave and fridge, but there’s no dishwasher. Heating took some figuring out because each room has a radiator with a manual knob. It could get really warm, but we were never cold and slept with the windows cracked. There were plenty of clean white towels, and maid service was available, though we didn’t use it. We tracked a lot of mud inside and swept it up each day. There was no avoiding the mud, and boot brushes by the door would have been nice, though probably not a complete solution. Outside, the picnic table had clear signs of birds being dressed, and we used it for the same. There were down feathers around, and the nearby cabins and homes are clearly active hunting spots. A laundromat is right next door, with a change machine, and it closes at 8 pm. Bring cash, since the ATM at the nearby grocery store only works with physical cards. The grocery store is beside the laundromat. For food, there’s a DQ across the street or highway, and downtown is an easy walk. Ye Olde Malt Shop serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and also closes at 8. The only other eatery is about three miles away, Trot and Trails or something.

The owners are very friendly, but they own both hotels in town, so the prices are high. The rooms have only a few TV channels, no coffee maker or microwave, and the refrigerators don’t work very well. If you can, stay in Minot instead of Garrison.