Need Extended-stay Motel Recommendation in Fairbanks (Bettles: compensation, maintenance, living in)

[megensmom]

I don't reccomend 7 gables the reason being they hire anyone off the street literly. They advertise in the Newsminer for a maintence worker and when you call they say they hire people on a daily basis and if you wanna cut a deal they will rent you a room and you work for rent. So while it might sound like a sweet deal to some the normal business traveler,etc won't be to thrilled since they don't get background info on these people its just kinda cash under the table so I don't find that secure and wouldn't want to leave my stuff there.
Best Western has been having some sweet deals and so has Pikes Lodge which has been running 57.00 a night rates.

[Metlakatla]

Have you ever heard of anyone being ripped off at 7 Gables?

Do they really make a practice of giving master keys to day laborers?

[megensmom]

I have heard of stuff being "moved" around in rooms while guests were gone. I know their hiring practices because I know someone that called about their job in the Newsminer and when they went to interview it was far from an interview. The guy flat out said he had people that would just walk by and he would hire them and pay cash. I am not telling someone to stay somewhere and they hire the maint. workers or the staff from off the street without making sure they are not criminals or whatever there is no security in that and since this person would have valuable stuff if it was to get stolen there would be no way to trace it down since there is no way to prove if the employee even gave his real name. Just doesn't seem right when there are other places that are more secure.

[Metlakatla]

It isn't the best, and neither is it the worst. Lots of businesses hire day labor without doing criminal background checks. I'd be a bit hesitant to slam a business online based on hearsay, by the way.

[warptman]

I like the Westmark, they give 500 Alaska Air miles per stay. I also stay at the Comfort Inn Chena, good service there and I get miles, too.

[megensmom]

I have a right to my opinion,just as anyone else does. There are places reccommended on here that someone else may say is a really bad place and my disagree with the poster it is their personal opinion and they have a right to post it.
As far as hear say, this is first hand info. from several different people one of which was the person doing the hiring for that days work. So if the person doing the hiring says they hire off the street and will exchange a nights stay for some work and when they don't ask for personal information on paper or do any checking. I don't think you can get it any more first hand.
I said my personal opinion was not to promote a business where they follow these practices and since the poster was going to have valuables there I say stay clear. Just as people post about restuarants,etc. it is that posters opinion and if they offer advice it is up to the other person to follow it or not.
As for slamming a business this whole forum is full of this. Some people like some place others don't and they share their feelings so I don't see where you see this as any big deal. People have a right to offer their opinions about a place and share their feelings or experiences about it. Heck even Yahoo has a travel site where you can express likes and dislikes.

[megensmom]

Oh and you want more peoples feelings about the place check this:
Stay away! - Review of Seven Gables Inn, Fairbanks, AK - TripAdvisor

Just Google and you will see why I feel this is not the place "I" would be telling anyone to go stay at.

[Metlakatla]

Well hell, I didn't mean to start anything, MM. But you obviously don't know the legal definition of "firsthand"; you're basing your opinion of a place you've never even stayed on something someone supposedly said, and 7 Gables would have every legal right to contact this website and demand that your posts be removed. Not that I'm going to contact them.

As far as the whole forum being full of people slamming businesses, I really don't see that going on here. Someone may not like a place because it doesn't measure up to cleanliness standards et al, but you're making a pretty strong inference here that this place hires criminals based on a telephone call that you didn't even witness, with NO proof whatsoever that any of the guests there have ever lost valuables.

So perhaps they hire day labor. So what? They have a legal right to. Maybe they don't have enough work to employ a full time person. While I think that the practice of giving someone a place to stay for the night in exchange for work borders on being a bit shady, that's between them and the people they choose to hire.

There are plenty of traveler's reviews of this place online. Some people really liked it, some didn't. But there was no mention of theft, etc.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by megensmom

Oh and you want more peoples feelings about the place check this:
Stay away! - Review of Seven Gables Inn, Fairbanks, AK - TripAdvisor

Just Google and you will see why I feel this is not the place "I" would be telling anyone to go stay at.

Yeah, I was going to post the link to Trip Advisor myself; it's a fairly good resource. There were some positive reviews there of 7 Gables and some negative ones.

[megensmom]

How do you know I didn't experience this first hand? I said I heard it from the person doing the hiring for that day. And who said I have never been there?
Your right many places do hire day labor. But when the person doing the hiring doesn't even get any information on someone that would have access to the guests rooms to say the least not a good business practice.
Some people like them some don't. I never said I knew or I personally had stuff stolen from there just as people post reviews on the other sites the people that I spoke to said their stuff had been "moved".
I also never said they hired criminals I said that they don't know who they are hiring because they don't get info on the people so they would have a hard time doing a reference or background check.