Motel Village needs new name as it goes upscale, say local businesses

Motel Villagein northwest Calgary isn'tthe official name for the commercial district that fills the triangular parcel of land nestled between 16th Avenue N.W., Crowchild Trail and Banff Trail, but it's the one that stuck ever since a spattering of motels, motor hotels and lodges were built in the 1950s and 1960s.

But over time, as the area became run downand a magnet for criminal activity, including a high-profile murder or two,that label became derogatory.

Yetin recent years, the area's complexion has evolved. Low budget motels are being replaced by higher-end hotels. And, anecdotally, locals saythere have been fewer police visits tothe village.

Now some local business owners andnearby residents say the area needs a new name to reflect its newer look.

"Motel Village has an old name, it's well-recognized but it's got seedy connotations," said Barry Clement, president of the Banff Trail Community Association.

"There's almost no motels left there and we're about to have quite a lot of much more urban development, including this large student residence tower," said Clement.

Name notoriety

It's not clear who coined the name Motel Villagebutat one point in time, it was the place to spend the night as travellers were heading into or out of Calgary on the city's western edge.

Some of the original motels,like the Mount Eisenhower Motor Court, the Highlander Motor Hotel and the Cavalier Motel, are now gone to be found now only on vintagepostcards.

But hotelier Rahim Lakhoo, who is part owner of the Best Western Village Park Inn andthe Aloft boutique hotel, agrees the nameno longer reflects the area's offerings.

"A motel is low budget. You get a room and that's about it, and you pay half the price," he said.

"And motels is what people that get involved in criminal activities, that's what they use, whether it's just for a few hours."

Motels is what people that get involved in criminal activities, that's what they use, whether it's just for a few hours.- Rahim Lakhoo, owner Best Western Village Park Inn, the Aloft

He says before he convertedthe Quality Inn to the Aloft, he used to get a lot of questionable clients carrying wads of rolled-up cash looking to rent a room.

His policy was credit card only but sometimes those turned out to be fake, too.

So to help curb crime in the area, he let Calgary police run a sting operation out of the inn to bust a prostitution ring.

He also recalls getting robbed atgunpoint in 2011, twice, just one day apart, when he used to operate VLTs in the lounge.

"No kidding, they robbed us of all our cash, and they had the audacity to come back again and rob us again," saidLakhoo."That gives you an idea of what was going on in that place."

But some say thatsince the Savoury Lodge a notorious hangout for drug dealers, prostitutes and the scene of a murder was torn down, followed by other old properties, including the Thriftlodge and the Royal Wayne Motor Inn, crime has dropped in Motel Village.

"Idon't see nearly as many police cars coming this way, it's gone down drastically, and that's over the last five years," said Rosalind Colbourne, general manager the Best Western Village Park Inn.

University Village?

Lakhoo believes the newer hotels, including the Aloft, the Hamptons and Holiday Inn Express, should command better rates and better occupancies because of their location and quality of product. But he says people stay away because of the area's reputation and the fact that there are still some "undesirable" properties that detract from the more modern hotels.

He believes Motel Village is transitioning in theright direction and anew name should reflect that.

Hesays it's in city council's best interests, too.

"If they are going to try and implement that redevelopment plan, how are they going to attract investors if they don't change the name?

"If you are saying you arepaying a couple million bucks an acre for land in Motel Village, people will say 'oh, are you going crazy?'"

He and others offer some name suggestions such as University Village, the Villageor McMahon Village.

Coun.Druh Farrell says the idea of rebranding Motel Village surfaced several years ago, led by some of the owners and managers of the shops and hotels, when the city created a redevelopment plan for the area.

But she says their enthusiasm waned because redevelopment didn't happen as quickly as they'd hoped. Now as redevelopment starts to pick up again, she says it's a good time to revisit the idea.

"It certainly is a cue that things are changing," she said.''It's also important that you don't just change the name, that you also change certain elements within an the area to demonstrate that something's different," said Farrell.

The Ward 7 councillor says she'll leave it up to the applicants to come up with a name.

Choose wisely

Marketing expert Nick Asik says a new name can revitalize a place and change people'sperceptions but it's important to be authentic and choose a name that reflects the area, otherwise it can backfire.

"If they try to find some cool name, call the area Brooklynor something like that, people will just laugh it off and it will be known as the crappy Brooklyn," said Asik, who is the creative director at Wax.

Asiksays it takes time for a name to catch on, and for some, it may never take.

"There's always going to people who refer to that place as Motel Village," Asik said.

If they try to find some cool name, call the area Brooklynor something like that, people will just laugh it off and it will be known as the crappy Brooklyn.- Nick Asik, marketing expert

He uses the example of Rogers Centre in Toronto. He sayssome people will always call the stadium the SkyDome, its original name.

But he says rebranding is often more effective with a newergeneration because they don't know thehistory of a place.

Clement saysthe first step is to give Motel Village a voice, either by bringing it under the wing of its community association or by creating a business association, called a business improvement area, that can work with the city.

The other issue is, Motel Village isn't a formal name. Clement says he'snot sure exactly what to do, how much money it will require orwho will pay for the rebranding.

Meanwhile, some have already started to call it by another name.

"In the end, we just call it Hotel Village or Village, because the word motel just doesn't work here anymore. It's gone, should have been gone a long time ago," said Colbourne.

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