Tuktoyaktuk (July 12/04) - A small, yellow sign taped to the door of room 104 at the Tuk Inn proudly proclaims "Courtney Love slept here."

And while that doesn't make the small Tuktoyaktuk motel on the Arctic Ocean totally unique -- Love, the lead singer of the rock band Hole has a reputation for what your grandmother might call carousing -- it's a badge of honour for the owners.

Paul and Norma Voudrach stand outside of the Tuk Inn where Metallica and Courtney Love, among others, have spent the night. - Andrew Raven/NNSL photo

"It's kind of neat knowing that famous people have stayed here," said Paul Voudrach, who runs the Tuk Inn along with his wife Norma and a handful of their 10 children.

The single floor motel, decorated mostly in pink, has hosted its share of famous visitors over the years, from heavy metal rockers to high ranking politicians.

"Running this place is an interesting job," said Voudrach, who bought the motel in 2001.

"You meet people from all over the world."

While Voudrach didn't own the motel when

Love, along with rockers Metallica, Veruca Salt and Moist, spent the night there in 1995 following a benefit concert put on by a beer company, he remembers the stir they created.

"They were the noisiest bunch of people I ever met," said the former government employee.

"I also heard they were (verbally) abusive to some of the staff."

Thankfully, Voudrach says, most of his well-know guests aren't that boisterous. That list includes Premier Joe Handley -- who gets special catering while in town, courtesy of Voudrach's wife Norma -- and several of the territories' leading ministers.

Last year, the motel also played host to a small army of foreign journalists who were following adventurer Mike Horn during his voyage, around the Arctic Circle.

"I had all of these reporters here asking me questions. It was kind of fun," said Voudrach.

The journalists hailed from all over the world, including an American who was writing for Playboy magazine.

"He told me that he would send me a copy of the article, but he never did," said Voudrach, smiling.

When it was suggested that he would have to buy a copy from the store, he laughed.

"No, not me," he said. "I'll just keep waiting."