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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The hotel formerly known as Red Coach Inn has a new name and owner.

TC Enterprises, the owner of Boston Pizza and the administrator of two Yellowknife apartment buildings - among other things - has now taken over the 41-room hotel perched on the border between downtown Yellowknife and Old Town.

Lydell de Guzman Angles, manager of the former Red Coach Inn, now Arnica Inn, stands in front of the hotel's new sign on the recently-paved parking lot. - Guy Quenneville/NNSL photo

The hotel has been renamed Arnica Inn.

TC bought the building last summer and has been hard at work implementing a number of changes and additions, according to TC project coordinator Dave Grundy.

"Arnica is a Northern flower that thrives in harsh conditions," said Grundy.

"I think in the past, that property has had some troubles and we're looking to turn it around."

The new name "symbolized what we were trying to do with it," added Grundy.

TC hired an Edmonton-based advertising firm, Watermelon Advertising, which has conducted market research for other Yellowknife-based businesses like Canadian North.

"They sent some secret shoppers to get an idea of what we're lacking and have to do.

"They came back to us with a report," said Grundy.

Safety topped the priority list.

"We had to touch up the locks," said Grundy.

"Some people were worried about security, and that's a big issue for us."

TC promptly installed a keycard system.

The company also installed air conditioning and paved the hotel's parking lot two weeks ago.

"That was more of an esthetic issue," Grundy said of the paving.

"Although it doesn't seem that big, in the hospitality industry, aesthetics are important, especially with drive-bys."

Grundy would not indicate how much TC has invested in the hotel.

Manager Lydell de Guzman Angles, who taught high school English in her native Philippines, was especially happy to see the parking lot redone.

"I love what they did with our parking lot, because this is the first thing that the guests would see," said de Guzman Angles.

"You would not encourage people to come in and check out how good your service is when your exterior is ... not that appealing to them," she added.

The air conditioning was also welcome, she added.

"I was here last summer and it was really stuffy."

This is de Guzman Angles' first job in the customer service industry.

Luckily her time as a teacher taught her the value of infinite patience.

"With customer relations, you have to give your 100 per cent," she said.