Pete and May Slavin were living on Buck Flats Road and moved into Houston after buying the Hotel Houston. The hotel became more comfortable under the hands of this gentle woman, who was originally a registered nurse from Ontario.

The doors were reportedly never locked and if the Slavins had to be called away for any length of time, a note was posted for guests to "...help themselves." It appears they never had a problem with the honour system which had patrons leave their board money under their dinner plates on the table.

In 1921, the Slavins sold out to Clara and Harvey Davies and moved to Fort Fraser to run the hotel there. Things really began to improve with the Davies new "family style" atmosphere complete with sit-down home-cooked meals for their customers. In 1923, Harvey added a beer parlour, butcher/meat shop and an ice room in the back of the hotel.

The sitting room was adapted for wedding receptions, political rallies and the odd court case when Harvey was acting Justice of the Peace. It also became a medical centre for stitching and bone setting when visiting doctors came to stay. Harvey was a veterinarian and also the founder of the Houston cemetery, having it fenced for the grave of Betty Silverthorne.