A hotel in Winnipeg's inner city that's been often associated with crime and poverty is undergoing a big makeover that its new manager hopes will also transform the neighbourhood.

Dustin Harder has been managing the King's Hotel on Higgins Avenue near Main Street since June, with the goal of making its bar into a music mecca.

He's even penned a tune about the King's, calling it a "an old-school joint making a point" in the hopes of improving people's perceptions of a venue that has had a dangerous reputation.

Dustin Harder has been managing the King's Hotel on Higgins Avenue near Main Street since June, with the goal of making its bar into a music mecca. (Chris Glover/CBC) People have started to notice the change, Harder told CBC News on Tuesday.

"They're coming out of the [woodwork] and they enjoyed it and said … 'Wow! I never knew this place existed in here. It looks pretty, it's decorated, the sound system is great.' It's a good room, and they're going to keep coming back … word of mouth is now about to begin," he said.

Harder said he believes the King's can be a meeting place, bridging the condominiums on Waterfront Drive and the Point Douglas neighbourhood.

In addition to being an emerging music venue, the King's Hotel has also become a home base for Winnipeg's "Bannock Lady," Althea Guiboche.

Guiboche, who feeds people in need every week, has faced challenges in finding a consistent place to prepare food until Harder offered her the use of the hotel's kitchen.

"It was moving mountains basically every day, so here they're going to give me some cooler space," said Guiboche.

Said Harder, "A lot of the motivation comes from people like meeting Althea … putting in that extra sweat equity and putting in that hard work to do something for the community."