TownePlace Suites by Marriott Lansing North

The location worked well for being near Downtown without staying Downtown, with lots of restaurants and shops nearby. It's only a few minutes down Lake Lansing St to Old 27, and the free parking is a big plus compared with Downtown. The lot is well lit, so I felt it was pretty secure. Everyone I met on staff was pleasant and friendly, including the kind, helpful older woman at breakfast. The basic breakfast did the job. The room had a comfortable bed, plenty of outlets and table space, cool-looking lamps, and a spacious bathroom, though the shower was small. Pressure was weak, probably because the flow-restrictors are set too high, so rinsing off and feeling clean was hard. The full fridge and stovetop burners in the little kitchen area were nice. The BIG TV was oddly placed left of the beds, but the mount pulled out and adjusted well. The sheets had a lot of black bits of lint or something, definitely NOT bugs. Heat was capped at "78" but never reached that temperature, and I felt cold at times. The room felt kind of plain jane, though I know neutral colors are the rage in hotels right now. The DOORS were extremely loud, and the walls were paper thin, so I could hear people above and around me very well. Pool hours were disappointing, 10pm is TOO EARLY to close. I've wanted to try a Towneplace because of the good reviews. TP was OK, but for what I paid, I personally get more for my money at a Holiday Inn, where I'd rather stay.

I usually give Marriott hotels five stars because I'm a fan, but this review is about the specific room we had. It was clean and neat, and everything else seemed to be in excellent condition. The breakfast was decent, and the staff were courteous. The problem was room 311's closet light. It was motion-activated and flickered all night; switching it off only stopped it for a few seconds before it came back, making a maddening strobe in the room. We told the front desk in the morning, and they said they already knew about it. If it's a known problem, I don't understand why they haven't fixed it and keep booking the room. I'd have given them the benefit of the doubt if they'd said they didn't know, but this was disappointing. I recommend staying there, just not in room 311 until they confirm the closet light is fixed.

The rooms are roomy, the bathrooms have what you need, and the lobby feels open and welcoming. Staff were nice, and the stairs and hallways were clean. Getting to the pool and fitness areas from the ground floor was easy. The building quality was a letdown for such a new hotel. One outlet in my room was fitted badly, with a gap in the wall beyond the plate. In the pool room, some wall tiles looked like an afterthought, cut around an exposed pipe running from floor to ceiling. The floor drain wasn't working, and the pool water was cloudy with lots of things floating in it. I couldn't feel suction at any of the pool valves, so the filtration system didn't seem to be working. There weren't many towels, though staff kept bringing a few more at a time. Breakfast was pretty standard and okay, but the workers were slow to restock. I ended up opening the cabinets myself to find syrup for my kids' waffle. I also saw the breakfast employee move trash on a garbage cart and put unopened food containers on that same cart. Gloves or not, touching food packaging after handling trash seemed like a cross-contamination risk. Kinda gross.

The staff were friendly, and the Lansing location was good. Breakfast was okay too. I usually book regular rooms elsewhere and find them just mediocre, so trying a suite was a nice change. They did a very nice job with it, and both the room and bed were comfortable. I'd give it 4.5 stars.