Econo Lodge Mackinaw City

The location was great, and the little cabins looked nice. We booked at the last minute, and my wife was especially looking forward to the jacuzzi room. But the tub was so dirty we cleaned it twice before trying to use it. Black gunk came out of the jets, and a disgusting film appeared after soaking it, twice. We complained, but nothing was done. Don't pay extra for things they clearly aren't cleaning. Cabin 321. Definitely wouldn't spend the money here again, and check the jacuzzi before using it.

The cabins are tiny, shed-like rooms. There was barely space to move around the bed, and we couldn't even open the bedroom door. We stayed four nights, but the room was never cleaned and we got no fresh towels or washcloths. There were burnt-out lights, a broken toilet paper holder, a shower that leaked all over the floor, and a smoke detector that didn't work. The room also had no extra bedding when we arrived. We'd reserved weeks ahead for two adults and four teenagers, yet there was just one bath towel, a couple of hand towels, and a couple of washcloths. When we asked for more, staff said they had none and didn't know when any would arrive. The woman at the desk said she was the manager; when I asked for her manager, she told me her daddy owned the hotel and was in Florida for three weeks, and offered his email. She didn't know who the regional manager was. We couldn't cancel and get a refund because of the three-day cancellation policy, even though they couldn't accommodate us. After driving all day, we went 15 miles at 10 p.m. to buy towels, washcloths, and bedding. We didn't expect perfection from a cabin, but we'd paid a good amount and the service was horrible. I work with clients every day and would never treat them the way we were treated. The hot breakfast is at a different hotel across the street and down the road. The waterpark is at another hotel, and it's for young children and toddlers. I contacted customer relations, and while I was on the phone with them, they tried calling the hotel. I stood outside the office and watched the staff ignore the call. We'll never stay here again, and we'll keep telling people considering Mackinaw about our experience.

I have never seen a room this bad in all my hotel and motel stays. It was filthy, with black marks on the sheets and pillowcases, black spots on the bed under the sheet, crusty marks on the refrigerator, and no bathroom light fixture. It looked like it hadn't been dusted in days, so in my opinion it had never been sanitized. There was plenty more wrong too. We went to the front desk, canceled, and asked for our money back. They said they could only refund us if we booked with a local hotel on the strip. We still haven't received anything. They said it would take 7 to 10 business days, so we'll see. Corporate needs to give this place serious attention.

The kids liked the pool, and I enjoyed the hot tub, though the chlorine was so strong my eyes watered after about ten minutes and I had to get out. Breakfast was a typical American buffet, with little variety and very few healthy choices beyond some fruit. The staff weren't especially friendly. Still, I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable and clean the room was after our night there following a visit to Mackinac Island. We could step from our porch straight out to the lake. It felt like a budget hotel and I would have liked to pay less, but we enjoyed the stay enough that we'd consider coming back.