Mackinac Lodge

We were in room 104 by the pool, not one of the cabins. The website gave a very misleading impression. The wallpaper was coming off, the room was nasty, and the door frame was falling apart with about an inch-wide gap around the door. There was mold all over the room, especially in the bathroom, and the rug was very damp. It looked like there may have been a flood. I complained, but got no response. Changing rooms would have cost us more money. Nobody should stay in room 104. Maybe the cabins are nice, but this room was horrible.

The location was good and the employees were nice, but our poolside room was awful enough that I won’t return. Spiders were everywhere, the shower drain was badly clogged, and the walls and ceiling had lots of water damage. They said we couldn’t check in early because the room was being cleaned, but it looked like it had sat empty all winter and hadn’t been cleaned. The bed, blankets, toilet, and sink were clean; everything else was kind of yucky. The ice machine and TV didn’t work. We usually tent camp, and even my tent is cleaner. Reviews were mixed, and we took a chance because of the price. Pay a little more and stay elsewhere.

We should have read the Google reviews first. The city tourism site gives this place an 8/10, but I can barely give it a 1. There was no sign for the Lodge, just a shabby building behind the nicer rooms and cabins, so it wasn’t clear how to check in. The room was very dark, and the photos seemed photoshopped. The lamp between the beds barely worked, and when we checked it, the bulb was hanging by a wire, which seemed like a possible fire hazard. The toilet bowl had dark water and a very low water level, and the sink water never got hot. In late October the AC was still on, suggesting nobody had checked the room before check-in. It was freezing when we arrived, and we had to wear layers. The TV didn’t work. Every channel and the “free on demand” option just said loading failed, so we couldn’t even get The Weather Channel. There was a large spider above the table, and it looked cold too. The ice bucket was still wet from the previous guest, and the mini-fridge needed cleaning. We tried calling the front desk to ask about an upgraded room, but nothing worked there. We asked for our money back instead. They wouldn’t listen to our concerns and talked over me, basically implying we should have known how bad the rooms were. 1/10 is the lowest I can give.

I booked a room at Mackinac Lodge in January 2023 for Labor Day weekend that September, but they overbooked and moved me to the run-down Starlite Budget Inn. I was told they did the same to five other people. It was dated, smelly, and dirty, a step above a cardboard box at best. Staff offered no reason or apology and didn’t seem to care. I’d booked two beds and got one, and the motel was farther from downtown and the restaurants. They gave me restaurant coupons, but the first two places we tried were closed, and even the coupons were outdated. I had to drive to where a maid was cleaning another room to get the key to mine. The place smelled so bad that I went to a store for cleaning supplies. The air conditioner, apparently from the 1980s, barely worked. Its controls were worn blank, so it took trial and error to get cold air; then it took a few hours for the room to cool enough to sleep comfortably. I don’t understand why I was moved instead of someone who booked later. It was a busy holiday weekend in a tourist town, so I had very few alternatives and accepted the budget motel room. I’d planned months ahead to avoid this kind of problem. Such a disappointing experience. Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023.