Empire Lakeshore Inn — Hotel in Empire Township

Zero stars. Ruined my family vacation. Insect infested hotel. Unbelievably horrible customer service. Completely inconsiderate. Made reservation in January, was put in the Annex (which is the original hotel building and is in desperate need of renovation and repair). When I asked why I didn't get a room in the newer hotel, I was told people who made reservations after the new building opened were put in the new building. So if you plan ahead, you got screwed and put in the old building (a dump). The mini fridge in the room didn't work. The bathroom is tiny, the room was muggy. But it was what I expected since I had been told, "it's an older hotel, but it's clean." I wasn't too thrilled but we wanted to make the best of our family vacation so we didn't complain. Then, the morning after the 3rd night, we woke up to a swarm of big black ants with wings all over the room. Not a good scene for my 5 and 10 year old to wake up to. It was gross and it creeped them out- and it creeped me out too, to be honest. I called 3 times that morning, left voicemails stating "The room is full of insects, you need to get over here to see this now!" but NEVER got a call back. We put the kids in the car and my husband and I started packing up. We opened the room door to let the flying ants out. Approx an hour and a half later I notice someone is in the office so I go over there to find Linda and the housekeeping lady talking in a whisper. By this time we were almost done packing up and there were few of the insects left in the room. I said "There are insects all over my room! I've left you 3 voicemail messages...". Guess what the housekeeping lady said ... she said "I've been telling Peter!!!..." I couldn't believe it, I got even madder because that means they were aware of the problem and ignored it!!! Then Linda the manager tried to tell me it was "normal" to have insects and I'm just not used to it because I'm from the city. Meanwhile, she is standing outside the door frame, not even wanting to enter the room. Oh, because I forgot to mention, there was also a million tiny red ants all over the floor in the entire area in front of the window!!!! She had a little kid with her, she picked him up and came into the room, she wouldn't even let the kid down because of how nasty this all was. I'll finish this up by saying that speaking to the hotel owner Megan made things even worse. She did not take any responsibility or make a reasonable offer to remedy the situation. She blamed the exterminator guy who "unknowingly sealed in a nest" in the door frame and said there was nothing she could do or could have done different. The hotel manager Linda had offered us a room in the new building or a full refund. Both were vetoed by Megan. When I spoke to Megan she insisted there was nothing she could do, and it was the exterminator's fault. She said she "put it in the hands of God and hope you find peace in the remainder of your vacation with your family" (direct quote from her text message). My family and I had to cut our vacation short and return home. It was our first vacation up north and it was ruined by Megan and Peter Schous. I'm guessing they (the owners of Lakeshore Inn) probably constructed the new hotel building due the termite/insect infestation at the the "original" hotel which they now call "the Annex". But instead of shutting down the "Annex" they are still having people pay exorbitant amounts to stay there. Greedy and shameful. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE TO STAY instead of giving business to these irresponsible...

My friend and I stayed here for two nights (three days) and enjoyed it. Off the bat we felt the people at the front desk were a little rude on the phone, but when we went to check in they were nice and made the process quick. It is a little confusing because they do have two buildings but check in is at the oldest building (the gps automatically takes you there). We stayed in the “newer building” which our room didn’t have cable, however the guy gave us the option to switch if we wanted cable. We do not watch tv, so we just opted to stay in the room we were given originally. We stayed in the room with two beds. When we walked in it smelled fresh and clean. In addition, it is modern and gives you that cozy feel. It comes with a Keurig and coffee, a decently sized fridge and a microwave. There is not a lot of storage for clothes, but there is a lot of counter space in the bathroom area and the living area. The tables and counters were a bit dusty, there was a little hair in the sink, one of our towels were stained and 2/4 pillows on the bed were stained, but other than that it was decently clean. The ac is on the wall and is controlled by a remote, but it is not the greatest so you kinda have to play around with it. Also, I really liked that the key came with a bigger item on the chain that way you do not lose it. The windows and blinds are very nice. The windows only open so far (you can change it so they open all the way) for safety reasons, so you can leave the room with the windows open without worrying about someone breaking in. The blinds are pull down and block out lots of sunlight. The location is great. It is right next to a gas station and about a 10 minute walk from the beach. IF YOU DRIVE TO THE BEACH MAKE SURE TO GET A PASS!!!!! There is a very small sign in the smallest print ever when you drive into the beach saying you need a pass. My friend and I didn’t see it (because it’s hidden and so small) and ended up getting ticketed for $15 which isn’t bad, but their hours are funky and they only accept checks (which is annoying for people who don’t have check books). With that being said the location is great since it’s a short walk. There isn’t much food around, but if you drive about 10 minutes down the road to Grand something I can’t remember the name exactly they offer many great places to dine in, carry out, the scenery is gorgeous, they offer bike rides on trails, kayaking and all that fun stuff. In addition this hotel is only 10 minutes away from the dunes and a scenic drive. Along the way of your walk to the beach you will come across many cute antique stores and many ice cream places. Overall, for a short stay this place worked great for us. It was cozy and we felt safe. I would say they do need to do a better job cleaning, especially the bedding and towels, but other than that it...

I stayed at this property in early May 2014 with my wife and my elderly parents. I ended up booking two rooms at this property via email communication with Megan for $59/ room/ night.

As such we had a pleasant stay here. Although the formal check-in time was between 3 to 7 p.m., I arranged with Megan to come in later during the evening at 9 p.m. One of the rooms we stayed in had a microwave that we made use of for dinner on the evening we drove in. The location of the hotel was excellent (that was the prime reason for having chosen it in the first place) and was literally a stone's throw from the Philip Hart Visitor Center to the Sleeping Bear Dunes.

The place was not without its drawbacks however. The hotel does not provide a breakfast and so isn't quite a B&B. But neither is it a hotel with a front desk that is staffed through most of the day. This being the lean season, there was no one on the property for the 16 hours or so we were here. A number of toiletries were absent from our room and we ended up sharing some toiletries with our parents who were in an adjoining room. I also noticed that the phone in my parents' room wasn't working and when I tried checking whether it was plugged into the outlet or not, I found the area behind the desk where the phone was placed to be pretty pretty dirty :( Sadly, that wasn't the only thing which was dirty. The toilet in our room was also not perfectly clean and I found a stain on one of the towels in our room. I also agree with the comments that were left by some of the other reviewers who noted that as this hotel is located right at the intersection of two arteries (M-22 and M-72), it could get fairly noisy during the summer. The parking space at this property is also quite limited and if the place is completely full, then it may be difficult getting a parking space during the peak summer season.

Would I stay here again? Well, after having stayed in Empire, one of the things that I would say is that one doesn't have to stay in Empire or Glen Arbor to get a feel for the Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore. Unlike other national parks where I have been, staying in Empire or Glen Arbor isn't quite the same as staying within a national park surrounded by dense green foliage. Staying at Traverse City and driving for 45 minutes to get to the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive would not distract from enjoying the wonderful beauty of the Sleeping Bear Dunes and if I were making another trip to the Sleeping Bear Dunes, I would certainly consider staying in Traverse City rather than being hung up about staying in Empire or Glen Arbor. But if it turned out that prices at hotels in Traverse City were comparable with prices at the Lakeshore Inn, I would consider...