The Olde Mill of Clarkston North — Hotel in Independence Charter Township

I always hate to write a negative review, but I also feel the need to be honest, both to warn future guests and to perhaps help the management of such institutions see the potential for correcting a problem. ||||Hubby and I have stayed at this location before, several years ago when his high school class was having a reunion. We expected that our experience this time would be as positive as the first time we stayed here. It is one of those old-timey roadside motels where my family ALWAYS stayed on vacations when I was a kid. There are no amenities, other than the standard small bar of generic hand/bath soap. I can live with that. I always bring my own shampoo and lotion, so that's not a deal breaker. For the price (a double bed room for $55), I can see my way clear to bring my own toiletries. ||||Check-in was fine, but a bit anachronistic - the front desk staff still uses the old card plate imprinter to record credit card numbers. Again, I can live with that. It's kind of charming to feel like there are some holdouts to the age of technology.||||Our room was visually clean - a bed, a small table with two chairs, a dresser holding a TV. It hasn't been re-decorated in probably 25 or 30 years, but again - I can live with that. I'm just sleeping there, not hoping for a stay in Country Living magazine. The multi-shades of brown shag carpeting, and the small vase of silk flowers were decorating touches from the past, but were fine.||||Another reviewer mentioned that the water had a "musty" smell. That's not quite accurate. The motel is apparently on a well system, instead of city water, and the water is very, very hard. The smell is the heavy amount of iron and minerals in the water. I grew up in the country with very hard water, so even though it's not the most pleasant, it's harmless and again - I can live with that. I always carry bottled water, so used that for teeth brushing and drinking water.||||HOWEVER... And this is a BIG however... I said the room was visually clean, but when we turned down the linens at bedtime, I nearly wretched. The comforter, blanket, sheets and pillowcases all had a smell that I could not really identify. It was a combination of mildew, that "I forgot to take the towels out of the washer for two days and now they really stink" smell, and perhaps just the heavy iron smell from the water. As I said, visually, everything LOOKED clean, but that smell was awful. Whatever it was, it was putrid. We should have left, but it was late and we were tired, so we toughed it out. We had been shopping earlier in the day, so I placed my pillow in a large department store bag so I would not have to smell that odor all night. I managed to sleep some, but when I awoke my nightgown had that same smell to it as the sheets. All my clothes went into that same bag so that my suitcase would not become "aromatic", as well.||||I know it's not easy to make a living running a small mom and pop motel like this, but I would suggest that the owners either buy a water filtration system, or purchase an entirely new collection of bedding, all in white, so it can be bleached regularly to kill the odor. All in all, we have learned our lesson, and will stay in a chain hotel from now on. This was a very unpleasant experience, and we will NOT be...

I was initially worried about staying at this motor inn based on other reviews. I did not notice any mustiness - and there's something neat about real printed sheets instead of bleached white like every other hotel/motel chain. It kind of felt like staying at my Grandma's - as other reviewers have pointed out, the decor could be updated but it is comfortable as is. The bed and pillows were very comfortable. The room is pretty spacious with a desk, bureau, and two-seater dining table. Even though it is right off a fairly busy road, the rooms are quiet and dark at night - I had a great sleep without hearing neighbors' TVs or seeing headlights through the drapes. ||||It is an unpretentious, inexpensive place with a refreshing uniqueness that must come from not being part of a chain. It was clean and very comfortable. As other reviewers have pointed out, the water is quite hard and metallic but still usable and drinkable. There are signs warning that noisy parties are not tolerated, and I have to admit that I appreciate that as a middle-aged person. I don't always sleep well away from home but had a good sleep here. There are not many amenities - only soap is provided and not shampoos, ironing board, hairdryer. But I generally don't use any of that anyway. ||||The motor inn is in a very nice location as it is right in town and near many restaurants, coffee shops, and drug or grocery stores. Again, the best part is that it is right in the middle of everything without being noisy. I would definitely recommend this place and would stay...

This is a no frills motor inn. When I say no frills. I mean NONE.||We've stayed here on a couple of occasions when our power was out for the night. The rooms were tiny but it was only for a night and close to our home but what do you want for 45/night? The rooms prior to this occasion were not bad or maybe we were desperate.||Our power went out Sunday morning so we decided to go here once again. Usually our power in a rural area is the last to be fixed and it usually takes days.||We noticed first the nightly stay was more. It is now 60/night. It used to be 45. We paid for the room and was given ROOM 4.|||| When we walked into our room, it stunk to high heaven. Pure mildew. It stunk bad. We couldn't even stay in the room. We left went over to our sons. The owners refused to reimburse us for our booking the room even though we immediately contacted them and told them.||We decided to return to our home to pick up some additional items and our power was back on. ||DONT STAY HERE UNLESS...