Gray Wolf Lodge — Hotel in Manistique Township

We checked in on a Friday afternoon and from the outside it didn't look horrible. This observation is based on my many travels to the upper peninsula during the fall when businesses are winding down. The check-in was just like any other the women at the counter told me where our room and pool area was located and gave us 2 coupons to the restaurant next door that was for 10% off breakfast. My girlfriend and I reserved a Jacuzzi room months in advance but realized we probably made a mistake as soon as we entered the room (I will be uploading pictures). When we walked in the door frame was busted like the door was kicked in at some point and time and the lock on the door didn't even line up properly had to wiggle the door to flip the lock. The second thing that was notice right as you walked in is the skirting around the Jacuzzi it was all chipped and looked as if someone had started to rip it off. Also in the Jacuzzi the trim for the jets looked as if it had mold in them further inspection revealed there was no mold just that the jet trim was old discolored. After running the tub the water temperature was inconsistent not sure if it was from other tenants running water. The hot water handle leaked as well.

Going into the bathroom the towel bar was coming off of the wall and the vanity faucet is really stiff and probably the original. The shower faucet handle did not work properly just spun you have to push in on it and and turn to get it to change temperature and the shower head definitely could be updated as well.

We called when we noticed the inconsistent temperature of the Jacuzzi first I called using the phone in the room no answer this was at 11:00pm so I left the room and walked to the door it was locked so I rang the door bell that the sign said to use still no answer so then I called the number on the door with my sell phone finally someone answered. The response time for the guy to show up was prompt but the outcome wasn't what I expected and honestly I'm not sure what I was expecting but he came ran his hand under the water and said it's hot. We went back and forth as I told him that it gets hot but after running for a few minutes then goes cold, he just said it was hot and left. I asked if they would open the hot tub for a bit to make up for it they said no I was hoping for some kind of solution because the only reason we got the room was for a romantic fall weekend. He left it filled up half way and got cold again.

Before we checked out I went to use one of the coupons they gave me at the hotel for the restaurant next door when I told the server I was just staying next door and gave them the coupon for the 10% off she stated they weren't even associated with the hotel next door and wouldn't honor the coupon.

Only thing I have good to say about our stay is that the location is nice. The reason we chose this hotel is because someone recommended it saying they were here years ago and it was right across the street from the beach and it was real nice. I believe that it probably was at some point but now it's not . I'm from Lansing and there are hood hotels that are nicer and cheaper.

There were plenty of hotels in the area and after checking the prices there were many that looked nicer with the same price point or cheaper.

Also was never told a wifi password so I'm not even sure if they have it.

The pictures on the website...

I needed a place to stay as a stopover on a long drive. I called ahead to ask for a first floor room and they accommodated me without a problem.

This hotel has rooms that open directly to the outside, so you can pull right up to your door. I had a single queen room, which was a bit cozy, but ultimately had everything I needed. The mattress was VERY firm, which is not good for me personally, but I know others like it that way. It had a mini FRIDGE (super cold) and a MICROWAVE and a little table near the bed. The window opened right out to the Lake Michigan beach a few feet across the road. In my humble opinion, this area ranks #1 for the most beautiful stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline. It’s just unbelievably gorgeous. If you can ever manage to catch it at sunrise or sunset, you’ll be happy you did.

We were not there long enough to partake, but this hotel also has its own private beach a 30 second walk across the road on Lake Michigan and it’s super close to the boardwalk that runs along the lake.

There is a restaurant next to the parking lot and you can get 10% off your meal as a guest of the hotel.

The man at the front desk, who might have been the owner (?), was so sweet and nice. It was a small thing, but after a long drive it was nice to be greeted by someone who was kind and understanding. My son and I just planned to eat a bowl of cereal for dinner and then crash, but I neglected to pack any spoons. I went back to the front desk to ask if they had any and the man at the desk just gave me an understanding smile and then went in search of some spoons for me. Again, a small thing but it was a huge relief because we were tired & hungry.

Lastly, there was something about this hotel that gave me that familiar, Northwoods and/or UP feeling. It’s hard to put my finger on it, but maybe it’s the slightly rustic feel, or the little bit of sand that blew from the beach into the parking lot, or just being able to glance over and see the sandy lakeshore. Whatever it was, I liked it.

RECOMMENDATIONS: (1) one thing that could be improved would be outlets and/or options to charge a phone or other device. The outlets were in odd places and we had a kind of precarious setup in order to charge our phones and iPad. I would recommend investing in those bedside lamps many hotels have that have a power outlet and USB port right on the base of the lamp. Since there is a lamp on each side of the bed, it would make things much easier when you’re settling in. (2) I know mattresses are probably incredibly expensive to replace, but I would honestly recommend starting to switch your mattresses over to something better that could accommodate more types of sleepers. It ended up being fine for the night, but if I were staying a week I would have had a difficult time sleeping in that bed...

The rooms were clean so that's why I am giving this review 2 stars instead of 1. We chose this hotel over any other one in town because I wanted to take advantage of the inside pool and hot tub which we regretfully didn't have time to enjoy so I can't say rather that perk of this location was worth while or not. As far as the room goes, the beds mattresses were so hard they gave me back pain, there was electrical outlets that were not up to code (one specifically that was being used to power the mini fridge), the bathrooms were made for extremely short people. I had to bend my knees to wash my hair in the shower because the shower head was so short (I'm 5'8") and the only shower curtain was a decorative curtain that was meant to be for the outside of the tub. My biggest complaint about my stay would be the man working the front desk the weekend of our stay. I've never encountered anyone in customer service as rude as this person was to me. My husband was the one who checked in and out of the room so I did not have a face to face encounter with him but I was told every time my husband went into the front lobby he was never directly behind the counter. And when I called the front desk the morning of check out to ask when the check out time was and to extend our check out time he abruptly answered 11am then hung up on me. When I called back a second time to ask to have our check out time extended he hung up on me again! And as I expected none of the house keepers on duty were notified of our extended check out time because they came to our room with a do not disturb sign on it right at 11am. If I was to stay in this area again I'd definitely choose one of the other hotels on the main drag. I would however go eat at the little diner right next door again though. That was a nice place. P.S. I don't write reviews, especially negative ones, but the employee at the front desk of this establishment needed to be called out for his...