Holiday Inn Manitowoc by IHG — Hotel in Manitowoc

Came to stay here while in town for the Maritime Marathon. My sister and I had originally intended to bunk with our parents in a local Bed and Breakfast but I’m endlessly glad that we didn’t.

The first thing we noticed was that it was huge. Second, it harnessed the elegance of a bygone era. And third, it was completely empty.

From the inside, this place was a carpeted, three-story panopticon. The sprawling open lobby showcased a player-piano fringed by dozens of red-clothed tables and black stackable banquet chairs like it was eternally prepared for Bingo Night. As decor, the tables were flanked by sprigs of plastic grass and four-foot-high fake boulders that reminded me of enormous fish tank decorations. Modern art renderings of potato peels hung from a bronze-tiled ceiling.

Most notable, however, was the copious signage for a showing of 2006 Christian Sports film Facing the Giants, which the poster claimed was playing every two hours on loop in a screening room down the hall. When asked about it, the concierge extolled the movie’s editing. He even had physical copies of the movie in his office, in the chance that a guest might express interest in taking one home.

This proved to be the most charming thing about the Manitowoc Holiday Inn: its wholehearted attention to its two primary offerings. Throughout the entire hotel, you couldn’t walk more than five feet without seeing two signs, one for the film and one for the $10.99 Teriyaki Dinner. (On the latter, there is text that informs a viewer about the ingredients and experience expected from the $10.99 Teriyaki Dinner. Beneath this lies a full-color illustration of the meal itself, which, when reverse-image searched, is actually the forty-third-most popular chicken teriyaki picture on Google.)

The hotel also has all your usual amenities: a printer, a conference room, a restaurant and bar — home to the infamous $10.99 Teriyaki Dinner — a fitness center, a pool. But there were bonus experiences as well: An arcade room whose proximity to the pool lent a humidity that can only be described as the air of an indoor water park. A breakfast nook with incongruent Starbucks branding. A prayer room with a full altar, crucifix, and multiple statues of the Virgin Mary.

But most importantly, there was Fleetwing, the screening room for Facing the Giants. It announced its presence with the same poster that hung all over the rest of the hotel, except, for some reason, six times larger. There was also a coat rack prepared to accept any errant moviegoer attire, lest anyone’s experience of the film be marred by the pool’s hot breath. Both doors were wide open, giving hallgoers a clear view of the film and moviegoers a subpar lighting experience. (I can only assume this is a subtle callback to one of the many parts of this movie where they quote the bible, specifically when they say, “Behold, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.”) When I attended, there were twelve chairs, but the style of chair alternated with each row, a thoughtful touch allowing for more seating options — though it must be stated that none of them were comfortable.

I have gone on TripAdvisor and seen what other guests have said about this place. They have remarked that the brunch is bland, the service too sparse, the accommodations outdated. But I would argue that this is their problem. If you come into the Manitowoc Holiday Inn expecting to find a normal hotel, you will be disappointed. But if you are aching for a unique circumstance in which to watch Facing the Giants while simultaneously stepping back to 1970s Americana and enjoying an affordable Teriyaki Dinner, I promise there is no better place in Wisconsin, or perhaps the world. I am enthralled by the Manitowoc Holiday Inn, by the charm of chlorine air and an indoor balcony, by the promise of a stay that is simultaneously humble and grand.

As the head football coach says in Facing the Giants, “Lord, give me something. Show me something.” And by God does this...

To begin, I am an IGH Elite Member (which I was never recognized as one) and overall love IHG and their properties. I travel for both business and pleasure and almost exclusively stay at IHG Properties.

With that said, my stay a couple of weekends ago at the Holiday Inn Manitowoc was by far my worst experience at an IHG property in my 5+ years as an IHG Rewards Member. I stayed at this property with my son for his 18th Birthday present as I was taking him to his very first Green Bay Packers Game at Lambeau Field.

My issues with the hotel began right away after we checked in. When we arrived in our room we realized something wasn't right, one of the pillows was at the foot of the bed, the TV was on and there was a water ring from a cup on the glass table top. We went down to the lobby to inform the front desk and they apologized and set us up with a different room. When we arrived in our new room (2nd room) it was even worse than the first as the bed was unmade, tv on dirty towels on the ground, etc... and it was a King Room not the 2 queen/double that I had booked. I called the front desk this time to inform them since this is a big hotel and a long walk. The front desk worker met us outside this room to confirm the room was indeed dirty. After she confirmed she had us wait in the hallway of the 3rd floor while she found us a clean room. Once she returned, we were finally able to get into a clean room after an ordeal that lasted more than 40 minutes.

One would think given all the issues that we previously encountered that we would not have any more issues, but I was wrong. When turning on our TV we noticed that while we could get most cable channels, we could not get any of the local channels along with a few others. I attempted to call down to the front desk from the rooms phone to make them aware of our issue and low and behold the hotels room phone did not work. I wound up calling from my cell phone and after waiting for more than 30 minutes a man came to the room and attempted to fix the problem by wiggling the cord. He apologized and said this has been happening a lot lately. He was unable to fix the issue but informed me that if I wanted to try to mess with the TV that all I had to do is "just give the cord a little wiggle".

Our final issues were the cleanliness of our room, while better than the first two rooms we were placed in the room was not up to my standards for an IHG Property. The tissue box was completely empty upon arrival, there was body hair in the sink, lots of dust, trash, and debris behind the TV (normally wouldn't notice, but since I had to get back there to wiggle the cable cord it was a bit gross) and the toilet seat was stained, plastic was peeling and possibly dirty (not...

Manitowoc is a fabulous small city in northeast Wisconsin. However, located so close to our home, we’ve always taken it for granted: only going there to pick something up or see someone then return home right away. For 31st wedding anniversary, we decided to do the tourist-thing there. The Holiday Inn in the reviews looked excellent, and had been recommended by friends that lived there.

Right off the bat: ideal location. Located just off the main interstate exit, and located a crossed and next to Manitowoc’s main shopping area. I might dare to say that if you can’t find it here is a traveler, you don’t need it!

The Holiday Inn had penty of convenient parking, clean and manicured exterior, immaculately cared for interior public areas.

The hotel staff were both cordial, friendly, professional, and efficient. At a time when it is easier to pull teeth from an enraged bobcat without anesthesia then it is to get people to apply for jobs and work, You would never know that that was an issue for the hotel. The closest it got was simply not having the “coffee shop“ and mini market manned (it was on the honor system, by taking items to the front desk for purchase).

A particular shout out to Jacqueline (Jackie?!). What a rockstar! From first walking in the door to our concluding exit, you would have thought that her entire mission was to personally make our stay pleasant and comfortable. The rest of her colleagues were falling and behind in a close run for second place!

Entering the hotel, you were greeted immediately by the front desk staff, who are situated right next to a beautiful and comfortable atrium, Equipped with a soft playing piano. We had too many places to see and go so we Did not take in the restaurant lounge. We did note that they were playing a free movie constantly during the weekend. We noticed other guests were taking advantage of that.

They have a pool and it was all open!!! Thank goodness! They are the only hotel we’ve seen since the “end” of pandemic conditions that had one operating! Kudos!

We had one of their atrium porch rooms (I’m not sure what their technical term for it would be!). A small private balcony accessible from the room via a patio-slide door, with a small table and two chairs. It had a privacy wall between the other rooms’s balconies. It had a beautiful and aesthetic second floor overview of the atrium in the lobby area. Music from the piano provided a light atmosphere, that totally made our romantic dinner there one night a moment to remember for our next 31 years.

If we stay there in Manitowoc again, or we have friends visiting the area, Jacqueline and her colleagues have made this our most likely go-to...