Northern Michigan Escapes — Local services in Boyne City

I sent multiple emails asking for communication and it went unanswered until I contacted them via FB. Northern Michigan Escapes Said: Hmmmm. Where to begin when trying to respond to a post like this......without just calling it like I see it and losing all political correctness...

Communication. The situation was explained to you clearly...VERY CLEARLY you just refused to hear it. Its hard to find housekeepers when they can earn $900/week staying home on unemployment and we have struggled with that like nearly every other small business in America. Our general manager, who has worked nearly 100 days straight, was cleaning rooms and not able to answer your call. We did have people (the owner of NME) checking for messages and doing call backs BUT you chose to incessantly call when all you had to do was leave a message and someone would have called you right back. Regardless, given all the hardship we experienced, the team rallied and had you in by 4:10pm. (I just checked into a hotel and wasn't able to get in until 6pm so I guess service expectations are all relative). You also claimed to be in this business so it seemed a little kindness or understanding would be conveyed - far from it.

Cleanliness: Again, your overreacting and not being honest. Our people have and wear masks, my wife made them personally for all of our employees. The groceries couldn't have sat in your car for hours given the fact check in was at 4pm and you were in by 4:10pm. EVERYONE has been told early check in is not an option and while that is an inconvenience I guess to people who expect to be allowed to checkin whenever they want, its how we've been doing business given the challenges all businesses are having right now.

TV's. Understand that is frustrating but we are unable to control the service provided by the cable TV provider.

We have a maintenance crew that does a great job. While I can't speak to this experience personally if true, this is regrettable.

Pool. This one takes the cake... We emailed you information about the pool prior to your arrival, our website has a huge pop up that you have to close regarding the pool so I am not sure what we can do differently... I do understand its frustrating. You also said the pool wasn't a big deal you just wanted access to the beach all day, which we gladly gave you.

As we told you, early checkins and late checkouts aren't allowed. I know you refused to hear this because the rules don't apply to you, but its true. A more honest and transparent way of reporting the issue is you wouldn't leave until after 11am.

We have had thousands of guests stay with us this summer, nearly all of which were so gracious, kind, understanding, and easy to work with. You'll note no one else has left a bad review or negative comment. In fact, our company has more than 4,500 five star reviews.

Lastly, as small business owners, we NEVER want a guest to have a bad experience. We bend over backwards to do all we can to assist all of our clients. From the start, you were entitled, inconsiderate, rude, and talked down to people. This was a rough start to the discussion and I regret we were never able to recover from it. In all fairness, you didn't get our very best which all of our clients deserve, and for that, I am truly...

My family and I have come up to northern Michigan for many summers. We have stayed at some wonderful properties (Timber Ridge being our favorite) and worked with some of the nicest property managers up north. I cannot say enough about how unprofessional and rude the staff was at northern Michigan escapes. We were scheduled to come up to Michigan in July of 2020. Given Covid travel warnings and my mother-in-laws health (who passed right before our scheduled trip), we decided to cancel the trip weeks in advance.

The staff was rude, short and said we basically had no options for credit/refund since we didn't purchase insurance. I understand that they are running a business, however I think their responses were very cold-hearted. I was angered by their responses.

If I was a homeowner up north, I would NOT consider using them as a property management company. The staff is clearly not in touch with what it means to be human and compassionate during this strange time.

I did reach out to the CEO, Brook Walsh, who initially wrote a very kind email and offered to speak to me at my request but has ignored my emails for an actual call.

We have rented dozens of homes for family vacations and I can say this was by far the worst experience in terms of customer service.

Update: 8/24

I left a voicemail with Brook with no returned call, which I think was disappointing after a very nice initial email. I reached out to Brook again on 8/3 and 8/20 via LinkedIn with no reply. I think the "patiently explained" situation is a real stretch of a comment from your customer service team. I am totally disappointed given the circumstances of a trip we were so looking forward to but more disappointed because of the way it was handled. I'm a real person with over 100+ google reviews - trust me that they all aren't...

We rented the Edelweiss Lodge and adjacent Chalet (guest house) for our group of 23 people (10 adults, 13 kids) for a long weekend, Friday, January 13 - Monday, January 16, 2023. The homes were exactly as described, true to the photos, well maintained, in good condition, etc. The kitchen was well stocked with quality dishes and cooking essentials. Everything was clean. The fireplace was lovely and boot dryer a nice bonus. Short walk up the hill to the chair lift was easy for experienced skiers and big kids (might be a bit challenging if you have very little kids). You can ski right back to the place and it is easy access when returning to the house. Note that the closest chair lifts typically close at 4:30pm, but depending on your comfort/ability, there still is access to ski back after 4:30pm via Miller's Time. We have rented many times with Northern Michigan Escapes and find their customer service to be excellent. They respond immediately and are always available to answer questions. Edelweiss Lodge and Chalet has been one of my favorite and most accommodating homes for a large group ski trip in Michigan. Would highly...