Mackinaw City Chamber of Commerce — Local services in Mackinaw Township

Actually my 1st visit to Mackinaw City and the Mackinac Bridge. I have to say that I am thoroughly disappointed with how bad some of the motels, shops, restaurants, and other businesses are being ran in Mackinaw City, Michigan. What a big disappointment to know that people travel from all over the world to come to see, and tour a beautiful landmark such as Mackinac Island, and the Mackinac Bridge. Surrounded by the beautiful waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Only to find when you get there that Mackinaw City is presented as a low budget, rip off tourism city where motel owners, shop owners, restaurant owners simply DO NOT CARE enough about the people visiting, the people of the city of Mackinaw, or even the people in the State of Michigan. I was frankly embarrassed to even be of a resident of Michigan and find such low budget standards on everything in the entire city. Our motel was a joke, we couldn't get out of there fast enough. And the restaurants were also a joke. Service is terrible, simply put....those workers DO NOT care about their city, nor do they care about the people that provide them with a source of income. Such a disgrace, and embarrassment. If the Island and bridge were in another state, I bet there wouldn't be such low standards, obviously, who ever runs the city of Mackinaw simply figures it doesn't matter as long as their able to keep getting money from people. But man, such a shame. Perhaps the entire city is ran by one individual who simply does not give a damn that when people leave there they might not ever be back. But as a resident of Michigan, and a person who spent hundreds of dollars in your city, I have to say that I won't be back to spend a single dime there..... nor, will I be recommending people visit the city and spend money. Perhaps over the bridge in St. Ignace, people care about their tourists and present themselves with better standards. It's a toss up by what I read before and after my visit on the restaurants, shops, motels, etc...But, your receiving about 3x the normal price range for motels in big cities on any given night, at least 2x the price of meals in big cities, and for that we get below standard conditions on motel properties, below service standards at the restaurant, etc...shows nothing but a lack of respect and gratefulness to the people that pay your bills! Shame on you,...

I understand that Mackinaw City Chamber of Commerce does not regulate businesses or employees. However, I do hope that you can discourage the planner(s) of that "1st Annual Mackinaw Motorcycle Rally" from doing this again. This is not the right kind of setting and there are not enough restaurants to hold crowds of that size even at full capacity. I have no complaints about any of the rally participants (any of them I spoke to were perfectly polite) -- it actually was the sheer size of the crowd that was the issue. It was the noise. The bikes are just loud by nature. The restaurants and bars are still at 50% capacity, so where were all of these people supposed to go? They packed into any place they could. They wandered around in stores but according to some of the retail managers, they weren't making any money from them. The real money being made was in the bars. Mackinaw Crossing had live entertainment on Friday evening -- open air, etc. yet there were so many people you could barely walk through as a shopper. Cigarette smoke was so thick OUTSIDE you nearly choked on it -- and of course, there were cigarette butts everywhere on the walks. Many people were also walking around with open beers at 7-8pm in the area... how were families with young kids supposed to feel comfortable with that? The rally planners scheduled a ride across the bridge -- very poor planning, as they should have closed the bridge to let the riders safely cross with an escort. There was one terrible accident -- I heard there was actually MORE than one. The bridge was tied up and impassable for hours... on a Saturday morning. The rally riders deserved better planning and a bigger, better, safer environment for them to gather... and the families, elderly, and regular Mackinaw tourists and residents deserved not to be kept awake until the wee hours with revving Harleys and burnouts... so please... move this...

Thank you Mackinaw City Chamber of Commerce. Mackinaw City never disappoints. You do a great job promoting the attractions of this quaint location. We were lucky enough to get a reservation for the beach cottage at The Beachcomber Motel. This motel is owned by the same family that owns Mackinaw Mill Creek Campgrounds. And just like the campgrounds, the motel is clean and quiet, the view is fabulous, the beach is perfection and the management go above and beyond to take care of their guests. They even clean up the goose droppings! Now for the ugly side of Mackinaw City. There is one family that own a majority of the hotels in Mackinaw City and when it comes to these properties, let the buyer beware. They look all fancy from the road however if you walk the properties you'll see a lack of maintenance and cleanliness. Ask when making a reservation. I hope this review helps folks visiting Mackinaw make wise choices regarding their accomodations because this is one of the BEST towns...