UAW Black Lake — Local services in Waverly Township

Black Lake has long been a go to for our family and the summer months, we have family that live on the lake. And our family is a Union family to heart. We’ve had our summer vacations at the Black Lake UAW for the past three years. Yes the cabins and rooms are out dated and there are dead bugs it seems with every stay, it’s just a beautiful area that we’ve come to love. Our most recent stay was the second weekend of August, I had called back in March and spoke to a lady that booked our reservation for 4 adults and 1 small dog. This has been the same way we booked the past two years as well. Day 2 of our 4 day stay, Vanessa Schulz from the main front desk went to our cabin knocking to whom it was just my daughter and her b/f there. They opened the door to Vanessa immediately yelling at her to pack our things, that we have to leave. “The audacity of us to think we could sneak the dog in!?” As soon as my fiancé and I arrived back (my phone had horrible signal and I was missing every call.) my daughter was shaken and crying. She had no idea what the heck was going on, but that we were getting kicked out. I drive up to the front desk to see that Vanessa was not at all pleasant and was so very rude when I was only trying to figure out where the mistake occurred and that we apologize for any mishap! I explained I did mention the dog and this was the same old lodge area we stayed in the last two years also with this same dog. She was extremely rude in telling me I’m lying because I’ve never stayed in the old lodge with my dog and that a dog was never put down on the reservation. Well we most certainly have and we’ve absolutely NEVER HID OUR DOG. We were not lying. It’s sad to be treated like this by such a decent establishment. She will detour guests down the road I’m sure of it. I said okay. We’ll pack and leave. (I was offered to pay the difference of a dog friendly condo, which is all that was available.) But no can do. At this point there was no talking with Vanessa, she was extremely unprofessional at her job! I asked what we were going to be charged and she stated only what we stayed, the one night, but that there would be a pet fee added. I agreed and asked for a receipt. However she couldn’t give me a receipt because their printer was down or something, she wasn’t sure. Great. Annnnd we were in fact charged the whole stay- “it was reviewed and because of the way we acted, and lied,” they decided to charge us the entirety! Just wow. Once I got service to my cell, a voicemail came in from Vanessa and it was so distasteful for someone representing a Union Conference Center! She’s the Director of Guest Services, come on! You can do better! I was appalled, which brought me here! She literally accused us of “sneaking” our dog in! When the simple reservation mistake was on their end. How...

Let me start by saying that the scenery around the area looks beautiful, and on the outside all the buildings look great and blend in well with nature. However, on the inside most of the buildings (especially the main lodge where I stayed) needs renovating.

My biggest complaint (please note this is mostly for the main lodge, and other buildings might be better) is that while they claim they are handicap accessible, they aren't really. To get to the handicap rooms you have to go down stairs, and while there is a lift, there isn't someone on staff 24/7 with the key. We had to argue with the staff to get the key after one night there was no one to operate it for us. The handicap rooms are also no different than the normal rooms, expect that they have extra handholds for the shower/tub. There is not extra space between furniture to allow wheelchairs to move around. Lastly, in order to get anywhere, you either have to take a shuttle (which can take 20+ minutes to get to you) or you will go through stairs.

Some things that didn't really affect my experience but I think are worth knowing if you plan on coming here:

Walking is not possible when it gets dark because there isn't enough light, so you have to take the shuttle. But it can often take 20+ minutes for the shuttle to get to you.

One big thing to note is that if you don't have a UAW build car (an American Car built in America or Canada) then you will have to park in the out lot. This didn't really bother me because its their rule, but its something to be aware of because it can take a long time to get to your car.

The building is heated by a boiler, which can take a while to warm up. So if you are there and there's suddenly a cold spell, it is highly likely you won't have heat.

In conclusion, it's not a terrible place to go to see beautiful nature. But I would highly not recommend if you are visiting with someone who has handicap needs.

Edit: I forgot to mention that even though they say they have wifi, this is only in the lobby. There is not wifi in the rooms, and if you want it, you have to pay to rent wifi hotspots. They also say that there are mini fridges in the rooms, but you once again have to pay to rent...

Black Lake is a beautiful place. If you want to see the beauty of Northern Michigan, then come here. The majority of the staff were friendly and accommodating, the rooms are dated, but clean. However, there are many restrictions here. Know the car you drive!!!! Even if it is a UAW made car, if it is not Made In America, you may not drive it on the grounds. Your car must be parked in a out lot. I explained my husband is handicapped, and uses a walker and asked about handicapped parking. The man at the gate said, rudely, " we doing make exceptions for that". Another time, we were dropping off some items at the lodge, then going to go park our car back in the outer lot, a different man at the gate Told us we can only drop off when checking in and checking out. We said we would only be a few minutes, he told us "would you like to go home"!! Rude !! You are restricted to the shuttle bus. Which is fine to point. When we booked our room, I asked for a handicap room, they had none available. Also fine. We were given a room in the old lodge. Unfortunately, it was a long walk to our room for my husband. The staff at the desk were very nice and changed our room. Someone in another review said it was like stepping back in time coming here and that's true. Yet I feel that there should be some exceptions made. We weren't asking for a slice of the moon, just some consideration. Your conference center is short in that respect. Sorry to say, because it is a beautiful place. My husband can't be the only UAW handicapped member to ever stay here!! If the did, they won't be back, just like we won't. My husband worked for GM for many years and is a UAW member retired. The way we were talked to at times was unfortunate, and maybe you just don't care. Maybe you should remember where you got some of the money to build this place....UAW...