Grand Traverse Resort and Spa

The Grand Traverse Resort and Spa was not at all what we had anticipated. The pictures on the website look beautiful...but in reality the 6 story hotel is outdated with terrible decor, low drop ceilings, and very old/slow elevators. The nicest part was the lobby. For /night "on special" we expected a lot more. The private beach was tiny. You had to walk out on a dock to access a very small strip of beach on the water. It was so packed we turned around and headed for the indoor pool. This was located in a dark basement and 1/2 of the hot tubs were out of service. We will not stay here again and encourage you not to waste your money.

They nickle and dime you for every service. No free coffee or breakfast, or free anything. The bottles of water in the room have a tag that states ""if tag is torn cost $3.00"". For such a nice hotel they seem incredibly cheap. They charged me twice for the same two night stay, once when I reserved the room through online travel website, the second when I checked out for a total of $***. The accounts department told me to email the charges from my bank account, but surprise, the email was undeliverable. I am getting no help from these people. I am calling consumer services on these folks.

Honestly I came to this hotel because I was able to get half off of my room rate. The hotel was beautiful, clean, and had friendly staff. Our tower room had a wonderful view of the fall colors too. We took advantage of the free shuttle to the casino. Overall, the weekend was great. We ate in the sports bar and the food was just mediocre. When we were leaving on Sunday morning I realized that the weekend could not have been better. The hotel is just minutes from both downtown and the wine tours. However, I think that had I paid full price for the room I would have been less enthusiastic about my stay. I think $ a night for a king bed with a bayview is just a tad overpriced. If you stay here look for a deal.

Traverse city is one of my favorite areas and I have been wanting to stay at the Resort and finally did. It is nice, although there were a few issues that will keep me from coming back. The multi-million dollar improvements did not include the bathrooms or beds. My mattress was horribly soft and was making my back hurt. The bathroom had a whirpool tub which is nice unless you have to step in and out for a shower. No fans in the bathroom and not enough lighting. And no coffee maker in the rooms (took them out with the refurb). Yes, they have a coffee shop in the lobby, but I is a hassle if you want coffee before you get dressed. Also, don't stay in the tower if pool use is important-it is a haul from there. This was a good hotel for a conference, but if I wanted a relaxing spa vacation, this isn't it for me.

When I stay at a cheap hotel I don't expect much, but when I'm paying $*.00 per night I expect more. The sheets were not changed, and the tub was not very clean. We golfed at the "Bear" we were held up by a bunch of hackers who took 5 hours and 15 minutes to golf. The rangers did nothing to improve the situation. When we finally finished our $* per round 5 hour marithon I spoke to the Golf Manager, he stated that he was sorry. I was'nt looking for anything I just was'nt happy with his dis-interest. We golfed the Spruce and Wolverie in just over 3 hours, no hold ups and in nice condition. Like I stated before, if I'm paying $*a round of golf I expect some delays, but not when you are paying top dollar and the ranger was there and did nothing.

Type:Dining Distance: Requires transportation

Eat at the beach

Go to the beach for drinks on deck of the Holiday Inn, good music and drinks.