Quality Inn By the Bay

We stayed here for a 5 day business trip. We have vacationed in Traverse City several times, using different «luxury» hotels along the beach across the road. I was hesitant about staying here, but saving a couple hundred dollars a night, and the fact that we would be working and basically just using the place to «crash» led us to go with this lower priced motel. Yes, it is in DIRE need of decorating. But everything else was absolutely wonderful. The facility was as clean as a whistle, mattresses new and comfy, massage shower head, great sized refrigerator, and lots of space in the room. The breakfast was more than adequate; eggs, sausages, yogurt, fruit, waffles, cereal, breads, and was open 6:00 — 10:00 to meet anyone’s sleep hours. They even had cookies and fruit in the evening, in addition to coffee all hours. I don’t know how anyone could complain about this motel. To save the kind of money we did by having décor be the only disadvantage was SO worth it. We would go back in a heartbeat.

At first, I was pleasantly surprised by this place. For the price, it was clean, has a nice small-​sized indoor pool, and the man at the front desk did his best to make sure we had a quiet area of the hotel since he knew that he had some noisy guests. However, I was not happy that when I had to leave early in the morning to catch a flight, I had to shovel myself out of the parking lot. The lot was okay (but not plowed), but no one cleared the area from the lot to the road and there was over 1 foot of snow kicked up from the road. I went in and told the (different) man at the front desk that it wasn’t clear and I had already shoveled a lot but he didn’t seem to care. My sister had to go back to the hotel about 30 minutes later (I told him she would need a path in) but he hadn’t lifted a finger. I drove down the road and saw that all the rest of the hotels were plowed so guests could get in/​out without getting stuck. Not a hard thing to do in northern Michigan in December.

The employees were super friendly… the hotel itself was outdated and in need of an overhaul. the bathroom was TINY and the shower was either too hot or too cold, the one bed in our room was broken (if you sat on one corner it tipped) we got in late so i didnt bother to ask for a different room was too tired. We also had to deal with a fighting couple 3 rooms down. Not any fault if the hotels but i did have to call the desk 3 times before anybody came up to make sure nobody was getting beat up. There was also a lipstick stain on one of the hand towels that i am not sure was washed or not. and the blackout curtains had holes/​tears in the material it was kind of like a night light in a babys room that shines stars on the ceiling

Pros
— Staff is super friendly
— Check-​in was fast and very easy
— Room was comfortable, even if it was a little out-​dated, but it suited our needs for our time in TC in the middle of the summer
— A/​C worked great
— Room was always clean and freshened up (except for the bed sheets, see below)
Cons
— The «continental breakfast» leaves A LOT to be desired. The only good thing about this was the waffle maker. The egg and sausage patties were pretty gross and the rest of the options were basically sugar/​carb filled options with little substance. My advice is to find breakfast elsewhere or skip it altogether
— The «hi-​speed wireless internet» is neither hi-​speed nor functional. You can connect pretty quickly, but the connection cuts out every couple of minutes, the speed is not much faster than 56K dial-​up, and I could barely count on it to do what I needed to do while I was in town. I ended up using the wireless connections I found elsewhere around the city
— It could be me, but I didn’t get the sense that our bed sheets were changed at all while we were there…
All in all, I feel that for the price — even if it’s peak summer time — it’s better to book more in advance at a different location or look on AirBnB first. That being said, if you’re using it as a crash pad while you’re exploring TC and planning on being out for most of the time, then it’s not a bad place to stay. Just be aware that the breakfast options are limited/​not that great and the internet is not reliable at all.

Stayed here for Memorial Day weekend and booked through the priceline name your own price tool. I still payed more than I would have like for this hotel, but for Memorial Day weekend it wasn’t too bad.
This isn’t a Ritz Carlton, its a Quality Inn… it’s nothing fancy but the rooms were clean and the beds were comfortable. They do charge you a weird $ 1.50 a day «safe fee» but they will take it off your bill if you ask them too.
The continental breakfast is typical, but its nice that they have it.
I would stay here again, it isn’t really a nice hotel but it was clean and in a good location.

We had a hot tub room, it was clean & cozy. The staff was friendly. The continental breakfast was to be expected. The power went out in the breakfast nook for a short time, and it was a little crowded, but we weren’t expecting perfection. Overall, a great stay!

The desk staff was so friendly, so kudos to that. The rooms are unbelievably overpriced, even for the location. Old, smells like mold, uncomfortable beds, window treatments have holes and don’t darken. The room is worth $ 100, but we’ve paid well over $ 200/​night. Just really disappointed. One of the worst rooms I’ve stayed in.
Update: the «hot breakfast» is literally disgusting. Overheard a lady say «I don’t ever want to go back to the room.»

First I have to say the desk staff that checked me in was great. They did the best they could for me with a situation mix up with my reservation… however that hasbeen the ONLY good thing here.
I understand it is the height of travel season in Traverse and hotels are overbooked and full… but.
1. My reservation was made thru my company. I HAD a reservation AND a confirmation code. You can’t check in before 3. I arrived at 7:30 only to learn my reservation had been cancelled at 6pm becuase I had not checked in yet (a 3 hour window to check in but I have to gove the hotel 48 hours notice to not be charged if I cancel???) and when they ran the credit card on the reservation *which I made 3 months ago, it declined as the card was «expired».
2. They gave my room away — and the hotel was FULL
3. They found me a room. Also becuase my reservation ws cancelled, instead of $ 141 complete rate I had, my rate was now $ 179 — that is BEFORE the taxes.
4. Should I cry? The room — so horribly outdated. and outdated I can handle but poor quality and 1970 polyesther looking «fake crocet» baby poo yellow bedspreads, I can live without. Also the AC is so loud you cannot hear the TV, there are cobwebs and dead bugs and dust EVERYWHERE. The toilet was clean but the seat was left up… hmmm…what does that mean? No fridge, no microwave. A ½“gap between the door that leads to the parking lot… did I mention the rooms have 2 doors? one to a commoon hallway and one to the parking. Convenient to carry things in but the door gap lets in heat and bugs and light and noise.
5. the door to the common hallway — the extra safety lock will not flip closed.
6. Stains everywhere on the carrpet
7. It smells dusty and like old people smell — you know a touch like moth balls. Also, its muggy in here and the AC keeps cutting out because its literally 6 inches or less from the bed and it gets that small area so cold that it thinks its ok to shut off becuase it thinks it is cold in the room when its really only the 6 inch gap that is cool.
8. Not the hotel’s fault but rude people. I wanted to fill my ice bucket. Lady in front of me filled 7 gallon size zip locks full of ice then tried to fill her ice bucket too but wait — no more ice — SHE USED IT ALL and to top it off, did not even offer to let me fill my bucket with one of her bags. She could not have been going anywhere with it — its was 11pm — oh wait — no fridges so she probably needed it for a cooler to keep stuff ok overnight.
9. Hard beds — pillows that squash to nothingness instantly and are more like the size of a couch throw pillow than a regular standard bed pillow.
10. I am watching an ant, a mosquito and a tiny spider crawl on the light by the bed right now — they came in from the gap in the door I am sure.
This is Traverse City and you have 100 rooms paying $ 200 a night and MINIMAL staff. Buy some new bedspreads, update the carpet and DUST BETTER and fix the gaps in the steel entry doors to the outside. That is all I ask, I don;t need it to e top of the line resort quaility or even a 3 star but the above are just unacceptable. I will never stay here again. Heck I am afraid to try to fall asleep — and probably cant as the AC is so loud and without it its 85 degrees in here even though its 55 outside.
The

We were looking for a less expensive option for our trip to Traverse City. This was a comfortable place for a couple of nights. The room was clean. The bathroom was small, but adequate. The staff was always friendly. The kids loved the pool. It is relatively small and only four feet deep. The hot tub was nice. The breakfast was good. The one staff person charged with keeping it stocked had her hands full when it was busy, but she kept a smile on her face. The décor was dated. Very much out of a home interiors catalog. The rollaway bed was pretty uncomfortable for our oldest. The younger kids didn’t mind it. We left happy with our stay.

Ever pull up to a stop light at the side of a semi-​truck trailer, on an extremely sunny day? The Engine growls but you bask in the relief of the shade for a few moments. The Quality Inn by the Bay is that semi-​tractor-​trailer. The Inn is older in structure, but the rooms are clean and bright. The in wall air conditioning unit hummed like a diesel truck engine from time to time, but it kept the room cool. No view, that’s right! You can’t see the beach, but get out your beach slippers and Walk, the beach is less than 5 minutes walking distance away. Trip over the parking block and you are at a pizza place, or walk a minute to the «exotic» Mexican restaurant down the street. The staff is courteous and helpful. The free breakfast a definite an added benefit. It can get a bit noisy in the hallway, but for the price, basic quality and service, I would recommend this Quality Inn by the Bay to anyone. Your stay is only temporary just like that brief moment of relief from the bright hot sun, at the side of a semi at a stop light. Cheers!

This is an older hotel, but it has a few perks. It is a pet-​friendly hotel and it is in a good location.
If you are looking for a quick stay this is the place. If you are wanting a vacation with amenities you should probably look somewhere else.
The free breakfast is nice, but it is limited (waffle machine is nice)
Overall, it’s a «satisfactory» hotel, but I’d prefer something with a view and some upgraded amenities.

About the only thing I can recommend about this place is that the staff was excellent. Everything else was a sub par experience.
The hotel has a very odd shape, one long rectangle, and our room was about a five minute walk to the front desk. The breakfast would have been good but the room is way too small for the number of people staying in the hotel, and it was literally a ten minute wait in line to get a waffle.
The room was filthy and old. There were cigarette burns in the linoleum on the floor near the jacuzzi in our room even though the whole hotel is supped to be non-​smoking. And the room smelled like smoke and mildew.
It is across the street from the beach but the nearest crosswalk is a ten minute walk away. None of the rooms appear to have views.

Small room and very low frills. Pool was like baby wading pool, very small but hot tub was ok. Breakfast was acceptable and this place was walkable to some things like footbridge to beach and a restaurant or two. Room was clean but dated. In a pinch it is OK.

If you are like me, you found this hotel because you were looking for one of the cheapest ways to stay in the beautiful Traverse City area. I recently stayed here for four nights, and Quality Inn by the Bay did not disappoint me.
Rooms: this is an older hotel, and the décor in the rooms was quite dated. The yellowish bedspreads were particularly ugly, and the bathroom was very small. However, the rooms were very clean and well maintained. The mattresses were clearly new and quite comfortable. Although the TV was quite small, they offered a good variety of cable channels, including HBO.
Pool area: Very clean! Enjoyed a few nights in the pool and hot tub area.
Free breakfast: Quite a bit better than I was expecting! They offered a good variety of cereals, toast, muffins, waffles, eggs, coffee, tea, juice, etc. I loved that the free breakfast ran from 6am-​10am, meaning that you didn’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn for food.
Staff: extremely polite and friendly. Check in and check out took about 60 seconds each.
Location: within a stone’s throw of a Mexican restaurant and a pizza joint, both of which were tasty and affordable. A good-​sized convenience store is located right next door, providing lots of food and other items. This hotel is also very close (less than ¼ mile) from the state beach and the Pirate’s Cove mini golf course. Definitely a convenient location!
Overall, I would certainly stay at this hotel again. Quality Inn is not the most beautiful or fancy hotel. However, it offers great value, good customer service, and a comfortable, clean room to stay in.