Howard Johnson Traverse City

this was the worst stay at a hotel I ever had. Pool was really dirty could not swim, they told us it was heated but the temp was only 68 degree. The Tv and A/​C was not working, they were very rude to change us. They had no idea what the cost was we booked at a different cost, was way higher. I was paying cash for my room so they had to charge my discover $ 250.00 deposit once I checked out they would return it. But when I checked out they said I did not have a deposit so had to argue with them and show them that they charged me. What a rip off place. The morning we woke up no one showed up for work in the morning so we could not get breakfast or coffee. Also when we checked in our room was ready but they said we could not get our keys until 3:00. We got there at 1:30 and by the time we checked in and paid it was about 2:15 and she still would not give us the key. Staff had no idea how to treat customers. I would suggest not to stay here if you do dont complain because you were warned.

Was told room would be ready between 3 and 4, check in is 3 by the way, showed up at 3 and was told room was not ready, no problem. Came back at 4 and was told by a different woman to go have a seat that there were 2 people ahead of me checking in. I waited for about 20 minutes, went back up and was told room isnt ready, at this point it is almost 4:30 check in is 3 I was told. I asked for a refund and the woman told me she will call housekeeping again to see if room is ready, it was not. At this point I could not believe the hassle. Not worth saving a few dollars, I will pay more next time I’m in town to not deal with this nightmare. They advertise great customer service, but you receive everything but that.

Really liked the room, very clean, awesome huge bathroom with walk in shower, great pillows.
Poor excuse for breakfast. A few donuts and cereal, doesn’t really count if you ask me. Also hate that there are no microwaves in the room!

Room was in very clean condition. Comfortable, but could use a comfy chair besides desk chair. Needed firmer pillows on bed, my personal preference. Reception was really helpful and nice! Be aware that the heated outdoor pool us seasonal. This was not mentioned on Expedia or any if the online hotel booking sites. The Howard Johnson website stated this, I just did not catch it.
Free breakfast was adequate for me. There is a restaurant across the street if you need better.

I can’t remember ever having a hotel room before with no chairs! The room had two comfortable beds a dresser/​tv stand/​desk with one stick style chair, and an end table between the beds. No other furniture at all. No where to sit other than the bed or one stick chair to go with the desk. The Lobby was relatively comfortable but even the sitting area there was littered with «no food or drink» signs, so I didn’t feel welcome sitting there with my morning coffee, which was so weak it was hardly worth the effort to swallow.
The room was filled with ants, the floors were cold. The continental breakfast was fit for a continent in the third world. just some cereal, bagels and yogurt.
If you are just passing thru and can get a cheap rate this might be the place to stay. If you want someplace moderately comfortable you can probably do better.

Our renovated room was comfy enough. I discourage anyone from staying on the first floor as you can hear everything going on in the room above you. The heater was very loud so could not run it at night. Lastly, I was quoted a few dollars cheaper on the phone when I made my reservation and when I checked in they did not honor that price.

We stay here on every trip to TC, very happy with clean rooms and price (value!). $ 8 cab ride to downtown, great for long weekends and get-​aways!

The rate isn’t bad for what you get, thus the 3 stars. The room was severely outdated but usable. Good place stay if you are not planning on spending much time there. Will say the girl that checked us in was very nice.

Stayed here two nights in a King size bed room with a tub. The room was clean and the bed was comfortable. The tub was awesome! The location couldn’t be any better. We were able to walk to a few places to eat and was close to downtown. The service was also top notch. I’d definitely stay here again!

My boyfriend and I spent two nights at the HoJo while in Traverse City on vacation. The weather wasn’t warm enough for beach time, so bay access wasn’t a priority, though we probably would opt for a more upscale/​scenic location next time. The low prices meant that we could get a nicer room, though it was still pretty basic apart from the really enjoyable whirlpool tub, somewhat strangely located in the room rather than in the bathroom. The AC unit in our room was so loud that we couldn’t run it while having a conversation, much less sleeping. The continental breakfast was adequate: donuts and generic bread, cereal, yogurt, and some of the worst coffee I’ve ever had. The front desk staff was friendly.
Frankly, you get what you pay for here.

Stayed 2 nights on our Circle Tour of Lake Michigan. Amazing low rate, so my expectations were pretty low as well. I was pleasantly surprised. The room was very large. The bed (most important for me) was very firm and comfortable. The small fridge was a great add on. The room was very, very clean. The staff was friendly and helpful. The breakfast was simple, but good and fresh. The area was constantly cleaned and refreshed. I would stay at this hotel again wtihout a second thought.

Very nice motel that was remodeled not too long ago. The rooms are big and quiet. The lobby and the breakfast area look very nice and everything looked clean and neat

The hotel was clean and the staff was friendly. The front desk staff gave us a great recommendations of places to go while in town. I would definitely stay there again…

A review for if you are planning to book this hotel for the Iceman weekend.
It’s been 4 years now that my boyfriend and I been to Traverse City, Michigan for the ICEMAN MTB race. For the first 2 years we have stayed at Timber Ridge, the last one was at Cambria Suites, and this year it was it Howard Johnson to save some money. When I book a hotel/​motel I always read reviews before booking. Since this motel was newly renovated I told my boyfriend that the price looks really decent so go ahead and book it.
So we get there and the receptionist says there are no bikes in the room. Really!?! Why was this not mentioned when I called back months back when I asked how far is this hotel from Kalkaska Middle School and that I have mentioned that my boyfriend and his bestfriend is racing for the Iceman. You would think that they will mention that there will be no bikes in the room?
When I asked where does it say that on the website? Is there a fine print regarding that? The only answer I got is, no there is no fine print on that or any policy and since the remodeling is fairly new do not allow bikes inside the room. I said that this is very frustrating because we have been going to Iceman for the past years and all of our friends have stayed in all motels/​hotels in the area and there are no rules like this.
The reason why this is a big deal and needs to be reviewed by someone during Iceman weekend is because 95−100% of the time cyclists will want their bikes next to them, where they can see it, we are not talking about bikes that cost $ 100 or less. We are talking about bikes that are worth thousands of dollars. So if you are thinking of booking this for the Iceman weekend, this is a heads up.

My husband and I decided to try out the Traverse City HoJo after reading reviews on other websites about it being newly renovated. On our August 2011 trip to Traverse, we stayed at the HoJo for three nights and we did enjoy our stay. Our room was clean, we had a room with 2 queen beds and there was plenty of empty floor space for us to unload luggage, bring our baby stroller and baby bouncy seat in, etc.
My reasons for not giving more than 3 stars: the breakfast was not impressive — you could choose from old looking donuts, not great coffee, some yogurt and some cereal. Another issue — when we were there, a pipe burst and the hotel was without water for a few hours — which was a problem for us because we had a baby who needed water for a bottle (although housekeeping did get us a bottle of water when I asked) and we were really inconvenienced by not having water when we needed to shower after being at the beach all day, covered in sunscreen, and we had to therefore delay our afternoon & dinner plans to wait for the pipe to be repaired.
I would, however, go back to the HoJo, and I would also recommend it to others! Great price for a Traverse City hotel, and not that far of a drive from downtown (although not within walking distance).