Waterbird Lakeside Inn

The room was very large with a king size bed facing the patio doors, which opened onto a balcony hanging over the small lake. A fridge and microwave really came in handy. We enjoyed sitting on the balcony watching all the birds and turtles. Also, there was a laundry in the motel was really came in handy to dry our swimsuits after swimming at the dunes.

We’ve stayed here many times. The only concern is the sometimes spotty wi-fi. Always comfortable and the wildlife is entertaining, especially the turtles and swallows. Will return.

While the property had a great hot tub and comfortable true to size king bed, the building was quite antiquated. In addition to the property have spider webs and broken furniture on the patio, the siding on the lakeside of building is weathered and damaged . Overall the building lacked amenities that were depicted on the website such as not having a spa, or pool. My stay to say the least was underwhelming but convenient .

Room was basically clean could’ve used a little bit more work. Cabinet doors would not close in the bathroom. Could use grab bars in the bathroom. Parking was great. The staff was friendly in the beginning, but abrasive when asked questions on the second day. Would not stay there again.

Clean and comfortable rooms. Nice view of the lake and balcony right on the water. If looking for pool/ indoor pool, weight room, bar/restaurant then this is not the place for you. Local fast food and grocery and other shops close by.

We were locked out at 8:30 AM (key card not working) and no one was available at the desk to help. Card finally worked after ~20 attempts. Everything else was fine.

We got to our room, the toilet wouldn’t flush, the tv didn’t work, fries on the floor under the table, used Kleenex on the floor by the bed. The bathroom sink behind the faucet is disgusting. Beds are not comfortable at all. There is no air in the hallways, broken hallway window, stairs look like they haven’t been vacuumed in months. We went out to get food and came back and our key cards wouldn’t work. The front desk lady was nice enough, but you could tell a lot was going on she was extremely frustrated. No reason for a hotel to be in this condition. It’s also weird they don’t serve any breakfast, which we knew when booking. But their lobby actually closes from 10pm till 8am and didn’t see that on their site. They have vending machines, which took our money and didn’t give us the product. Very disappointed and not the best start to our vacation. Luckily it was only for one night. Hotels in this area don’t have the best rating, and this one was one of the higher one with reviews. Do not stay here.

Key card problems. No wi-fi on balcony. Otherwise ok.

Beautiful views, you felt like you were away at a lake (rather than in an area with lots of businesses). The room was nice, having the balcony was a treat to sit out and enjoy the view! Our small complaint was the luggage cart was terrible, so that made it difficult to bring our luggage in - otherwise, great stay!

Parking seemed safe enough. The building is older and in need of attention. Broken window pane on one of the upstairs window. One light in my room didnt function and the bathroom door was splintering at the bottom. Room was clean! Though the building was in need of update and repair it was clean! Super cool to step out on balcony to be over the water, incredible view of the lake right put the sliding door of my room.

The only issue was it just wasn’t clean. Bug splatters on the wall. Dirty blankets. Carpet stains. The area was quiet. Beautiful view. Lady at the check in counter was very friendly and helpful.

Our room smelled strange and the bathroom sink kept bubbling up with gross hair and junk. It did not drain properly at all. Hallway carpets dirty, paint everywhere on the door trim. Not a good experience at all.

Was overall just a nice and clean hotel and the service was fantastic I will definitely be staying again!

To begin with, right when you walk in the front door, the smell is stale and musty. The hotel is dated, dingy, and overall not very appealing. Water pressure is weak, and the hot water is just lukewarm. The carpets were pretty gross and not vacuumed. To top it all off -- they don't even provide coffee in the morning. No breakfast is fine, but no coffee. Deal breaker.

Place was really dirty.

I am writing to formally report a deeply unacceptable experience at the Waterbird Hotel during my recent stay, and I am demanding a full refund for the appalling conditions and the utterly disgraceful customer service I encountered. On my first night, I stayed alone in the room (room 252, second floor), and everything seemed acceptable. However, when I returned the second night with a companion, we discovered something absolutely vile. A strong odor of feces became noticeable. When we checked under the covers of the second bed, we found dried, crusted poop stains on the comforter. This was not fresh; it was clearly an old and unhygienic mess that had been left there from a previous guest. I have photographic evidence of this and am prepared to share it with the Better Business Bureau and Hotels.com. What made this situation even more intolerable was the behavior of your front desk staff. When I tried to explain this to him, he was immediately sarcastic, dismissive, and smirking at me. He questioned why we hadn’t noticed it the first night, which is irrelevant and insulting given the circumstances. I have stayed at this hotel many times, and I have never been treated so disrespectfully. His attitude was completely unprofessional and his refusal to offer a full refund is absolutely unacceptable. Sleeping in a bed with someone else’s dried feces is not just disgusting, it’s a serious health risk. I demand a full refund for this stay, and I will be forwarding this complaint.

Room looked much nicer in the photos. Was basic and fairly clean inside but the balcony was really dirty and filled with spider webs and spiders. Literally counted 20 huge spiders so we couldn’t enjoy the balcony.

Room was updated and spacious except the bathroom which was dirty, old, and moldy. Coffee maker was filthy. Nice view of the lake with balcony. It has a lot of potential

Nice, clean property. Nice view. Would stay again

Nice, big rooms with a beautiful view of the lake. The room was clean and comfortable. Would recommend for the price.

We checked in and found the room to be nice for the cost. The only downside is that it is above a lake and the humidity in Indiana at this time of year is high so the room was humid. The A/C worked fine and cooled the room, but the level of humidity was higher then I preferred. There was no musty smell, room was clean and bed comfortable.

Loved the view

The lake view was nice, area was peaceful. You can hear the trains and the interstate, and there were some small maintenance issues. Overall a relaxing stay with a comfortable bed.

We liked our room. Spacious and clean. Wonderful view of the lake. It looks like they are renovating some rooms so ours had some new carpet and flooring but some older cabinets and trim. All together it was a good place to stay.

The hotel is tucked behind a strip mall right on a small pond. The room was large and comfortable. The bed and pillows were fine. The rooms have balconies or patios so you can sit and have coffee in the morning

This hotel/motel is set on a beautiful pond (or small lake). It appears that every room has a balcony that is cantilevered out over the water with a fantastic, peaceful view. Very unique.

Key card problems. No wi-fi on balcony. Otherwise ok.

The room was so clean and spacious. The view was spectacular! The color of the fall leaves, the refraction of the sun off the lake. Morning dew rolling across the lake. Extremely quiet,in November. A Zen two day retreat. Highly recommended! Mental vacations are a necessity.

Room felt clean but bathroom and furnishings were dated. Great lake view.

Nice, big rooms with a beautiful view of the lake. The room was clean and comfortable. Would recommend for the price.

My daughters and I really enjoyed staying here. This was our first visit to the area and to Indiana Dunes. I especially loved how quiet and peaceful the hotel was. Having a balcony to view the lake was lovely. The staff was super friendly and allowed me to check in early. I look forward to staying here again!

Angels service at the front desk was fantastic. Would recommend to anyone visiting the dunes national park

Terrible stay. I can forgive not having a continental breakfast because that was my fault. However, the service was also poor. Got handed a plunger with plastic to plunge our own toilet - the plastic had someone else's feces on it and was already wet. The faucet was leaky. The heater kept popping off throughout the night so we were constantly frigid. The mix of poor service, lack of a breakfast, and it was more than other hotels in the area? Worst stay I've had at a hotel.

The view over the lake was really surprising! Also, the woman at the service desk was great, very friendly and accommodating.

I am writing to formally report a deeply unacceptable experience at the Waterbird Hotel during my recent stay, and I am demanding a full refund for the appalling conditions and the utterly disgraceful customer service I encountered. On my first night, I stayed alone in the room (room 252, second floor), and everything seemed acceptable. However, when I returned the second night with a companion, we discovered something absolutely vile. A strong odor of feces became noticeable. When we checked under the covers of the second bed, we found dried, crusted poop stains on the comforter. This was not fresh; it was clearly an old and unhygienic mess that had been left there from a previous guest. I have photographic evidence of this and am prepared to share it with the Better Business Bureau and Hotels.com. What made this situation even more intolerable was the behavior of your front desk staff. When I tried to explain this to him, he was immediately sarcastic, dismissive, and smirking at me. He questioned why we hadn’t noticed it the first night, which is irrelevant and insulting given the circumstances. I have stayed at this hotel many times, and I have never been treated so disrespectfully. His attitude was completely unprofessional and his refusal to offer a full refund is absolutely unacceptable. Sleeping in a bed with someone else’s dried feces is not just disgusting, it’s a serious health risk. I demand a full refund for this stay, and I will be forwarding this complaint.

We got to our room, the toilet wouldn’t flush, the tv didn’t work, fries on the floor under the table, used Kleenex on the floor by the bed. The bathroom sink behind the faucet is disgusting. Beds are not comfortable at all. There is no air in the hallways, broken hallway window, stairs look like they haven’t been vacuumed in months. We went out to get food and came back and our key cards wouldn’t work. The front desk lady was nice enough, but you could tell a lot was going on she was extremely frustrated. No reason for a hotel to be in this condition. It’s also weird they don’t serve any breakfast, which we knew when booking. But their lobby actually closes from 10pm till 8am and didn’t see that on their site. They have vending machines, which took our money and didn’t give us the product. Very disappointed and not the best start to our vacation. Luckily it was only for one night. Hotels in this area don’t have the best rating, and this one was one of the higher one with reviews. Do not stay here.

As described. Nothin fancy but nice and clean. Great staff! Nice guy

We had a plumbing problem and it was immediately fixed. We were swapped rooms so that it wouldnt interfere with our plans. Comfortable beds and a beautiful view of the lake.

This hotel was adequate. The bed was very comfortable & the view was nice. Our toilet never did flush well. There’s no breakfast, which I didn’t notice until after I made reservations. Also, the lobby is closed from 11pm-8am. We were hoping to get on the road early, but had to wait for the lobby to open & the employee was 10 minutes late. If we come back to the area; I’d shop around & compare prices a little more, but I wouldn’t be opposed to staying here again.

The property is very old and in disrepair. There was garbage on the floor of the hallway. The balconies feel unsafe as if they are rotting. The door to my balcony did not lock. The lake smells very bad, which is no one’s fault but you might not want to sit on that sketchy balcony. The worst part is the service because you need to use a phone on the wall to call for someone to come to the lobby. Oat check in and check out I was waiting for more than half an hour with no one answering. I finally just left. Not the person on duty’s fault necessarily but poor policy and worth considering if you are traveling alone or are in a rush.

Conveniently located! You pull into the parking lot and once you enter your room, it’s full serene privacy in the back! Unexpected!

Our room was large and included a refrigerator, microwave, and table that we used to make our own quick meals. The price is reasonable and the location is in close proximity to restaurants and a grocery store. The location is great for exploring Indiana Dunes National and State Parks.

This hotel/motel is set on a beautiful pond (or small lake). It appears that every room has a balcony that is cantilevered out over the water with a fantastic, peaceful view. Very unique.

Nice little escape, just a short walk from all kinds of civilization.

Close to Indiana Dunes National Park!

I was traveling for business and needed a location that was safe, easily accessible to the highway, and reasonably priced. I was very pleased with this location. The room was comfortable and quiet. The property has some age to it, but is clean and well-maintained.

This hotel is relatively close to Indiana Dunes National Park, there are several options for eating that are close by, and the room was pretty basic, but clean, quiet, and comfortable. I stayed there 2 days, and felt that it was satisfactory for what it is.

Even though the Inn is at the back of a fairly busy shopping area, once you are at the Inn, it is very quiet and clean, with spacious rooms. It was also very nice to wake up in the morning and be able to enjoy coffee by the small lake while sitting on the room's private balcony.

The location and surrounding area is really nice. The beds were not very comfortable though—maybe the king size bed would have been better. Walkable to several restaurants—and Chesterton always has nice food in general.

Nice setting and convenient location.

The pillows were dreadful. The coffee machine was in the toilet, and probably decades old. No room service - no one to make the bed, or provide clean towels. Excellent views of the lake. Great air con. Nice sized room. Clean.

Great hotel for the price. Did not provide breakfast, but cheaper than most that did. Clean and quiet. Grocery store and a couple fast food restraints in walking distance.

To begin with, right when you walk in the front door, the smell is stale and musty. The hotel is dated, dingy, and overall not very appealing. Water pressure is weak, and the hot water is just lukewarm. The carpets were pretty gross and not vacuumed. To top it all off -- they don't even provide coffee in the morning. No breakfast is fine, but no coffee. Deal breaker.

I loved the experience however, they need to include a complimentary breakfast in the morning, I’ve paid less for hotel stays with the breakfast

I liked the convenience of the hotel to the Indiana Dunes National Park. I do wish that the hotel served breakfast.

Clean and comfortable rooms. Nice view of the lake and balcony right on the water. If looking for pool/ indoor pool, weight room, bar/restaurant then this is not the place for you. Local fast food and grocery and other shops close by.

This hotel is relatively close to Indiana Dunes National Park, there are several options for eating that are close by, and the room was pretty basic, but clean, quiet, and comfortable. I stayed there 2 days, and felt that it was satisfactory for what it is.

This hotel was adequate. The bed was very comfortable & the view was nice. Our toilet never did flush well. There’s no breakfast, which I didn’t notice until after I made reservations. Also, the lobby is closed from 11pm-8am. We were hoping to get on the road early, but had to wait for the lobby to open & the employee was 10 minutes late. If we come back to the area; I’d shop around & compare prices a little more, but I wouldn’t be opposed to staying here again.

Beautiful views. Large rooms with comfortable beds. Reasonable rates and friendly staff. Needs some updates here and there, but overall, a nice place to stay. No continental breakfast, but maybe a nice big pot of fresh coffee would of been appreciated rather than the little weak brew they have in the room. Dunkin was across the street, so we didn't have to go far for a fix. LOL

How can a person not love being right on a lake with swans and turtles and fish and pelicans and swifts and other birds. The view is amazing and the balcony brings it all up close to you. My only regret was not having enough time to enjoy it. The room was a lot nicer than I expected from some of the reviews and it was a bit disappointing not to have breakfast offered. However, I am at a hotel now that does serve breakfast, but I don’t get up in time for it. The room itself was quite adequate and comfortable. The air conditioner at night was a bit of an issue for me however, that was a minor thing because it kept me cool. I’d enjoy coming back to this property again.