Empire Lakeshore Inn

It was a comfortable and clean hotel and very convenient to anywhere we wanted to go. My only complaints would be that it is 2 buildings that are a good 2 blocks apart with a busy road and a gas station between the 2. The only ice machine is in the other building, so you have to drive to get ice. Also, checking in can be a little confusing, due to it being at the one building. They try to explain it, but it's a rather odd setup. Also, it was difficult to find a local channel and no guide. But really, it was a comfortable stay and I would stay again.

Nice location, tight parking area, knew no food even though knew in advance, noisy, no clocks and no employees to voice information, but was clean and comfortable.

I have stayed at this property before, once at the new location, and this time at the "annex", which is the old location. The first time, I had a decent enough experience, but that is because I arrived there much later than this time. Unlike last time, I arrived a little earlier than check-in time. To be fair, it said that they may not be able to check me in early, but it was still possible (which is the case for most hotels and inns in my experience). I got there at 3 pm and the guy walked to the office and asked who I was. I gave him my name, he flipped through some papers behind the desk then quickly said that I needed to come back at 4. One hour really shouldn't make a difference when no cars were in the parking lot at either location. Once we got into the room, we found staining on the carpets and walls, damage to the furniture and walls in the bathroom, mold (or at least a lot of hard water buildup and a strong smell from the Keurig), and a bunch of notices telling us of ways in which they will bill us $150 for this or for that. I think the price for the hotel (almost 300 dollars for one night) is way too much since the walls were thin, the TV had issues with connection, the condition of the room, the lack of breakfast at the property, having a sign in the room telling me that I had to go to the other property (either a 5-10 minute walk or 2-3 minute drive) with the ice bucket to go get ice, and the fact that the room itself uses an unsafe standard house key.

We stayed in the annex and you had to drive or walk across the street through an EZ Mart parking lot to get ice in the main building and that wasn’t very convenient. Also there were no USB plugs in the room which seems below par in my travel experience. And a small roach in my bed one night. It was very convenient to Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Clean(very) quiet stay. Coffee, microwave, fridge provided. Short walk to the beach, gas station next door, sandwich shop nearby, always a great stay here. No pool/hotub. You have the beach a short walk away. Also go around 8pm. Watch the sunset.

The rooms were clean and quiet. The wifi was easy to connect to and the TV has USB ports! The fridge has a can holder and the microwave worked. This location is very close to a lot of routes and the Dunes! My only complaint is there wasn’t an ice machine and the soda vendor was OOS. Will definitely check out again!

Spotless, super clean, very quiet area, short walk to Sunset Beach to see the sunset , it’s too cold to swim this time of year. Rooms are spacious , and have a small table and 2 chairs, coffee & tea is supplied, small fridge and microwave. Walking distance to the Visitor Center for help with things to do around the state park area and the dunes. (No indoor or outdoor pool)

2nd floor, no elevator, awkward location in dead end hallway, not many food options.

Kinda cold reception on arrival. No real check-in per say. Got the key from a guy in the office, no instructions about the complex(ice machine, local attractions, restaurants). We were on the second floor and there was no elevator. The room was clean and comfortable, beds and pillows fresh and new. Keurig coffee maker, small refrigerator and microwave. Shower/bath combo adequate. $300 a night for this small motel room was way overpriced but in a small seasonal area this seemed to be a bit above average rate. Good location with Sleeping Bear Dunes infocenter next door and Empire Beach access just a short drive (walking distance for some). A few local restaurants down the street otherwise a small village.

Nicely renovated property. Like an old style hotel with nice updates. Check in invoked getting our room key from a mailbox. Parking is tight.

Dark strains of long hair left on bed sheets after pulling back the comforter.

My sheets where not clean. The room is nice

We stayed in the annex and you had to drive or walk across the street through an EZ Mart parking lot to get ice in the main building and that wasn’t very convenient. Also there were no USB plugs in the room which seems below par in my travel experience. And a small roach in my bed one night. It was very convenient to Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Beautiful property. Spacious and clean room. Just a few maintenance issues spoiled a perfect start. Bath tub stopper not working. Microwave shuts off after a few seconds. Slow drain in sink. All minor details. I’m sure they will take care of it all. Room is still a very good bargain for the area.

The room was super clean and cozy

Overall, it was acceptable. The bed pillows were much better than average for a hotel; the bed was maybe a little above average for comfort. The bathroom was disappointing in three ways: first, the shower curtain smelled sour. I have run into that problem at a lot of hotels that still use shower curtains. Why can't housekeeping staffs carry a bottle of dilute bleach solution and spray the inside of the curtain? That would be really easy and would kill the sour smell (to which I am really sensitive). Second, the sink drain was very slow. Dirty water sat there a long time, which is pretty disgusting. I told the housekeeper about it; who knows if she passed the word to the owners. Third, I am glad I took my own soap, shampoo because the stuff they stocked the room with was pitiful. They owner left an envelope to encourage tipping of the housekeeping staff, which I find off-putting. And the housekeeping staff did nothing except take away used towels, at my request. Maybe I expect too much........

Spotless room comfortable bed great stay even in the dead of winter

Modern clean

Very clean, close to everything we wanted to do.

Shocked by how clean the room was last year, and they did it again this year. Out of all the hotels and air bnbs I've been too, this is easily the cleanest. Towels were replaced while we were out for lunch as well so we didn't even have to ask. Looking forward to next year

The room was fine... clean and a decent size. It was very loud both above us and outside in the parking lot as you can hear pretty much everything going on in the rooms around you. I think we must've had a herd of elephants in the room above us or they were rearranging the furniture all night lol. I'm not one to complain, but even for me it was a bit much. Paid for an upgraded room that I thought was upstairs, management didn't care but Expedia made it right. Overall we got what we paid for I guess.

I really liked the Lakeshore Inn. It was a clean and cute room. The mattress was a little too firm for me but everything else was good.

Facility is a new build. Soundproofing between floors and rooms could be better.

So it’s a pretty nice place, but the $300 per night rate is definitely for location—it’s a relatively short walk to Empire Beach which is usually a difficult place to find parking otherwise. Also, it’s close to Sleeping Bear Dunes. We were REALLY disappointed with the wifi since cell service is spotty at best. The only ice machine is in a different building across the street…and traffic is super loud. The main intersection in Empire is directly outside your window. Also..be aware that Empire has very limited food/grocery options and everything is SO expensive ($30 for a 12 in pizza). This place may not be the best if you’re looking for budget friendly, or things to do other than the beach/SBD. We spent way more money than we planned here. Take your vacation budget…triple it…and you’ll have a great time.

Very nice location, nice room and bathroom, isolation not good, we could hear thé neighbors though

Nearly new and nice basic accommodation. If I ever needed to be near Empire or Sleeping Bear Dunes I wouldn’t hesitate to rebook it. Only one negative, the walls are not well sound insulated.

Nice property in a very nice little town. We lived the atmosphere and charm. The only problem was the thinness of the walls. The poor couple next door have a rough life. The man snored so loud it sounded like a grizzly was trying to tear through! Then he started cussing! A female voice would try to calm him down periodically, but the peace never lasted. I was considering sharing my C-pap with him. He really needs to see a doctor.

We stayed in the original building. It was very nice except there wasn't sound proofing. We heard every word, footstep, and snoring from the neighbors. The staff were great! The building and grounds are very well taken care of

We stayed at the annex so not sure on the newer motel. Annex is an older building that they have fixed up pretty nice. Walls are thin and they provide noise machines but if you have an active neighbor who likes to talk into the night you will hear them. Overall a nice motel for a place to sleep.

Fantastic place. Newly updated and nice and clean. Nothing super special, but who wants to stay in your room all day when you’re in such a beautiful area. Very close to the beach, places to eat, etc. Used it as a jumping point for the airport, even though it was a pretty good distance away. Definitely recommend. Be aware this is an older style motel where your room opens up to the outside and your car is parked out there.

Very clean Inn. The beds were very comfortable, A/c worked well. Nice refrigerator. The bathroom door didn’t completely close, but was ok. Would have like a box of tissues in the room. Staff were nice but not overly helpful.

It was a lovely and clean space and had very easy access to Sleeping Bear Dunes and the beach. Also close to all the cute towns surrounding Sleeping Bear Dunes. The bed and shower were nice. The owner was not personable and said about 6 words between the check in and check out process. He did not seem very interested in interaction.

Newer property, room was large and comfortable. Check in and out was a little strange. If we didn’t have any issues (no office staff so key is in envelope in drop box outside of office so not sure what someone would do if they had an issue), walkable to small downtown area and visitor’s center. No recycle bin in room or on property that I could see and facility was still using single use plastics, but they were at least smaller bottles. Would stay here again.

I had a minor issue the first night, but they went above and beyond to fix it and I really appreciated their attentiveness and efforts to resolve the situation. It made the stay an outstanding experience. The hotel is only about a 10 minute drive to Sleeping Bear Dunes dune climb and scenic drive. Walking distance to restaurants and a small but nice beach. Awesome place to stay!

Check in was vey easy even though we arrived after hours the staff was very friendly and helpful throughout the process! Check out was easy too!

Friendly staff. They worked very hard to keep the snow and ice off the stairwell and hallways.

We stayed at Empire Lakeshore Inn as a family on vacation visiting the dunes. It was a very quiet, comfortable stay. I left a star off of service due to not interacting with staff at check in or check out. I prefer checking in on my own, however I had no interactions with them to really judge. Otherwise we had a great stay and would love to come back in the future.

Room had a wonderful bright theme and was very clean. There were warning signs for being charged such as “don’t plug your own devices into TV- $150.” Hotel charged us days prior to our stay even though we booked the pay when you stay option. I like to switch credit cards sometimes when I arrive, and now there is a higher statement balance on my card than expected since it charged 1-2 days before the monthly bill switched over. Managers and front desk didn’t understand, so they didn’t refund my card so we could charge the correct credit card. Rooms were preassigned before we checked in and our 2nd floor request was not met. Room doors are exterior motel style with a Hard key bolt lock room access. I imagine robbers could get in. It required us to go to front desk in the morning or use key drop box. Gentleman there in the morning was a bit dismissive and didn’t even ask us how our stay was. He seemed busy with computer work. He seemed not interested in confirming my name and room number for check out, so what was the point of the hard key and checking out? Overall property was quiet. Evening front desk girl was nice.

Nice and clean! Check in was easy.

The place was great! We were only a short walk to the beach at Lake Michigan. And there were shops and restaurants to walk to from our room. Also, our daughter left one of her favorite stuffed animals there, and they mailed it back to us, which was so nice of them! Definitely recommend!!!

The hotel was clean and comfortable. It was located well within walking distance of downtown, many restaurants and the beach.

This place was way nicer than I even expected. Clean, close to everything if you are headed to Sleeping Bear National Park great location. Nestled inside a the cute little town of Empire with shops and local places to eat. It's located right next to The Visitor center so, we were able to walk over and get our National State Park pass with before heading out into the park.

It is in an amazing location. Just a short walk to the lake & short drive to Empire Bluff Trail!

Great location! We could easily walk to the beach, shops, ice cream, and breakfast the next day. Close to everything we wanted to explore!

great location for visiting the Sleeping Bear Dunes national park - right next door to the visitor center. One beach is within walking distance of the Inn and driving to other trails is minimal. Nice small town - walkable area with good local dining options and small shops

Clean comfortable room and so convenient. Great location for everything at the Sleeping Bear Dunes area. The Beach, restaurants, the National Park Service visitors center, convenient store and unique shopping experiences are all within walking distance. Not to far from Traverse City and Crystal Lake also.

Very nice property with a convenient location.

Clean, modern facilities and a great location for exploring the area around Sleeping Bear Dunes.

Very convenient location right beside the visitor center, minutes to the beach, trails and dunes. Nice and clean room as well.

Great location for Sleeping Bear Dunes and surrounding area! Within walking distance of restaurants, beach, gas station, and National Park Visitor's Center. Hotel was very nice, quiet, clean, and comfortable. Empire is a nice little town. Empire Village Inn pizza is amazing! Catch the sunset at Empire beach or on Empire Bluffs Trail!

Close to Sleeping Bear Dunes & within walking distance to Empire Beach. Just a standard motel room. Weird thing was that the cleaning staff came in daily to replace towels & get trash but not once made the beds understanding that it’s eco conscious not to change the sheets every day but would have been nice to come back and have the beds straightened up. Also no decent coffee in Empire if that is inportant to you. There was a coffee maker in the room though.

It was a comfortable and clean hotel and very convenient to anywhere we wanted to go. My only complaints would be that it is 2 buildings that are a good 2 blocks apart with a busy road and a gas station between the 2. The only ice machine is in the other building, so you have to drive to get ice. Also, checking in can be a little confusing, due to it being at the one building. They try to explain it, but it's a rather odd setup. Also, it was difficult to find a local channel and no guide. But really, it was a comfortable stay and I would stay again.

The staff was wonderful! The town however was extremely small and everything that was there was closed by 9pm. We had to drive 12 miles to get ice cream.

The in was just lovely... All of the in room amenities you would need. The decor was fresh and modern and comfortable. The staff was able to quickly accommodate our spur of the moment after hours booking, friendly and warm folk. Lakeshore inn is a great choice for overnight or longer Empire MI is a tiny town and only has a few dining options in the Fall/Winter but we did find a nice place for dinner.

So it’s a pretty nice place, but the $300 per night rate is definitely for location—it’s a relatively short walk to Empire Beach which is usually a difficult place to find parking otherwise. Also, it’s close to Sleeping Bear Dunes. We were REALLY disappointed with the wifi since cell service is spotty at best. The only ice machine is in a different building across the street…and traffic is super loud. The main intersection in Empire is directly outside your window. Also..be aware that Empire has very limited food/grocery options and everything is SO expensive ($30 for a 12 in pizza). This place may not be the best if you’re looking for budget friendly, or things to do other than the beach/SBD. We spent way more money than we planned here. Take your vacation budget…triple it…and you’ll have a great time.

AC did not work properly. Bathroom door was warped and would not close. Pictures on webpage were deceptive about views. Very few places to eat. The motel should provide a continental breakfast for the price they charge

Very plain property. Nothing special. No grocery nearby and limited dining

This was a great place to stay. Very clean. Only downside was the limited places to eat.

2nd floor, no elevator, awkward location in dead end hallway, not many food options.

Great location for Sleeping Bear Dunes and surrounding area! Within walking distance of restaurants, beach, gas station, and National Park Visitor's Center. Hotel was very nice, quiet, clean, and comfortable. Empire is a nice little town. Empire Village Inn pizza is amazing! Catch the sunset at Empire beach or on Empire Bluffs Trail!