Mackinaw City chamber responds to investigation into hotels accused of misleading guests
MACKINAW CITY — The Mackinaw City Chamber of Commerce released a statement Thursday in response to a notice of intended action against three Mackinaw City hotels by the office of the Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
The Beach House Hotel, Crown Choice Inn and Suites and Hamilton Inn Select Beachfront have been under investigation for the past several months in response to consumer complaints.
More: 3 Mackinaw City hotels accused of bait-and-switch tactics, misleading customers
These complaints allege that some visitors to Mackinaw City booked rooms at the Beach House or Crown Choice Inn that were advertised as available and after arriving in the city saw that the hotel had been closed without notice. A sign on the door directed them to the Hamilton Inn which offered them a substitute room, which did not match the description or amenities of the rooms the guests had originally booked. When refunds were requested, the staff refused, citing a 72-hour reservation window that the guests were not made aware of until after the cancellation window passed.
The notice described an investigation by a special agent who reserved a "2 Bed Queen Balcony Room" at the Crown Choice Inn for Nov. 10. The reservation claimed to come with access to 17 indoor pools and admission wristbands to an indoor water park.
Despite reserving the room on Nov. 4, the agent did not receive confirmation until Nov. 9. When he arrived at the hotel on Nov. 10, he saw the sign directing him to the Hamilton Inn where he was informed the Crown Choice Inn’s water park was closed for cleaning, that there were no other water parks in the area and that the reservation was not refundable due to the passed reservation window.
The reservation was made through a website identified as the “Official Mackinaw City Chamber of Tourism.” That website, according to Amy Millard, executive director of the Mackinaw City Chamber of Commerce, is not connected to the chamber of commerce.
Millard made a statement regarding the intended action against the hotels in a press release.
“Mackinaw City, in its key location in the State of Michigan, has a long-standing history of welcoming visitors and we look forward to continuing that tradition," she said. "There are well over 50 lodging accommodations made up of hotels, motels, bed and breakfast inns and campgrounds in Mackinaw City that are owned and operated by incredibly hard-working individuals that have an excellent reputation and make every effort to create a memorable vacation experience for those visiting our city each year.”
In the Feb. 9 notice of intended action, Nessel said "Tourism is part of the life-blood for the economy in Northern Michigan."
"Whether it's our residents enjoying a long weekend, or visitors coming to experience our majestic sand dunes, beaches, lakes or ski slopes, it is important that all consumers are treated fairly so they look forward to sharing joyful stories with future visitors," she said. "My office will not tolerate actions that threaten our reputation in the tourism industry or harm consumers."
The hotels must respond to the notice and address its findings by Feb. 18. The notice of intended action is posted on the attorney general's website.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Mackinaw City chamber responds to AG investigation into three hotels
