We stayed at the Inn Sept. 14 & 15 and I was very disappointed with the room for the money we paid. Don't bother with a balcony room overlooking the river because the air conditioner is so loud that you cannot enjoy setting outside. The decor was dull, dreary, outdated and below the average motel. The bathroom is small and plain. I would never stay there again. Also if you make a phone call and use a calling card they charge $1.00 per call. We have previously stayed at the Drury Inn and had a very nice room and continental breakfast and afternoon snacks for a very reasonable price.

We just returned home from our first trip to Frankenmuth and I am glad I did not see the reviews written here before I went. We stayed two nights at the Bavarian Inn and our stay could not have been more wonderful. We arrived much earlier then expected but we decided to try and see if a room was ready. It was 12:00 and check in is not until 3:00, but to my surprise they had our rooms ready and allowed us to check in early. That was a wonderful start to a wonderful weekend. I do agree that this is a very kid oriented hotel, but they do have adult only areas and they are enforced. I cannot wait to return and bring my daughter and her family. It may not be the newest hotel in the area, but it has the best atmosphere, and the employee's were gracious and the building is absolutely beautiful.....we will stay there again on our next visit to Frankenmuth.

Celebrated gma's 80th bday on Labor day weekend.
Age ranged from 7 weeks to gma's 80. Everyone seemed to enjoy the facility. Pools ranged from walkin baby pool (only 1.5" deep) to Adult pool. Wonderful for little ones.
Service was good, value good.
Especially enjoyed the convenience of having 4 adjoining rooms with shared balcony for our family branch.

I have stayed at 4 of the local hotels (Bavarian Inn, Drury, Frankenmuth Motel, Bavarian Haus) over the past few years.

The Bavarian Inn is maybe on par w/ the Haus and Motel, and all three are inferior to the Drury, in my opinion. Factor in what you pay at the Inn vs. the others and I think this one drops to the bottom of the list. The 2 Marriott properties are, I would expect, probably on par with or equal to the Drury, but I have not seen them (they are a few blocks better located than the Drury however).

About the Bavarian Inn Lodge:

First, the hotel is incredibly poorly planned. Several horizontal expansions have made the walk from your room to the lobby a trek -- no kidding at least 5 minutes -- the first time I got lost in the maze and it took 10.

Second, the rooms are cheap cheap cheap. Cheap carpet, thin synthetic bed spreads (just looking at them I had visions of those news investigation shows that test hotel bedding for bacteria, etc.), cheap sheets, lousy mattress, motel-6 style bathroom w/ plastic surround and one of those paper thin shower curtains that billows in toward you with the steam from the shower and sticks to your body. Crappy, stained carpet. And cheezy cheezy decor.

Third (and this is probably an attraction for those with kids), the games room is gigantic and my nieces and nephews had a great time there...but I thought it was god awful.

Fourth, the acres and acres of parking lot is too small and you end up parking a very l o n g way from the door. Not at all convenient.

Fifth, the ENTIRE place smells like chlorine from the 5 indoor swimming pools. The hallways, the elevators, the playroom, EVERYWHERE except your room -- which isn't much of a respite, since you won't want to spend much time in your room! It did not apparently occur to the Zehnders that it is warm and sunny in Michigan a good 1/2 of the year, especially during peak tourism season, and that people might actually want to swim at an outdoor pool -- no such luck. Furthermore, one of the pools was closed for a wedding on Saturday.

Sixth, the place is run just a little to cheezy -- you get an electronic room key, but to charge something to your room you have to use this silly 'charge slip' you get upon checkin. Reservations require a deposit charged to your credit card weeks in advance.

I'd always wondered what it was like to stay here...and now I know. And now, so do you. STAY ELSEWHERE, PAY LESS and GET MORE.