Pere Marquette Lodge & Conference Center

We love Marquette Lodge. We go there a few times a year and adore the features such as the great room, cozy fireplace, and beautiful views. Unfortunately we’ve noticed some real negatives over the last few stays. The most recent was the worst. We came to dinner in the dining room and were seated by the hostess. After asking about drinks, we told by the hostess that there was no drink menu. Since we’d seen the menus before, we left our table and went up to the counter to retrieved some ourselves. Service was slow despite the fact there were only 6 other tables of guests. We immediately noticed that both the hostess and waitress seemed annoyed and inconvenienced, as they were very short and rude. We overheard the people at the next table saying the same thing. We ordered 2 meals including one burger, asking for no cheese. When it came out with cheese, we politely asked if we could have it replaced with a hamburger vs. a cheeseburger and were told by our waitress Malissa, “Can’t you just scrape it off?”. We politely said yes. We later asked for some mustard (asked both the waitress and hostess) and after 10 minutes of watching them either seated at a table or lingering behind the back bar, we once again went up to the front to find the condiments for ourselves. The next day, I was part of a stained glass class at the lodge which was absolutely lovely & enjoyable. For lunch were given vouchers and all dined together at a large, pre-reserved table in the dining room (there were about 10-12 of us). The food and service this time were both pretty good, thanks to a different set of staff. However, my classmates began sharing their disappointments of the dining experiences from they days before, saying that as soon as they walked into the restaurant the previous night, they felt unwelcome. They said they felt guilty for even being there, and at several points had to get up and retrieve their own menus, silverware, and condiments from behind the counter. It was as if all of us had the same experience with the same staff that weekend. Two of the women I met showed photos of the dirty bed linens they discovered when turning down their beds late after arrival on their first nights. One found a dirty black sock with a soiled fitted sheet in her cabin. Another said her lodge room sheets were full of hair when she arrived. All were told by the front desk that the lodge was full and they would have to stay in their respective rooms and nothing else could be done. My boyfriend and I noticed upon check-in to our rooms the first night that the thermostat was broken (it was 24 degrees outside and 58 degrees in the room). The TV remote wasn’t working right (the keys were all sticking) and we needed a pillowcase for one of the pillows. While we were first told that there may not be any fixing for the remote or additional linens to provide due to the lodge being full, they did eventually send a young man up to fix the thermostat, “jimmy” the remote, and give us a pillowcase. We were looking forward to spending time in the hot tub and suana especially on this trip, as during last year’s winter staycation the sauna wasn’t working. There was a leak/detachment in the hot tub liner at that time too. We were really disappointed to discover that, a year plus later, the sauna was still inoperable and the hot tub once again had a faulty liner. We love Marquette Park and Lodge. We ignore most of the grumblings about the place falling outdated, the bad service, and disrepair. In the past, we never come expecting the Ritz but this time we were so incredibly disappointed all-around. The property is such a treasure; it saddened us all to experience the apathetic staff and to see no real signs of motivation to maintain let alone improve the current facility. I know it’s a state park but we all hope someday someone somewhere can come in and reinvigorate the place. It really wouldn’t take much, as it’s beauty speaks for itself. None of us are expecting a 5 star resort, but some basic manners & sanitary, functioni

Great couple of days with extended family. Good was good and we enjoyed the pool area as well as beautiful hiking! Service was good.

Very wonderful and calm romantic lodge hotel

Service: 5

Great, place for a, getaway, honeymoon, Restaurant, is great. It's a quiet place, for. A getaway.

Rooms: Nice, restaurant, nice. Trails, horseback, riding.,

Safety: A safe place,

Walkability: Some, site seeing. Riding stables.

Food and drinks: Food was, good. Service is good

Service: 3

Awesome experience at the Christmas Murder Mystery dinner. Also met some great people. Good experience all around.

Service: 5

Dinner for 4 at the restaurant on 11/22 24 at about 6pm. The server did a great job. The lodge is gorgeous and not to be missed. The food was a huge disappointment. Two of us ordered the salmon entree. It was virtually too salty to eat and I left most of it on the plate. Two of us ordered mashed potatoes which arrived completely cold and we had to ask for warm potatoes. The salads were fresh and tasty. This meal was expensive and not as good as stale MacDonalds burgers. Even though we live locally to this restaurant we will not eat there again or recommend it to others.

Service: 5

Excellent fried chicken 🍗. Great service . I like that if 2 people order chicken, the sides can be served family style, that is free refills.

Food and drinks: 4 piece chicken dinner was great. Excellent service.

Service: 5

My husband and I stayed there this past weekend. I came to read other reviews and it seems others have had similar experiences. When I originally scheduled it the dates were in October. I called to change the reservation dates by phone to November due to being unsuccessful in getting the website to cooperate. I didn't receive an updated invoice by email confirming the date change, nor anything declaring a difference in rates for the room. We used a $250 gift card at check in, received as a wedding gift, to pay for the bulk of the two nights. The girl checking us in seemed confused with the process of splitting the payment between the gift card and our bank card, used paper and a pencil to do the math. She also made a deal of us not using a credit card to reserve everything. She informed us the difference to our bank card would be near $170, not the total of $308 reflecting on the original invoice. I chose not to speak up at the moment because I did not have the invoice pulled up to double check everything. After entering our room, which others have mentioned are in serious need of redecorating and updating, we noticed no mini fridge was present. When asked why there was no mini fridge we were told the 1st floor rooms all have mini fridges included, but the 2nd floor you have to request one for a charge of $10 per night. What?? The room was very hot at night and maintains the odor of an older hotel room. The shower area is very small compared to the overall size of the bathroom. The one nightstand located in the room with a USB port produced a "slow charging" message on every device we tried. Our room door had to be pressed closed to latch in place all the way. We tried the restaurant breakfast Saturday morning which was a big disappointment. The buffet food was sub par at best. My husband almost made his own coffee because no one seemed to be attending the drinks. The server acted annoyed with us for walking towards the drink station. Very inattentive, we barely saw staff as they were back in the kitchen almost the entire time we were dining. He was offered one cup of coffee at the start of our meal. When we were ready for the check she came back with a pot of coffee (at least 35 minutes later) asking if he wanted more coffee. We chose not to eat there again. After breakfast I approached the front desk with my invoice ready to question the difference in cost. Unnervingly, the male working knew we would be up there to question our bill stating "he saw the issue this morning". Then called his supervisor to "come explain the charges". It was all very shady and like he was trying not to say what he noticed. The supervisor explained a difference in rates whether you stay Sunday-Thursday or Friday-Saturday. Which, is fine - had I been made aware of this. You'd think that would've been the first thing they confirmed when I called to change the reservations but on my honor they did not. The supervisor could not track where a new invoice was created or changed, only that the dates had been updated in the system. So, you'd think that would be all of it, issue solved money refunded. I check our bank account this morning and realize what that male worker was being shady about - there is a $270 charge on our bank card in addition to the $170 pencil and paper girl charged. I only authorized one payment so I'm still unsure how this occurred. Upon checking out it was confirmed $96 was going back on our bank card, but that was before I was aware of the additional $270 charge. I'm waiting till tomorrow to see what all confirms to clear before my next step.
The lodge area and grounds are beautiful. We had a great time hanging out in town and at Aaries's Resort taking the gondola up to the winery for the afternoon on Saturday. We always have a wonderful time no matter where we choose to go together, but the frustrations were there on this trip. We will not be staying here again. Hopefully management can improve their communication methods and update facilities so futu

Service: 2

Just a last minute over night stay very cozy, Good food, rustic lodge.

Great dinner

Service: 5

Family went to eat..I was very nice,clean,tasted good...

Food and drinks: Enjoyed are meal.

Service: 5

Thought I’d share a review since others have posted similar experiences. The location and hiking are awesome which is why we stayed here. The downside is that the property is extremely dated and in need of a major makeover. We rented a cabin. There was no wi-fi or cell coverage in the cabin. The sauna in the pool area was not operational and the hot tub is in need of a new liner. The restaurant was decent and the menu is what you’d consider country cooking. There are other choices in Grafton that would be better. If we return to this area Pere Marquette Lodge will not be our choice of lodging.

Service: 4

We recently celebrated our wedding at Pere Marquette Lodge in Grafton, and while it was a beautiful day filled with special moments, there were some challenges we faced along the way.

Initially, we worked with a coordinator who was incredibly helpful, but unfortunately, she left shortly after we booked. This change was evident, as the remaining staff seemed overwhelmed and less organized. One major issue was with our room block. Although we were guaranteed a room for the bride and groom in our contract, there was none available for us when we arrived. This was quite disappointing, especially with the added stress leading up to the big day.

In the days before the wedding, I was unexpectedly tasked with assigning rooms to our guests. I assumed the hotel staff would handle this, but I soon realized that our guests had to call to reserve, which should have been a red flag. Unfortunately, many guests ended up with incorrect room dates or sizes, and I found myself spending way too much time sorting out these issues instead of enjoying my time as a bride.

On a positive note, we were grateful to have access to the venue for setup the evening prior, which helped things run more smoothly on the day of the wedding. The views from our room overlooking the river were stunning, and the outdoor landscaping was beautiful, making for a picturesque backdrop to wake up to.

However, the cabins where some of our wedding party stayed left a lot to be desired. They felt dark, cramped, and not very clean. In hindsight, we would have preferred to get ready inside the lodge, where the rooms were brighter and more spacious. Plus, many guests on the second floor experienced issues with the air conditioning, which was uncomfortable.

On the brighter side, we were very pleased with the staff and the catering team. The food was fantastic, plentiful, and they did an excellent job managing the bar line while crafting delicious signature cocktails for us.

Overall, we loved the location and the charm it offered. It truly was a dream day for us, and we look forward to returning each year to celebrate our anniversary. We hope to see some updates and restorations at the lodge in the future to enhance the experience for others.

Service: 4

Very nice.. enjoy the sunset with a drink

Service: 5

Visited the lodge several times. The lobby is amazing to sit in and relax. We were in the restaurant for lunch on a weekday. Very few customers this time of year. Service was pleasant, food good although limited in choices at lunch, priced reasonable considering the setting, tablecloths on tables, lots of windows. We sat by a window that had a hummingbird feeder just outside. Birds were ever present. If you want a quiet lunch in a great setting, take the time to go here. If you are in a big hurry, maybe this isn't the place for you, but then if you request quick service, I bet they try to accommodate your desires. In the Fall, they can get really busy on weekends because of all the people out to look at Fall colors.

Service: 4