Harbor House Inn

I just returned home from a seven-night stay at the Harbor House -- attending a Grand Haven High School Class Reunion. I chose it for its location -- walking distance to downtown, the boardwalk to the pier and beach, and the infamous Tip-a-Few (IYKYK). I was somewhat apprehensive based on some mediocre reviews, so I was pleasantly surprised by how lovely the place is. The spacious common room -- where a continental breakfast of yogurt, cereal, English Muffins, instant oatmeal, and delectable homemade pastries and breads are served around a toasty fireplace -- is tastefully and cozily furnished. My room was a knock-out: four-poster bed, comfortable seating area complete with a gas fireplace and big-screen, flat panel TV -- as well as a balcony overlooking the harbor -- was a stunner, and it was clean as a whistle with daily housekeeping. There are communal refrigerators, ice buckets, glassware, etc., which further emphasized the homey atmosphere. But what really made it special was the staff: Sally, Deb, and Chris (a classmate of mine) were so friendly, funny, and professional. And it was a bargain (of course, this was off season). If you want a taste of all Grand Haven has to offer, this is THE place to stay!

Stayed here for 3 days. Located on the river walk (Harbor Rd) very clean. I'll call it cozy because it's a bit dated and the room was pretty small. It grows on you as a quaint place to visit, and walking distance to the lighthouse, restaurants, the fountain shows and downtown shops. They also have a common area and porch to extend the room. Breakfast was fruit and a homemade bread/muffin. We really enjoyed our stay. On an aside, I think we paid a lot for the room. I would shop around on TripAdvisor etc for a better fare.

We checked in and were shown to our room by the friendly receptionist. I am not sure how accessible this place is, so if you have trouble with stairs you might need to double check on that. Our room was nice size, very clean, and we appreciated the home-made caramels in our room. We slept great, and after a quick, very light breakfast, we checked out and went on with our day. Friendly staff, nice accommodations, and great location in downtown Grand Haven.

Stayed here in the past and we are looking forward to another stay for Fourth of July.

Just had to mention Rita, who was so gracious on the phone and went above and beyond.

This use to be a great place. The bed was super soft and lumpy and towels were pretty scratchy. The breakfast was more of a continental fare. The location is good but it seems like it's gone downhill sadly. I hope they can improve.

Disapointed. Staff very unfriendly. Not able to use television. Even asked staff and they could not make it work! Also super old scratchy towels.Really didn't feel welcome.

So I got married in August and my husband was trying to plan a beautiful night at this place that seemed to have rave reviews....I am now guessing that was from the previous owners.

After a perfect day on ring lake getting married surrounded by family & friends, we arrive at The Harbor House Inn to check in and no one is around. We called the number, rang the bell and couldn't even get into the lobby.

So there we sat, in our wedding clothes, on the stoop for an hr and a half waiting for a taxi, continuing to call with no response from the Inn.

Thankfully we had a cottage to go back to, otherwise we may have had to check into a far away hotel or motel since most places are booked that time of year.

The worst part about it is, no one ever contacted us back to apologize, no one explained why there was nobody at the front desk or to respond to calls or the doorbell, no one contacted us back via email as we called again and emailed to find out what happened the days following and we were still charged, then refunded but again with no courtesy of an explanation or apology, just a plain email with attached invoice.

Surely this has to be some kind of legality for guests in case of emergency that we will definitely look into and file a report as we spent our hour and a half wait consoling a distraught guest who was also trying to get in touch with someone as she had issues with her room.

For the price of rooms, they can afford to and legally are supposed to have someone available 24/7. Shame that this still, over a month later, has not been handled. There are plenty of places I'd recommend over this one!

For $260 per night we we expecting a little more. We have stayed at the Pahmer House in Chicago, two different Hiltons in NYC, and countless other high end lodgings all over America.
For 1/2 the money.

At this price, I was expecting a little more. Expected the whirlpool and bathroom in general to be cleaner - stains in the whirlpool and the baseboard is either dirty or needs to be painted. We couldn't get the whirlpool to turn on - called the front desk at 8:08 am and got the answering service. They had no idea.

The bedding, probably comforter or throw pillows smelled like old-person-sweat.
Gross.

The staff was friendly (if unavailable for our whirlpool situation), and the breakfast was nice. Nothing special, but good.

Located near the downtown and musical fountain, but that does not justify being twice as much as the other hotels we have stayed at.

We have stayed here two different times, 4 years apart. The first time we received a stay, as a gift.
We enjoyed it, and had a pretty nice room.

This recent time was very different. Our one night stay cost us $350.00 and the Inn did not meet our expectations with consideration of the price point. Our room was terribly small, and "noisy". We can imagine the location of this Inn drives the price but it could certainly use some updating and additional amenities.

The "breakfast" is continental style and the coffee was terribly bitter.

This morning I overheard two workers gossiping about other guests and their complaints which is quite unattractive.
I will say the view is very nice and you have a clear visual of the musical fountain.
Will not be staying here again.
There are other options in the area with more competitive pricing if you're willing to forgo being on the water.

This place is top notch. The room was spectacular! We had a spacious suite on the top floor with a jetted tub, fireplace, and a view of the water. Hospitality was wonderful too. We were welcomed at the front door and provided a brief tour. Shortly afterwards, our hostess made freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. The stocked mini fridge on the first floor had snacks, juice, and water which were perfect for when our friends met us to sit and talk on the wrap-around screened porch overlooking the river. The king bed was very comfortable and the A/C unit was easy to use and effective. This inn is centrally located and a very easy walk to several restaurants, the beach, and the lighthouse pier.