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Thunderbird Inn

2.5 star property
Motel near Mackinaw City Ferry Terminal in Mackinaw City

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Photo gallery for Thunderbird Inn

Children's play area - outdoor
Property grounds
Exterior
Indoor pool, open 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM, sun loungers
Deluxe Room, 1 King Bed, Jetted Tub | Pillowtop beds, iron/ironing board, rollaway beds, free WiFi

Reviews

7.6 out of 10
Good

Popular amenities

  • Pet friendly
  • Pool
  • Air conditioning
  • Free WiFi
  • Parking included

Explore the area

View in a map
146 Old Us 31, Mackinaw City, MI, 49701
  • Place, Mackinaw City Ferry Terminal
    ‪7 min walk‬
  • Place, Mackinaw City Dock
    ‪18 min walk‬
  • Place, Headlands International Dark Sky Park
    ‪6 min drive‬
  • Airport, Pellston, MI (PLN-Pellston Regional)
    ‪23 min drive‬

Room options

View all photos for Deluxe Room, 1 Queen Bed, Jetted Tub

Deluxe Room, 1 Queen Bed, Jetted Tub | Pillowtop beds, iron/ironing board, rollaway beds, free WiFi

Deluxe Room, 1 Queen Bed, Jetted Tub

  • 282 sq ft
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Standard Room, 1 King Bed

Standard Room, 1 King Bed | Pillowtop beds, iron/ironing board, rollaway beds, free WiFi

Standard Room, 1 King Bed

8.2 out of 10
Very good
(16 reviews)
  • 243 sq ft
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for Superior Room, 1 Queen Bed with Sofa, Courtyard View

Superior Room, 1 Queen Bed with Sofa, Courtyard View | Pillowtop beds, iron/ironing board, rollaway beds, free WiFi

Superior Room, 1 Queen Bed with Sofa, Courtyard View

8.0 out of 10
Very good
(12 reviews)
  • 248 sq ft
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Deluxe Room, 1 King Bed, Jetted Tub

Deluxe Room, 1 King Bed, Jetted Tub | Pillowtop beds, iron/ironing board, rollaway beds, free WiFi

Deluxe Room, 1 King Bed, Jetted Tub

7.6 out of 10
Good
(4 reviews)
  • 355 sq ft
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds

Pillowtop beds, iron/ironing board, rollaway beds, free WiFi

Standard Room, 2 Queen Beds

7.8 out of 10
Good
(40 reviews)
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Queen Beds

View all photos for Standard Room, 1 Queen Bed

Standard Room, 1 Queen Bed | Pillowtop beds, iron/ironing board, rollaway beds, free WiFi

Standard Room, 1 Queen Bed

8.0 out of 10
Very good
(28 reviews)
  • 243 sq ft
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

About the neighborhood

Mackinaw City

In Mackinaw City .Within a 15-minute walk of the motel, you'll find Mackinaw City Ferry Terminal and Lake Huron. Also, Edgewater Beach is within half a mile (1 km) and Mackinaw Crossings is within 2 miles (3 km).
View more Motels in Mackinaw CityOpens in a new window

What's nearby

  • Mackinaw City Ferry Terminal - 7 min walk - 0.4 miles
  • Mackinaw City Dock - 18 min walk - 1.0 mile
  • Mackinaw Bridge Museum - 18 min walk - 1.0 mile
  • Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse - 2 min drive - 1.6 miles
  • Headlands International Dark Sky Park - 6 min drive - 3.4 miles

Getting around

  • Pellston, MI (PLN-Pellston Regional) - 29 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Keyhole Bar & Grill - ‬17 min walk
  • ‪Dixie Saloon - ‬17 min walk
  • ‪Wienerlicious - ‬18 min walk
  • ‪Darrow's Family Restaurant - ‬2 min drive
  • ‪Starbucks - ‬14 min walk

About this property

Thunderbird Inn

Motel near Mackinaw City Ferry Terminal in Mackinaw City
As a guest of Thunderbird Inn, you'll find an indoor pool, a vending machine, and tour/ticket assistance. WiFi is free in public spaces. Free self parking is available. You'll have access to the indoor pool at a partner property.

This Mackinaw City motel is smoke free.

  • 1 building
  • 48 guestrooms or units
  • 2 levels
  • Poolside lounge chairs
  • Front desk (limited hours)
  • Tour and ticket information
  • Concierge
  • No smoking on site
Thunderbird Inn offers 48 accommodations, which are accessible via exterior corridors and feature coffee/tea makers and hair dryers. Beds feature pillowtop mattresses. 32-inch flat-screen televisions come with cable channels. Bathrooms include shower/tub combinations and complimentary toiletries.

Guests can surf the web using the complimentary wireless Internet access. Business-friendly amenities include phones along with free local calls (restrictions may apply). Change of towels and change of bedsheets can be requested.

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The price is $81
Oct 22 - Oct 23
Total with taxes and fees
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Property amenities

Family friendly

  • In-room refrigerator
  • Indoor pool
  • Rollaway/extra bed (surcharge)

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Free ferry terminal shuttle
  • Free self parking on site

Things to do

  • Indoor pool
  • Indoor pool (guest access)

Accessibility

  • No elevator

Room amenities

Entertainment

  • 32-inch flat-screen TV with cable channels

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided
  • Pillowtop mattress
  • Rollaway/extra bed (surcharge)

Bathroom

  • Free toiletries
  • Hair dryer
  • Shower/bathtub combination
  • Towels provided

Food and drink

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Refrigerator

More

  • Access via exterior corridors
  • Air conditioning (climate-controlled)
  • Free local calls
  • Heating (climate-controlled)
  • Iron/ironing board
  • Phone

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 4 PM; Check-in end time: 11:00 PM
Early check-in subject to availability
Late check-in subject to availability
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 11 AM
Contactless check-out available
Late check-out subject to availability

Special check-in instructions

The front desk is open daily from 7:00 AM - midnight
Front desk staffed during limited hours
If you are planning to arrive after 11:00 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation
For any questions, please contact the property using the information on the booking confirmation
This property will place a credit card authorization of 1 night for any bookings where payment for the stay will be made on site instead of at the time of booking.

Access methods

Front desk (limited hours)

Pets

  • Pets: USD 35 per pet, per stay
  • Only dogs and cats are allowed
  • Maximum 2 pets
  • Pets cannot be left unattended
  • An off-leash area is available
  • Certain rooms only, restrictions apply
  • You can request a pet-friendly room by reaching out to the property at the number on the booking confirmation
  • Service animals are exempt from fees

Children and extra beds

  • Children are welcome.
  • Kids stay free! Children 12 years old and younger stay free when using existing bedding.
  • Rollaway/extra beds are available for USD 40.0 per night.
  • Cribs (infant beds) are not available.

Property payment types

Important information

Optional extras

The fees and deposits listed below will be charged at the time of service, check-in, or check-out.

  • Pet fee: USD 35 per pet, per stay
  • Service animals are exempt from fees
  • Rollaway bed fee: USD 40.0 per night

This may not be a comprehensive list. Fees and deposits are subject to change and might not include tax.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation
This property accepts credit cards and cash
This property reserves the right to pre-authorize the guest's credit card prior to arrival.
Safety features at this property include a smoke detector
Please note that cultural norms and guest policies may differ by country and by property; the policies listed are provided by the property
Charges for extra guests may apply and vary according to property policy.
A credit card for incidental charges and government-issued photo identification may be required upon check-in.
Special requests are subject to availability at the time of check-in. Special requests can't be guaranteed and may incur additional charges.
    This property is managed by a professional host. The provision of housing is linked to their trade, business, or profession. The name on the credit card used at check-in to pay for incidentals must be the primary name on the guestroom reservation. This property accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and cash. This property reserves the right to pre-authorize the guest's credit card prior to arrival.
    For guests' safety, the property includes a smoke detector in each accommodation.

We should mention

  • Pool access available from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM.
  • Children 12 years old and younger stay free in the same room as the parent or guardian when using existing bedding.
  • Pets are welcome in certain rooms only; other restrictions apply (please see the Fees section for related charges). To make arrangements for your pet, contact the property directly at the number on your booking confirmation.

Property is also known as

Thunderbird Inn Mackinaw City
Thunderbird Mackinaw City
Thunderbird Inn Motel
Thunderbird Inn Mackinaw City
Thunderbird Inn Motel Mackinaw City

Frequently asked questions

How close is Thunderbird Inn to the airport?

Thunderbird Inn is 12 mi (32-min drive) away from the Mackinac Island, MI (MCD) airport, the closest popular airport to the property.

Does Thunderbird Inn have an airport shuttle?

Airport shuttle services are not available at Thunderbird Inn.

How close is Thunderbird Inn to the beach?

This motel is a short 6-minute walk from Edgewater Beach. Don't forget your sunscreen!

Does Thunderbird Inn offer free breakfast?

Thunderbird Inn does not offer free breakfast.

Is there a casino at Thunderbird Inn?

No, there is no casino at this motel, but Kewadin Casino - St. Ignace (16-min drive) is nearby.

What time is check-in at Thunderbird Inn?

Check-in start time: 4 PM; Check-in end time: 11:00 PM.

Is there free parking at Thunderbird Inn?

This motel offers free self parking.

Does Thunderbird Inn have a pool?

Thunderbird Inn features an indoor pool. Guests can enjoy pool access from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

Does Thunderbird Inn have a spa?

There are no spa services available at this motel.

How close is Thunderbird Inn to downtown Mackinaw City?

Thunderbird Inn is 0.8 mi away from Mackinaw City.

Thunderbird Inn Reviews

Reviews

7.6

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 323 out of 1006 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 345 out of 1006 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 176 out of 1006 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 97 out of 1006 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 65 out of 1006 reviews

7.8/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

7.0/10

Amenities

7.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.2/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Daniel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Cost
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

4/10 Poor

ROBIN, Lake Mary

Traveled with pets
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Checkin took a long time for a prepaid stay. Small lobby and people lined up out the door at 4 pm. I got there a little early and told I had to wait. When I came back there was the line. Walls thin. Could hear people outside on the walkway talking until at least midnight. Could hear toilet flush and shower in next room. Certainly way overpriced for facility but I needed a place to stay that night.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Patricia

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property was clean, well maintained, staff were helpful and professional, close to highway, lots of places to eat nearby.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

4/10 Poor

Ryan

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
If cleanliness is important to you, maybe skip this hotel. The counters were dirty (dried fluids and dead bugs), the pillows had hairs on them, and the floors weren’t mopped.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

6/10 Okay

Vicki

Traveled with partner, Traveled with pets
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Amenities
Staff very friendly. Room ok, could have been cleaner. Bed was clean but floors quite dirty. Floors need to be mopped after every customer when they clean the rooms. Pet friendly. They had a building which indicated you could do laundry. Put money in the machine. Didn’t work. Lady at front desk seemed upset when we asked her for refund of what we put in washing machine. She said, “ The laundry is not one of our amenities. “
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jaimie

Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Marlene, Charlotte

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Simple place nothing fancy
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025

2/10 Terrible

Richard

Traveled with group
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The check in process is SO SLOW, the staff are in no hurry and there is frequently a line out the door. When rooms are assigned, they did not look at all like the pictures. One of the two rooms missing a refrigerator. That room also had NO pressure in the shower. Maintenance could not fix, and we had to argue with the front desk for a new room. Literally there was no water in the shower. The hotel is in desperate need of maintenance as the rooms are not in good shape. I will never stay at this hotel again. The owners also own the 2 hotel next to this one.
That's pool and yes it was open.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Liked: Cleanliness
Fair rates and clean.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Daniel

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

4/10 Poor

Joseph

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

2/10 Terrible

Veeramuthu

Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Not honoring the commitment. They said they overbooked due to a technical glitch in Expedia and forced me to stay at different property which has no wifi Internet and lesser star.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Ajay Kumar

Traveled with family and small children, Traveled with group, Traveled with partner, Traveled with pets, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excellent
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

2/10 Terrible

Zachary

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
40 minute wait to get checked in and then had zero respect for the clients and had to buy my own toilet paper cuz I couldn't get none from the front desk had no microwave in room and couldn't get clean linens I want my money back
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

2/10 Terrible

Jonathan

Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Awful, disgusting, outdated, falling apart

This is one of the worst overnight experiences I have ever had. My family and I stayed 2 nights to explore Mackinac Island. We arrived and waited almost an hour to check-in. The staff was nice l, even with the wait. However, when we got to our room we already had issues. The floor was very sandy, and the nightstands both had copious amounts of dog hair on them. We don’t have a dog. We also noticed the flush handle on the toilet was laying on the ground.The first night I was awoke multiple times with extreme itching from the bed. The next morning, as we were preparing for the trip to the island, we heard a noise and our daughters started screaming. The lamp was plugged in behind the bed, and the cord was arching on the sheets. When I turned on our issues to the office, I was asked if it was ok that someone went into our room, and I said yes. No repairs or fixes were completed and there was no evidence they were attempted. I want to reiterate that the office staff was always polite and courteous, but at no point was anything else about our stay worth the $500 for 2 nights.
After hearing the arching, and scaring our kids. This was the result.
Should have burnt the whole building down
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

8/10 Good

Niti

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice, clean place. Bathroom was slightly old but tolerable. Went for 4th of July and check in took a longer time.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

6/10 Okay

Heather

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

4/10 Poor

Ben

Traveled with family and small children
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The room was disgustingly dirty. Bottom of feet were black if one went barefoot. The bathroom stunk like pee. Pool was green but we were able to get indoor waterpark passes at a different facility for free. The only this good about the stay was the front desk was friendly and helpful.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

8/10 Good

Laura

Traveled with group
Like the area, the room was nice.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025

8/10 Good

Kristi

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort

Close to Arnold Ferry Dock!

Motel is a quick 7 minute walk to the Arnold Ferry Dock which is great since parking at the dock is anywhere from $10-40 per day, and more for overnight. Room was adequate for our needs. My top sheet was put on the bed in the wrong direction which I found comical, but I didn't bother fixing it for the 2 nights we stayed. My daughter and friend used the pool, which had several small bugs floating on it the first night, but the second night someone had cleaned the pool and they said it was much better. They had pool towels in the pool area for guests to use, which was nice. Overall, I would stay here again as we only used it for sleeping as we went to the island and spent more time there than in the room.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025

6/10 Okay

Gregg

Traveled with group
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Tom

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

4/10 Poor

steven

Hard to get any cleaning service while we were there. Stayed 4 nights only got new towels and trash emptied once after having to ask twice. The laminate flooring was gritty probably from tracking in gravel/ dirt from parking area. Only swept after our 2 requests. Ran out of toilet paper, fortunately brought some of our own. On our last night some guys decided to have a tailgate party right outside our room with a keger on the tailgate. Were being loud until after 10 pm.
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2025

8/10 Good

Karen

Traveled with partner, Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
This was clean and safe. We were pleasantly surprised with the comfort of the mattresses. We would stay there again.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

4/10 Poor

Amy

Traveled with partner
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
No microwave. Half the lights didnt work. Tub didnt work right. Had issues with the signal on the tv quite a bit. Will never go back.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025