I recently booked two rooms at the Gatehouse Suites in East Lansing. It was near the start of the semester for MSU, so I understand that things around town were a little busy. I had booked the rooms almost two months in advance, and had paid in full. I wanted to be as close to campus as possible, as we were getting married the next morning at the Gardens on campus and I wanted to avoid any potential travel delays. When we arrived at the hotel, I was informed that my rooms had been given up. To be fair, the poor kid at the front desk was extremely apologetic, but he also pulled my pre-printed letter explaining the situation out of a large pile of letters I can only assume had the same message. They had gone through the trouble of booking me elsewhere, but the elsewhere turned out to be about a half hour away from campus. Not exactly a taxi ride anymore. A phone call prior to my arrival would probably have been enough to avoid me writing a negative review, but to have pre-printed letters with cookie cutter excuses for giving up my fully paid reservation was pretty annoying. As far as the rooms themselves go, I will be the first to admit that I can't give a fair rating for them as I never actually made it to a room. The proximity to campus is really great (which was the reason I booked it), but the service was pretty craptacular.

This property was a Residence Inn until just a few months ago. They still have a temporary cover over the old signage which makes the place a bit difficult to find if you're not familiar.

Check in was fast, friendly and professional. I arrived around 1:30pm and my request for a slightly early check-in was granted which is always nice. There were apples available at the check-in desk.

This is an old style hotel probably built in the 1970's. There are seven seperate buildings, all with outside entrances. The grounds appear to be well kept and were clean.

The room was nice for the most part. The full kitchen area was well stocked and clean. The carpeting in the room was that oh-so-familiar Marriott blue and was new and attractive. The television in the room was something of a relic but did function adequately. The same cannot be said for the couch with had a nasty greasy stain which definately should be cleaned or replaced. It was probably 5 inches by 5 inches and not very pleasant to look at. I covered it up with my computer bag to avoid sitting on that section of the couch.

The bathroom area was pretty typical. The area was large, clean and comfortable. The shower had the old Residence Inn shower heads which are very good in my opinion. One odd thing was that there were about 5 squares of toilet paper left on the roll and no spare roll to be found in the room. A small issue that was taken care of with a quick trip to the front desk but still something that really shouldn't happen.

The bed itself still had the Marriott bedding which is very comfortable although the mattress wasn't the best i'd ever slept on but wasn't that bad.

The high speed internet had a strong signal although the speed was somewhat mediocre.

Breakfast in the morning was a pleasant surprise. It appears that they've kept the Residence Inn breakfast almost exactly minus the pastries which i never used to eat anyhow. Waffles, eggs, sausage, potatoes, and bagels were all provided.

Most hotels that lose their franchise slowly work their way into a downward spiral. It appears that this hotel is trying very hard to make a go of it and for the most part they are succeeding in my opinion.

I give this place my recommendation.

I stayed here for three nights while attending meetings at MSU. I think this was formerly a Marriott Residence Inn. I really like this type of accommodation because it is like staying in a small apartment complex rather than a hotel. A significant advantage is that it is quieter, with much less noise from people in the adjoining room(s). The rooms are spacious, with a sleeping area (not separate room), a living area, well-equipped kitchen (more than necessary for a business traveler), bathroom area, closets, etc. It's nice to come back after a day of meetings and make myself at home. Clean and tidy, comfortable bed. The breakfast had many hot items but skimpy cereal selection (not a big deal). I can't comment on the evening snacks because I ate at MSU.

I arrived shortly after midnight due to delayed flight (are all airlines this bad or is it just Delta?), but the desk clerk was in and no problem getting into my room right away.
Internet connection was quick and easy. TV channels were limited -- I think they were making a cable company transition while I was there.

Right on the edge of campus without being on the "strip". It's very "walkable" -- once you cross Hagadorn you can get onto the pedestrian/bike path along the river, which is nice.

Cons:
The heat/air unit was so noisy when it kicked on that I turned it off at night.
Pool is tiny. Fitness center is pretty skimpy -- a tiny room with two treadmills, a stationary bike, and stairstepper.

Overall: Good value and I would stay here again if in the area.

This is an extended-stay hotel, formerly a Marriott Residence Inn (becoming Gatehouse in April, 2010). Judging from other posts, the new management has probably done some renovation (but I'd have to agree that there's room for a little bit more). I had a huge room, almost the size of an apartment, and was very happy with the array of furnishings and features (even if not heirloom-quality). The property has a nice little pool, hot tub (apparently not available in summer), fitness center, laundry facilities, basketball half-court, hot breakfast daily, and evening get-togethers (with hors d'oeuvres or even dinner), apparently for longer-term residents to meet. (I was there one night and did not attend this event.) The staff couldn't have been nicer.

It's located at a major intersection in East Lansing, so not far from anything. But if you don't like walking far, central East Lansing might be a bit far on foot.

I got this through an opaque hotel site, and considered it a wonderful value; being on a flexible schedule, I was tempted to stay in East Lansing an extra day jut to enjoy this hotel (while getting some work done, too). ;-) But this is probably a decent value even at regular rates.