We stay in Super 8 hotels frequently to save money when traveling. This Super 8 is lower quality than some of the others in the chain. The service was rather poor, and the hotel was dark and not as clean as others. Rooms are rather standard, though we could smell our neighbor's popcorn they were cooking next door. Good location in downtown Ely on the end of the main street. I would recommend this hotel only to those who know what they're expecting and understand they get what they pay for. Also note that the summer rates here when we stayed were about $120 a night, which is rather high for a Super 8.

What I found at this motel was a very, very clean and quiet place, which was a pleasant surprise, given previous Super 8 experiences. It's clear that the owners have carefully updated many of the motel's features, including new paint, flooring, furniture and linens. The lobby, rooms, and bathrooms all felt new and fresh. The service was impersonal yet efficient. No complaints there.

The continental breakfast was stuck in a corner of the lobby and was pretty sparse. So don't rely on it to sustain you, as we did. But, to be fair, the owners are in the midst of remodeling a room off of the lobby that you can see will be used for breakfast in the future.

My only -- yet probably the most important -- complaint is that the beds were *extremely* uncomfortable. Even my normally agile children complained of stiff backs, necks and hips in the morning. In fact, the following night, due to a snafu at the Cloquet Super 8 leaving us without a room, we had to sleep in my Jeep Liberty at a rest stop. The next morning we all commented that we had a more restful night's sleep in the Jeep than the previous night at the Ely Super 8. (Weekend art fair + weekend bike race in Duluth = no vacancies from Cloquet to Silver Bay.)

I normally stay at a different hotel while on business in Ely, so this was my first time at this hotel. I came in with fairly low expectations and was somewhat pleasantly surprised. The hotel was basic in the extreme and featured an economy hotel décor with a single serving coffee maker, microwave, and older 27 inch CRT (box type) TV. I stayed in the handicap accessible room as it was the only non-smoking room available and it was cleaner than many of the higher priced hotels I’ve stayed in. My only serious complaint is that I heard every footstep taken in the unit above mine and if I’d have been traveling with my young children, this would have been a serious problem. As it was, I was by myself and it didn’t cause me too much grief. I’ve had very unpleasant experiences at other hotels carrying this brand and was hesitant to try this one out but, in the end, I would recommend it for a short stay.

This was the most horrible hotel experience I have had any where in the world in my whole life. I argued with the owner for 20 minutes to get the rate I book, the hotel was a dump, the toilet seat was not even attached to the toilet. There are many other options in town and I'm sure they are all better than this!