Grand Traverse Resort and Spa

sionalism, the amenities, and the overall value for what we paid was not there. During my planning I had 3 different coordinators. I signed the contract with one person, they left and another one came in. I was given first round of resources and options with them and then they left and another person came in. The last person we actually chosen items and planned all of the wedding. During this, pricing and contract stuff was jumbled with minial explanation. Fast forward 10 months and now they are trying to bill me for outstanding bar charges without so much as an email or phone call to notify me. I tried to email my last wedding coordinator and haven't heard back... I bet they dont work there anymore as well. The price of the hotel rooms was really high, and it astounded me breakfast wasn't included. Ended up paying another $20 a person just to eat a basic breakfast buffet. Additionally, the rooms themselves were just okay, I've paid less for nicer rooms at all-inclusive resorts. The rooms and food/drink amenities were just overall underwhelming. As for other amenities golf was stupidly expensive, you literally pay so much just because they are "famous" courses. Don't get me wrong they were beautiful, but I will not be going back because it was overpriced.

end this place for a wedding venue. Everything was exactly what we hoped for from the tastings to the morning after the wedding. We cannot thank Kendra and Taylor enough for all they did to make our day as special as it was!

m the time we booked until our wedding, and none of them seemed to communicate with each other. They messed up the shuttles for our family, misplaced/took a lot of our wedding stuff that we will never be able to get back, and despite having an open bar, they started charging people at the end of the night. My mother was treated horribly, and despite being one of the first to book a room, they gave her the worst room possible. The hotel itself is in desperate need of repairs and renovations! Their schedule of when bars will be open and closed is also horribly unclear. They also failed to provide the appetizers to our guests despite making us pay for them, and gave some to us (bride and groom) without all the parts of it (pretzels and beer cheese but no cheese, shrimp with no sauce…) Despite sending idea pictures of my cake 5 months before the wedding, they asked for my idea pictures 3 times the wedding weekend, then I received a phone call at 1 pm DAY OF OUR WEDDING that they would be unable to make the cake we asked. What they provided was horrible. Then they gave it back to us at the end of the night melted and completely fallen apart, so we had to throw it away. They also kicked the groom and groomsmen out of the room they were getting ready in the DAY OF OUR WEDDING before our wedding and locked them out with the grooms stuff for the wedding still inside the room. We had already discussed with the many wedding coordinators that they would be getting ready in there and would be checking out after they were ready, so the resort should have been aware. So the groom had to spend an hour fighting with the resort to let him back into the room so he could get his stuff. The coordinator was supposed to set everything up for the reception, my maid of honor and a bridesmaid went to see the progress and saw NOTHING was put together, so them and my sweet florist (indiegrow flowers, she is great!) put everything together. So disappointed because we thought this was a nice resort and it would be a great spot, but they really let us down the weekend of our wedding. I advise people looking to have a wedding in Traverse City to look elsewhere.

t 2021 to our wedding day of Oct 8, 2022, we had FIVE different wedding coordinators. When we first signed with the venue, they told us not to get a wedding planner as the coordinator would help us through all the planning.. that was the biggest mistake we made. The resort did not communicate any type of staff change throughout those 13 months of planning and we had to plan all details of the wedding ourselves ($45k+ spent, 180 guest wedding). A WEEK before our wedding, coordinator #4 emailed us at 7PM saying she was going to be gone for our wedding but another employee (that we had never met) was going to be there to help us. The amount of stress, confusion, phone calls, emails, and time wasted trying to work with this venue was absolutely insane. Not to mention the room block was a nightmare in itself. We spent hours and hours on the phone with GT as they were telling our guests the room block was "full" when there were 20+ room available in our block (note: we have to pay for every room NOT occupied for the wedding...) and we never had the same person on the phone to figure this out. We ended up having to cross check the room block and names of guests OURSELVES to make sure our rooms were taken. The day of the wedding, the buses for transport for the wedding party to the ceremony were 45 minutes late and in the wrong place to pick up. The bus left us during pictures (when we said to wait for 10 minutes) and the bridal party had to walk back to our suite before the reception. At the reception, the staff did not hand out the hot apps as they said they were going to and also tried to clear the apps before the wedding party had even arrived. They also tried to close the bar early - we did an hourly bar rather than open bar. And, thank GOD we did hourly because they were clearing drinks left and right the second a person set down their glass. ***you have to pay for EVERY SINGLE DRINK they give out if you do an open bar. We also had a couple guests get the wrong food and one of our guests never even got her dinner (even after asking 3 different staff members). We have given this feedback and our frustration to those in charge, and the only amends they provided was giving us the buses for transport for free ($100/hr - we had them for 4 hours) which is a complete joke with the issues we had with the buses AND with how much money that venue got out of our event for doing absolutely nothing. Stay away from this venue. It's not worth the stress, time, money and frustration. I don't want anyone else having such a negative experience planning their wedding.

er got, our wedding coordinator was nice but too busy as she had several weddings the same day as ours so things felt chaotic and we felt uncared for. Luckily we hired amazing outside vendors (dj, florist, hair and makeup, photography) who made us feel special on our wedding day. Everyone at the grand traverse resort definitely did not. Would NOT recommend.

ery time we asked. It would have been nice to have been told some key items much sooner than we were. The planner was only at the ceremony for 30 minutes, then disappeared. The some of the food was inedible. The cake was a disaster, to be fair it was hot out, but I feel if the planner would have been around we could have done something about it to keep the reception going. Our condo had earwigs all over and the AC kept going off. Not a good experience, would not recommend.

s and Grand Traverse Resort. Gwen was AMAZING! Honestly, she was everything I could have ever wanted in a day of coordinator..even with all my Type-A craziness. She was amazing to work with and i cannot say enough good things about her. Our wedding was perfect. Right down to every single little detail and i cannot say enough about this place. We live in Grand Rapids so communication was so vital for making sure everything was settled, Gwen would go out of her way to call me to answer all of my questions and put my mind at ease. The convenience of all of the rental properties was also a giant life saver. All of our wedding guests were from out of town so having most of our guest being a shuttle away on the property was so convenient. You only get married once (hopefully) and for all of the stress, money and time you put into it, you hope you can enjoy it the day of without any stress and thanks to Gwen, my wedding day was all of that and more. We had a few mix-ups the day of the wedding that Gwen took care of without a blink of an eye! Thanks to this amazing team at Grand Traverse and more specifically Gwen, my wedding day was an absolute dream and I wish i could re-live it a billion times over. If you're contemplating booking here, JUST DO IT! IF I COULD POST PICTURES OF HOW BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT THE DAY WAS, I WOULD! THANK YOU GWEN!

CT wedding!

but the entire planning process. We had the pleasure of booking and working with Liz Kondik at the beginning, and after she took on a new role within the resort, had the pleasure of meeting Molly. As a bride, it can be nerve wrecking to hear your original planner was leaving, but not at the resort. Everything was so seamless and you could tell that Molly wanted to make sure that everything was absolutely perfect. Molly helped us with so much, even things that were outside of her job description! She made the weekend so stress-free and allowed us to spend time with the ones we love the most. Which, speaking of spending time with loved ones, the resort is such a perfect "destination" spot. It was close enough for us that not many people had to fly anywhere, however, most people made a long weekend out of it so we got to spend so much more time we everyone. As every bride says, the day goes by so fast so we were so happy we were able to spend extra time with our family and friends. We also took advantage of the Spa where we received massages to help decompress before the wedding. It was exactly what we needed and everyone at the spa was so helpful and nice. I could go on and on and on about how perfect the resort is. Molly, Liz and the GTRS team are a huge part of why our wedding weekend will forever be the best memory we have.

z, Molly & Chelsea were a pleasure to work with and so helpful throughout the whole process. The food was delicious and loved by everyone.

ur wedding stress free. From the initial contact, to working with Molly, Liz, Chelsea, Tammy, Laurilynn, Kara and Mike. We were too distracted to remember the name of the excellent employee who was in charge of the venue that night, she was terrific - as was our main bartender, he was awesome as well and we want to acknowledge them too. We highly recommend the GTR as a fabulous venue for any type of wedding. It was absolutely beautiful at the sail tent and pavilion in the summer and it was so great having our family and friends together for the entire weekend. We wine tasted, golfed and celebrated together! It was fantastic.

Molly and her team. The décor was beautiful and not one thing went wrong! Highly recommended if you are like me and like things done right and at a high level.

rough the entire process & made all of our wedding dreams come to life. We didn't worry about a thing on our actual wedding day & it all came together like a dream. Thank you so much! - Jess & Wes Umlor

y everything you could need for your wedding day, including transportation, hair and makeup, food, and drinks. This does cost more than DIY places but the convenience was worth it to me. The food was delicious and very generous in portion size.

estions I had, or any changes I wanted done. The venue itself is beautiful, and they connect you with a designer that has experience decorating the specific space you choose. Things that stood out to me: -FREE menu tasting. We got to try so many options before choosing. -High quality, impressive food -I didn't have to worry about logistics for guest transportation or the rehearsal (they handled it all) -Wide range of options for ceremony and reception spots -Very flexible to your wishes. I had a tiered cheesecake instead of a wedding cake, and a Moomer's ice cream sundae bar instead of dessert trays. Cons: -Flexibility is great... but at a steep upcharge. That Moomer's was NOT cheap. We are also into Traverse City wineries, but to have their wine served it would have been at least a $10-15/bottle upcharge. -Other than the florist and DJ, there are no outside vendors allowed. It made our lives easier, but I can see how this would be a downside for some.

my ceremony. I only had 11 guests, so Chelsea and Molly used drapes creatively to make the space feel more intimate. The space was unrecognizable! Everyone was very responsive and helpful - they communicated with vendors and took care of all set up and tear down. I would highly recommend getting married here!

dding coordinator and staff to top it all off!!! I had a picture of what my dream wedding would be and it came true because of Molly and Liz’s attention to detail and experience!!! The staff was so friendly and accommodating to all of our needs and gave us top notch service!!! I highly recommend The Grand Traverse Resort for your destination wedding!! You will not be disappointed! If o could relive our wedding day all over again I would!! The day went by way to fast but it was the best day of my life!!!

g there. Our ceremony was at the beach club and our reception at the Plaza. The beach was BEAUTIFUL!!!! The guests at the pool did not disturb us at all. Highly recommend the ceremony at the beach! Book your wedding here! It was so stress free!

as all exceptional. My husband and I got married 7/13/19 and had our reception of about 70 people on the Beach Club Deck. It was the picture-perfect summer evening wedding and all our family and friends could not stop commenting on the beauty of the location and weather. While we were told that the pool adjacent to the Deck would be open for GTRS guests, we had no issues with people trying to encroach on our reception. Our guests had the option to walk along a reserved section of the beach during the reception, which is breathtaking at sunset. All the coordinators (wedding, decoration/event, lodging, catering) were top notch and responded quickly to all our phone calls and emails during the planning phase. We worked with both Liz and Molly for most of the ceremony/reception coordination, and both exuded professionalism and competence. Tammy helped us reserve a block of rooms in both the hotel and tower, including a hospitality suite for all the girls to get ready together, and was flexible when we needed to add more rooms to our block. Chelsea provided us with all the decoration options and organized a wine tour for 43 of our guests on the Mission Peninsula the day prior to the wedding. Cara organized an entire golf scramble for my husband and 19 of his buddies the morning of our wedding at 1 of the 3 beautiful golf courses on property. As mentioned previously, all the staff at GTRS work in tandem to create the exact wedding and ancillary activities (wine tours, golf, boating, restaurant reservations, etc) you can imagine. We couldn’t be happier with our selection of venue and look forward to returning to the Resort in the future.

The ENTIRE experience was so amazing my husband and I keep asking each other if we can do it again!!!!

was absolutely incredible and I am so happy we were able to work together! She has the experience and is so incredibly kind.

anner. She was helpful and very attentive. Our ceremony took place on the 17th floor and it was gorgeous! Our reception was held in the Tower Ballroom, which was a perfect size for 125 people. The Tower guest rooms were very luxurious and comfortable. Overall my experience at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa was very memorable.

derful location, beautiful venues, accommodation options on site, catering, salon/spa, recreation, and readily available consultants. We held our rehearsal dinner at Aerie (a renowned restaurant on the 16th floor), our wedding at the Plaza, post-wedding brunch on the 17th floor of the Resort’s tower and organized golf and winery tours. Our guests continue to rave about the weekend! I could go on and on about how amazing Liz and her team were from beginning to end. They take your vision and deliver the wedding you’ve always dreamed of. Reliable, knowledgable, supportive, professional…you are in great hands!

both our ceremony and reception. We fell in love with Liz after meeting with her in person. None of the other venues were able to live up to her and the Grand Traverse. Liz is everything you need in an event coordinator. She is very organized and was willing to work with us to create the wedding of our dreams. The culinary team was also very helpful and willing to make some modifications we requested. It was especially appreciated that they were more than happy to accomodate a few specialty diets of our guests. We were a little nervous about other guests at the resort being bothersome by the pool, but we didn’t even notice them during our event. The day of staff blew our minds. They were so attentive and flexible, especially when our photos ran longer than expected. We utilized the hotel rooms and condos for our room block, and a tower room the night of our wedding. We were so pleased with all. We also utilized a hospitality suite for the bridal party to get ready in the day of the wedding. It was soooo helpful to have the extra space and to have a large enough room that all of us could get ready together (fitting a full hair, makeup, and photography team). I could go on forever about how much love and appreciation we have for this amazing team, but bottom line you would be crazy to it at least book a meeting to see what they can do for you!

all thanks to the AMAZING Liz Kondik and her wonderful team. I don't have enough good things to say about our experience with GTR. Working with and getting to know Liz during our wedding planning process made our celebration that much more special. Staff at every corner of the resort's hospitality teams were helpful, generous, cheerful and welcoming. We would happily recommend GTR and Liz to anyone and everyone looking for a truly unforgettable and FUN wedding. Those who have the opportunity to work with this property and team are truly so lucky. Wish we could do it every year! Liz & team - we can't thank you enough!!

ere we had our reception). So much elegance and beauty! And we of course have to give a shout out to Liz who was so fun and easy to work with. She made me feel at ease through the whole process!

ghter was married at the beach venue 8-11-18 and I couldn't of been more grateful of Liz and the staff there. The resort offers everything needed from rooms to activities to restaurants for you and your guests. No need to leave unless you want to explore near by Traverse City. There is shuttles to Turtle Creek Casino to also entertain your guests. My daughter said it was the most perfect day and that's all a Mother could ever want to hear from her daughter about her wedding day. Thank you to the GTR staff and Liz for everything.

the GTR was because of it's location and convenience. My dream was always to have my wedding on a beach. I looked at several other locations in northern Michigan and even downstate. I was looking for a place that was picturesque, affordable, and professional. While other facilities had a few of those qualities, the GTR had them all! We utilized the Beachclub for both our ceremony and reception. The entire staff were AMAZING! They were supportive, attentive, friendly, and accommodating. Janelle Whipple made sure the decorations were beautiful and Liz Kondik made the entire process seem easy and not stressful! The GTR was also a perfect place for out of town guests. We had many out of state and even out of country friends and family and being all in one spot made it more convenient for all of us to spend quality time together. Plus the GTR is close to downtown, wineries, and golf courses, and other uniquely northern Michigan things. Our guests were able to enjoy all of these things before and after the wedding. We also used many of the restaurants and bars located right at the GTR for a meet and greet, coffees, family dinners, rehearsal dinner, and farewell brunch. Our guests keep saying it was the best wedding they had ever been to (we agree!). My only wish is that I could do it all over again! If you are looking for views, professionalism, ease, and a place that has it all, look no further than the GTR!

ing, to alcohol in the open bar, to the way food was presented. She didn't miss a single detail, and also managed to be responsive to the countless emails I sent her (at all hours of the day). I could not have been more pleased with her planning, her hospitality, and her excitement for our wedding. Liz thank you for treating our wedding like your own, and helping to make it the best day of our lives!

nd enjoy quality time together. The resort offered everything we were looking for - I called it a one-stop-shop (accommodations, food/drink, decor, etc.). The team (Liz and Jenelle) did an amazing job!! I didn't hire a planner because I immediately felt like I was in great hands with the GTR "I Do" team! They were always so responsive and supportive up to the minute of our big day and made the entire planning process effortless and fun! Tammy in rooming was also a huge help and was more than accommodating! The entire GTR resort made our guests' stay so enjoyable. We held our wedding at the Plaza (semi-permanent tent) and it took our breath away. I highly recommend :)

r any question I had. She made me feel like I was being taken care of and I didn't have anything to worry about. I highly suggest having Liz and Jenelle help plan and design your wedding. PERFECT!

ery professional as well as personable and put our minds at ease every step of the way. The ceremony and reception was beautiful and the food was excellent. I would recommend Liz and Janelle and the GT resort to anyone. The barn was a perfect venue!!

hat our vision was and helped us with everything. There was not a detail that was missed and that made for such an incredible experience for our closest family and friends. Our wedding was a true celebration of our love and we didn't spend a single second worrying about anything because they had it taken care of. GTR is now a special place for our family and we cannot wait to go back to visit!

, the resort and ballroom were beautiful, the food amazing and all of the staff was overly catering to our guests. Everyone had a grand time!!! Most of our guests were not from the area and could not stop talking about the resort, the food, the golf and the Traverse City area in general. A very big thanks to the wedding coordinator Liz Kondik. She is extremely organized, knowledgeable and always willing to go above and beyond to make sure our wedding was perfect! She made this entire process so much easier than i thought it would be. I cannot stress enough, if GTRS and Mrs. Kondik are on your list, choose them and you will have the perfect wedding day you deserve!!

th you why we loved it. When considering a location and venue for the wedding, the couple selected GTR for all of the following: - several places inside and out where everyone could gather and socialize - close to an airport with easy transportation to and from the airport - no one had to drive after celebrating - lots of activities for guests - on a gorgeous piece of property - location: close to Traverse City, easy drive to several lakes, Sleeping Bear Dunes, several vineyards and stunning views - had to easily accommodate minimum 180 guests. Other things we loved about GTR: Having everyone at the same hotel - advantages of the room block and so many places to meet and hang out. Our guests used pools, hot tubs, indoor tennis courts, golf courses and driving range, shops, fitness center, spa and of course we used the bars and restaurants. Easy shuttle to the Casino - we had a group take advantage of this. Welcome Party on 17th floor - the views and the sunset were spectacular. Bridal/Hospitality Suite - it's huge, beautiful, fully equipped with microwave, 2 beverage refrigerators, tons of counter space, large flat-screen TV, the furnishings, the enormous bathroom, THE VIEWS, it's beyond perfect. It's the perfect place for your bridal party to get ready. We booked 1 for bride and 1 for groom. You need to book the Hospitality Suite the day before the wedding - why not use it for family/friend gatherings the day before for a Welcome-party or an After-party - breakfast the day after the wedding etc? We also booked our own guest rooms on either side of the suite - and you could connect to even more guest rooms. I can't imagine any resort has a better set up than GTR. It is worth EVERY penny to have these suites! Decisions we are glad we made: Ceremony in the Pavilion was beautiful. The Plaza tent - the draping and lighting were stunning - draping behind sweetheart table. Lighted Trees for the tent poles made the atmosphere magical. Heaters - we would have been very cold without the heaters. They heated the entire tent. Dance Floor made the tent floor look much better. Cafe lighting on patio. Lighting the path to the restrooms. Lounge furniture - inside and out - both were used all night High Cocktail tables inside and out - including around the dance floor. Having condos and a house for the entire bridal party AND their plus 1's! This made the experience affordable and very special for all of them. The groomsmen had a 5 bedroom home that had a pool table. The bridesmaids had a very short walk to the resort. And finally, working with Liz Brooks and Jenelle Whipple was wonderful. Liz is excellent at everything she does. She's professional, patient, reassuring, and makes certain your event goes without a hitch. Liz will also accommodate any budget. Jenelle is very creative and talented. She came up with beautiful decor for the reception tables, sweetheart table, and other ideas. Jenelle also secured an amazing DJ who made certain the dance floor was never empty. So many of our guests said it was the best wedding weekend they have ever been to. It was for us too.

worked with us on the decorations and she had such an amazing vision for our wedding and gave us such great ideas! She even suggested an ice sculptor to help with the secret groom's surprise - a surfboard and wave ice sculpture! Everything was so wonderful!

eyond her duties. She made our wedding happen without a hitch. She made us feel like family. I would highly recommend working with the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.

ith and was always easily reached. I would highly recommend the Grand Traverse Resort for any event, everyone goes above and beyond! They made our wedding weekend absolutely amazing and memorable for our us and for our guests!

making sure even the smallest details were made available. I had my wedding at the beach club and the reception at the resort, and everything was amazing. I would highly recommend Liz and Grand Traverse Resort if you are planning your wedding.

nning ballrooms, to finally the sweet water grill for morning after brunch! I wouldn't change a thing about my wedding day and that is thanks to the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa! Thank you!

the wedding. We had our ceremony on the 17th floor w/ beautiful views and the reception in the tower ballroom where Liz ensured everything was set up perfectly! I am more than happy with the venue, hotel rooms, staff, activities, and just overall experience. If we could do it again, we would!

ked fabulous! The food tasted amazing! The staff was so welcoming! My husband and I couldn't have imagined a better place to get married :)

ure it was truly a special, and worry-free day. They were always very responsive. The bell staff at the resort bent over backward to make sure we (bride and groom), and our guests were happy. They truly know the concept of customer service. All of the accommodations were great. It really felt like you were out of town and on a resort. I highly recommend checking them out for your wedding. The food turned our AWESOME. Although you spend a little more than usual for it, it is TOTALLY worth it. I suggest the wings, and prime rib when choosing your food! We also had an afterparty in one of the ballrooms. We got the Nacho Bar and the guests were RAVING about it. Do that over the pizza and be creative. We golfed at the Spruce course and it was very well managed. We never had to wait at a hole once and it was beautiful.