Hotels near Potawatomi Zoo, South Bend

Clean rooms, very friendly staff, and the ambiance of the lobby is very welcoming. We stayed for a convention and were there 4 nights. After the first night, even though we had a Do Not Disturb sign on the door, the housekeeping left us a bag of extra towels outside our door and that ended up being SO helpful! I love staying here and look forward to going again next year.

I was attending a conference at the Century Center, which is connected to the hotel. I had been here before and knew to pull in to the underground parking garage off of N Michigan Street behind the hotel. Ceiling clearance was crazy low! Watch out if you have a large vehicle or have a convertible (like me - oops getting the top down!!). Parking spaces are very very narrow and things are hard to maneuver in general. Upon arrival, the front desk staff was super friendly and helpful. Checkin was speedy and they explained parking right away. I found the hotel to be a little beat up. Paint scuffs on the walls, elevator buttons missing, curtains torn, and some fitness equipment not working. Needs some love. Oh, and there’s tons of advertisements and advance emails about hot cookies 🍪, but they must’ve been hiding because I never saw them and they were never mentioned once we arrived. Hmmmm… However, the room was clean and very comfy. Had some problems with the AC, but found if I set it as low as it would go (60), it stayed around 67 at night. Vending/ice was on every floor by the elevators, so super convenient! The room fridge ran extra cold - some of my things froze. Great desk space and WiFi. Navigating from the hotel to the conference facility via the skywalk was sketchy. Getting to and across the skywalk was no problem. But once you enter the Century Center, there is no clear signage to figure out where you’re going. The fitness center looked great! But there is no AC and the fans they had were broken. It was stifling in there, even for just treadmill walking. Some of the equipment was out of order, but not marked as such. Ugh. Anyway, a couple of tips: 1) I recommend getting a river view room. Rooms that overlook the atrium are noisy. 2) Avoid the 2nd floor - it’s where the skywalk is located and the hallway can be noisy. 3) Check to make sure your AC is working properly before unpacking. 4) If conferencing, be sure to figure out how to navigate the skywalk and the Century Center ahead of time. 5) If you plan to use the fitness center, bring a water bottle, towel, hand sanitizer, and plan to sweat!

Excellent stay, the hotel still looks new, our room was clean, comfortable and the a/c was not loud (sometimes the on and off all evening is so loud at some places). Lesley was so kind and really made us feel welcome. Yes there is a parking fee, as I see a lot of comments about it on the reviews. That’s just the way it goes in some places. I also saw comments about the rooms being smaller compared to other Embassy Suites, that is the case. We weren’t traveling with kids so it was fine for the two of us in a King Suite, last time we stayed at an ES with two kids and it was the typical larger room we have experienced. This would have been manageable but tight. Also the kids are younger, would have been tight with like two teenagers. But I can’t speak to the 2Q room so perhaps it’s larger. Yes, they do have breakfast buffet style but staff serves it to you. I prefer that way, they were professional and wearing gloves. I don’t want a bunch of strangers using their hands with the tongs over and over and breathing directly on the food I’m about to eat. I saw they were giving hearty portions and asked for a smaller amount when it was my turn and a bit more of another item and they were very accommodating. One thing that I wish was different, you can approach the bathroom from the bedroom and living room which is great, but the light for the bathroom is next to the living room door but not another one by the bedroom entrance. I wish it had two as it was hard to navigate in the dark without using my phone for light. Just a small thing but would be nice.

Terrible experience all around! Had a male guest walk into my room while I was getting out of the shower. We were both assigned and given keys to the same room upon check in. The room was next to the stairwell and I could hear the door opening and slamming shut all night long. Any time I needed to get into my room I had to get a new set of keys bc they wouldn’t work. I was told it was a new box of key cards and everyone was having trouble. I was also charged for parking …. I did not have a car so check your bill. I have made several attempts to reach the manager to discuss my experience, in person (was told by the staff “he was probably 5 beers deep”), left 3 voicemails and sent an email. No response! My husband is a long standing corporate traveler with Marriott and is appalled by this experience. $700/night for commencement weekend warrants better service. I should’ve read the reviews here before booking. It explains why they were sold out for such a big ND event.

While the lobby was beautiful, and the aesthetics are nice- the bed was super uncomfortable. Parking was across the street, and absolutely ridiculous price for the small town of SB. $22 a night? Give me a break South Bend. Noise from the street was constant, and very loud. We were awake most of the night. My favorite moment that let me know we would not return was when a food delivery driver drove down the sidewalk, necessitating people trying to use the sidewalk for walking to have to get out of the way. Pass on South Bend downtown.

So comfortable and very clean, the staff was very willing to help me get a room. This was a last minute visit and I did not have a room. Enjoy the lobby area and Rohr's restaurant was very accommodating as well. They have such a comfortable and inviting hotel and is super convenient to everything on campus. Parking is easy and the staff and quick to assist you upon arrival.