A friend and I shared a room here while in town 2 nights for a wedding. Initially we were impressed with the hotel's beauty - it is well-decorated and looks rather posh. Though I paid for the room when I booked through Expedia, I gave my debit card to the clerk in case, in his words, "you want to charge anything to your room." The hotel sprawled out in all directions (think "The Shining"), and the clerk provided us with a map, which was very necessary for us to make our way from our room to the front desk if we needed to. The first odd thing we noticed was the there was no elevator anywhere in this otherwise modern hotel. It wasn't a big deal, as the hotel was only 2 levels, but it was still a bit of a pain to haul our luggage to our 2nd floor room without any assistance. Our room itself was also looked quite nice, and we flopped down on the beds - very comfortable. The room had a flat-screen TV set into the wall, and a Bose radio on a table in front of it. Everything looked great - until we turned the TV on and flipped through all 21 channels, and realized that we had to crank the volume on the TV up to 90 just to hear it over the air conditioner. We tried to order a movie through the TV, but the options never loaded. The Bose radio had no CD player or iPod jack, and the TV certainly was not wired through it, so it was wasted on the lackluster radio options available in South Bend. The air conditioner also lacked a constant fan setting, so it was tough to fall asleep. Just as you started to doze off, the AC would kick on, and just as soon as you got used to its roar, it would shut off. The next morning we went downstairs to enjoy a great breakfast spread - eggs, sausage, french toast, etc. We were shocked by the options available, but a worker assured us that this was the breakfast served for the hotel guests. We ate quite happily, but were taken aback when one of the servers came over to offer us coffee...and a check. We told her we were under the impression it was complimentary, and she informed us that the breakfast was complimentary only with certain rooms. She was kind enough to take care of it for us, but had we known in advance, we wouldn't have come downstairs in our PJs sans cash. We then went back to the room to get ready for the wedding. The bathroom is about the size of a closet, and you almost step into the toilet when stepping out of the shower, but it certainly wasn't terrible as far as hotel showers go. Upon returning from the wedding, I logged onto my laptop using the free WiFi (which worked great) to check my bank account - and found that the hotel had charged my account $200+, though the room was paid for. I called the front desk and the charge was removed that same night, only to reappear today, 2 days after I checked out. I called yet again, explained the situation, and was told that this was a fee charged to cover any possible damages to the room, and that the charge would be removed within 3-5 business days. I've stayed in numerous other hotels on my own, and the closest I can think of from any other stay is a $50 deposit refunded to me upon check-out. Had I known this hassle would ensue, I would not have handed my card over to the clerk so willingly, and the experience has certainly colored my memory of the stay. The hotel has both an indoor and outdoor pool/jacuzzi, neither of which we had an opportunity to use, but both looked great, and the hotel itself is beautiful. The stay was not terrible or anything, but I guess we just expected more for the price - about $132/night - than what we got.

I booked a large block of rooms at the Waterford for an out of town wedding group. All of us have nothing but great things to say about our entire experience. Everytime that I needed to speak with the coordinator, Joy, I felt she was incredibly professional, kind, and helpful. The outside of the hotel does not look like quite as nice as I expected, but the lobby, pools, rooms, and bar are beautiful and well appointed. The beds are incredibly comforable. We rented a room for our group on Fri night and it was very nice and large and the horderves that we ordered were delicious. All of the staff were pleasant and helpful. They offered to give the gifts that I had purchased to each guest as they arrived and did not miss one. Different people in our group enjoyed the pool, the nice workout facility, the great breakfast, and, of course, the bar! I will highly recommend this hotel to everyone who will be staying in the area (and I am not that easily impressed).

Reading these reviews tells me that I don't need to put all the details in, but there is one detail that I have to pass on and I think it says a lot. I walked in on the maid washing the glasses in the bathroom sink. Honestly. i went out to her cart to see if she had glasses and cups on it, and found none at all. I asked at the front desk if this was the usual procedure, and the desk clerk said she honestly didn't know, but agreed with me that it was gross. There were other things to complain about. Outdoor spa was filthy, TV picture was very distorted. Hotel restaurant service was terrible. But I may never drink out of a hotel glass again.

This is a great place to stay. The rooms are newly renovated - nice decor and very clean. The staff is very friendly and helpful. Location is north of the university - not too far and very easy drive. I will definitely stay here again.

I always try to give local business a chance (as opposed to big chain places) and it was a bust! I made a reservation based on the hotel's misleading website. Amazing pictures of renovated rooms, pools, and lodge with fancy language added up to be a disappointment in person. The website mentions a shuttle service, however, it only runs Monday-Saturday from 8-4 (as is the schedule of the maintance crew of hotel), something NOT mentioned on the website and a source of inconvinence since there seems to be some kind of cab wars going on in South Bend. So, if you have any travels from or to the airport ... you have been FOREWARNED. The rooms were amazingly true to the pictures (a generous pat on the back) but when I booked my room, I had asked for a Queen size bed and got a Full. When I called the front desk, they gave me a line which probably was an excuse not to deal with new paperwork for me. The front desk staff is also in need of a renovation. When I called from the airport, the person answering the phones seem to lack any information about shuttle service. After taking a $20 cab ride from South Bend airport (only 6 miles from hotel), the staff seemed bothered by the fact that I was there to checkin. My checking in process ended with the attendant on the phone where she neglected to explain what I was signing (simply handed a print out and motioned where to sign). I had to wait for her phone call to end before I was able to ask for directions to my room. The outdoor swimming pool was emptied and paint fumes filled the air for several hours during dinner (would have been nice to get an email or website update posting pool repairs). The checking out process was not much better. After a long saturday, I came back to the hotel and requested a shuttle ride to the airport the next morning....not so since I was not told prior that Sunday shuttle service was not available. Lastly, to make matters worse, the college feel of the hotel/town can be described as overwhelming at best. I was reminded of my college dorm days as other guest filled the hall ways with boisterous drunken gatherings/shouting matches and kids running a wild. After 3 attempts to call the front desk for help and 45 minutes later, someone finally came. The next morning and another $20 cab ride later I was gald to be leaving. I usually do not give bad reviews since I can usually roll with the punches, but this place had one too many punches to simply not warn others.