Stopped in for a beer. The Guinness on tap was fresh, cold and good. The bartender on a Saturday was not friendly. We only had one drink, she left the bill in the glass and never returned to cash us out. She knew we were only having one drink. We had to ask to be checked out and she never said thank you all she said was here's your card. Apparently she doesn't care about making money as her tip could've been doubled from the $2 we left her. Tips are still based on service not to be expected. No one said goodbye as we left. The establishment was mostly older people. The decor hadn't been updated in any way and felt like it has looked like this for many years which made it look tired and worn rather than the vibe of a thriving business. Historical doesn't necessarily mean run down. read more

First of all, I like to start with the positive. Tamra in the dining area was an excellent server and the food was wonderful. We stayed in the JFK suite. When we arrived, we went to put things in the refrigerator and it was full of black mold. The hotel took care of it immediately and brought a smaller one. The sinks don't open and close so you can't keep water from draining in the bathroom, if you needed to do that. There are no microwaves allowed in the rooms so we had leftovers and couldn't warm them up, unless we went all the way back to the front desk and they would warm it there, but it would be cold by the time we walked back to our room. The ceiling are filthy as you walk around the building by the a/c and heating vents. The tiles are also warped. The outside stairwells smell like musty old basements. This place needs a good vent cleaning and extreme renovation. The staff is the only thing that kept me from putting 1 star. Last comment, no hot water in the morning. We tried at 6 am, 6:30 am, 8 am and finally gave up at 8:15 am. Don't waste your hard-earned money. read more

Sat down and waited over 10 minutes just to get a drink. Others came in after us and were served. We left and went across the road to The Whitehouse burgers restaurant.... Much better choice and better service over there!!! read more

Ate there last year on Mother's Day. The buffet contained dried out, cold food, dirty serving tables, and servers that were concerned only with filling containers with food to take home. I tried several times to contact the hotel to complain and point out these problems and the overall deterioration of the restaurant. Each time I was promised a return call from management. I did not receive a return call. My family has been stopping at the Dougherty to eat on our way "up North". What a disappointment. I will never go there again read more

The Doherty's like to steal tips and tables from the servers here, and have none of the communication skills required to be l managing. They will give higher tips to the servers the like better (atm) on pooled events and the owners keep a portion of the tips even when they did not serve that event. read more

Stayed in JFK room. Beautiful jacuzzi and fireplace in room. Meal was superb! salmon was perfectly cooked! Apple cobbler was mouth watering fantastic! Our waitress was Samantha had the best personality. we really enjoyed the special attention she gave to every detail! Our table was next to the fireplace also very romantic! The entire stay was just beautiful! I will definitely return soon! You all should too!! read more

2 tiered review- restaurant,then hotel . Having been fortunate to have traveled nearly everywhere in the world- this place rates cool with me. Tired after day of golf - ate at restaurant. A pasta bowl FILLED with like 4 different meats, great sauce, good service & antipasto salad - great also .was huge! Then onto the buffet breakfast- waitresses,amazing- so many choices- everything,piping hot. Cherry cobbler,sausage,gravy - biscuits etc. all good ! The hotel - a throwback 100 year old place. Seems like they are keeping it up good, zero complaints here. Every member of staff was beyond good ! Pool ,hot tub lounge- great also ! read more

I had the fish tacos for lunch. They were great. Had a little spice to them, making them even better read more

Doherty Hotel - Fish tacos - Hotels Near Me - Clare, Michigan

Excellent service provided last evening by Aimee the veteran and Tina her trainee... LOL The three of us enjoyed our food ... We tried the mac and cheese , pork chops, and shrimp dinners. Only thing stopping the meal from being 5 stars was the bean soup which was bland and the spicy black beans were not that.... We would visit again another time. read more

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A cool historical hotel famous for their St Patrick's Day celebration has always been knows for good food and Martinis. I had the famous double stack Ruben and it was great. The onion rings were a little too thick for me since e the onion was still a little crunchy but the batter was awesome. The bartender was great, next time we're back we'll have to try a Martini. My girlfriend enjoyed her Greek Salad. The Spinach and Artichoke dip was good also. read more

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Looks like a hotel in time. The rooms are set back too the air conditioner was so loud made it hard to sleep. The walls are thin also. The breakfast and restaurant are amazing though wonderful service with good selection of food. I would recommend the sausage and eggs are amazing. Also the coffee is top notch. The service is great and the front desk is very helpful. I would suggest taking a walk around a beautiful small town while visiting. read more

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I had the house made brisket that is the Wednesday special. It was moist, tender & delicious! For my side, I had homemade mashed potatoes & for $3 I added steamed Cali blend veggies. Both were great, especially on a cold winter night. Love the option for pub style dining or fine dining on opposite sides of the lobby. I ate in the pub & it was a great experience! read more

The best steak that I have ever had before. WOW. Thank you so much for amazing service Doherty hotel! You know how to do it right! I just love the scenery and the steaks that you have to offer. I sat by the heat/ indoor fire and it was an amazing time with my friend! :) Thank you read more

Air conditioning broke, random workers tried to get in our room around midnight because they thought the room was unoccupied...

Went on my birthday this year and was treated to a tour of the old area that's haunted. Got some great videos of orbs, mist and colored green orb. Tried to load but they are too large. read more

Doherty hotel is a great place to stay when you come in from out of town. The decor is a bit dated, but I think that adds to its charm. They have both a restaurant and a bar downstairs by the front desk and the food is absolutely delectable. I could eat their onion rings all day every day! The rooms can be slightly pricey, but that's to be expected in a smaller town. I think the best value is with their jacuzzi rooms, which aren't much more expensive than standard rooms. Service is exceptional, as well. I've yet to meet someone there who isn't both respectful and kind. Since we live nearby, we frequently take the kids there to go swimming for a few hours. Again, a tad pricey, but better than a long trek out of town to a public pool. To add a bit of fun to the stay, some swear it's haunted! Do you believe in ghosts? read more

A great space in need of some repairs and restoration. Kind of shocking they charge as much as they do. Probably because it doesn't seem like there are many other options. Decor looks to be late 80s, early 90s. My room had several visible cracks in the mirrored closet and what appeared to be someone's false eyelash plastered to the bed's backboard. The pool area has also become some sort of storage area for furniture as well. All that being said, the beds and TV looked new and I slept fairly comfortably-- minus the sounds from the pool which is where many of the rooms literally walk out into. If there are kids screaming in the pool area you're going to hear it (or really any noise...I was awoken by someone apparently vacuuming out there at 7:30 am) The food in the restaurant is pretty good and the staff are exceedingly nice and helpful. It's not The White Lotus, but if you're in need of a room in the area, it'll do. read more

Food is great. I've had fish tacos, steak and fish sandwich here. Service is bad. Waiting 15 min to order after receiving a menu. Bartender refused to take my order when I approached, then waitress never gave me silverware or a napkin after I asked (after receiving food). Had to return to the same bartender. Thankfully he got wise and just handed me the napkin and silverware. Make sure you have a lot of time and patience. The place was not packed. You would expect better from the staff of 4 with only 7 tables occupied in the bar on a Thursday. read more

So, before you look at all those stars and go crazy on me...read! I will say first that we spent an entire week here...slept, ate, meetings...I felt like this was my new home! The best thing this place has going for it is a friendly staff and atmosphere an awesome salad bar, endless popcorn in the bar, oh and a fireplace in my room! The hotel is a bit older and conservative...Like the old Holiday Inn Holidomes that may still exist...chlorine heaven I like to say...the rooms were boring, the beds were bleh and the color scheme was from sometime in the early 80's I think...mauve and powder blue and green...ugh! The restaurant serves great food, lots of home cooking and the banquet staff was on it all week for us! I would have to say, that even tho I am partial to Conrad and Co, I would stay here again! read more

Doherty Hotel - Outside street view - Hotels Near Me - Clare, Michigan

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The restaurant was 1 star, but the hotel was five stars. We first went to to the restaurant and were met with a very angry waiter. Everything we did was met with glares and rude remarks. The waters were slammed down and the food was subpar. I got some very soupy Mac and cheese and my friend got some chicken tenders. The food was fine, but there were onions in the Mac and cheese, strange! The service was awful at tue restaurant, but when we asked to see the hotel, the staff was very friendly. We passed to workers, Terry and Hudson in the hall. They were the nicest people, and made the whole trip worthwhile. The hotel is a very interesting design, please ask for a tour if you decide to come read more

Doherty Hotel - Chicken tenders - Hotels Near Me - Clare, Michigan

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I have stayed here a few times. Every time I stay I see old white people fighting inside. The last time I was here the cops, firefighters and ambulance showed up due to some republicans fighting over money. Staff has always been great, food and drinks have been great. Please screen customers better, hire security. read more

Cool old hotel. Fried mushrooms you could tell were made in house with a good batter, I got the rainbow trout which had a few bones but that was expected a light batter and was really good. My fiancée got the shrimp florentine which could have use a little more flavor. staff was friendly and helpful. Nice dinner for sweetest day read more

I am leaving a 5* Review because the Chef here put some thought and creativity into creating this menu. the food was Excellent!!!!! I almost didn't come here based on the low reviews and also the 3.5 stars. However, upon further inspection of the online Menu it was worth a visit because I was staying overnight through Father's Day and my husband wanted a brunch Buffett. I must admit I was very disappointed that they do not do a Father's Day Prime Rib Buffett as they do for Mother's Day. Oddly enough Nobody does within a 50 mile radius‍ so, I will not fault them for that. My husband and I travel quite frequently and search for Restaurants with both scratch kitchen items & unique items that we would normally not find at our local places. We chose the Lamb Stew because the Lamb is locally sourced and it's not something we've seen on a menu previously. The bread bowl was an in house made Irish soda bread and was fabulous. We also chose the Greek salad and added on the homemade Gyro meat with homemade Greek dressing. The Gyro meat was Amazing!!! I have to say we were pleasantly surprised by both meals. Furthermore, our experience was Excellent right down to the service and the Freshly Brewed ice tea and if you're ever in the area I highly recommend stopping in and give them a try. For the unique items on the menu. read more

Doherty Hotel - Lamb Stew with in house Homemade Bread bowl with locally raised Lamb - Hotels Near Me - Clare, Michigan

Have not eaten here in over ten years. The did was exceptional and the service was above and beyond. The Canadian Red Trout was the first time I have ever had fish and eggs for breakfast. I am wondering if this a "thing" somewhere. But it was the bomb! So fresh, hit and tasty I was blown away. Our waitress was excellent and the hostess was all over the place helping and doing whatever was needed. Obviously a place that pushes the concept of teamwork. Hopefully it won't be another decade before we visit again. read more

Doherty Hotel - Canadian Red Trout and eggs for breakfast. - Hotels Near Me - Clare, Michigan

I didn't even know the Doherty Hotel existed until yesterday but when the AirBNB we booked was far less than we expected the Doherty Hotel was happy to accommodate me and my family including our puppy. The staff is a friendly as we have even encountered and the hotel was clean with nice accommodations. We had the breakfast buffet and it was delicious. We will be back next time we are headed north. Thank you Hotel Doherty for helping making our disaster of a vacation much better, we will be forever grateful. read more

Doherty Hotel - Great retro sign, for great throwback hotel with incredible service. - Hotels Near Me - Clare, Michigan

January 5, 2020. Stopped in for breakfast brunch. I had not been here in a few years but was glad to see the excellent quality and service remains. I used to eat here rather frequently several years ago whenever i was in the area The staff was great, friendly and just down right genuine. I did the breakfast buffet which was hot, clean, seemed fresh, and a bountiful array of choices. This may be my knew stop on Sundays, egg bff en though it's a touch put of the way for me. Will be spreadin the word to friends and family read more

Everything was wonderful. Rooms were clean and the restaurant servers were very friendly and helpful.

I honestly have to say that I am absolutely disgusted at my first day here at this hotel we paid $147 for one night and an ended up in a king size bedroom from the early 90s wallpaper peeling off. Took forever for shower to get warm carpet is completely stained. Bed is maybe 4 inches thick if you're lucky, we lost power and Lake . We're locals and I'm a local business owner for my first day at this hotel I would've expected so much more. I am just absolutely disgusted. There's just so many things that I could name. My heart breaks that I had to pay that much money for the room that we got . We sat and we talked to numerous people that are here on a golf tour in the hot tub and they even said they were disgusted. They could not believe they felt like they were back in the late 80s early 90s. They could not believe that they spent as much as they did, I will never recommend this hotel to any fellow business owners or friends and I will never stay here again read more

The glory days of this hotel are long past. The bathrooms in the conference center and the restaurant were filthy dirty. I can't understand what the management is thinking. The condition of the bathrooms speak volumes about a hotel. What these bathrooms say isn't good. The décor and general condition of the furnishings are looking mighty tired, seems like time for a total make over. This used to be the place to stay while in Clare, now I'm not so sure. read more

Definitely our favorite place to stay when we're in the area! The employees are always nice, the kitchen makes great food, and the rooms have always been comfortable. read more

The restaurant absolutely was my favorite whenever we are at our lake house, and could not wait to go when our season begins. We were there twice before September 22, for birthday dinners, and pleasure. On September 22, 6 pm, we had my brother and his wife in from N. Carolina, and we were excited to take them out for dinner. I was so embarrassed by the meals we we're served. The chicken parmesan were two thin slices of chicken (not breaded) with marinara sauce poured over them. I ordered my fav, pot roast dinner, which is pot roast in gravy on top of a mound of horseradish mashed potatoes. I order this meal often and always love it. This particular night it terrible, it came out obviously microwaved, because the potatoes had dried up. My brother had a hot turkey sandwich and it was so dried out he couldn't eat it. Unless they can get there cook back on track, sadly we won't be returning. read more

The Tesla Superchargers brought me to this spot and while there I decided to grab some dinner. A very unique establishment with lots of character. Though I was in the land of TTUN and sporting my OSU hat, everyone was super friendly and adhering to COVID guidelines. The bartender recommended the Rueben which was a great choice. I never had a double stacked Rueben but there is a first time for everything. It was delicious! read more

Always a good place to stop on our way to Charlevoix, Petoskey or the bridge from downstate--it is a good halfway point. The food is always good and the waitpeople and always very friendly and full of good suggestions. Breakfasts are super and other meals are aways great, too. I always feel like when I'm there, I'm feeling very much at home. read more

It could be cleaner in the room we had. Some cobwebs. Some daddy long leg spiders in those cobwebs. The mini fridge needed some elbow grease with a cleaning pad. The air vent needed dusted. But everything that truly counted - bathroom, jacuzzi, and bed were clean and comfortable. I would stay here again. read more

Food, drinks, & management are all nasty! Stay away. Not worth the time you'll waste sending everything back, or the energy you'll waste on the POS manager who refuses apologies & sends his staff to do his dirty work. read more

This place is soo nice they have such good food and so much more. Everyone here is really nice there was a lady that gave me and my sister a whole cup of mints. read more

First off: this is a review of the restaurant and not the hotel part. I can't imagine why anyone would need a hotel room in Clare, MI... but I've never stayed there and I hope I never do. It seems creepy. Doherty is right about where you can find all those mid-Michigan suckers who think they're hot stuff while livin' in Clare, MI. That's not to say that it doesn't have its high points, but the Doherty isn't nearly as special as it (or its patrons) want it to be. So it's old and historic - big deal. There seems to be an attempt to create an "upper crust" feeling which really doesn't quite work - especially when most of the people in the place are wearing baseball hats. I'm not from some old school of dining, I realize there are places where hat wearing is acceptable, but if you're going to try and be something special then for someone's sake you better MAKE IT something special. All of the entrees here are pretty much typical Midwest dining. Lots of burgers, steaks, a few wraps, and some seasonal Michigan salads. I think there may be a few of the "finer things" like duck on the menu but don't quote me. My wrap was pretty plainly delivered, no real seasoning, and just a pretty "blah" experience. Not bad, but definitely not good. I'm glad I wasn't paying for the meal, otherwise I would have cursed myself and wished I had crossed the street to the 24 hour Whitehouse restaurant. Everyone's food looked good overall, but nobody seemed like it was really worth what the prices were. I would be expecting some "hot damn, this stuff is ROCKIN'" if that were the case. However, we mostly sat in silence throughout the meal. Doherty tries though so it deserves some credit. And although Clare isn't busting at the seams with places to dine at - there's definitely better options than this place even if it does happen to be a franchise (hey, I'm referring to Big Boy here... not McDonald's). But, if you're going more for the atmosphere that a place provides, then the Doherty is going to be as close to romantic as you can find in the local area. You can find me across the street where all the real action is though... chillin' at the Whitehouse. read more

Nothing outstanding at the Doherty. The bar is and has been a place to stop for a drink and a sandwich. Now that the bypass is complete; downtown Clare is pretty much off the radar I have been to a number of business meetings here over the years. Not the worst place; but it certainly isn't the best read more

Having grown up in Michigan, I've heard about the famed Doherty Hotel for decades. My partner and I met two other couples, and their kids, for an overnight rendezvous. Our group had three rooms, and we stayed (and based) out of one of their JFK suites. While it had space for days, things were shockingly dirty and dusty, and fixtures were visibly broken (see pictures). The 2nd floor "ice machine" was just a large, plastic container full of ice with a scoop. My stomach about turned when I heard two teenage boys talking about what fun it'd be to pee in it. How can that be allowed by the health department??? Lastly, there were eight of us in our JFK suite playing UNO Attack and Euchre well into the early morning hours. Every single one of us had BLACK feet when we showered the next morning. That tells me how much this property invests in cleaning their carpets. While there are not a lot of options in Clare, if you're going to be in a dirty room, you might as well spend a heck of a lot less than you would at the Doherty. read more

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About 15 years ago I had an Easter Brunch here and remember it being pretty good, but for some reason had never been back until yesterday. For some reason they don't have their menu online except for the day by day Specials page, and based on the Yelp reviews I was hesitant, but I try to keep an open mind so I went. I'm glad I did! I'm guessing that the reviews here of careless and inattentive servers applies more to the conference side. All the servers in the bar/restaurant side seemed experienced and pretty well on top of things. The restaurant/bar does look a bit dated, but it seems appropriate for the building. We asked for menus at the bar just so we could make a snap judgement as to whether we wanted to stick around and eat or head to our plan B. The menu is a solid 6 pages longer than what was online and I saw SEVERAL things I really wanted to try so we stayed and got a table. They brought us our drinks and a complimentary bowl of popcorn. Strange, BUT it is a bar as much as a restaurant, so ok. Our server was friendly and told us about today's specials and her favorites. I love lamb and they have several lamb options which made me very excited. I decided to go for the Lamb Stew in an Irish Soda Bread Bowl (which plays into the city's claim to Irish heritage) and the Bean & Ham soup for my starter (redundant, but if it tastes good, I'm all for it!). It's been a super long time since I've had Irish Soda Bread, but I recall it as being very dense and almost cracker like so I figured the bowl wouldn't be getting eaten. The wife ordered the appetizer sampler which has a few house battered items, so I looked forward to that. My soup was very good with a nice smoky ham flavor and came with a slice of tasty baguette and butter. When the entrees arrived my stew looked fantastic and was overflowing from the bread bowl, which looked more like a traditional type bread bowl which actually made me happier than had it been an actual Soda Bread bowl. I immediately began dipping the top cap into the pool of gravy which was thinner than I prefer, but had a fantastic thyme and rosemary flavor. The lamb was tender as were the potatoes and carrots. Very good stuff! The hand breaded mushrooms and onion rings had a good flavor, but the batter was somehow hard. Almost chewy. Maybe too much flour? They could be perfect if they can correct that. If you're a beer fanatic like myself and are curious, they use Bud Light to make the batter with. The rest of the sampler platter was pretty standard. The house made marinara for the fried cheese was decent. Nice bright tomato flavor. I will definitely be coming back to sample the lamb chops and the French Dip among a few other items spotted on the menu. read more

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