Detroit Travel Guide
Tags: March Madness Hotels / Final Four Hotels / Detroit Hotels / → All Tags
More Than Four Hotels Still Available for Detroit's Final Four
Unsurprisingly, our March Madness brackets have pretty much failed miserably. For all those folks still in the game, Detroit is the place to be this weekend (now that’s not a phrase you hear very often!). If you’re Final Four-or-bust, well, we don’t have to tell you that your best option would have been to book a room months ago. But fret not, for a few rooms remain for you last-minute travelers.
We hopped over to the HotelChatter rezzie system, where we found a few hotels with vacancies. Rates range from bargain-basement $60 to $499. As you’re likely aware, though, you don't want to book a hotel in just any neighborhood and assume those polite Midwesterners will take good care of you. (So while a $60 rate might be tempting, just remember that you get what you pay for. In a big city like Detroit, there’s a good chance that might mean bulletproof glass.)
Tags: March Madness Hotels / Final Four Hotels / Detroit Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
Final Four Will Give Downtown Detroit a Second Chance
Detroit better start prostrating itself before the altar of their financial gods, as after a let-down of an auto show, the Final Four will roll into town during the first weekend in April and hopefully bolster hotel room sales and tourist revenue. According to the Free Press, the "Big Dance has done what the Detroit auto show could not in January -- book up all but a handful of downtown Detroit's nearly 5,000 hotel rooms."
As for that leftover fistful, expect it to go during the rest of this month as office buddies book last-minute trips and tickets trade hands. Undeniably, the hottest hotel for the Final Four will be the newest and shiniest, namely the Westin Book Cadillac, which opened downtown in October and already shows no available occupancy for that weekend. Instead, we highly recommend turning to the huge capacity casino hotels, which are both desperate for your money and prepared for raucous crowds.
Our pick? Hit up the MGM Grand to end a long day of overpriced stadium beer and switch to slowly playing the slots for free cocktails.
Tags: Hotel Bars / Marriott Hotels / General Motors / Bill Marriott / Detroit Hotels / → All Tags
Bill Marriott Will Save Detroit
Despite its massive layoffs and its money hemorrhage, it seems there is at least one thing General Motors managed to not screw up this year. According to America JR, the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center is home to the city's hippest new lounge, Volt.
The bar has floor-to-ceiling windows that showcase the Detroit River and the city skyline. It also features a pretty cool 5/10/20 menu, which is based on how much time you have to eat. The items available in five, 10 and 20 minutes include Thai sweet chili wings, macaroni and cheese bites (five-minute meal), sliders and fries (10 minutes) and build your own pasta and New York strip steak (20 minutes). Volt also offers liquor, wine and a host of regionally brewed beers.
So what's all this got to do with General Motors? Well, the hotel is owned by GM and managed by Marriott—so suddenly this cool concept all makes sense! Because we know Bill Marriott is behind every good idea out there.
Tags: Laid-Off Hotels / Budget Hotels / Detroit Hotels / Recession Hotels / → All Tags
Detroit Always Misses Out on the Fun
NOTE: Weather conditions in Detroit do not currently look like this.
Before you ask "whoa, why are you recommending a hotel in, of all places, Detroit?," let us all take a moment to reflect on the amount of blue-collar workers over the last few months who have slowly trickled from their well-paying jobs right into their couch cushions.
For the laid-off, a trip to Miami or London to forget about your troubles is exactly what the doctor ordered, but even these jaunts are expensive for someone with no income. This is where Detroit comes in, offering a fresh start to those who dare relocate to the Motor City. Before taking the plunge toward a new artist studio or sweet warehouse loft, we suggest camping out at the Omni Hotel at River Place, where the rooms begin at $106 and health club use is thrown in.
An added bonus to staying at any hotel in Detroit is its proximity to the casinos of Windsor, Ontario. Place your last $5 on red, spin, and slowly work your way into the black with the help of lady luck. This way, you can get the cha-ching of Vegas without shelling out for Celine Dion and at the same time, perhaps develop a new life plan in a city that desperately needs a dose of the creative class.
[Photo via: Omni at The River Place]
Tags: Detroit Hotels / Casino Hotels / Hotel Openings / Hotel Opening Rates / Hotel Websites / → All Tags
Hotel Opening Rates: MotorCity Casino Hotel
Speaking of long-neglected cities getting new hotels, Detroit has opened another casino hotel today, The MotorCity Casino Hotel.
Billed as a luxury hotel near downtown attractions, the MotorCity has several hip amenities like a pillow library, individual climate control (which is saved for future visits), flat-screen TVs, free wireless internet, and iPod docking stations.
Naturally, this is a casino so that's a big chunk of the entertainment scene. There's also two lounges, The Overdrive Lounge (auto vocabulary is heavy here) and the Radio Bar where live broadcasts take place. The hotel also has a four-diamond restaurant, Iridescence on site as well as the Pit Stop BBQ joint and the High Octane cafe shop that serves ice cream and coffee.
We checked the rates for the earliest available dates and found Super Saver rooms for Dec. 10th and 11th at $249 a night which really doesn't excite us. We did however like the "Enhance Your Stay" selections you could add like Room Service Breakfast for $20 and a Relaxation Kit at $80 that includes champagne, strawberries, bubble bath and tea lights. (This probably also doubles as a sex kit.)
One irk. Annoying music on the hotel website. Seriously, can we make this stop? What is the added value of this music when you are trying to book a room? Is it supposed to put you in the mood? We haven't heard one customer who likes this. Hotel website designers take note.
Related Stories:
· The First Review of the MGM Grand Detroit Isn't So Grand [HotelChatter]
Tags: MGM Grand Detroit / Detroit Hotel Reviews / Hotel Openings / → All Tags
The First Review of the MGM Grand Detroit Isn't So Grand
The MGM Grand Detroit opened up last Tuesday but the christening party hosted by Kid Rock and Wolfgang Puck did not bless this hotel well, according to a recent guest.
HotelChatter tipster Pat stayed at the hotel the other night and was disappointed from start to finish. From the excess charges to use the gym or pool to the fire alarm going off in the middle of the night, it's safe to say Pat won't be going back.
Let's hope MGM can fix these sorts of problems fast and maybe this will be a lesson for their new Atlantic City property too.
After the jump, the full review.
Tags: Hotel Openings / Hotel Parties / Celebrity Scoop / Kid Rock / Wolfgang Puck / → All Tags
Kid Rock and Wolfgang Puck Hug it Out at MGM Grand Detroit Opening Party
In case you were wondering what Kid Rock and Wolfgang Puck were doing last night, they were attending the opening festivities of the brand new MGM Grand Detroit Hotel and Casino.
The opening was celebrated with a VIP black-tie affair attended by Grammy-nominee Kid Rock and Grammy-Award -winners Ashanti and Anita Baker, along with celebrity chefs Wolfgang Puck and Michael Mina and many other Detroit dignitaries.
The official opening of the doors was commemorated with a visually stunning celebratory moment that lit up the neighborhood and the skyline.
As the property's spectacular Grand Garden was illuminated for the first time, fireworks signaled a new era for downtown Detroit with matchless amenities and accommodations never before available in the Midwest.
Kid Rock seems to be a hotel opening party regular. Let's just hope that he didn't throw down with any fans (or Tommy Lee for that matter.)
Related Stories:
· MGM Grand Detroit, $800-million luxury hotel and entertainment destination, opens in downtown Detroit [PR Newswire]
· More Hotel Opening News:: Gansevoort South, The Plaza, and MGM Grand Detroit [HotelChatter]
Tags: Park and Fly Hotels / Airport Hotels / Detroit Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
Detroit Westin Airport Hotel Soundproof?
We recently found ourselves at DTW checking out the Detroit Westin Airport Hotel.
It looked like a damn fine park-n-fly solution. Situated in the new McNamara Terminal, this hotel appeared to have it all, a slick lobby, brand new rooms, and a sushi joint. However, here is what a musician type who stayed there said:
As I was escorted to my room I was told, among other things, "we have over 400 soundproof rooms". Heh--I didn't sleep a wink. My room was anything but soundproof, located right across from an elevator. All night long, every time the elevator arrived at my floor, a stinking "F" note could resonated clearly in my room.
I can not recommend a hotel that claims to be soundproof, and isn't. If I don't sleep, the hotels star rating becomes irrelevant. The allure of decor and amenities can quickly fade in such a scenario.
We agree. But, damn, this place still has that "new hotel" smell. Hopefully they will soundproof further. Meanwhile, if you overnight here be sure to ask for a room away from the elevator--it is probably a much different experience.
Related Stories:
· Detroit Westin Airport Hotel Reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Detroit Travel Coverage [Jaunted]
Tags: Hotels / → All Tags
Detroit Airport's Little Secret
A Detroitan tipster let us know that for anyone flying out of Detroit Metro Airport, the Westin Metro Airport (right in the middle of the McNamara Terminal) lets you avoid the long TSA security and check-in lines, by simply going through the Westin's lobby.
Turns out the hotel lobby has its own security line that no one is ever waiting in and then after you go through the metal detectors you are right at gate A 35 for Northwest.
Our tipster also loves the fact that he can stay at the Westin the night before an early flight, roll out of bed and get on the plane. And apparently, the hotel must have invested in some major sound-proofing because our tipster swears you can't hear the 747s roaring as you go to sleep.
Another bonus is the cool hotel bar so you can avoid the weirdos in the concourse bars.
However, if you do stay here you can't really explore the city of Detroit because well, duh, you are at the airport (that is maybe also the point our tipster is trying to make.) But if you want a quick-in, quick-out Detroit tour, this could be the place for you.
Related Stories:
· Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport guest reviews [Trip Advisor]
Tags: Tips / → All Tags
Last Minute Super Bowl XL Hotel Rooms
In dire need of a Super Bowl XL hotel room in Detroit?
If so, trot your way over to eBay, where you will find an un-named Detroit area hotel room available for $149 per night (Feb 2 - Feb 6). There are plenty of other Detroit area lodging options to bid on as well.
Or head over to Craiglist where you can still snag a room for $1200 (Friday Feb 3 - Monday Feb 6) at the Comfort Inn Winsor, which is less than 10 miles from downtown Detroit.
Or just stay in Toledo.
Related Stories:
· Super Bowl Xl Hotel Message Boards [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Hotels / → All Tags
Superbowl XL: Watching the Game Somewhere Else
Since hotel rooms are pretty much not happening for Detroit, there are only two options left.
One is to hit up the suburbs and stay at hotels--if they have cancellations--out there.
Or two, fly somewhere warm and watch the game. But be careful according to peeps who did that last year in Mexico, they weren't able to catch the game...in English that is.
We watched the Superbowl last year in Cozumel and found it a little frustrating. All the commentary was in Spanish and they didn't have any of the commercials. They just kept running one for Ford trucks.
Oh the irony.
Related Stories:
·Still looking for that Detroit hotel? Try the 'burbs [Komo 1000]
·Superbowl on TV? [TripAdvisor]
·Things aren't looking good [HotelChatter]
Tags: Hotel Deals / → All Tags
Superbowl XL: The Hotel Search is On
Steeler fans and Seahawk fans are eagerly awaiting the Superbowl XL on Feb. 4 in Detroit at Ford Field. But with the city expecting close to 100,000 visitors on game day, trying to find a hotel room will be tough.
One option is with Big Game Rooms, who has put together some serious packages that also require some serious cash. An example: The Atheneum Suite Hotel in downtown Detroit is offering packages at $7,499 per person for triple occupancy. This includes five days and four nights accomodations, a rental car, and an upgraded game ticket in the lower level endzone.
It doesn't get that much better at the Holiday Inn which has a similar package put together for $3,499 per person. And its still 13 miles from the stadium.
For those looking to stay overnight the day of the game and possibly before, things get tougher since hotels are asking for a FOUR-night minimum. And according to the Seattle Times the tri-county area that includes Detroit only had about 5,000 rooms available, out of 32,000--most of which were an hour away from the stadium.
If you still wanna go, hit up the official hotel-reservation service of the Detroit Super Bowl committee and click on "lodging." But be prepared to pay $75 for a:
non-refundable processing fee per room reserved for the service it provides when customer books hotel accommodations through this site. This processing fee will be charged to customers' credit card on the date of reservation.
Another route could be to check out the boards at Craigslist in which people are offering up their homes for the week from $700 to $1,000 a night.
As usual, if you have any great tips/rooms, send 'em our way.
Related Stories:
· Seahawks:Planning a Trip? [Seattle Times]
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