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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.)

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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.

[Detroit photo via ifmuth; Final Four stamp via hoopedia]

Tags: Hotel Bars / Marriott Hotels / General Motors / Bill Marriott / Detroit Hotels / → All Tags

Bill Marriott Will Save Detroit

Where: E Jefferson And Brush [map], Detroit, MI, United States, 48243

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

Where: 1000 River Place [map], Detroit, MI, United States, 48207

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

Where: 2901 Grand River Avenue [map], Detroit, MI, United States, 48201

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: Detroit Hotels / Hotels on Television / Reality Shows / → All Tags

The White Rapper Hotel Review

Where: 600 E. University Drive [map], Rochester, MI, United States, 48307

Late last night we passed on Letterman and found ourselves aimlessly watching VH1's The White Rapper Show.

Listen, it was late and vapid television soothes the soul. In any event, the show, which is apparently some sort of series long contest, and in the end MC Search will determine who the greatest white rapper is, or some such thing.

Point is, last night the hip hoppers went to the D where they were set to do battle 8 Mile style in the basement of St. Andrew's.

VH1 even rented the guys a lived in trailer, to set the mood. However, about half way through the show two of the rappers won a night at the Royal Park Hotel--room 421, the Royal Grand suite to be exact.

Never mind that the Royal Park Hotel, which MC Search describes as the nicest hotel in the D, is in the R, Rochester, which is thirty miles north of the D, we get a rare hotel review from white rapper wannabes Shamrock and John Brown:

Marble floors...everywhere. Stunning chandeliers, gold elevators, and the maître d' waitin' fo us with champagne.

The words are strong, but the flow is missin'. These guys gotta work on a delivery with more enthusiasm. Funny thing is, it sounds like their hotel review is fairly on the money.

Related Stories:
· Royal Park reviews [TripAdvisor]
· The (white) Rapper Show [VH1]