Terrible customer service. Answer your darn phone! If you want your anniversary, birthday, conference, or just a night in Detroit completely ruined, look no further than this property!
From staff that can't be bothered to answer the phone at ANY TIME during our stay, inaccurate and contradictory parking information on the website, a lying front desk clerk who claims to be the manager of the entire hotel, nobody to answer the phone to help when we ran out of toilet paper, no shampoo in the shower, non-existent water pressure in the shower, non-working power outlets near the bed (inability to hook up my CPAP machine!), a leaky ice bucket, and a staff that couldn't give a rat's behind, this hotel has it all!
First, I am all about COVID Safety and have no issue with valet parking being suspended if the hotel feels that it is in the guests' best safety interest.
HOWEVER, it is noted on the hotel's website homepage and the third-party site I booked through that it IS available. (To be fair, there was another note buried in a linked page and under a dropdown heading that listed valet parking as discontinued, but that contradicts the information on the homepage and I didn't find it before my arrival.)
My issue? After waiting at the valet stand, which had no sign posted about valet not being offered, I called the hotel to inquire if a valet was coming or see what my other parking options were. I called the front desk FOUR TIMES! (My wife also tried calling while I circled the block!) Each time, the phone rang, and rang, and rang some more, and nobody answered! Unacceptable!
We did finally find parking in a garage adjacent to the hotel, but c'mon, a 4-star hotel and the front desk can't be bothered to answer the phone for 10-15 minutes while I sat like a fool at the valet stand and circled the block four times in an unfamiliar city.
Hilariously enough, later that evening, my wife and I spent ten minutes outside the valet stand while waiting for a Lyft ride, and while doing so, we spent our time informing other guests that valet was discontinued, as several guests also were unsuccessfully waiting on valet and trying to reach the inattentive front desk staff by phone. (We talked to at least 6-7 drivers, some of whom already had unloaded luggage to the curb!)
Our bathroom, while spacious, was less functional than the ones at the Motel 6 I crash at in suburban Ohio each December as part of a work reunion tradition.
The shower had almost no water pressure. The water poured full force out of the tub faucet and hardly any came out of the shower head. (Yes, I know how to operate a shower, it was not a user error!) There was no shampoo in the shower for me. (My wife brought her own). The sink "hot" water was basically boiling and the cold tap wasn't working. We had to brush our teeth, shave, and wash our face without cold water. (Spoiler alert: Nobody answered the phone to address our concern!)
Speaking of our bathroom and staff not answering the phone, nobody answered to assist us when my wife ran out of toilet paper and she had to use tissues.
I went down to the front desk to speak with the alleged "manager." He was rude, arrogant, and condescending. He offered no apology for not answering the phone, tried to make me feel like I am an idiot for not digging deep into their website to find info about valet, and became argumentative with me about my other issues.
He made no note of nor addressed any of my valid concerns. (After dismissing each of my concerns one-by-one, he just shrugged and said "Yeah, what else?")
After he was of ZERO assistance to correcting our bathroom issues, no apology for not answering the phone, and being incredibly condescending, I asked if there was ANYONE else I could talk to. He said there was not. I asked who was above him. "Nobody, I'm the manager!" He is NOT the manager. (Possibly a shift manager? But I called Marriott to complain about my stay and the clerk's rudeness and they confirmed he is not the head/general manager of the hotel. There IS somebody above him, he just lied and refused to elevate my concerns to a more senior staff member or provide me with access to contact her.)
In the spirit of fairness and full disclosure, he did offer me 5,000 rewards points IF I signed up for a loyalty program while giving out all of my personal information to him at the front desk in front of other guests. (I later found an email from Marriott -- Westin parent company -- offering me 2,500 points just for signing up! What a joke!)
I asked what exactly "5,000 points" meant. He told me 20,000 would get me a free stay at that property and failed to explain how one acquired more points. (Also a lie! 35,000 points is needed, according to the hotel's website.) I typically travel only for work for hotel stays or Air BNB for personal trips, so loyalty points at a hotel don't do a whole lot for me, especially when I would have been only 1/7 of the way to a free night and have to spend an additional $3,000 at Marriott properties to earn a free night there!
We would have switched rooms had someone answered the phone and provided assistance, but by the time this NON-MANAGER was done making me feel like an idiot and an undervalued guest, we had already showered (in minimal shower pressure), got ready, and had to leave to make our dinner reservation on time and we didn't want to pack up our things and move at 11:00 PM upon return.
The alleged "manager" said he couldn't even consider adjusting the room rate because I booked through a third party. I called the third party (who has the only customer service agent sympathetic to my concerns). The representative told me that there is ABSOLUTELY something the hotel CAN do about a rate for rooms booked through them by giving an exception to said third party that allows them to issue me a partial refund/full refund/credit. The third party called the hotel to discuss this possibility and advocate on my behalf. But....You'll never believe this! Nobody answered the phone! They opened a case for me (as did Marriott customer service when I called them), but it's been a full week now and neither the hotel, Marriott, nor third party has reached out to me.)
While perhaps out of the hotel's control and not actually part of my complaints, we were on the 18th floor and put in the last room at the absolute end of the long hallway and had a lame view of the hotel wall and an alley way. (I had read reviews about the hotel with guests raving about the great city views.) We were near a staff door that we could hear opening and closing and hear staff chatting in the evening. (Again, not the end of the world, but compiled with everything else, it was irritating.)
Minor things do go wrong, but coupled with everything else, it was also irritating that at least one power outlet didn't work (closest to the bed and most convenient for my wife's hairdryer; and where I would hook up my CPAP, which I now couldn't do, and got a terrible night's sleep as a result, despite an incredibly comfortable bed). Oh, our ice bucket had a leak in it, too.
This was our wedding anniversary weekend, and because my wife had been dying to try a restaurant near the hotel, off to Detroit we went! We drove from Canton, OH (3.5 hours) My wife wanted to stay at a 2.5 star hotel in a less-desirable location for a lesser price, but I insisted that we stay in this alleged 4-star hotel. Man, did I look like an idiot! I was so worked up by the rude manager that I could barely enjoy our (very expensive) anniversary dinner.
I didn't want to spend a combined two hours of our mini-getaway circling the hotel while trying to reach the front desk about parking issues, riding the elevator down 18 floors to speak with a discourteous employee, and being on the phone with Marriott customer service (and the company I booked through) in a failed effort to resolve my issues.
To be fair, the hotel was very clean, COVID guidelines were well followed, the beds were comfortable, our room was quite spacious, there was a large and efficient elevator bank, a Starbucks on the first floor, and we LUCKILY GUESSED the right place to park (no thanks to staff!) and the hotel validated parking for all guests in that garage.
Unfortunately, those are the only good things I can say.
I don't think that cold running water, toilet paper, shampoo, sufficient water pressure shower, and having a staff member answer the phone at some point during our stay are unreasonable things to ask of a Motel 6, let alone a 4-star hotel.
The absolute shame of it is that if the staff had been friendly, helpful, attentive, or at least answered the gosh darn phone, many of our bigger issues could have been easily resolved.