Schmap Detroit Where to Stay

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Detroit - Where to Stay
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Detroit's accommodations are scattered across a sprawling area. Many travelers find it most convenient to stay near the airport or in nearby Dearborn.

Downtown's convention business hasn't been consistent enough in recent decades to support a large number of hotels. As a result, when there is a major event such as the International Auto Show in January, it can be difficult to accommodate extra business travelers downtown, so they must scatter to Windsor, Dearborn, Romulus or other suburbs.

In considering where you can get to from your hotel, bear in mind that you are going to be traveling in a car or cab (you won't have a choice), and the freeway system is highly efficient. After all, this is the Motor City! Even the rush-hour tie-ups in Detroit are tame compared to other American cities, and the rest of the time the traffic usually flows smoothly at high speeds. The worst place to be in terms of traffic is anywhere in Oakland County, where rapid growth plus an inadequate road system has produced traffic headaches.

Downtown

Because downtown has suffered so many decades of decline, the choices in accommodations remain limited. If you want a room with a view, you can't beat the Marriott Renaissance Center, Detroit's tallest building. If you don't care about the view, but want great service and a location at the heart of the entertainment scene, the Atheneum Suite Hotel is ideal, and you can walk from there to the Renaissance Center. If you have an event at Cobo Convention Center, the Hotel Pontchartrain is close by. Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Detroit is ideally located. There are a couple of choices on the east end of downtown, including Omni Detroit River Place, which will be an ideal location when the casinos open in that area. But until then it's not necessarily the most convenient place to stay.

Cultural Center/New Center

You don't have many options if you want to stay in this part of town, but fortunately the St. Regis Hotel is an excellent small hotel. If your business takes you to the Medical Center or Wayne State University or somewhere else in this area, you can also stay downtown—it's only a short ride away, but you won't want to walk it. The other option is to stay in Dearborn, which will add only about 15 minutes of travel time.

The West Side

Many people like to stay in Dearborn, because it's only 15-20 minutes to the airport or downtown, and it's home to the top attraction in the Detroit area, Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village. Choices in Dearborn include the top-end Hyatt Regency and the Ritz-Carlton, both on the periphery of Fairlane Mall, and the historic Dearborn Inn.

If you're in town for the first time or for a quick business meeting and you prize convenience, there are many hotels around the airport in Romulus. Most of them are chains. The Clarion Barcelo, the Hilton Garden Inn, the Doubletree Hotel and two Marriotts have easy access to the airport and the freeway system. The airport is only a half-hour's drive from Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan.

Hotels have sprung up around Laurel Park Place in Livonia, only a 20-minute drive north of Metropolitan Airport, including an Embassy Suites and a Courtyard by Marriott.

Oakland County

Because of its location at the hub of a number of freeways, Novi has become the leading place for accommodations in Oakland County. It's a reasonably short drive from here to just about anywhere in southeastern Michigan. The Hotel Baronette, the Hilton Novi, the Doubletree and Courtyard by Marriott are among the choices. There are several extended-stay options, including Town Place Suites.

Hotels in Troy, in the eastern part of the country, near some of the area's wealthiest communities and most successful businesses, include the Somerset Inn, the Hilton Northfield, the Troy Marriott, and the Embassy Suites. Downtown Birmingham has the European-style Hamilton Hotel.

Another cluster of hotels is centered in Auburn Hills, convenient to the Chrysler Technology Center. Extended-stay facilities tend to dominate the landscape in this area. They include Candlewood Suites, Amerisuites, and Courtyard by Marriott.

The East Side and Macomb County

This is not the area to go to find fine hotels. If you absolutely need to stay in Macomb County, Candlewood Suites is close to the GM Tech Center. There are a number of inexpensive options if you don't mind bare bones accommodations. Or you can stay nearby in Troy (see Oakland County).

Windsor

A lot of Detroiters believe the best view of Detroit can be found across the river in Canada. Windsor presents an intriguing option for Detroit-area travelers. Trade the usually minimal inconvenience of crossing the border for a location within walking distance of casinos, clubs and great restaurants—and benefit from the currency exchange rate. The Hilton Windsor and the Radisson Riverfront are large hotels with stunning views of the Detroit skyline. And if you like bed and breakfasts, Windsor is about the only place in the Detroit area with a number of good choices.

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Cultural Center/New Center

Detroit
United States

Detroit's Cultural Center is situated between Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center, an impressive complex of hospitals and research facilities. The Detroit Institute of Arts is famed for its Diego Rivera murals, which chronicle history through the eyes of laborers, and Auguste Rodin's sculpture "The Thinker". Nearby is the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the largest museum of its kind in the United States. Families can also enjoy the Detroit Science Center and the Detroit Historical Museum. Farther north, the New Center Area boasts the ornate, golden-towered Fisher Building and its Fisher Theater, home to touring Broadway shows, as well as the General Motors Building and Henry Ford Hospital. South of the Cultural Center, a major renovation effort is underway to preserve acoustically rich Orchestra Hall.

Review © 2007, Wcities

Cultural Center/New Center photo by Ian Freimuth

Photo: Ian Freimuth

Cultural Center/New Center photo by Matthew Daley

Photo: Matthew Daley

Cultural Center/New Center photo by Miles VanMeter

Photo: Miles VanMeter

Dearborn

Detroit
United States
Dearborn rose to fame as the headquarters of Henry Ford's auto company, and it still attracts as many immigrants today as in the days when men from all over Europe dragged their families here in pursuit of work on the world-renowned assembly lines. Now, however, assimilation isn't forced and cultural diversity is heralded in Dearborn, home to 30,000 Arab-Americans, the second-largest such community in the country, behind only New York. The city is home to the largest mosque in North America, and shop signs and billboards in Arabic script fill the sides of many streets.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Downtown

Detroit
United States
In the 1950s, downtown Detroit was such a bustle of shops, theaters, restaurants, and nightlife that residents of dreary, staid Toronto rode trains to Detroit for weekend excursions. In later decades, the two cities switched places, but now Detroit is making a comeback. The old downtown of grand cinemas and department stores is all but vanished, but lively areas have sprung up around the perimeter of the aging commercial center. The north end of downtown is the latest hot spot. Comerica Park, a new baseball stadium for the Detroit Tigers, opened in 2000. The NFL Detroit Lions, who abandoned downtown in the 1970s for suburban Pontiac, are set to return to Ford Field, adjacent to Comerica Park. Nearby is the glamorous Fox Theater, the renovated crown jewel of the city's movie houses, as well as the Gem Theater, a Second City comedy theater, the Music Hall, and an assortment of restaurants and bars.

Review © 2007, Wcities

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Other Schmapplets in this city related to "Detroit - Where to Stay"
Detroit
Detroit - Historical Background
Detroit - Neighborhood Guide
Detroit - Dining & Drinking
Detroit - Art & Entertainment
Other nearby cities:
Toronto (333 miles)
Niagara Falls (335 miles)
Buffalo (354 miles)
Chicago (402 miles)
Washington DC (621 miles)
Baltimore (647 miles)
Ottawa (684 miles)
Philadelphia (721 miles)
Richmond (723 miles)
St. Louis (734 miles)

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