Hotel Review: TownPlace Suites Detroit Warren
Detroit, also known as the Motor City, is home to many American automakers. Due to the large corporate offices and auto manufacturing plants, contractors and consultants travel in and out of Detroit every day, requiring the city to provide abundant lodging options for these workers. I’ve been to Detroit for business several times, but on this occasion, I stayed at the TownPlace Suites Detroit Warren. It was my first time trying one of Marriott’s extended stay properties, but I was left feeling disappointed with what the hotel offered.
TownPlace Suites Detroit Warren provided a mediocre experience that let me down in several aspects.
What Card(s) Should You Use to Book?
I earn tons of Marriott Bonvoy points by using my American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant. It is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 75,000 Marriott Bonvoy points when you spend $3,000 within your first 3 months of card membership. It earns 6X Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar when you book directly with Marriott, 3X points on restaurants and flights booked directly with airlines, and 2X on all other purchases. Paired with Marriott’s promotions and AMEX offers, it opens doors to endless points-earning opportunities. Some lucky AMEX cardholders have been targeted with offers that increase their Marriott stay earning rate to 10X, U.S. restaurant purchases to 10X, and U.S. gas purchases to 8X, until October 31, 2020. These earning rates are capped at $7,500 per category.
The Bonvoy Brilliant comes with great benefits that can substantially offset its annual fee. Photo credit: www.americanexpress.com
The Bonvoy Brilliant does come with a hefty $450 annual fee, but offers tons of perks to significantly offset its costs. The card features the following benefits:
Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status, the mid-tier status offered in Marriott’s member ecosystem
$300 Marriott Bonvoy statement credit that can be applied towards your room rate
$100 property credit when booked directly with Marriott and staying a minimum of two nights at Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis properties
1 free night certificate, redeemable for properties worth up to 50,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night
Access to Priority Pass lounges
15 Elite night credits that can prove helpful for chasing Bonvoy status
Even if you don’t stay at Marriott properties often, this card is still a must-have in my opinion. It’s a true example of a keeper card that offers benefits that outweigh the annual fee.
If you’d like to apply for the American Express Bonvoy Brilliant Card, please consider using my referral link. It will continue to help fund my blog operations and help visitors make informed decisions to maximize their rewards. Thank you! http://refer.amex.us/EDWARSb1jy?XLINK=MYCP
Lobby & Check-in Review
Upon checking in to the hotel, I was upgraded to a one-bedroom suite with a king bed and sofa bed. The lobby felt rather outdated and the check-in area was tiny. In addition, the hotel didn’t support the mobile key function powered by the Marriott Bonvoy app. I’m used to and prefer mobile keys, especially with COVID-19 enforcing contact-less features, so it felt weird holding onto a card key. My room was located on the third floor, the highest on the property, and was relatively away from the elevator.
A sad-looking SpongeBob-themed aquarium sat in the lobby to greet guests. It didn’t feel nearly as homely as Bikini Bottom would.
Living Room Review
As soon as I stepped into my room, I noticed the small kitchenette to the left. Because TownPlace Suites is meant for extended stays, it had essential kitchen appliances such as a full-sized refrigerator, dishwasher, and toaster. Cabinets showed their age and contained pots, pans, cutting boards, plates, cups, and utensils. After checking out the flatware and dishware, I felt less inclined to use them because they weren’t very clean. However, with two electric stoves, guests could make simple meals and save money ordering food or dining out, which I imagine will be helpful for family or large party stays.
Having a functional kitchenette can be helpful to save money on long-term stays.
Continuing to the living room area, there was a work desk with built-in cabinets. I was fine using the desk as my workstation for late-night projects, but I found the lack of a dedicated dining table unusual for an extended-stay property. I think having a more versatile table for both working and dining would be more functional.
The desk served as both my work station and dining table for take-out.
The sofa bed was not the best, but comfortable enough for larger parties to crash a few nights if necessary. One of the room’s TVs sat atop the opposite-facing drawer as well. I don’t watch TV while I’m traveling, so I didn’t use it, but it’s a nice touch to entertain families and friends in a longer-stay setting.
The living room area was spacious and definitely newer than the kitchenette.
In the corner of the living room was a controllable thermostat. It was an older manual model, and I found it odd that the AC only came out of the living room but not the bedroom. Due to the poor circulation, the temperature in my suite was always somewhat uneven.
Bedroom Review
The bedroom featured a king-sized bed and another TV on top of a drawer. Weirdly enough, this TV was a much older, outdated model compared to the one in the living room. The two nightstands beside the bed didn’t offer any USB ports but had one outlet each. The bed was comfortable, and I had more than enough room for myself.
The bed was comfortable, but the poor AC circulation significantly dwindled my comfort level.
Bathroom Review
The bathroom disappointed me the most, which is arguably the biggest concern of mine as I traveled during the second wave of COVID-19 that was ravaging the country.
Everything seemed spotless at first, but upon closer inspection it all went downhill.
The sink area seemed clean at first, but next to the tissue box was trash that the cleaning crew had missed. It wouldn’t have been too hard to miss, but I gave the hotel the benefit of the doubt and inspected the shower. The bathroom was dimly lit, but I could make out a used shower cloth hanging on the shower rod and a long hair in the tub that clearly did not belong to me.
The shower area was dark and dirty. You can see the used towel hanging on the curtain rod.
This certainly raised a red flag, and I went downstairs to talk to the front desk. They apologized and offered to move me to a different room. While expressing my concern, I glanced at the whiteboard in the employee room, which addressed the top concerns among hotel guests. Unsurprisingly, the number one concern raised was room cleanliness, something you don’t want to see or hear from a hotel during the pandemic. Because I had driven five hours from Pittsburgh to Detroit and had already unpacked my belongings, I decided to keep the room.
More Complaints with the Bathroom
I wish I could say the bathroom didn’t cause trouble anymore, but things only worsened. Firstly, the toilet kept making loud noises at night. I believe the plumbing was old, and when other guests used their bathrooms, it affected mine. I would wake up in the middle of the night from the rumbling noises. Secondly, I saw a bug crawling in the sink while getting ready for work one morning. I immediately went downstairs to talk to the hotel staff again, and they offered to send the cleaning crew to spray the bathroom area. During my stay, the hotel didn’t provide any room cleaning due to coronavirus, so this was all they could offer. I took the offer, but I was left displeased by the experience. It just wasn’t the level of quality I had encountered at any Hilton or Marriott property I’ve been to. Thirdly, the hairdryer broke in the morning while I was getting ready. I had an important meeting with executives and could not waste any more time preparing, so I called the front desk immediately; fortunately, the staff brought a brand-new blow dryer that worked great. Lastly, the card key kept failing to work. I had to have three keys replaced during my five-night stay. I wish my experience were more pleasant, but sanitary issues and faulty equipment amid the pandemic seriously concerned me.
Room renovations can brighten up the property, but they certainly won’t solve ongoing hygienic issues.
Summary
My first experience at TownPlace Suites was disappointing, to say the least. While it was nice to have options at an extended-stay property to cook dishes and lounge in a separate living area, my suite lacked even circulation throughout and, most importantly, was not maintained or kept clean. I can understand dated furniture and appliances due to hotels not being able to update them regularly. However, there’s no excuse for lack of cleanliness as this is something that hotel staff can and should control. We are struggling through a worldwide pandemic, and these quality control issues seem to be a recurring theme among guests. Overall, I do not recommend TownPlace Suites Detroit Warren and suggest Detroit visitors find other lodgings in the area.
