Detroit Riverside Hotel, Detroit

Here is a rant I wrote in the lobby of the Detroit Riverside Hotel on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend in May of 2009: In the beginning…$20/night for valet + tip. Requested a cart for our luggage and response was a shrug. It is literally taking nearly 3.5 hours (and counting) to check in…as I type, my husband is standing at the front of a line he’s been in front of for over three hours. Over 30 minutes has been spent “in the front” of the line with ONE PERSON at the desk, trying to ignore him and the MOB of people behind him. So, latest report (need I remind you this is 3.5+ hours after arriving at the hotel) is he got into talked into standing in an alternate line for a room without a TV or Water or A/C (80 degrees in Detroit today). Four hours in...The lobby looks like a drunken refugee camp…it’s truly insane. But, hey --- make people wait in line for 3+ hours, and I’m not really upset about the people getting hammered in the endless (and growing) line in the lobby. Near 20% unemployment in Michigan --- you wouldn’t believe it here…seriously ONE PERSON has been in charge of checking people in as people are lined up around the lobby and finishing off fifths,half gallons, and cases (yes, entire cases) of beer during an endless wait, just to get to the front and be told rooms are not clean and the rest have mechanical issues ranging from no A/C, NO WATER!, no TV (whatever…didn’t come to watch TV), but still...... ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! I saw at least a ½ dozen people on 8 mile holding signs stating "Will work for food" on our way into Detroit. How about picking a couple of these people out to help clean when you have 10s of thousands of people descending upon your city???? And, the thing is..we ALLLL have reservations…they KNEW this crowd was coming (it does every Memorial Day weekend in Detroit)! I bet some out of work auto industry employess would be enraged knowing that they could be helpful providing MUCH NEEDED service in this city....rather than wondering where their next dime is coming from. Shame on you Detroit! I stick up for you every chance I get….and this…now this. This is just the experience your city does NOT need in the midst of what it’s facing right now. You have 10s of thousands of people coming to support YOUR city, YOUR music, and this is the respect we are shown. What a disgrace. As I look around, I see not one pimple faced teenager zoned out on drugs…what I see are p’d off, hardworking, GREENBACK PAYING, adults ready to spend their hard earned money in this city, but we’re trapped in the lobby of the former Hotel PonSH!Ttrain. All complaints on TripAdvisor pale in comparison to what I’m seeing here --- this is unacceptable, and absolutely SHAMEFUL. Shame on you --- owners/management/staff/city of Detroit for allowing this to be the reality. It is now quarter to 7. Paid a hefty price for valet at approx 3:20p…we have missed over half of today’s performances at the music festival at Hart Plaza. I am furious we are missing almost an entire day of the festival because of this hotel! Maybe they’re treating us like this because it’s supposed to be a festival for druggies, wastoids, losers, club kids, blah, blah blah…but I heard “we’re paying $230 per night…we’re paying $280…” from some of the patrons standing in line. Hey Detroit --- WAKE UP! That’s BIG MONEY in a city that has NONE. Post Script: Well, I can't remember what time we got to our room that night...all I know is that it was well past dusk when we arrived at the festival grounds (right across the street) at Hart Plaza. The remainder of the weekend was pretty much on par with the check in experience. NO hot water, NO Air Conditioning...in the ENTIRE building (not just our room), and getting clean towels....forget it! This place might be 'ok' without a huge event going on, but...do yourself a favor and STAY AWAY!

I actually had a great stay here. The people were friendly, I actually ended up sharing a pizza with the front desk. The room was very nice, had the old hotel charm in the bathroom and everything was very clean. It was a little hard to find, would be nice if they had better signage. I was there during their slow time and received a special rate. Everything was lovely here.

the service was awful, we were in the city for convention and the hotel was not perpare for our large group. They should have hired more qualify staff to cook, clean, work the front desk, & bell men. The rooms were not that clean, they only did a quick touch up to room. they ran our of towels,we had to wait until 10:00pm to get towels.The only + was that we could walk across the street to COBO convention center

I remember in past years when they used to have the jazz nights on the open deck... good music, drinks, food. Room service was great, though I more often was downtown sampling the various restaurants.

I do not recommend the Detroit Riverside Sheraton formerly known as the Hotel Pontrchartain. While the staff and management provide first rate apologies, they do not provide even average customer service. The check-in process was extremely slow and disorganized. At first, the individual in front of me was told by the concierge he did not have a reservation, even though he had his confirmation number. After they settled the problem, I went to check-in and was told that the individual ahead of me had been assigned to my room, so they had to chase him down in the lobby and tell him about the mistake and provide him with a different room. When I got up to my room, there was still trash in the trash can. Two days during my two week visit, maid service didn't show up until 5:30 in the evening. On one of those days, I was told by the manager that the staff was having a party to celebrate becoming a Sheraton, which seems pretty counterintuitive to ignore your paying customers during that time. After speaking with other guests, I learned their rooms were ignored too. At breakfast, I had to wait 15 minutes for a dish of fruit. At the time, there was a hostess, two servers, and zero customers. When it did arrive, it didn't have any yogurt as stated on the menu. I brought this up with the waiter and he had to check the menu in front of me to see if I was lying. After all that fuss, five minutes later I got two tablespoons of yogurt which appeared to be in a soy sauce dish. The refrigerator I was promised never arrived. My room card stopped working. My iron was broken. The construction was a hassle and noisy. Even after my stay, I am having problems because the Hotel double billed two of my credit cards for charges I made at the restaurant. Every time I call about this, I am forwarded to someone's voice mail.

We loved the location, the wait staff was great. We hate it was in the middle of renovation. Maybe they should have done one floor at a time. Or closed until some floors were truly available. Im sure when finished. It will be as grand as it once was. We hope to return in 2009. I will always recommend it first if a lot of money is not available to stay downtown. Because they charge minimal prices. Which is sure to increase as they build and continue to rebuild the quality of a Grand Hotel. Austin/Wright Reunion will be back!

Renovations are complete as of October2007. Newly renovated rooms are comfortable with plasma TV. Staff is great. Located next door to Cobo Hall and The Joe Louis Arena. Definitely recommend.

PROS: Good location - close to COBO Center. CONS: . . Terrible service and staff. . I asked three times for an ice bucket, still nothing happened. . Water stopped while I was in the middle of taking a shower in the morning. . Lots of mechanical noise throughout the night I could not figure the source; could not get good sleep . Terrible service at the front desk; unacceptable attitude of the staff towards the guests. . House keeping was sub-standard . Noisy elevators . Would not stay again

I STRONGLY recommend staying elsewhere. This hotel was not kept up tp standards while undergoing renovations. Electrical outlets were exposed, it was dusty, walpaper was falling off on walls that they claimed were renovated rooms, receipts could not be provided for payment of rooms. The maid didn't clean or replace a single item in teh room, not even teh used towels and washcloths. She simply just folded them back up and put them on the rack. Overall the place was completely disappointing. Spend the extra few dollars and go some place you feel safe. The doors and there locks couldn't keep a 5 year old out. I would be embarrassed to put my name on this hotel if I were the Sheraton. Close the place and finsih the remodel.

Its OK for the price that you are paying. The bonus is the location. Parking is horrible. I paid less in Manhatten. Service is average.