Sutirtha B
Google
I found myself staying here for 3 nights for a conference in downtown Detroit. I had a fine stay here but one that falls somewhat short of a five-star experience.||First, the positives. The room is absolutely massive. I don’t recall having stayed in a room of that size in a very, very long time. Second, cleanliness. The room was well-cleaned, and the bathtub was clean and inviting enough that I ended up enjoying a relaxed bath twice in the span of three days – something I rarely get to do at my house. Third, the presence of a courtesy shuttle that was available to take hotel guests anywhere within a short distance of the hotel. Fourth and finally, they have an in-house restaurant. I had dinner on the first night that I got there, and it was great. The spicy chicken sandwich at $15 is one of the best bargains that I have recently come across in an era of rampant inflation. Along with taxes and tips, my HUGE dinner which likely added a full inch to my ever-growing waistline, came to only $28!||Now, the reasons for taking off a star. First, the staff could have been more polite. I found the shuttle drivers in general, but especially the one I had on my very last day to be quite brusque. Also, the lady who checked me in on the first day should have indicated that there was going to be a hold for $300 – $100 per each night of stay – but I don’t believe she had pointed that out. It is only when I came back to the reception puzzled by why I had been charged more than $800 for my stay that she informed me of that rule. Second, they missed my wake-up call on the very first night that I stayed at the hotel. I had asked for a wake-up call at 8:00 but I don’t believe that ever came. The third and final point is a minor one, but I am noting here in my review. For the second morning that I was here, I requested an in-room breakfast for 8:00 a.m. The breakfast did not come at 8:00 but it came closer to 8:15 seriously inconveniencing me. The person who brought up my food indicated that she was there at 7:55 but because I was not yet out of bed, I don’t think I ever heard her knock. However, in my estimation, she should not have waited until 8:15 to bring the meal but should have delivered the meal at 8:00, as was requested. Finally, I had used up the slip in my room to request the breakfast that morning. Even though I stayed for one more night, the hotel did not provide me with another slip on which I could put in an order for in-room breakfast for the last morning I was there.||All in all, while I had a fine stay at The Atheneum and would be perfectly happy to consider staying here again, to the extent that the hotel wants to get outstanding reviews from guests – as opposed to ones that are merely good– it could train its staff better and nudge them/ encourage them to be more polite and courteous to their guests.