David R.
Yelp
What a find. It's hard to believe that a place like this exists at all in any large city, not to mention at the incredibly reasonable price that we got through hotels dot com. The Inn is one centrally administered hotel with four contiguous buildings--large stone Victorian-style homes. Aesthetically it seems like a bed and breakfast, but the format is a hybrid, 50% boutique hotel, 50% B&B, 100% uniquely delightful.
Both the interiors and exteriors were utterly handsome and charming. The quality of our room (1202 in the Pungs House) was more than satisfactory. Some aspects of the house clearly showed their age, such as the window and door frames which have been frequently repainted, and much of the furniture seemed antique. However, that is to be expected in homes of this vintage and adds to the atmosphere. Most of the room fixtures, particularly the entire bathroom, were brand-new and flawless. The walls themselves had been crisply painted in the very recent past.
There is one major perk of staying at the Inn--shuttle service. The shuttle will pick up and drop off guests anywhere within a five-mile radius of the hotel AROUND THE CLOCK. I read about this before booking, but I thought that it sounded too good to be true. It wasn't. We used it to get to and from Comerica Park around 6pm and 10pm, but the 24-hour service was confirmed by our driver. I failed to catch his name, which is too bad because he was a great unofficial tour guide and local information source for the two ten-minute drives which we spent with him.
Other than that, our service interactions were minimal, but all of the staff seemed courteous and helpful. Breakfast was served for all guests in the main building. This is one area for improvement, because although the quality of the breakfast was satisfactory, the logistics are a clusterbleep. In general, there are two problems: scattered placement of food in too-close proximity to the tables and chairs; and too many people for the small space. #2 would not be a problem without #1 and vice versa.
By all means, do not let the prospect of a crowded breakfast prevent you from booking this place for your next stay in Detroit. It is an absolute gem and priced very reasonably.
Other details:
+ Real drinking glasses
+ Strong wifi with no password or login required
+ Complimentary bottled water AND locally produced oatmeal-raisin cookies (see photo)
+ Free parking in a lighted and guarded lot behind the properties
+ Numerous comfortable places to sit outside the room: on the landing of our floor, on the ground floor of the house, on the grounds outside. This is a boon for those couples with widely disparate wake-up times.
+ Starbucks coffee and Tazo tea inside the room
+ A hotel-provided magazine actually worth reading: Preservation, "The magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation." It was so good that I took it home with me. Who ever heard of such a thing?!
+ Breakfast served 7 to 11:30 on the weekends
+ Breakfast consisted of: glorious fresh fruit, pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, blueberries, and giant plump blackberries and raspberries; scrambled eggs with shredded cheese, salsa, and chopped scallions on the side; italian, white, and cinnamon breads; raisin bagels; orange, apple, and cranberry juices; ice water, coffee, and tea; a waffle maker and premixed batter; four dry cereals; instant oatmeal packets; several varieties of yogurt; and a basket of whole apples, bananas, and oranges.
+/- Tap water is fine to drink, but does not come out cold
+/- Shower is quick to heat up but very slow to drain. Also, the curtain is so thick that the stall becomes very dark.
+/- Electronic key cards for the buildings, but metal keys for the rooms