I recently stayed at the new MGM Detroit for over a week for work. I arrived 2 days before the casino was open to the public, as part of a group of 10.
Nobody was expecting perfect service, as the place was BRAND new, The staff needed time to get used to the property, and vice versa. The level of service (or lack of) went a bit beyond that however.
Positives about the hotel:
- The rooms are beautiful. Very large, and well appointed. The shower has 2 showerheads, and can probably fit 6, if they're all good friends (which they would have to be to shower together anyways).
- Lots of first class amenities, including a really comfortable bed, a 42" HDTV, a second TV built into the mirror in the bathroom, bathrobes, slippers, color touch-screen VOIP phones (3 phones in the room!), lots of little bottles of bathroomy things, etc.
- A private sitting room off the lobby, the Fire Room. Done very well.
- Very soundproof walls. A crew was doing some last-minute repairs to the room next to mine, and I didn't hear a thing.
- Good separation between the hotel and the casino, including a dedicated valet parking area.
Negatives about the hotel:
- Service. The staff tried really hard, but still have a lot to learn. As an example, I dropped off laundry at the front desk midway through my stay. It took over 36 hours to get it back, and that only after calling/visiting the front desk 5 times. As well, the concierge was not very knowledgeable about the area or her own PC. We had to show her how to print a map from the internet for directions.
- Setup of hotel not complete. My main TV worked after 3 days (and 2 complaints), but the small TV in the bathroom never did. I was also never able to watch movies, again despite multiple calls to the front desk.
- Room service. I ordered room service 4 times during my stay, and they were exactly 50%. Twice I got what I ordered correctly and on time, and twice the orders were wrong, or the food was bad. I also never had a menu in my room (not printed yet), and the staff would not cook anything not on the menu (all I wanted was an omelet for breakfast!). This led to the room service dispatch person having to read me every single item on the menu each time I called.
- Prices. This is a very expensive hotel. The room rate for my stay was $329/night. This includes only the room. There was an extra $10 charge to use the pool (yes for hotel guests!), or $15 for the pool and the gym. If I wanted to use the pool, gym, and sauna, the daily charge was $50! My room service meal (salmon from the "small plate" menu, a salad, and a soft drink) came to over $55. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is downtown Detroit, not exactly a prime expensive resort destination.
Overall, I think this could be a very nice hotel - it certainly has the building for it. There were far too many problems during my stay to give it a positive review though. I may be interested in trying it in 6 months or so, after all the opening jitters have been worked out.
hotel reviews