Too bad that I did not get the pictures of the lobby of this spartan hotel; otherwise, I could convince you even more to stay here when you need the quickest access to the Detroit Wayne Airport. A few days ago, to avoid traffic at a highway that was undergoing a construction work, we spent the last night in Michigan at the Westin Hotel at the Detroit Wayne Airport. We did not expect much, really, because hotels by the airport are usually less appealing than their counterpart in the center of town. Boy, were we in for a surprise when we stepped inside this hotel!
The 3-year-old, 7-floor hotel is attached to the newest terminal of the Detroit Wayne Airport, occupied exclusively by the Northwest Airlines and its partners. This was the first time we saw the new terminal since we were last here in 2003. The entrance to the hotel is very low-key and no-nonsense, but the minimalist look foretold what lay ahead deep inside. The only thing visible when guest enters the front door was the valet desk; afterwards, a long corridor that ended up in a set of escalators.
It is at this point that guests will be greeted by the top of a tall (but fake) bamboo trees. The ride down is as long as the trees, and by the time one reaches to the base of the tree, one arrives at the lobby floor. There is a huge, shallow pool by the "open air" restaurant, in front of the cluster of those bamboo trees. Line for registration or check out may be long but the wait is short because of the staff's efficiency. Not too far from the check-in counter are two self-check-in counters for Northwest/KLM; quite convenient indeed. I wish American Airlines would have such offering. American Airlines' partner, British Airways, houses its First Class and Club Lounge at the same floor of the hotel lobby.
The hotel rooms start on the second floor and go all the way up to the 8th floor. The room is typical of a boutique-cum-business hotel that has been popular in the past decade, with the color palette of olive green, beige, black and white. The king-size bed is aptly named "Heavenly Bed" as it is amazingly comfortable, stocked with two standard pillows, two smaller pillows, and a long support pillow; good variety. There is an armchair sofa with an ottoman, as well as a chaise longue by the window that overlooks the indoor court lobby/restaurant area.
The shower has a two-head showerhead, which is supposed to be convenient for two people showering at the same time, each aimed at one person, but in practice, it does not amount to such a great an idea. The showerhead does not really point to the other person well. The curtain rod is slightly curved in the middle, lending the appearance of more space but it does indeed give more "elbow room" while showering.
Other facilities include a gym with quite a good selection of cardiovascular machines, as well as a small pool, which unfortunately is too short for lap-swimming. It is, however, enough for business people to get their fill of work out during their travels.
Even if one does not fly Northwest and has to travel to the other dowdy-looking terminals, there is the convenience of the terminal-to-terminal shuttle that stops right in front of the hotel to whisk you to your destination. Travel to the American Airlines terminal takes less than 15 minutes as the shuttle makes several stops on the way there. What seems to be the only disadvantage of this new terminal (and thus the hotel) is that it was built on marsh. Some people informed us that as it was, the parking garage had been sinking slowly since its opening.
Back in January 2000, I stayed at the other Starwood Group's Sheraton Hotel at the Frankfurt Airport in Germany. That experience was just all right, and therefore I did not expect much when I booked a night at this DTW Westin Hotel, but this turned out to be a delightful experience. Make no mistake; this is not a luxurious hotel, but rather, a nicely done business-type boutique hotel.
The Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport
2501 Worldgateway Place
Detroit, MI 48242
USA
Phone (734) 942-6500
Fax (734) 942-6600
www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/search/hotel_detail.html?propertyID=1415
