The Hyatt Regency Dearborn, Michigan

One of the perks of being a hotel review writer is that hotels offer you deals — or free rooms — all the time. This is usually accompanied by pretty good service because everyone wants a good review.

I try to balance out the inherent bias of this setup by totally spying on hotel staff, peering around corners and taking notes like my hero, Harriet the Spy. I also strike up conversations the strangers at ice machines and the hallway or lobby.

Yes, I’m that lady, and I keep trying to talk to you because I want to find out if “regular” guests get the same treatment as I do. Usually the answer is yes, as far as I can discern. But recently I was a “regular” guest at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn, MI, and my stay kinda sucked.

The Room – Tiny, Dark and oh my God, is that Pizza on the Carpet?

This is exactly what my room looked like. Plus pizza under the desk.

I have a pretty broad tolerance for hotel rooms, but this one at the Dearborn Hyatt was small.  It was cramped and crowded with two beds, two chairs, a desk, the tv/bureau thing, and the luggage stand. Lose a chair, let us breath a little!

The bathroom was tiny, and the handle on the sink was wonky, accidentally turning on the hot water way higher, hotter and faster than was safe. I did appreciate the extra sink and mirror outside of the bathroom, which made it easier to get ready. That’s also where they keep the single cup coffee maker, which was nice to have, but they only provided two tea bags — one caffeinated, one decaf.

I sort of feel lucky that we didn’t die in an electrical fire during the night. All of the outlets were strangely too loose for my computer, phone, and ipod chargers. As in, the plugs kept falling out of the outlets. Then the bedside light was broken. And then my traveling partner and I both had to pay $9.95 for wifi, which isn’t an electrical issue, but is surprising and annoying considering this is a business hotel. You’d think most of the guests would be traveling with laptops.

When I found chunks of dried up pizza on the floor, I was done. The room was terrible, and we didn’t have time wait around for a manager/housekeeping/fairy hotel godmother to come make it better, so we left to go meet friends at the lobby bar.

The Service – Mixed but Mostly Good

They were nice to us in the bar. It helped.

A room can be cleaned — or upgraded — if you’re staying long enough to bother complaining to management. The kind of service you get is a better indication of how good the property is. At this Hyatt, the service was mostly good. Our bellman was very friendly and helpful. The valet guys (who were in love with the Taurus SHO lent to us by Ford) were attentive and fast. The waitress in the bar was terrific.

On the other hand, the clerk at the front desk was vacant and unhelpful — checked out if you will.

Three out of four ain’t bad. But it’s not stellar, either.

No Mini-bar = No Cashews

My favorite Real Life Review hotel measurement was not available at the Hyatt Regency Dearborn. No mini-bar in the room, so no cashews. We can deduce from the pizza on the carpet that room service is available. Also, because the website says they have it.

The Verdict

Next time I’m in the Dearborn area, I’m going back to the Ritz, where I stayed earlier in the week. For about the same price, in the same area, I get amazing service, a nicer room, and that Hospitality Suite with the bottomless bowl of Reeses and Rolos.  The only upside to the Hyatt is the big, modern lobby with a more happening bar. Which is nice, but not why I’m staying at a hotel. Sorry Hyatt!

Photos: Hyatt Regency Dearborn Hotel

I just got back from a whirlwind 10 day road trip that culminated in Chicago, IL, where I attended the BlogHer and TBEX conferences. It was an action packed week and a half, which started with a delightful stay (is there any other kind?) at the Ritz-Carlton in Dearborn, Michigan.

Ritz-Carlton Dearborn, Michigan

You heard me right, yes, there’s a Ritz in Detroit.

When I was putting together the itinerary for this roadtrip, which included picking up a Ford Mustang in Dearborn, my contact at Ford mentioned that the Dearborn Ritz is very close to the corporate offices.

“There’s a Ritz in Detroit?” I said, trying to keep the amazement out of my voice because I’m polite like that.

“Yes! And it’s really affordable, and nice,” she replied.

Since I have a great PR contact for the Ritz, my next call was to her. She confirmed the existence of the property, and even better offered to comp a night there so I could try it out. I’m smart, I immediately said “YES, PLEASE!”

It was a quick visit, but I was able to check out all of the things I care about: room comfort, cashews, mirrors & lighting.

The Room

Pretty room at the Ritz-Carlton Dearborn

The Dearborn Ritz-Carlton seems to be one of the older properties. It was impeccably clean, just a little staid in the decor. We had a room with two double beds, and it was a decent size, not huge, but spacious enough for two adults to be comfortable. It was surprising to see that the TV wasn’t an HD flat screen, but it really didn’t make any difference to us. We watched “Grease” and it was just as Shamalama Ding Dong magical as ever.

The bathroom was good sized, the shower cap thoughtfully came with a little hair tie, and the amenities were these gorgeous smelling Bulgari soaps and lotions. Slathering them on, you totally get that “Yeah, I’m at the Ritz, baby!” feeling of luxury.

The Mini-Bar Situation

The Hospitality Suite, where they keep the free booze & candy

There is no mini-bar at this Ritz … because they don’t need one. Instead there is a Hospitality Suite on the top floor where they have five different “food presentations” through the day. In wedding planning lingo, this translates to “heavy hors d’oeuvres all day, all night.” Over the course of four visits (during a 12 hour stay, yes, we were a little embarrassed, but it was irresistible!) we sampled bruschetta, fresh fruit salad, s’mores, and bagels with smoked salmon. And so much more!

The Hospitality Suite also is stocked with Ritz-Carlton branded bottled waters, sodas, coffee, teas, and bottom-less bowls of Rolos, Reese’s peanut butter cups, cookies, granola bars, and more snacks galore.

There are comfy chairs, a beautiful view, and did I mention the open bar? Red, white and sparkling wine, plus your basic hard liquors in drinkable brands, i.e. Absolute vodka. And there was always a gracious attendant on hand to get you anything else necessary to make you happy.

And Then We Got Room Service

Don’t judge, but yes we also ordered room service (which we paid for — only the room was comp’d.) Maybe because the last place I got room service was in NYC, these prices seemed amazingly affordable to me. The usual litmus test, a pot of coffee, was only $8. I’ve been charged as much $40 for one, to give you some perspective.

There was a nice range of pasta ($13 for penne), salads ($9 for a Caesar) and burgers ($15) on the menu, with a great kids menu that included a PB&J with the crust cut off for just $7. Nice touch with the crust, right? But of course it is the Ritz.

Mirrors & Lighting

The dark and classic lobby of the Ritz-Carlton Dearborn

Light is always my issue in hotels. There is usually a good reading light by the bed, but the rest of the room is in shadows and darkness. Why is it so hard to make the rest of the room bright enough to do stuff like repack your bags that are filled with black clothing? Or put on makeup anywhere besides the bathroom?

Our room at the Dearborn Ritz was tastefully lit, but it wasn’t very bright. I decided to wait until the morning, when I could open the curtains, and let in sunlight, to repack my bags.

Having more mirrors in the room would have helped a lot, both to amplify the lighting, and to make it easier to get ready. Besides the mirror in the bathroom, there was only one other mirror, behind the closet door. It was inconveniently far away from both the lights and the window, so we couldn’t use it to do makeup.

Judgment

Thanks to the doorman for taking this photo!

You stay at a Ritz-Carlton for the service, and the Dearborn property definitely holds up that tradition. I heard “It’s my pleasure” echoing off the walls, and it was always delivered in a sincere, low-key way. After helping us load our bags into our cherry red 2010 Mustang, the doorman spent another ten minutes taking pictures for us and giving us directions to our next stop.

A quick check on the Ritz-Carlton site just pulled up rates starting at $139/night. While you can certainly get a less expensive room in the Dearborn/Detroit area, that’s a pretty amazing rate for a night at a luxury hotel. I’d stay there again just for the Hospitality Suite and the Bulgari amenities!