Treated great by all hotel staff, especially front desk staff

Unusually welcoming front desk staff. Helpful, courteous. Restaurant and bar food (same kitchen) good.....happy hour values excellent. Location in downtown Detroit handy to major routes. Will definitely return.

This was a hotel that was booked by the United States Fencing Association for a tournament held in nearby Cobo Center. The USFA staff that works with hotels has a lot of experience in knowing how our group behaves, and I believe they were able to advise the Doubletree what to expect. They didn't get the message, and much worse, they didn't adjust, so that it was just as bad on the last night of a 4 day tournament as it was on the first night.

First the good. This is an attractive property, recently renovated. The rooms were large, and comfortable. The amenities were good. We had an amusing game going with housekeeping on hand towels. Every other day we had one, when two was the appropriate number. Front desk was efficient. Staff was, in general, friendly and when they had time for us, attentive.

The problems were in the restaurant, and the exact problem was not enough staff. As a choice example, several nights, they closed the main dining room, and only served food in the bar. It took me over AN HOUR to get a bowl of soup and a sandwich. After waiting another 15 minutes to try to flag our server down to bring me a check and take an order from a late arriving dinner companion, I grabbed the person who seemed to be a manager and got a bit testy. I got my check, but overall service did not really improve.

Although USFA staff has to be at the venue by 7:00, the restaurant was only scheduled to open at 6:30 and they didn't adjust. One morning, it was more like 6:40, and even when they opened the doors, the food (a buffet is normal) wasn't ready. We were late that day. There was never enough staff in either the dining room or the bar to adequately serve the customers.

And it never got better - day after day, same problem.

So, if you are staying at this property when a large group is around, don't count on any service. They don't understand the word.