Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center — Hotel in Detroit

I have never had worse customer service than what was experienced at this hotel. My situation is a bit complex, but, in a nutshell, could have been easily rectified with an acknowledgement by the managerial staff at the time it occurred to honor the stay without need for changes due to the misinformation provided by Marriott Corporate and its reservation website.|The situation that entailed my poor experience took place on Monday night, October 13,th 2025. I will not share staff names for protected identification of the individuals, but it was the acting manager for the night as well as the supervising manager at the hotel on that evening. My 18 year old daughter and her same aged boyfriend were attending a concert in Detroit that evening, a gift from my daughter to her boyfriend for his birthday. They were traveling to Detroit from 3 hours away in West Michigan and it was felt that the best thing to do was provide the two of them with a hotel room to stay in following the concert to prevent the need to drive such a long way home in the middle of the night. We decided to book the hotel room with the Marriott at the Renaissance Center because it was nice, safe, clean, and close to the concert venue. We booked the room through Marriott’s reservation service and were able to flawlessly book the room.|Here is the sticky part of the situation. Earlier this summer, I learned that the majority of hotels in Detroit require a person to be 21 years plus to check in independently. My son was attending a concert with friends and we found this out on the day before check-in, shared by the hotel on the pre-check-in checklist. Because of this stipulation in the Marriott hotel we booked with for a room following the concert, I had to drive 2 ½ hours from West Michigan to Detroit to get them checked in. Dropped everything, life was placed on hold, work the next day be damned. Lesson learned by me.|So when it came time to book a hotel for the exact same situation for my daughter, I made sure to check ahead of time for hotels requiring a minimum age of 18 to book with (see picture). The Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center was one of those. It clearly says so on the main reservations webpage. I asked the reservation specialist at the time about the age requirement and was assured that it indeed was the case. I slept soundly knowing that there wouldn’t be a repeat situation as my son. |Well, that didn’t happen. My daughter attempts to check in to the hotel on the day of the concert, and she was turned away from the door. Slammed right in her face. “I’m sorry, but the website is wrong, our hotel policy requires an individual to be 21 years of age to check in. You need to go to another hotel, there are some nice ones in the area.” This is Downtown Detroit, there is no way that an 18 year old young woman should be wandering around looking for a hotel that will meet these age requirements when she already had one booked. She of course calls home to share the dire situation. I proceeded to call and discuss the situation with the manager who was very nonchalant and dismissive of my concerns. He “apologized” multiple times throughout the conversation, also informed me that he checked with his supervising manager (but failed to provide me with a direct number to them to discuss the situation personally). There was nothing they “could do”. Even when the Marriott website for the hotel distinctly says “minimum 18 years of age at check in.” I also was told that the website was “wrong” though this is the CORPORATE WEBSITE. He took no ownership for Marriott in acknowledging the situation and mistake, but resolutely stayed firm for the “hotel’s” policies which were INCORRECT according to the booking website. He informed me that they tell customers to check with the hotel individually at the time of booking to double check the age requirements. Now, how does this make sense? The corporate website says one thing, but at the time of check-in, an individual is barred from entry because an individual hotel “changed” their policies without informing corporate and the booking public? My son’s hotel, which was ACROSS THE STREET, clearly stipulated “must be 21 years of age” for check in. In fact, that hotel’s staff suggested I book with the Marriott Renaissance Center that night because they had a minimum check in age of 18. Well, what to do, but repeat what was trying to be avoided in the first place, and drive 2 ½ hours to Detroit, dropping everything in life at the time, to check my daughter in to her hotel to keep her safe from wondering aimlessly around a busy urban center at night as a young 18 year old woman. What a crock.|What are customers to believe when booking with Marriott? This is a great hotel company, the rooms are always clean and comfortable. But they cannot own up to a mistake made, instead choosing to continue lying to their customers and say it is the customer’s fault and not their own. They don’t take ownership for their mistakes. They don’t rectify a situation diplomatically. They make asinine suggestions to compensate for their mistakes, placing the impetus on the customer, not even taking the time to assist in finding a suitable hotel that is safe and clean like a typical Marriott, and then still collect the customer’s money because “cancellation” fell out of the cancellation deadline. This says a lot about Marriott. Customers are lied to beginning at the time of booking. What else are they lying to customers about? Are the rooms really cleaned? Are facilities...

Review 1 of 2 (please see the following review for the whole story!)

Now that I've settled in from last week's graduation festivities in Detroit, I thought it imperative that I write a review regarding my hotel experience.

As an avid Bonvoy member, it is always my pleasure to frequent these establishments, because of the level of service I receive each time. I have traveled to 37 countries and have stayed in Bonvoy properties all over. Choosing to stay at the Marriott Detroit Renaissance was no different, when searching for the perfect place for my family to stay for my college graduation.

With that said...a day before my arrival, I wanted to reconfirm a couple of things (early check-in, accommodations for my elderly grandmother, transportation, etc.) as I do with any other property I frequent. Upon calling the first time, I was met with a front desk associate who introduced herself as Unique, without any pleasantries. I was okay with that. As I proceeded to attempt to confirm my reservation, she switched to a very nasty and negative tone. I then asked to speak with the manager, she cut me off and put me on hold and eventually “transferred” me. The line disconnected somehow, in which I called back a second time. The second time I called, I was presented with Unique, once again, in which this time, her tone was 1000% dismissive. I stated who I was and the purpose of my call. I then told her that I was just speaking with her and was somehow disconnected. Her immediate and nasty response was, “you didn’t speak to me, I don’t know who you were talking to, but it wasn’t me”. When I tell you Unique had the nastiest attitude ever, I was too shocked and constantly cut off to even try to get a word in… she literally kept talking, becoming quite disrespectful. I then said, okay, you sound just like the previous person and introduced yourself as the last representative. She then “attempts” to lecture me on their hotel policy and so on. She then went on and stated, “I was trying to tell you our early check-in policy and to call the following morning to check on availability”. I stated back, “for you to sit here and swear me up and down that you were not the representative I spoke to, you just ran down every element of the first conversation. Because you knew nothing of what I was calling for, if you were not the original representative”. She became upset with my observation and refused me a manager several times, when I asked. I finally asked if she was refusing to let me speak with a manager to address my concerns”, she then transferred me to Patrick, the manager. By the way, she asked me over 10 times what I needed to talk to him about, after explaining 10 times my reasoning. Again, refusing as I am requesting a manager.

I was very politely met with Patrick, the manager, who was ever so polite, kind and apologetic about my previous experience. I explained to Patrick the incident that resulted from a very simple request initially. I explained to Patrick how much my family and I were looking forward to celebrating my graduation weekend, and unfortunately my experience with Unique ruined it. I was then accommodated, in which Patrick then told me to ask for him upon my arrival to greet me. (Thanks, Patrick)

The next day, my family and I checked in. I will admit, we were greeted with a smile upon check-in, and very hospitable service at glance. As our stay continued, this entire stay became worse. Already dreading any interactions with the front staff based on my earlier experiences, on the first night, I reluctantly contacted the front desk and politely explained that I could not...

(Review 2 of 2, see below for previous post)

The associate literally said, “okkkkaaayyy, and you want me to do what about it? Again, shocked, I then said wow. Every single associate I have met has an attitude, as if we customers wronged them. I don;t know if my experience with Unique circulated, but it was obvious that my family was on eggshells. The associate then said, I can’t help you, let me get you to the IT help desk, and literally disconnected the call. Needless to say, I never got wifi.

I’d like to point out an observation I noticed throughout my entire stay. Every single front staff member addressed and acknowledged every single white person with kindness and respect. I even heard the front staff refer to these customers by name, going out of their way to say hello. Not ONCE, were we or other minorities afforded that same respect, kindness and customer service. I brought this to my family’s attention just to make sure I was not overreacting. Low and behold, they noticed the same trend. Other minorities were NEVER addressed in the same manner. Unfortunately, this hotel proves that sometimes, your own people can be equally prejudiced and racist. And that is exactly how my family perceived it.

Last but not least, on our very last day at the Marriott, my family and I were preparing for our final day in this hotel, because we could no longer accept this level of customer service, in which we opted to go elsewhere. By the way, shout out to MGM for easily accommodating us and showing us what true customer service looks like, despite our skin color. The MGM completely turned our trip around!!! Any who, my Grandmother had called the front desk to ask for extra towels, since room service had not serviced her room, even though she requested. When she called down to the front desk, she asked for a few towels to shower. The front desk associate interrupted her and stated that “there are no more towels” which was APPALLING to say the least. My grandmother then asked, when would more towels be available. The front desk abruptly cut her off, stating, "I said we don’t have any towels for you”. Had I known this conversation happened while we were in the process of relocating, Patrick, myself and the associate would have had an immediate conversation at that moment for remotely even thinking that it is okay to speak to my Grandmother in that manner, let alone a handicapped elder. This entire staff should be ashamed of themselves. They lack customer service, respect, emotional intelligence and many other quantitative traits required for this role. I always say, if you hate your job that much too be negative and rude, stay home. We people pay TOP dollars for great customer service, and unfortunately, we were one of them that NEVER received it.

Bottom line, I will NEVER stay at this establishment or recommend it to anyone. If you are looking for a kind of pleasurable stay, this is not it!!!! Pick any other hotel, besides this one. The unfortunate thing is that the Marriott Detroit Renaissance was a very beautiful and convenient location. Unfortunately nasty attitudes, disrespect and lack of professionalism and customer service spoiled our entire stay.

Also, the young ladies in the breakfast/restaurant areas were AMAZING!!! They were kind and gave stellar customer service every step of the way! Dining in the breakfast space was the only pleasurable aspect of our trip.

In my opinion, the entire front desk staff should be fired or retrained in hospitality and customer service!...