Radisson Hotel Southfield-Detroit — Hotel in Southfield

Extremely Disappointing Experience at Radisson Hotel, Southfield, Michigan

I recently stayed at the Radisson Hotel in Southfield, Michigan, and I feel absolutely compelled to warn others about my appalling experience. It was one of the worst hotel stays I've ever had, and there are serious concerns that you should be aware of before considering this property.

No Business License – Completely Unprofessional The first red flag was learning that the hotel does not have a valid business license. I found this out through a conversation with a local resident while I was trying to get help with a problem. This is beyond concerning and frankly illegal! How is a hotel allowed to operate without a business license? It's incredibly irresponsible, and I can't believe Radisson, a major brand, is associated with such an establishment. This speaks volumes about the hotel's lack of accountability and professionalism.

Boiler Was Broken – No Hot Water Another major issue was the boiler being broken, which meant there was no hot water for showers. When I asked the front desk about it, I was met with indifference. I was told that it "wouldn't be fixed until later" and that "they were working on it." Needless to say, this was extremely inconvenient and frustrating. I had to endure freezing cold water for both my shower and for washing my hands. This was unacceptable, especially for a hotel that claims to offer basic amenities.

Lack of Basic Amenities and Maintenance The hotel room itself was in poor condition. Carpet mites, roaches, other carpet infestation. Food was unsanitary, chef was sick and still prepared food. The heating/air conditioning system was broken, and the room smelled musty and damp. It was evident that the property wasn’t being maintained properly. For the price I paid, I expected much better. The carpets were stained, the bathroom was dirty, and it felt like the entire place hadn't been updated in decades.

Rude and Unhelpful Staff As if the physical issues weren’t enough, the staff at this location was unprofessional and downright rude. When I asked about the lack of hot water, the response I received was dismissive at best. No one seemed to care about my comfort or concerns, and when I requested to speak to a manager, I was told they were "busy" and would "get back to me," but no one ever did.

Terrible Communication and Customer Service Communication was a disaster. No one communicated about the broken boiler, and I had to find out about the situation through random guests in the lobby. When I brought this up at check-out, I was met with excuses and no apology. There was absolutely no effort to make things right, nor any compensation for the inconvenience of having no hot water or the myriad of other issues I encountered.

Unsafe and Uncomfortable The hotel felt unsafe and poorly managed. From the lack of basic services to the staff’s negligence, it was clear that this was a property struggling to stay afloat. I was genuinely uncomfortable during my stay and left feeling uneasy about the state of the place.

Conclusion: Do Not Stay Here This was a terrible experience, and I would strongly advise against booking a stay at the Radisson Hotel in Southfield, Michigan. Between operating without a business license, not having hot water, and the complete lack of care from the staff, it’s clear this place is not fit for guests. I would suggest looking for other hotel options in the area that are actually licensed, well-maintained, and staffed by professionals. Avoid this hotel at all costs. It's a disaster from...

Radisson Hotel Attn: Hotel Manager / Guest Relations

Subject: Formal Complaint Regarding Unsafe Conditions and Poor Service During Stay

Dear Management,

I am writing to formally file a complaint regarding my recent stay at your property, which was both unsafe and unacceptable, particularly considering that I am a handicapped individual who had specifically requested accommodations to meet my needs.

My partner and I had booked a room for a family weekend. Due to unforeseen travel issues, we contacted the hotel in advance to advise of our late arrival and request a reservation change. Despite this, I noticed an attempt to charge my bank account for the prior night, and upon check-in, I was charged an early check-in fee. During this process, we were assisted by a gentleman whose behavior was unprofessional, dismissive, and who appeared unknowledgeable.

At check-in, we requested a handicapped-accessible room, yet we were told none were available and were placed on the 12th floor. After further discussion, the staff provided us with a bathing stool as an alternative accommodation.

Later that day, after resting from our travel, I attempted to shower. As I closed the glass shower door, it came off its hinges. My partner came to assist me, and the glass door shattered completely—striking him on the head and covering the shower and bathroom floor with broken glass. I sustained cuts to my shoulder, and down the right side of my body where I am still removing glass shards and he received several glass pieces in his feet as he attempting to move through the debris to call the front desk for help.

Despite multiple attempts to reach the front desk, no one answered immediately. When contact was finally made, I requested a manager to come to our room right away. After waiting with no response, my partner personally went to the lobby, where he saw the manager standing with towels in hand, conversing with staff rather than responding to our urgent situation.

It was only after he approached the manager directly and explained the severity of the incident—that my handicapped partner was still in the shower, sitting on the stool, covered in glass and bleeding—that the manager’s attitude changed and once he saw how things looked, at that point, he became apologetic, helpful, and was suddenly able to provide us with a handicapped-accessible room on the first floor, which had allegedly not been available earlier.

This entire ordeal not only ruined our trip but also posed a serious safety hazard. The lack of urgency, professionalism, and appropriate accommodations is unacceptable, and we consider this a matter of both negligence and discrimination against disabled guests.

We are formally requesting: A full copy of the incident report from this occurrence. Documentation of the charges applied to our reservation, including the attempted early billing and the early check-in fee. A written explanation of how your hotel intends to address both the unsafe conditions and the unprofessional handling of...

Radisson Hotel initially presents itself as a very decorative and nice looking. The Water Garden decor in the lobby is very nice and artistic. The building itself looks appealing without being over the top. And the foggy clear wall behind the front desk, with the blue green watery projections on it, adds a nice atmospheric feel.

Unfortunately, that's where it ends. When you get to your room, you realize that it's just very basic, minimal effort design, and minimal upkeep (such as what looked like bugs in the bathroom light). The refrigerator door opens in a hard to use opposite direction. My TV remote, a so-called clean remote, was excessively dirty and looked like it had been chewed on as well as had staple punctures or tooth punctures in it like a baby was teething on it. It also didn't work and I had to get a replacement (which, at least the lady at the front desk was very nice about). The furniture is simple, nothing really special in its design or appeal. The desk and chairs are not even basic house furniture, but have more of a penny-pinch feel to them. I'm not expecting fancy, but at least quality office appeal, like you are working for a company that values its employees rather than just giving them a place to work. I have stayed at much cheaper hotels that look much nicer. King, the so-called King bed is not actually proper king size, being somewhere closer to a squarish queen size. (Google says it's a "short king", at 72x75 inches instead of the proper 76x80. This is even smaller than an "RV king".)

I do like that they had built-in USB ports for charging. However, the internet is very spotty and drops connection frequently throughout the day. The shower takes a good 5 minutes to warm up at the 7th floor. The handlebar on the shower door is also too small to hang a towel through, and the placement of the shelf above the toilet is also a risk of dropping something into the toilet bowl. Overall, the placement of things is very awkward and it's as if the architects were thinking about the exterior design of the building but not thinking about the functional layout and usability of space inside it. The I do like that the bathroom stuff has a tape seal on it to at least show that it is new from the staff and not left over from the prior guest. The tape is on their very securely and not easily removable to be replaced with a new strip, confirming that it is virtually impossible for them to be reused.

Otherwise, most of the staff was really friendly and helpful (the shorter lady who works there was amazing, but the male who was there in the late evening seemed like he couldn't understand anything outside of basic questions). The on-site restaurant is nice with good food, but a little pricey.

Overall, it's a decent, minimal place to stay. Just don't be fooled by the exterior look and understand that your room is going to be significantly different and have a feel of inferior quality for that...