Staybridge Suites Detroit-Utica by IHG — Hotel in Utica

Disappointing.

Good: - One of the few hotels in the area where a "suite" actually has a door between rooms, i.e. you can have one person watching TV while another is sleeping--many of the suites nearby are one big room with a TV console type divider--i.e. the light and TV in one portion will be distracting to anyone on the other side. - Kitchenette had everything we needed. 4x mugs, glasses (large and small), plates, etc. Several pots for cooking. Good size fridge for the space. - Accepts dogs. We did not bring ours with us this time, but had considered it and that played into our decision to make a reservation here.

Bad: This hotel has not been maintained. A lot of little things pointed to that problem. Grease stains on the furniture (notably, it looked like they had been wiped at some point), loose door handles, etc. No fan in the bathroom area meant we had dirty/moldy condensation on the ceiling. There was an empty beer bottle out the back door on the lawn for at least 2 days and a small dog poop remnant (obviously stepped in) along the back sidewalk. I get that customers can be pigs, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't still keep the area well maintained. My family all had allergies in the morning which cleared up within a 1/2 hr of leaving the hotel--a sign we had mold in the room based on previous experiences. - This is a quibble, but when you reserve a room for 4 people, you should get 4 bath towels. This is the latest of the hotels we've stayed in where we only get three, necessitating a trip to the front desk just to shower. - Most importantly--the staff did not keep their masks on. They were friendly but did not follow health guidelines or MI requirements. Behind the desk (with plexiglass) they all roamed freely which, given the plexiglass was not full-coverage across the front or side, was not fully protective for them or me. While I was waiting, saw a young girl buying snacks where there was no plexiglass and the staff member did not put on her mask to help her (the customer had hers on properly). I never saw the cleaning staff wearing their masks properly when we walked by. At times on the chin till I came by when they put them on, but most of them had their nose sticking out throughout. Some staff members put on masks when leaving the front desk (appreciated) but at least one was seen, while I was waiting for towels, coming out to get coffee without a mask. My brother was in another hotel and didn't have this problem--we would have moved if we could have gotten a suite somewhere else (we looked). - Check-in was also a problem. Whatever the check-in clerk did, she managed to cause two of my credit cards to put a fraud-block on my cards (and one of my husband's). After the third card had been 'rejected' (i.e. something funny was going on with the system, and our banks had locked the accounts because each had 3-4 charges against each card), the clerk asked for cash (for a 6-night stay!)--I don't carry that kind of cash around, and the card on file had been accepted originally on the reservation. This was sorted out but took nearly a 1/2 hour and we had to call each credit card company afterwards to unfreeze our accounts. What a mess. Like other reviews, we were not greeted as members, despite my having made reservations...

We've stayed at this specific property a total of five or six times, three of those over the past twelve months and over a period of about three or four years.

Over that period, the physical condition of this property has declined/deteriorated. What was originally a well-maintained property is decidedly not the case in November 2024. Rips in furniture upholstery, worn room/common area carpeting, closet and kitchen doors that are askew are pretty much the norm. An October check-in resulted in a room with a non-functional AC and a room @ 84 degrees. The hotel did provide a replacement room, but it was a downgrade as our separate bedroom suite was sold out. Our November stay was a room with no functioning light in one room (the fluorescent bulbs were blackened and consumed - maintenance replaced them the following AM). Most of the complimentary use washer/dryers are non-functional and the list of simply worn-out infrastructure goes on.

Balance these negatives against a typically great room rate, very friendly staff and at least for us, a great and convenient location that always felt safe.

This property presents an interesting dilemma in that with current daily/weekly rates, it represents an economic deal, IF you are willing to accept staying in a property in need of significant upkeep.

A hotel right up the street (also with multiple stays by us) was in a similar boat and they completed an extensive refresh earlier in 2024. I suspect that this IHG branded property will need to do the same to avoid a further decline.

My test for any hotel/restaurant is a simple question. Would I spend more money with that property? Other competing similar extended stay suite properties in the general area are about 30-40%/night more expensive. As I write this review, my question remains unanswered ... although my wife probably has th...

Our stay was not bad. I enjoy the amenities of the rooms; kitchen/full fridge/atmosphere. Breakfast was "good" for the typical chain hotel breakfasts. Good food options. The staff was friendly and attentive. Our room was clean but my mother's and sister's rooms were not. (hair and crumbs on the floors/couch)The hotel needs maintenance in so many places, however. The rooms have chipping paint and cracks in the walls/windowsills. The screens in our room were torn. The shower has scum around the device that holds the bottles of shampoo/body wash/conditioner, and that device was broken. The weeds around the entire building ESPECIALLY the pool are OUT OF CONTROL! I was so tempted to started pulling weeds just because it's THAT BAD! Moss/mold on the sides of the hotel and in the gutters; there were actually trees growing in the gutters!!! The pool area has old water/soda bottles under most of the bushes and the pool safety equipment hanging on the fence was visibly broken/ripped. The hotel has such potential to be awesome. PLEASE - hire a maintenance crew and landscape company to spruce up the place. Lastly; not the fault of the hotel per se, but local families were using the pool/bbq areas 2 of the 4 nights I stayed (including morning). Their kids took over the pool/hot tub and the parents did not seem to care. Screaming, spraying ME and my husband with squirt guns, running and doing flips into the pool and HOT TUB - no lie! A little fun is fine, but the noise level and dangerous actions were too much, so we left the pool. Breakfast was a positive; along with the sleep comfort of the room. I am not super picky about cracks and blemishes, but an honest review is what I'm giving. Yes, I would stay here again. The hotel has such potential to be...