Since my first Fairfield Inn stay in 2014, I’ve been hooked with Marriott. Now, I am on a person quest to stay at every Marriott Bonvoy brand at least once. Welcome to my #EveryMarriottBrandChallenge, #2.
Table of Contents
| Date | Room type | Status | Rating |
| July 3, 2023 (1 night) | Studio with Two Queen Beds | Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite | 4.5/5 |
Ratings:
OVERALL: 4.5/5
Location: 5/5
Service: 3/5
Rooms: 4.5/5
Amenities/facilities: 4/5
Dining: 5/5
Design: 5/5
Value: 5/5
In one sentence
Situated in a beautifully restored historic building, the Element Detroit at the Metropolitan has simple but bright and refreshing rooms and an excellent complimentary breakfast and rooftop lounge, making it an excellent base for a Detroit trip.
Premise
During the first two nights of my Detroit sojourn, I decided to stay at a hotel across the river at the TownePlace Suites Windsor (review) mainly for budgetary reasons. However, I couldn’t finish the trip without experiencing one of Detroit’s historic hotels.
The decent historic hotels in downtown Detroit were all quite expensive. Fortunately, with the points earned through my AMEX Marriott credit card, I was able to book a standard room with 2 queen beds at the Element Detroit at the Metropolitan for 32,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, which is situated in the neo-Gothic Metropolitan Building that had been abandoned for decades prior to its restoration and conversation to a hotel a few years ago. The lowest cash price at the time was around US$350, giving me over 1 cent per point in value, which is well over the target redemption value of Marriott Bonvoy points. Incredibly, around a week before departure, I randomly checked and discovered that the points cost had decreased to 22,000 points. Taking advantage of Marriott Bonvoy redemption reservations’ free cancellation policy, I rebooked my room at the lower rate. Sweet deal!
As my first time staying at an Element hotel, I was curious about the branding and design of the hotel as well as the architecture of the Metropolitan Building, so I was really looking forward to this stay.
Arrival/first impressions
Since we were 3 people travelling together and staying in one room, the day before check-in, I used the Marriott app to message the front desk and ask for an upgrade from a Standard Room to a Studio, which is a bit larger. They agreed in a heartbeat! That gave me a great first impression of the hotel.
I had actually passed by the hotel during the second day of my trip (and first day of actual sightseeing) during a walking tour with Preservation Detroit, during which the guide also pointed out the popularity of the Monarch Club, the hotel’s rooftop lounge. It all looked and sounded amazing and made me more excited for the stay.
In the afternoon of our check-in day, we parked our car at the nearby Detroit Opera House garage after reading a suggestion online (it turned out to be a big mistake and cost us US$35 for one night’s parking) and took a short walk to the hotel.
Upon entering the building, it was apparent that the hotel did a fabulous job with the building restoration and conversion. Before reaching the front desk, one passes through a hallway with marble flooring and walls, which reflect the light and brightens the space. The walls have two rows of decorative plaster with colourful geometric murals in between them while the roof has exposed wooden beams, adding to the historic vibe. On the right-hand side near the entrance is a staircase with intricately decorated railings. Even if you are not staying at the hotel, this hallway is worth checking out, and be sure to ascend the stairway to the second floor, where you would have a better view of the wall decorations on one side, and a view towards the John Portman-designed GM Renaissance Centre on the other side (which, by the way, houses the Marriott hotel and the excellent High Bar) .
Turning left at the end of the hallway, I reached the small but modern front desk, where I was greeted by Diamond, a bright and cheerful front desk agent who took the time to explain the hotel’s features and amenities to us, which I found to be very helpful in navigating the hotel. Her upbeat vibes added to my positive first impression of the hotel.
Close to the front desk is the hotel’s complimentary bicycle rental station, which is very handy if, say, you would like to cycle to the riverfront. Beyond the front desk is the lobby seating area where there are some armchairs and lounge chairs around a fireplace and a long, rectangular work desk with flowing edges . It’s a small but cozy area, albeit with a lack of natural light due to its situation near the back of the building.
Room
Our Studio with Two Queen Beds was on the 11th floor, which is one of the top guest room floors. Upon entering our room, I was immediately struck by its brightness, spaciousness, and modern, minimalist design.
The room has two large picture windows that offer fabulous views of the Detroit skyline (and its rich collection of early 20th century skyscrapers), allowing ample natural light to enter. The lightness and roominess are enhanced by the high ceiling, the white walls on three sides, and the ample space between the beds and the row of desk/kitchen on the other side of the room. That is a big plus for me as I am a fan of natural lighting in rooms.
The design style of the room is very much modern and minimalist. I particularly liked the wood-coloured headboards of the beds that curve at the edges, while the olive green wall behind the beds contrasts nicely with the other white walls and fits in with Element Hotels’ branding. The desk and lamps are all in a modern style – I liked the slanted desk legs.
Being an extended stay hotel, the studio has a nicely appointed full kitchen flanked by white walls; it looks like something you would see in a modern condominium studio. The kitchen is compact yet well stocked, with a nice, deep kitchen sink, and a glass jar for water that was a nice touch and more environmentally friendly than bottled water. The stainless steel fronts of the microwave, dishwasher and refrigerator add to the room’s modern urban vibe. The room also has ample storage space, with a good-sized closet/storage area beside the entrance.
The bathroom is also quite spacious, with a large shower and a vanity with lots of space on the surface and a wood-coloured front that gives it a refreshing look. Just be careful with the shower – it might be a bit slippery. The sink is also extremely shallow, making it easy for water to splash out of it. It’s a big contrast with the deep kitchen sink…Something in the middle of the two will do for the bathroom.
One aspect I would point out about the room design is that it does not have the historic charm of the building itself. However, the modern vibe worked for me, and the room had a homey feeling rather than a generic, cookie-cutter hotel room. Given the generous amount of space in the room, however, it would have been nice to have a sofa bed in lieu of the current lounge chair that is rather small and uncomfortably armless, especially considering that the hotel is an extended stay brand – something like Courtyard by Marriott’s standard in-room sofa bed will do. (I later realized that only some Studios with Two Queen Beds at the hotel have a sofa bed.) Overall, the room design felt refreshing and inspired, and definitely left me with a positive impression of the Element brand.
Food
Element Hotels offer complimentary breakfast, and I found it to be a highlight of my stay. The breakfast area is in an elongated, small-ish room on the mezzanine level. There are a few standard hot and cold items, while the highlight is the made-to-order dish. When I visited, the dish was eggs (made in any way you like) with vegetables and dressing that was beautifully presented and rivaled a plate at a decent sit-down brunch restaurant. There is also a yoghurt and berry station that is much better than the supermarket bottled yoghurt offered at other hotels with complimentary breakfast. It was hands-down the best breakfast I’ve had so far at a hotel that offers complimentary breakfast to all guests.
However, the service of the breakfast staff member could be improved. While the cooking was excellent and deserves compliment, the dish was delivered to us with a straight face. Additionally, nearing the end of breakfast time, I noticed that the staff member was going to clean up the yoghurt counter, so I wanted to get a bowl of yoghurt before it was put away. I went over and politely indicated that. However, she seemed frightened by me and slightly annoyed by my wanting to get a bowl of yoghurt. It was not very welcoming.
The Element Detroit does not have a full restaurant but instead has a renowned rooftop bar, the Monarch Club, which I was looking forward to visiting. After check-in and taking a rest in our room, at about 6 PM, we decided to take the elevator upstairs to the 13th floor to visit the bar.
However, to our disappointment, we were told that the bar was closing soon and was at capacity for the rest of the day, so we were unable to sit down and order any food or drinks. Word of advice: Make reservations! I still didn’t want to miss the rooftop entirely, so I asked if we could take a look around the terrace, and they allowed us in. Passing through the bar/lounge area, I noticed that it is tastefully decorated but rather small. The terrace, however, is of a good size, and the views of the city’s skyline are amazing! You can also see Comerica Park and get a close-up view of the Metropolitan Building’s architectural details. I can imagine that on a cool, clear fall day, this would be the perfect spot for drinks and conversation. The terrace is not to be missed!
Amenities & service
The hotel does not have a pool but does have a bright, decent-sized fitness centre. It’s also worth wandering around the mezzanine level to check out the before-and-after photos of the building. It would allow you to see how painstaking the restoration was and further appreciate the building’s current state.
We checked-out in the morning and were greeted by a different agent at the front desk, who was also sweet and pleasant. However, there were some inconsistencies in the service during my stay. Other than the experience with the breakfast room staff, as mentioned in the previous section, there was also an instance when I was messaging the hotel in the Marriott app to tell them about an incident during the stay, and after saying “thank you,” the staff member replied by saying “my pleasure” but also telling me that “there is no need to respond because it will reopen the chat.” It just seemed such a weird and unnecessary way to respond to a “thank you”. The service is one aspect that I see the hotel needing improvement to make for a more pleasant experience.
Verdict
Among the many Element Hotels with modern but generic architecture, the Element Detroit at the Metropolitan is a unique, inspiring flagship. I really appreciated the investment in the restoration of this neo-Gothic early 20th century skyscraper; today, it is a jewel in downtown Detroit. Being my first time staying at an Element Hotel, I loved the branding, amenities, and room design; the complimentary breakfast is a standout and the hotel’s popular Monarch Club rooftop bar is unmissable. More consistency in service would take the experience to the next level!
