Hotel David Whitney, a Marriott hotel in downtown Detroit

I entered the Hotel David Whitney armed for a fight. Last year, View from the Wing reported that this hotel does not honor Marriott’s elite breakfast benefit. So, I walked up to the check-in counter with a print-out of the relevant terms & conditions in my pocket. If they didn’t offer me free continental breakfast, Marriott’s elite benefit guarantee explicitly states that the hotel would owe me $100. I wasn’t sure if I’d really draw this weapon, but I had it ready just in case. But the Hotel David Whitney was prepared. This was not their first elite showdown. The desk agent greeted me warmly, acknowledged my elite status, offered me a welcome gift of 1,000 points or a $10 food and beverage voucher (and ended up giving me both!), and asked if I’d prefer additional points or complimentary continental breakfast since they don’t have a club lounge. The complimentary breakfast would be served from the hotel’s coffee shop/market, rather than the restaurant. That wasn’t ideal (nor was it strictly within the terms that require a restaurant breakfast), but it was good enough for me. I happily eased off the terms & conditions trigger by leaving the printout in my pocket. I was glad I did. We had a lovely stay.

Hotel David Whitney: Bottom Line Review

• Price: During the off-season, rooms typically start at around $350 per night. Point prices typically start at around 40,000 or 50,000 points per night during weekdays and increase to approximately 60,000 points per night on weekends.
• Point Value: Not great. A few point values I calculated were under 0.7 cents per point. In my case, I used an 85K certificate that was about to expire rather than paying 67,000 points for our Saturday night stay. Since I didn’t have any other travel plans before the certificate would have expired, I was very happy with the value I received from it.
• Location: Perfect! The Hotel David Whitney is mere steps from the Tigers’ Comerica Park, the Lions’ Ford Field, the Fillmore Detroit (previously State Theatre), Fox Theatre, and so much more. Additionally, an entrance to Detroit’s elevated People Mover train is connected to the hotel. And, just outside the hotel is a stop for the QLine Streetcar. Both the People Mover and the QLine are free to ride.
• Room: We booked a standard two-queen room since a king room wasn’t available to book with points. The room’s entrance was a large marble foyer, office, and bathroom combination. While unusual, this made the room feel more like a suite than a standard room. The bedroom was spacious and beautifully decorated. The room’s windows looked inward above the hotel’s central atrium.
• Parking: Valet parking is available for $48 per night.
• Resort/Destination Fee: None.
• Internet: Seemed good, but I didn’t use it much.
• Turndown service: None.

• Marriott Titanium Benefits: 
  • Room Upgrade: We booked a standard room and were not offered an upgrade. I had tried to use a Nightly Upgrade Award to confirm a suite, but it never cleared.
  • Free Breakfast: Elite breakfast is offered in the hotel’s market / coffee shop. It seemed that we could get whatever we wanted for free. We each ordered a latte. I also got a toasted everything bagel with cream cheese, yogurt, and a cold drink. The shop didn’t have any seating, so we ate our breakfast in the hotel’s atrium. The bagels were fresh and delicious. This obviously wasn’t as elegant of an experience as we would have had in the hotel’s restaurant, but we enjoyed it anyway.
  • Club Lounge: None.
  • Late Checkout: I didn’t need late checkout, so I’m unsure whether the guaranteed 4 pm late checkout would have been honored.
  • Welcome Gift: I was offered 1,000 points or $10 food and beverage credit. The desk agent gave me both. We used the $10 credit at the hotel’s lobby bar, where we enjoyed excellent cocktails.
• Would I stay again? Definitely. We live less than an hour from Detroit, so this is a great staycation option.

Pros

• The location in downtown Detroit can’t be better
• Large beautiful rooms
• Beautiful lobby atrium

Cons

• Complimentary breakfast for Platinum elites and higher is offered as a take-away service from the hotel’s coffee shop rather than the restaurant.
• The hotel appears to be stingy with respect to elite upgrades.
• Our shower’s water pressure was very low.

Image Gallery

Common Areas and Exterior

Bedroom

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