Originally Posted by
HMPS
Those who want to stay downtown need to remember the parking costs and what will the family do while you are gone all day ....if you stay in suburban locations (avoid Southfield location on week ends- terrible breakfast and family reunion crowds). But if you keep the car, what will the family do for transportation? Shopping is better in the suburbs. Safety can be an issue at night in downtown.
Carry your passports to go across tt Windsor ONT. Canada...great restaurants etc. Nice river walks..... Disclaimer : Have not stayed downtown in last few years.
There isn't much in Windsor anymore. 9/11 really killed downtown Windsor. Before then, workers in downtown Detroit could drive over to Windsor for lunch. You didn't need a passport then. Downtown Windor today is really depressing and kind of ghetto.
Detroit's downtown is much better, but it's mostly bars, sports and entertainment. There remains very little in terms of retail shopping. You could, however, walk 10 minutes from the Renaissance Center, rent bicycles and ride to Belle Isle for a day. If you enter by foot or bicycle there's no admission charge.
The Marriott in Troy has a shuttle bus that takes you to Somerset, which is probably the best shopping mall in Michigan.
The Marriott in Livonia is attached to a B-list mall that has two big department stores and is 10 minutes, max, from the bigger shopping mall Twelve Oaks.
The Marriott in Auburn Hills/Pontiac/Bloomfield Township is about 10 minutes from Somerset and also has a shuttle bus, but I'm unsure how far it takes you.
Another option is the Dearborn Inn Marriott, although the rooms were shabby and dilapidated when I stayed there in late spring/early summer 2017. Supposedly, the rooms were renovated in 2008 but I think all they did was add televisions and maybe lamps. The decor looked more like Marriott circa 2002-2003. Management promised a renovation would occur in 2017-2018, but the hotel ownership refuses to pay for it. The only update has been new TVs. This hotel is a short walk from Greenfield Village, which is great for families.