SkiAdcock

Thanks for the pics. It sounds like the Starbucks part is just counter vs. a total SB.

Saw an additional one of a mural on the outside of the building by local artist Hannah Berry of Lions & Rabbits. "Hannah's work represents the diversity of nature and humanity in Grand Rapids, and celebrates our city's vibrant arts community."

http://www.facebook.com/DeltaHotelsb...336180/?type=3

Also saw this:

"Come make a splash at the new Delta Hotels by Marriott. Our pool will be operational 7 days a week from 9am-10pm with the waterslide operating Friday and Saturday evenings from 6pm-9pm."

http://www.facebook.com/DeltaHotelsb...275757/?type=3

AATrout

Actually this post is relevant to my reply to our moderator so I’ll consolidate and update that here. Let’s put some reality into the Marriott PR release re: walkable dining and entertainment: "Nestled between the Woodland and CenterPointe Malls, the hotel is also within walking distance of a plethora of dining and entertainment options”

Entertainment:
- Calvin College music department has weekly (and free) classical music events on campus and they are FREE. And very good: Ive driven on campus for 4 or 5 of them and they are great. Its a fine venue. A drive of about 2 miles, but not exactly “walkable.”

- The only walkable entertainment includes a bowling alley and “Sensations”, a strip and lap dance joint, both separated by a car wash across 5 lanes of traffic. I like bowling but I cant expense that or lap dances.

- Dining: It is in fact walkable to chains/franchise outfits but I misstated my assessment that the immediate area is a sea of chain restaurant and big box stores. I forgot that a really fine family owned bakery/ restaurant [Arnies] is still across the beltline adjacent to the Centerpoint (formerly Eastbrook) Mall. This is worth the walk or drive. And the new Trader Joes unfortunately for walkers is on the SE corner of 28th and the beltline. No hot bar but you can grab a wrap for later.

The area: I have stayed in several brands on and off the 28th corridor, but the property is at the western terminus of civilized lodging. I never characterized the immediate area as “ghetto; rather for about 2.5 miles west you see no hotels and when you do, its rooms by the hour and you start the unshaven underarm of strip malls, instant cash, and pay as you go retail the further west you go. That is a fact. Stay in the area of this property and you are fine.

Don’t expect to walk to fine dining and entertainment.

Finally, there are plenty of business and public sector sources for reviewing lodging industry intentions in various jurisdictions. If i was local or had a particular interest in a market I would follow that in addition to Marriott PR releases. I’ll leave that to other posters or a mod to establish a thread/sort out what I provided re: the Grand Rapids market.

SkiAdcock

Dude, for freeking sake, let it go. We get you don't like the property. Geesh.

Others will find the Delta meets their needs, especially on the cost side. (Checking a date in mid-September the JW was $430 & the Delta sub-$200). While I might like the JW I'd certainly look at the Delta (pardon the pun!) w/ that kind of delta in costs.

Again, what is wrong w/ the more options the better for Marriott elites if they need to be in the GR area? Totally confused on your hatred for this property.

(On a totally different note - light green is really hard to read on a white background.) And it should be noted I'm not the mod of this forum. I just spend too much time on it, especially when it comes to the exec lounge sticky (which I spent 4 hours yesterday updating Texas)

Cheers.

AATrout

Didn’t say I did not like the property..Dude...anxiously awaiting your report on your visit to this property.

Ive stayed at the Delta in Toronto. It was fine. New brand to Marriott. Has a club lounge. Looking forward to your report. Will it have a lounge or not. Why don’t you sort out the amenities here and discuss your road trip and what you find when you drive or walk the area. Relax. get past the lime green. What dining and entertainment you find is “walkable"

SkiAdcock

Your suddenly liking the property will be a big surprise to everyone reading this thread, given how much you dissed it & the area in which it's located.

The Deltas in Canada are totally different than Deltas in the US (& Canada have been part of Marriott for 2 years), with the US being more re-branding of other brands/chains to Marriott & not the same calibre of Delta Canada (thank you Marriott for further confusing brands )

Again, my point being that while you don't like the location of this particular property (and it's not like the SHS is much better), the property gives Marriott elites other options in the GR area, especially those that are less expensive than the JW or CY downtown.

As I mentioned up thread I'm in EGR right now. If the Delta opens while I'm here or they're willing to let me do a walk-through I'll report back. My guess is it will be like other Delta US brands wrt to not quite lounge, but offer some brekkie offerings (but all of which have squat to do w/ the location, which was your biggest complaint).

Cheers.

AATrout

Had no opinion on the property. Gave you a heads up on the area. Location was not an issue. Its fine but with challenges. Don’t care about breakfast. That would be nice. What is walkable and what do you find acceptable entertainment and dining.

Never disagreed with you on the delta between this and the JW. But sometimes its <$30 for non elites booking the lounge/club level. How about you do your trip report, hoof it to dining and entertainment and give a fair assessment?

SkiAdcock

I've stayed in the area of the Delta on multiple occasions, and yes I had common sense. Thanks for the diss in your original post.

I've also stayed at the SHS Airport before; the Delta is within a mile (and the SHS is behind a Target, so it's not like it's in prime location). If the Delta is less expensive then yes it's definitely on my radar.

Of course location was an issue or you wouldn't have banged on so many posts about it, saying your folk in downtown agreed w/ you, yada, yada, provided links to other potential properties. As I mentioned up thread, if you're concerned w/ GR & its options, then create a generic thread about new & upcoming ones & make it generic so even current ones can be discussed, vs. sidetracking this property thread.

I've checked multiple dates now between the Delta & the JW (and even CY downtown). There's always a $150+ delta (again, pardon the pun) w/ the Delta being cheaper. So for those who need to be in GR but can't afford downtown - or whose bizness isn't even downtown or need a relatively close airport location - this is a good option for them.

That's been my point all along, unlike yours w/ the area/location.@:-)

Cheers

AATrout

SHS has always been a good property for downtown or the area sw of GRR. Don’t see the value further west on 28th. If I have to drive and no lounge, Ill go for the newest and uncomplicated property. For all the reason I enumerated earlier, if you forward a a Marriott PR release not expecting comment: what are you posting at all?

You waved off my review that the SHS is close to the 28th/ 96 interchange. If I go downtown its fine for that and for decent dining along 28th east into Cascade.

So far this is problem you have with an outsider and local native that has logged far more time in Grand Rapids Marriott properties in your area than you have.

lets see your trip report.

hockeyinsider

What @AATrout didn't mention is that this was a Ramada property. That tells me something.

Does anyone know if it was always a Ramada property or was it re-flagged Ramada from Holiday Inn? Going from Ramada to Delta is a big, big jump.

I can only presume there is a contract with Calvin, including NCAA Division III college sporting events, but even then that is only late August-early December and early January-late April/early May. I have to imagine it will be extremely quiet from May through August, unless the hotel locks in youth soccer and baseball tournaments at the weekend.

SkiAdcock

You have no idea of my stay patterns in GR. I've stayed at almost all of them over the years. Also I've lived in the area before & now again for several years, so am familiar w/ the area.

The SHS & Delta are a mile apart. Most Marriott elites will find that acceptable, especially w/ the Delta being less expensive. Also there are other properties that are also not that far from downtown. The harping re: how horrible the Delta's location is a bit ridiculous.

It's better for Marriott folk to have more options in GR, especially less expensive options, as not everyone has the budget for the JW or needs to be downtown.

Cheers.

SkiAdcock

No property exists just for a quarter's worth of bizness from a single entity. There are plenty of corporations in the area, as well as 5 universities.

And there are Marriott elites who will come to GR/need to be near there or have a car & find the distance acceptable who want a less expensive option than other Marriott properties. I've done a search on multiple dates (weekends & weekdays & dif months). The Delta comes up less expensive (as it does in other cities). If someone wants to stay w/in the Marriott family & is on a limited budget, this property will meet their needs.

Cheers.

Horace

Yes. Delta Hotels Grand Rapids Airport was Ramada Plaza Grand Rapids. And, before that, it was Radisson Hotel Grand Rapids East. The hotel was built in 1970.

For the Delta Hotels brand, it should not matter what a hotel's brand used to be. What should matter is the physical condition of the hotel, whether it has the attributes required of a Delta full-service hotel, and how it is operated.

W Chicago - Lakeshore, where it's hard to get a room for less than $500 per night, used to be a Days Inn (and a Holiday Inn before that).

NDDomer86

This property is a pig that tries hard and put a fresh coat of lipstick on, but is still a dump...

I am staying here on a paid Suite reservation that had to be swapped to a points reservation at the last moment due to fraudulent activity showing up on my travel card. The hotel was kind enough to transfer the Suite over to my points reservation, but the room I was given is completely unacceptable on a free upgrade, much less had I actually paid for it.

Check-in staff was friendly but seemed a bit ditzy and unfamiliar with the Marriott check-in process (despite this property having branded as a Delta Hotel nearly a year ago). For example, I was told that it was assumed that I wanted the points instead of breakfast, there was no specific mention of the Platinum Arrival Gift, and I was asked for my key packet back after it was handed to me so the agent could see which room she assigned me. The agent walked from behind the desk to explain the amenities and elevator location to other guests, but this courtesy was not provided to me.

The Suite is not a true one-bedroom suite but rather a parlor suite with two connecting rooms and both rooms having a hallway entry door. My key would only access the bedroom door and when I mistakenly thought I was given a standard king room, I was told to open the connector door for the parlor portion. Of course it was locked from the other side and my key would not open the parlor's hallway door, so another trip to front desk ended in refusal to give me a key for the parlor but rather having the manager accompany me up to the room so that he could open the connector door in the parlor. When we opened the hallway door, it was clear that the room had not been cleaned, there was a shop-vac sitting in the middle of the room, debris all over the floor from a crumbling and severely water damaged ceiling/roof (I am on the top floor), and the wall mounted A/C unit was missing. The manager mumbled about how this must be why the room was put on block (even though I had booked a paid reservation for it originally) and promised to have most of the things corrected.

After an hour and both maintenance and the manager returning to the room, a new A/C unit was installed (though it is very weak), the shop-vac was removed, and the room was "cleaned".

There is an extremely loud vent in both the bathroom of the bedroom portion and in the wet bar area of the parlor that cannot be turned off (and is not connected to the A/C units). The A/C is weak in both rooms and housekeeping is abysmal as there is food and trash scattered about in various areas of the suite and a used shaving kit was found in one of the cabinets.

This is my third Delta hotel and I have to say that I am COMPLETELY unimpressed with the brand.

SkiAdcock

Wow - sounds like a big fail on their part.

I stopped by there last year a few days before they re-opened as Delta & got a tour. Staff/management were excited about re-branding to Delta. I think I still have photos of the place on my camera. Will try to post them at some point. I took quite a few of rooms, pool area, etc.

Cheers.

hockeyinsider

You should get some points back for the unacceptable state of the "suite."