Hotel Chataura

The place was dirty from the front entrance through the lobby and into the room. Inside, it smelled like an ashtray, though the rest of the hotel surprisingly didn’t. There were unidentified smears on the wall beside the bed and the bathtub was filthy. We didn’t stay, so we lost our cash deposit. Hotel policy wouldn’t let the night clerk return it, and we were leaving town.

I missed a connecting bus and ended up unexpectedly stuck overnight in Detroit. Compared with sleeping at the Greyhound station, this place was way better. If you sort hotels by price, you have to keep your expectations in check. With the low bar I had set, Hotel Chataura was fantastic, 100% acceptable, and that’s all it’s trying to be. It’s a two-star hotel in a neighborhood that seemed real shady, and it seemed like they party. I party. My room was the smallest hotel room I’ve ever stayed in, but it was clean and comfortable. Nobody bothered me, I didn’t get bed bugs, and nobody invited me to party in the lobby either. A two-star hotel isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I’ve had some of the best nights of my life in seedy, sketchy hotels.

They gave me room 212 after I paid cash for one night. It was dirty, with stains on the white bedsheets and throughout the room. The bathroom was leaking and hadn’t been flushed. I went downstairs to report it and ask for another room. They gave me room 301, where the door was already open and food was everywhere, as if someone had just left and abandoned the food and open door. This was by far the worst hotel I’ve ever been in. They wouldn’t refund me or give me another room, and called the police when I asked for my money back, even though I hadn’t spent one minute in the room. The front desk had no answer, and he was probably high off a wax pen. I’ll make sure health inspectors come check the place. If you’re thinking about going there, don’t!

I stay here a lot and have never had the problems people write about in the bad reviews. Evelyn, Mustafa, and the rest of the front desk team go out of their way to help with what you need. It’s very clean, very safe, and a great price. This is my go-to hotel!