Packard Motel

I was in the area (my hometown) doing some photography work over two days, and it was cheaper to get a room than to pay taxi fare to go to my family’s house where I was staying and come back, so planned to stay the night.
CASH ONLY. You MUST bring cash. As of now it’s $ 45 for a single, plus a $ 5 key deposit. The store down the street has an atm, but if it’s not working (which it probably won’t be), they’ll do cash back on a purchase for two bucks if you find yourself in a pinch.
Reading Rusty’s review, I was mildly optimistic that this crack hotel (as we always called ‘em growing up in the D) might not be so bad. I was a bit disappointed.
Here’s a list of grievances… My bathroom window was busted out (but the burglar bars were still intact, at least); my bed had no fitted sheet; I found a roach crawling in my sheets when I stripped the bed to check for bugs; my bathroom had no towels, just a wash rag; my cable didn’t work.
If I had paid thirty bucks for the night, I’d feel a bit better about spending my money here. All that said, my favorite thing about the place was the AMAZING shower-​head (and no, it wasn’t detachable; that’s not what I’m getting at lmao). It was clearly upgraded with the different types of sprays, and I’m 95% sure that it was NOT a low-​output, 1.6 GPM showerhead that is standard today. …Too bad the best shower I’d had in at least a year was followed up with realizing there were NO TOWELS in my room. Ugh.
The room was «eh,» a-​ok so long as you had shitty expectations. That said, it was most definitely over-​priced; for $ 45 a night, I should have at least had an over-​bleached towel to use, and a window that wasn’t busted out. There are plenty of crack hotels to choose from in Detroit; this one so happens to cost too much.

I spent the night here a couple months ago. I’d been wanting to check the place out due to its proximity to the historic Packard motor car plant for some time, and now I finally got around to it.
Given the motel’s location and appearance, I was pleasantly surprised at the condition of my room. The whole room was actually quite clean, including the bedsheets and blankets. It was really cold out (around 0 Fahrenheit) that night but the room was nice and toasty. The shower was clean and had good water flow, and the hot water was abundant. The air conditioner looked pretty dead though, so I might think twice before staying there in the summer. It’s really not in a location where you would want to sleep with the windows open.
There was a cable TV in the room with about 30 or so regular channels and two pornographic channels, all free-​to-​watch. The carpet was awesomely retro-​styled, it looked like it was from the late 50s to mid 60s, although it was in inexplicably good condition for its age. There was no deadbolt or other similar security device on the door, at least not in my room. I stuck a chair under the doorknob for some ‘early warning’ in case of trouble, but there was no trouble.
I’m not exactly sure what this motel’s typical clientele is comprised of, but everything was quiet on this particular night.
The room price was only $ 35, and the room was nicer than some Chicago-​area hotels I’ve paid $ 90 at. If you’re just looking for a cheap place to stay in the Detroit area and aren’t terribly fussy, I give this place a solid recommendation.