Quote Originally Posted by fryar View Post
I agree with you as well [[my I'm agreeable today).

As regards to the out of towner at the Marriott or, worse yet, the downtown Holiday Inn Express, I think they may not realize what their options are. Coming in from NYC 5 years ago, I can tell you I had no clue whatsoever what to make of the surface lots and shuttered buildings in what was clearly the center of the region - other than that folks around here obviously maxed out the whole car thing, and kind of wrecked the place in the process. There's definitely an initial impression that needs to be overcome, even with people who ain't skeered, because there's no particular reason to think anything worth doing lurks anywhere around there.
Smug and full of answers, I propose a website that a) allows you to order food from downtown restaurants [[and sample their menus) and b) provides an overview of your options downtown, marketed by virtue of a three-part folding brochure with a map of downtown Detroit [[can be an existing map) that the hotel places in all of the hotel rooms [[assuming they're game). This way, you can try to get people who are open to leaving the building to get exposure to some *current* information about what sort of nightlife is available while you're showing them *current* information about the food they can order.
Great, problem solved. <eye roll>
Well, they can now visit the Inside Detroit run welcome center on Woodward, near Compuware, and/or visit the Inside Detroit web site, which features a slew of links to over 100 bars and restaurants in Downtown Detroit.

While you can't get Downtown's food delivered, unless you are lucky enough to live or work near Downtown, Detroit typically has a Taste Fest or something similar every year in New Center. Many local restaurants also have stands at the Winter Blast every Winter.

This is at least a start...