Amway Grand Plaza

I hate writing bad reviews. We had such high hopes for this stay, but it was just meh. We come to GR several times a year and usually stay at the JW. We thought we'd try The Amway. Having grown up in Michigan, we expected to we wow'd. We were not. The first problem was that we expected to be in the newer tower portion of the hotel based on our reservation. On check-in, we learned we were in the old portion. The history is interesting to see, but the room was disappointing for the cost (very dated, very small). After 25 minutes of trying to get hot water, I went to the front desk. They apologized and explained how to book a riverview if you want to be in the tower... so lesson learned about making the reservation. The front desk was accommodating (thank you!) and moved us to the tower (it was Jan 1, and the hotel was pretty empty). This move incurred a $50 upgrade cost, however. We were already paying north of $500 before the upgrade. The Tower room was much nicer in terms of view. We got a nice corner view, which was the highlight of the stay. The room was not very clean though (in fact, I picked up party favors left on the floor of our room from New Years Eve the night before upon entering), and there were crumbs on the floor throughout the room. The shower was definitely dated, paint peeling, mold, etc. In terms of comfort, there were no cups for the coffee maker, only lids. There was no body soap, and the shampoo/conditioner were Dollar Store level. The pill sized, cheap hand soap we got never got replaced during our stay. Housekeeping only made the bed, did not take cups from the night before (they were left on our bedside tables). No robes, not great blankets, meh pillows. The biggest complaint we have after two nights, however, is the roaring sound of the heater kicking on. Every time the thermostat kicked the heat on, it sounded like a jet engine taking off. It woke us throughout the night. It was so loud that you couldn't hear the TV over it. We have slept terribly, having come here for respite and recharge. Sadly, I don't think we'll consider the Amway again when we visit. For the price, you can do better here.

We came to Grand Rapids to visit family for the holidays. Unfortunately there are no 5 star hotels in the area, so we decided on Amway. The hotel room was small, dated, and not very clean. The bedding felt like sandpaper and we didn’t even have proper sheets. There was an oversized sheet tucked in as a fitted sheet, the lumpy duvet didn’t have a proper duvet cover it was just sandwiched between two scratchy sheets. Housekeeping consisted of taking out the trash and leaving fresh towels, nobody actually cleaned our room. Usually hotels make the beds, change sheets if needed, clean the bathroom, vacuum, etc. There was also dirt and debris behind the dressers and the shower was rusty. Everything felt old, overused, and dirty. The room was also noisy we heard every car driving by at night. I guess next time we will try the JW Marriot. I really wish GR would get a decent hotel.

I had high hopes for this stay, choosing the hotel because of fond memories staying there many years ago, and for the great indoor swimming pool, which was hyped up for my 8 year old daughter. Upon checking in we were informed, after asking what time the pool closed, that it was out of service. Big disappointment, and not mentioned on the website at time of booking earlier that same day. They allowed use of the adjacent JW hotel pool, but disappointed nonetheless. Our room was in the non-tower area and was less than impressive given the high nightly rate. We found crud in the corners and behind the TV (I saw that because I had to plug the tv in to turn it on). The beds are stiff, well past their useful life. And wow was it a noisy room - any chatter in the hallway comes right through, and construction outside was loud in the early morning. Service seemed phoned in; no line at check in, but made us stand there awhile and barely looked up. A large wedding party took up a huge common area for one day, which would’ve been a good place for us to sit and play cards. I’d look elsewhere downtown until this place gets some renovation or new ownership.

We recently held a college reunion at the Amway. The customer service, at every point (from check-in, to restaurants, valet service, etc etc etc) was 5 star. The hotel is beautiful. Rooms spacious, very clean and quiet. Several members of our group were given free room upgrades. It is very close to the Gerald Ford Museum, Meijer Gardens, and restaurants. We highly recommend this hotel.

The Amway has a beautiful property, but sadly our guest room left a lot to be desired. Dirt in the corners of the bathroom and room, dust and build up on many surfaces of the makeup mirror, stains on the carpet, discolored sheets. Very unimpressed for the price.