Detroit Airport's Gardens: A Relaxing Haven For Travelers

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, located in Romulus, Michigan, is the primary international airport serving Detroit and its surrounding areas. It is Michigan's busiest airport, with ten times as many boardings as the next busiest airport in the state. The airport has six runways, two terminals, and 129 gates. It is a hub for Delta Air Lines and Spirit Airlines, with Delta using the airport as its main gateway to Asia for the Eastern United States. The airport offers a free shuttle service to and from the airport and has a range of dining options and amenities for travellers. While there is no specific mention of gardens within the airport, the Wyndham Garden Detroit Metro Airport hotel, located nearby, offers a range of amenities, including a children's playground.

Wyndham Garden Detroit Metro Airport hotel

The Wyndham Garden Detroit Metro Airport hotel is conveniently located just minutes from Detroit Metro Airport, off I-94, and provides guests with a range of unique amenities and comfortable accommodations. The hotel offers a free 24-hour airport shuttle service, making it a convenient choice for travellers.

Guests can enjoy access to a tanning bed, shuffleboard and basketball courts, as well as a children's playground and game room. The hotel also boasts an indoor and outdoor pool, a fitness room, and spacious, non-smoking guest rooms equipped with a 40-inch flat-screen HDTV, an ergonomic workstation, a coffee maker, and plush bedding.

The on-site Palms Café & Lounge serves a complimentary hot breakfast and a range of American classics and international favourites, complemented by a carefully selected beverage menu. The hotel also offers meeting and event spaces, with three event rooms totalling 2,688 square feet, ideal for small to medium-sized gatherings.

The Wyndham Garden Detroit Metro Airport hotel is a great choice for both business and leisure travellers, with its close proximity to the airport, downtown Detroit, and local freeways, making it easy to explore the surrounding areas.

Hilton Garden Inn Detroit Airport Hotel

The Hilton Garden Inn Detroit Airport Hotel is located in Romulus, Michigan, just off I-94 and I-275, and is one mile from Detroit Metro Airport, to which it offers a free shuttle service. The hotel features an indoor pool, a fitness centre, free WiFi, a 24-hour snack shop, and a restaurant with room service. It also offers extended parking with its Stay & Fly Package. The hotel is smoke-free, and guests found smoking inside the hotel premises will be charged a penalty fee of $250.

The hotel has a business centre and meeting rooms, making it a good option for business travellers. It also offers a special discount rate for members of the Hilton Honors programme.

The hotel is within a half-hour drive of the Henry Ford Museum, the University of Michigan, and downtown Detroit.

Guest Reviews

Reviews for the Hilton Garden Inn Detroit Airport Hotel are mixed. While some guests praise the hotel's cleanliness, friendly staff, and convenient location, others complain about noise, lack of extra blankets, and issues with the shuttle service. Some guests also mention issues with thin walls, poor food, and a lack of communication about ongoing renovations.

Detroit Metro Airport's terminals and concourses

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) has two terminals: the McNamara Terminal and the Evans Terminal. These are located at either end of the airport and are not connected to one another. John Dingell Drive runs between the two terminals for connections by car or bus.

McNamara Terminal

Also known as the Northwest WorldGateway, the McNamara Terminal is the larger of the two terminals and is used exclusively by Delta Air Lines and Delta partners Aeromexico, Air France, and WestJet. The terminal has three concourses: A, B, and C, which together house 121 gates.

Concourse A is nearly a mile long and has 62 gates. Passengers can walk between gates or ride the Express Tram, which has three stations along the concourse for easy access to departure gates. The concourse also has three Delta Sky Clubs.

Concourse B has 17 gates and is accessible through a tunnel between gates A38 and A40 in Concourse A. It has shops and restaurants, as well as a children's play area.

Concourse C can also be accessed through the same tunnel and has 23 gates. It features shops, restaurants, and a Delta Sky Club.

Evans Terminal

The Evans Terminal is the smaller of the two terminals, consisting of Concourse D with 29 gates. It is located at the north end of the airport. The terminal has two security checkpoints and US Customs & Border Protection inspection facilities on the lower level for arriving international flights.

Inter-terminal Transport

The only way to travel between the two terminals is by shuttle bus, which departs approximately every 10 minutes from outside the ground transportation areas.

Detroit Metro Airport's history

The Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, commonly known as Detroit Metro, first opened on September 4, 1930, at the corner of Middlebelt Road and Wick Road in Romulus, Michigan. It was initially owned by Wayne County and used to send United States airmail. During World War II, the U.S. Army assumed control of the airport, renaming it the Romulus Army Air Field and using it as a staging base to transport military aircraft to Europe.

In 1944, as the war was coming to an end, the U.S. Army announced plans to release control of the airport. Wayne County resumed ownership in 1947, renaming it the Detroit-Wayne Major Airport and expanding it to four square miles, quadruple its original size. This decision was made to accommodate larger passenger planes, which required longer runways than military aircraft.

In 1956, the Detroit-Wayne Major Airport became one of the first airports to receive long-range radar through a $246 million Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) program, allowing aircraft to be detected from 200 miles away. In the same year, Pan Am became the first airline to fly internationally from the airport.

To accommodate the growing demand for passenger flights, the airport constructed Terminal 1 (later renamed the L.C. Smith Terminal) in 1958. Around this time, the airport was renamed the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Further expansions followed, with the construction of Terminal 2 (later the J.M. Davey Terminal) in 1966, and the Michael Berry International Terminal in 1974.

In 2002, the McNamara Terminal was added, and in 2005, the J.M. Davey Terminal was demolished to make way for the new North Terminal. Today, the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is one of the largest and busiest airports in the United States, covering 4,850 acres and serving over 32 million passengers annually. It is a hub for Delta Airlines and plays a key role in the nation's aviation system, offering more than 800 flights per day to and from three continents.

Detroit Metro Airport's accessibility and transport

Detroit Metro Airport offers a range of accessibility and transport options for its passengers. The airport provides accessible parking spaces in each parking structure and surface parking lot. These are available for vehicles displaying a Disability Parking Placard or Disability License Plate. A free shuttle service is also available to transport travellers to each terminal's Ground Transportation Center.

For passengers requiring wheelchair assistance, this can be requested from your airline prior to your flight. At the McNamara Terminal, wheelchair assistance is available at Door 5 on the Departures Level, with a loading zone and curb ramp to facilitate this. The Evans Terminal offers a similar service at Door 2.

The airport also features Braille signage on ground-level signs, wayfinding signage, visual paging, and hearing loops at certain gates in the McNamara Terminal. Family restrooms are located throughout both terminals and are all wheelchair accessible.

For passengers with additional needs, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) provides information and support for those with disabilities and medical conditions. They also offer a helpline, TSA Cares, which can be reached by phone or email.

In terms of transport to and from the airport, there are various parking options available, including valet parking and cell phone waiting lots. The airport also offers a free terminal-to-terminal shuttle service, stopping at the McNamara and Evans terminals, as well as the nearby Westin hotel.

For those using ridesharing apps, taxis, or luxury sedans, designated pick-up and drop-off points are available. Additionally, public transportation options are also available, providing access to local freeways and downtown Detroit.

Frequently asked questions