Say what? The road to a high occupancy hotel with solid average room rates starts with "differences (that) will be subtle:"
1. LED light bulbs
2. Low-flow toilets
3. Business cards made of recycled paper for Pumphrey and other staff

Boy, those changes should really turn the tide in no time. No wonder the billionaire Pritzker family of Hyatt Hotel fame decamped from Dearborn - they were using the wrong light bulbs and toilets. What fools those Pritzkers, eh?

Riddle me this: Don't you have to have hotel guests to harvest any energy savings and to hand your recycled paper business cards? Sorry, but this sounds absolutely feeble. Who needs business cards in the digital age anyway?

Perhaps not lying to your guest about not having a liquor license will bring more people back to guillo and sons. You know a small thing like that might help.

I love Dearborn, but I type through tears when I see something as ill conceived as this plan to resurrect one of SE Michigan's largest hotels simply through LEED compliance. Let's look at the stark reality for a hotel to break even in 2013:
- Occupancy must be 75% and higher (579 rooms with guests).
- The average room rate (REVPAR) per available room would need to be at least $75 for SE Michigan.

The above would generate $43,425 in room revenue per day and $15,850,125 annually. If every employee received the minimum wage ($7.40/hour + benefits = $10/hour), you might support 750 full-time jobs in this scenario at a 30% labor cost.

The above figure does not include the meeting room, parking, concessions or the food and beverage revenue opportunities. So, if the Adoba can't fill up the rooms during the upcoming Detroit International Auto Show from January 14 - 27, then what are the prospects during the low seasonal demand periods?

If you lease a vehicle and you compare hybrid and fossil fuel-based options, you might be swayed by the lower total cost of ownership of the hybrid if the monthly fees were the same. However, when shopping for a hotel room, the average hotel guest or corporate travel manager look for value and could care less about a low flow toilet.

This tree hugger scheme looks to end badly with little investment in a structure with a long list of deferred maintenance.

Youssef - It gets worse: if you use the popular travel site Kayak www.kayak.com and search for a room in Dearborn, you are lucky to get the Adoba within the first 2 pages of results, if at all.

Becoming the first LEED hotel brand in the country is a distinguishing mark that is sure to put Adoba ahead of the competition. As Pumphrey stated, ‘everyday sustainability’ is a goal that all businesses should strive to accomplish – changing simple features, such as light bulbs and water fixtures, is a straightforward, easy approach to lessening any organization’s carbon footprint. Another way the Adoba Hotel can become more environmentally friendly throughout its property renovations is by implementing furniture refinishing. By refinishing, re-upholstering and remanufacturing worn furniture, hotels can avoid purchasing pricey new furniture, while reviving existing quality furniture assets and eliminating unnecessary landfill waste. We commend Adoba and its new Dearborn location for its continued commitment to sustainability, and wish them ongoing success.

I just finished spending the evening at this hotel on NYE. The service and staff was excellent. It was a great time.

I actually booked my room on the properties website and it was very user friendly, I guess individual taste is always a discussion of debate. Youssef, you sound very much like a concerned citizen for your community, I suggest you try out the hotel and opposed to sitting back throwing stones on such an Iconic hotel that is still open and employing so many individuals.

PS - go to Expedia the hotel is #1 on the site, Travelocity page 3 and page 2 of Kayak... Why so mad, it is a New Year.

Youssef I appreciate your comments, you seem rational, concerned about the community, the employees and have a true regard for sustainability.
I travel over 100,000 miles each year. I was here to visit family (who live in the community) and the NYE party was a great opportunity to enjoy my holiday.

Therefore Mr. Poon, my comments are not trolling, although I love to write a great trip advisor review every now and then. You would be surprised to learn I blog and write press for a living, this is my personal email, as I was here on business and felt kudos were due to this team and the company that put on the NYE Champaign party. It was just great service!!! Is this no longer acceptable, positive comments?

So for you Mr. Poon, author of what? I look forward to following your incensed, odious writings. Hopefully our pens will meet again.

To end: The property is huge and must employ many families, for that I too, wish the Adoba team all the best. I'm not sure why the Hyatt company would leave such a beautiful building after so many years, but they are now gone and new is in.

Let's all hope for the best. Any small step in sustainability equals great impacts. Even the LED lights and low flow toilets, yes it is true. Start somewhere, right?

And Mr. Poon a quick fact for you; your hotel math is off, pull out your Star Report and Financial Statements and re-work your flow through.

"Dearborn a city keen on being green".!!!!! Please, I've lived in an area determined to go green. Here cashiers promote using 3 plastic bags for a 2 liter bottle of coke, and when you bring your own bags they look confused. Look around at all the trash, plastic bags in trees, the streets are not cleaned, people throw trash out the car windows. It starts with education of citizens and the city setting an example by cleaning up the streets. Dearborn is far from going green, sorry.

Any hotel would be better than the Hyatt the way that it was run. It was a mess! I booked a meeting for my company at the hotel in 2010, There were over 100 people at the meeting with approximately 35 of them from out of town. At least 5 or 6 of the 35 had to request a different room due to the filthy conditions, which included one that had a used condom in the sheets. Talk about disgusting! Several others complained about the room conditions (stained carpets, worn out furniture, etc.) but did not request different rooms.

Here's my prediction: They operate at a loss for a year and then turn the place into Section-8 housing advertised as "affordable chic living". In the age of Obama's socialism, the only way to make a formerly nice hotel like this stay afloat is through government subsidy. The way to government subsidy is Section-8. In no time at all, the place will look like the old hotels in Havana, Cuba. The name even sounds sort Cuban, doesn't it? "Viva La Revolucion!" Or like we say in English: "Change we can believe in!"

Boy I couldn't decide if I should just stop reading or make a comment. I think everyone needs to stop trying to place the blame on one company over another. The economy is bad and the hotel in mention is very large for the area. There is a lot of new competition out there for this hotel but it is still a beautiful property and the employees are still there doing what they do best, making the customers happy!! Instead of talking about the problem come in for dinner! The hotel can only survive if people are willing to give it a chance.

I am not really too sure if Dearborn residents are aware of all the Green Initiatives that the city is involved with. The City of Dearborn was honored in November for being a Gold Community! The highest honor in Green Leadership. http://www.cityofdearborn.org/news-and-events/press-releases/835-dearborn-named-a-gold-community-for-environmental-leadership Here is the report on the city and it's sustainablity: http://www.globalgreen.org/img/Dearborn_LED.pdf

The property is toast. The green angle is worthless. They were doomed as soon as the casinos opened and they did not keep up with The Henry (former Ritz) and the Dearborn Inn. Too many rooms. Too poor of condition. It is sad as a former employee who made part of his way through college working there. There just isn't enough draw and Adoba will not spend the money to turn this around. And even if they did, it will be a nice, empty hotel.

Congratulations to Adoba Hotel! Green is the way to go. Look what our neighbor Wyandotte is accomplishing with solar energy. http://www.foundmichigan.org/wp/2012/09/26/greening-down-river/. It does not matter where you are or who you are, green works if you put your mind and heart in it.