Khary Kimani Turner's article about the need for downtown hotel rooms quotes Patti Shock, chair of the Convention and Tourism Department of the University of Las Vegas, Nevada ("The inn crowd," Metro Times, Oct. 15-21). "Detroit needs to do some heavy PR to combat the negative image painted by the press over the years."
If there is a negative bent to any story about Detroit, Detroit media will run with the negative aspect as the primary story. So it's no surprise that the national media jump on the same negative stories. Detroit media is one of Detroit's worst enemies.
Regarding the forthcoming hotels, bring them on. Let's make up our mind as to whether they are necessary once they have been built and occupied. You can be assured that the casino hotels will meet the expectations of the casino entities. Because of them, Detroit will be marketed in a way that has not happened previously. The casinos will do what is necessary to fill their rooms and, along with that, they will promote a positive picture of Detroit. And, when they decide to build second towers, there will be no questions asked as to whether they can fill their rooms. —Robert P. Thibodeau, Detroit
