Wixom hotels fill up due to residents losing power during Tuesday storm
WIXOM, Mich. (FOX 2) - When storms poured in and high winds hit Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of thousands of people in metro Detroit were left without power.
Some Wixom sought relief at nearby hotels.
My Place Hotel on Alpha Drive was booked up Tuesday night, and the front desk told FOX 2 that the hotel was filling up again for Wednesday night.
"It was crazy. We went from being a nice slow evening to me standing in one place for four hours doing nothing but answering the phone and checking people in," said the support manager at My Place Hotel, Sally Manley. "It was a madhouse last night."
South Lion resident Tonya Etter brought her 5-month-old pit bull Sasha with her to stay at My Place Hotel.
"It’s been hot. We stayed at the house and got two hours of sleep, and wasn’t doing it again today, so we just decided to get a room." Etter said. "If she gets too hot, it could kill her. It just seems like every time we get a bad storm, we always lose power, and they want to up the rates."
Etter was one of over 300,000 Michigan residents who had their power knocked out Tuesday night due to a powerful line of thunderstorms that rolled through the area.
About 150,000 DTE customers across Southeast Michigan remained without power as of 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
Etter said finding an available hotel room was difficult, until she came across My Place Hotel.
"It’s been miserable. They were all booked up yesterday, and then I finally found this place today," she told FOX 2.
According to My Place Hotel, all 64 of their rooms were booked Tuesday night.
"That’s the hardest part of your job – is when you know that there’s people in need and then when you fill up, and you don’t have any rooms left to give anybody," Manley said.
Down the road, at Springhill Suites in Wixom, all 99 of their rooms were filled. General Manager Chelsea Sims said it was "chaotic" as they tried to get as many people in as possible.
"Lots of people (were) in and out. People coming in this morning trying to check in (at) 7 a.m., looking for a room to stay. So, it's busy. My staff handled it very well," Sims said. "People were concerned about their pets, elderly people were coming in."
And Woodspring Suites, on the other side of I-96, was booked up too.
"They go quick, and if you’ve got things flying around in your house, trees down, you can’t get out," said Wixom resident Elizabeth Wister. "I’m like, 'I’ll be packed in two minutes. I don’t know about you.’"
As the storms were done, Wister, who also lost power in her home, said she jumped in her car and drove straight over to Woodspring.
"We got a room under $100, and it’s a nice room too," she added. "It's real nice having A.C. You know, TV's working, you can charge all your tablets, your phone."
With more unpredictable weather moving in, Wister and Etter both said they are going to stay at the hotels for at least Wednesday night too.
"I’m very grateful. I'm very grateful. If not, we would’ve went out of town to get a place, just to get (Sasha the dog) into a comfortable room," Etter said.
Those who have lost power, or may lose power during future storms, and want to book a room are advised to make the reservation as soon as possible.
"Call early, get to the hotel early," Manley said. "Secure that room because people have a tendency to wait too long, and then we fill up really fast."
As of Wednesday evening, over 169,000 customers have had their power restored, according to DTE. Crews are working to restore power to at least 90% of affected residents by Thursday night.
Metro Detroit storm damage: Power outages, poles and trees toppled, wires down
Hundreds of thousands of people are in the dark after severe thunderstorms pounded Southeast Michigan on Tuesday night.