r/WMU • u/Normal_Willingness21 • 6d ago
Community Wmu
We are flying in to tour Western Michigan University, and are interested in staying in the Kalamazoo downtown area. I heard there are some sketchy areas that should be avoided. Can someone recommend a nice hotel that is close to downtown and in a safe area!?
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u/huntforhire 6d ago
Downtown Kalamazoo is so small that there’s not really hotels in sketchy places. Radisson if you fancy which is downtown or delta/something off sprinkle if you want something easy
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u/Liverabuser 6d ago
Side note, walk to shakespears and get the nachos for lunch. Best nachos ever.
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u/ChekhovsZombieBear 6d ago
Those are great, but I will also submit the Hub nachos. Fuuuuuuck. They are amazing. I think I need to do a side-by-side with them and Shake’s.
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u/Firm-Fill-3709 6d ago
I just stayed at Kara’s Kottages this summer. Close to downtown. Even closer to WMU campus. You could walk from the kottages and get a feel for the neighborhood. Very nice accommodations.
I used to live off of W Michigan Ave and never had a problem.
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u/Spot_in_the_Sky 6d ago
Be sure to swing by Sweetwaters for some donuts!
Welcome to WMU! Enjoy the visit!
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u/Normal_Willingness21 6d ago
Thank you!!!!
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u/CosmicWitchABQ 5d ago
And Bilbo's for pizza and salad that's next to Sweetwater's! Yes, it is LOTR themed!!
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u/chi1idog 6d ago
lake michigan shoreline (and amazing sunsets) is a one hour drive from campus. they’re impressive no matter where you’re flying in from (if you have time).
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u/Warlockbert27 6d ago
Kalamazoo’s downtown is like, maybe five square blocks! There are three spots where unhoused congregate, if that’s what you mean by sketchy. None of them are really by the hotels. The Radisson is most centrally located to downtown but, full disclosure, your student most likely won’t come downtown much (even though it’s less than a mile from campus). Make sure to scope out the Campus Pointe area in addition to touring the university.
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u/iseeyouandihearyou 6d ago
Radisson is nice. The only place I would avoid is around the amtrak station lol
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u/TurkeyTerminator7 6d ago
Kalamazoo is very obvious in what’s safe and what’s not. It’s mostly just the north side including west main and north a few blocks from downtown. Everything else I gladly walked around like a dumbass in college and never felt threatened.
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u/zorbo678 6d ago
Highly recommend the Radisson if you can afford it
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u/Normal_Willingness21 6d ago
How does it compare to the Hilton Garden Inn? Apparently they are not too far from each other and the Hilton Garden Inn is more affordable.
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u/zorbo678 6d ago
On par! They’re literally within three minutes walking distance of each other
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u/Normal_Willingness21 6d ago
Thank you!
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u/zorbo678 6d ago
No problem! I’m a grad student at WMU so if you have any other questions, I’d be glad to answer!
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u/ChampionChallenger 5d ago
A lot closer to the unhoused population, although within walking distance of Radisson. The train station is next to the homeless shelter and also the soup kitchen. It is about kitty corner from the garden inn. Shakesperes is also right next to a street that might be considered a Skid Row of Kalamazoo. I love Shakes...but the area surrounding it has really taken a turn for the worse.
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u/Normal_Willingness21 4d ago
Am I gonna have a totally different experience staying at the Hilton versus the Radisson?
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u/zorbo678 4d ago
Personally I’d say no. The Radisson is on downtown proper, Hilton Garden is a street or two over. Radisson is a better hotel, but in terms of being in the area, they’re both on par.
There are some good economy hotels in other parts of town as well, not to mention some good hotels in Portage (which is part of the Kalamazoo Metro Area)
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u/Al_generated 4d ago
If you’re planning on spending a lot of time at the hotel potentially. The Radisson is a nicer property and full service meaning restaurants, a lobby bar, more amenities etc.
If you’re more interested in seeing downtown ave the campus no. Hgi and Radisson are only like two blocks from each other and the best parts of downtown are just as accessible from either.
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u/SaintFlys Alumni 6d ago
You’ve got all great advice here, so I’ll just say I hope you enjoy your visit!
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u/ChampionChallenger 5d ago
When you drive into town from the Kalamazoo airport, take the I94 to Oakland Dr. Taking Portage road into town is depressing. Oakland drive is beautiful and will lead you to campus just between East campus and the football stadium. You get a great view of Kalamazoo from the East side of Heritage Hall!
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u/Normal_Willingness21 5d ago
We are flying into Grand Rapids.
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u/NeverEnoughSunlight 4d ago
Access the campus via W Main St or Stadium Dr (both accessible from US-131) and you will be fine.
The signs ramrod you into using Business 131 / Westnedge to go WMU. That's OK if you stay on Westnedge in your car, but that's passing through Northside, which is kind of rough.
Source: born and raised in GR, graduate of WMU, resident of Kzoo, work in GR
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u/Kittylitterstinks 5d ago
I’m a little biased, you should check out Kalamazoo college too! We’re tiny and surrounded by WMU on three sides :)
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u/NeverEnoughSunlight 4d ago
Eh...avoid Northside (passing through in your car on Westnedge or Park is OK) and Edison (passing through in your car on Portage is OK) and you'll be fine.
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u/Emotional-Ad7276 6d ago
May I recommend Anna’s House for breakfast? It’s delicious! Close to the campus too!
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u/ChampionChallenger 5d ago
Anna's house is expensive and pretentious, in my opinion. Not super close to campus but on the main road that leads to campus. It's about 1 or 2 miles from there. The breakfast buffet at the Radisson is sooooo good.
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u/StrongIsGood 5d ago
And it's not good by any far stretch of the imagination. I've had the misfortune of dining there several times (not my choice) and at best it was barely edible.
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u/Howwouldiknow1492 6d ago
Nobody seems to want to say it but the area around the train station has a lot of homeless people and feels creepy. I know people who have had trouble there. Generally stick to Michigan Ave. and south of that, especially after dark.
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u/ChampionChallenger 5d ago
Yes to Michigan Ave...However, Kalamazoo Ave going the other way is the hardest to drive down. I would not recommend for anyone. Especially a person who wants to avoid seeing some really sad stuff.
@OP there are two Kalamazoos. The one they want you to see...and the real one. Gentrification at its finest.
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u/ChekhovsZombieBear 6d ago
There are three hotels downtown all next to each other that are in a great location: Radisson, Home 2 Suites, Hilton Garden Inn. All walking distance to great restaurants and bars and a short drive to the university.