This is a cheap and great place to stay if you are partying at City Club or the Labryinth (Clubs downstairs). Ok, so it's not the cleanest or nicest place to stay, but if you ask for the city club rate you will get a deal, and if you are going to party until 4am at City Club, it is really nice to go upstairs and crash instead of driving home drunk.
The Leland is not for everyone, but if you are into the Club scene, can mind some of the dust and decay, it is better than a DUI ; )

The hotel lobby is beautiful and represents the hotel in its glory days. The rest of the hotel and stay, however, left much to be desired. The service was horrible. Every person we spoke with at the desk had a "don't care-don't want to be here" attitude and none were very helpful. There was no heat in our room (1154). One out of six elevators worked and the doors closed so quickly I have bruises on my forearms from trying to catch it. The phonebooks are over 2 years old and the desk attendent acted inconvenienced when we asked for a new one. Our room was decent and the rate ($80) would have been fine had the service and climate-control been 100% better.

The club (City Club) was great, as always. It's a lot of fun if you enjoy the industrial-underground theme. I, personally, love it and am always thoroughly entertained. The drink specials are great and the atmosphere the same. The diner in the bottom corner of the hotel is very satisfactory as well. The service is great, very friendly, and the food was fantastic. The prices were very reasonable, too. They have the best nachos! :)

Overall, I wouldn't even refer my most annoying in-laws to this hotel.

This is a very old hotel with a lot of history, but it is no longer fit for people. It's dirty, old and dangerous. Do not stay at this hotel if you are on vacation or for business. The Leland, as others have mentioned, is not just a hotel but also serves as housing. The lobby is beautiful and so is the ballroom, but this hotel is an overall dump. In most major cities, there are nice spots and bad spots. This would be considered a bad spot. The surrounding area isn't very safe. (I've seen a knife fight in the diner next to the hotel and homeless will come out by the parking lot.)
The basement of the Leland serves as a goth-industrial club on the weekends.
Often, friends and I attend the club on Saturdays and my brother won a free room from the club. This was about 2 years ago. We went inside the room and it was just scary. Everything was 1970s, falling apart and just completely ghetto. We ended up just using the room as a hang out. Nobody stayed the night. This place is way worse than project housing.

My friends and I went to Detroit for New Years Eve. we stayed two nights at the Leland, and I have to say, if you can appreciate the decrepit beauty of the place, you'll love it. The room wasn't trashed or anything, but the pictures on the wall were on the floor, one of them was shattered. Luckily the couch was over the broken glass. The beds were actually clean and made, the water pressure was good, and it got hot. The doors locked and the keys worked. the lady at the front desk was very nice when we checked in, and all the help was polite to us. My only complaint was that the rooms got pretty cold and my friend on the floor froze his butt off and the elevator broke the second night we were there.

The ceiling was completely warped and bizarre, there was so many little strange details about the place I can't even tell you. There was a locked closet and a sealed door in our room. The sealed door was painted shut and had no handle, it wasn't going anywhere. The hotel room next to us had the number taken off and was also sealed. I swear at one point I heard 3 distinct taps from that direction, but I never heard it again when I listened. A lot of people say the hotel is haunted, but who knows really.

When the elevator broke we had to haul ourselves up 15 stories through the staircase. I'd complain more, but it was kinda fun actually. There's paint all peeling off the walls and trash barrels and old mattresses piled in the stairwell. I took as many pictures as I could, I hope they never fix the place up. I mean, I doubt anyone ever will, it'd cost millions to renovate I'm sure.

There's probably more, but overall it was great, really a lot of character there, and a great view of the empty streets and buildings around it.