In terms of the Northern Detroit suburbs, there is the East side and the West side with the line of demarcation being Woodward Avenue.  I've looked at your website and given your current market status and rates, Novi (West side) is a solid recommendation.  It seems to be the de facto standard for plenty of quality touring providers.  Novi is a nice upscale city that is easily accessible from Plymouth, Northville(south), Milford/Brighton(west), West Bloomfield/Commerce(north), Farmington Hills/Southfield(east).  

 
For the East side, Troy would be the closest equivalent and another solid, upscale suggestion.  Key cities close to Troy include Rochester Hills and Birmingham.  

Good luck with your trip planning!

Troy is your best bet.  Birmingham is probably the nicest and most upscale suburb.

For those who live or work in or near Novi, it can be a convenient place.  For those who don't, which is probably about 85% of metro Detroit, it can be very difficult to get there much of the day -- to the point of being nearly impossible.  Driving there certain times of the day only 15-20 miles on I275 or I696 can take well over an hour, sometimes each way, and this can make a timely tryst simply impossible.  Because of this, I find Troy, Rochester, Birmingham, or even Auburn Hills much more conveniently centralized.

I guess it all depends on when and where you're coming from...

In general, where are you located?

In terms of Oakland County, about 33% of the population lives in the areas I mentioned which include Novi and the immediate surrounding areas.  About 21% of the population lives in the areas you've mentioned.

You make it sound like Novi is gridlocked from 9-5 which is simply untrue.  Sure, rush hour is busy, just like it is in Southfield at 696/M10/Telegraph, or I-75 and Big Beaver, or countless other places.

Southfield is really the epicenter of the Oakland County suburbs, but that's a tricky city for the higher end providers for several reasons.  For this reason, I stand behind my assertion that going a little West to Novi is a good choice of location to entertain.  Four major expressways converge there (I-275, I-696, M5 & I-96).  This does make it more difficult if you're east, especially if your east of say Royal Oak.

I really think you're overstating the congestion a bit.   I'm also not saying that the areas you've mentioned are not good suggestions, they are, but from a marketing perspective I just don't think they're much better than Novi.

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I see that you've setup your trip to MI with a day in Troy and a day in Novi.  Sounds great!  If you like to shop, try to get over to the Somerset Collection in Troy if you get the chance.  In Novi, `12 Oaks Mall is nice, but it's no Somerset.

Good luck and I hope your time here is enjoyable.  If you get the chance, come back here and tell us about your stay, where you went and what you thought of the area.

~N

Western suburbs are the safest and cleanest areas.  Either Novi or Livonia are where many of the visiting providers stay.  Avoid Southfield and Redford.  Hope this helps.