Originally Posted by
Atticus
I generally agree. Ignoring all the snaz, the Hudson site is functionally office above retail [[plus event space) on the block site, & hotel and residential in the tower site. Neither should be a detriment to the RenCen, as the office space is not going to be GM related and competition for tenants, there is no Residential in the RenCen, and I agree with the rising tide comment as I think another hotel may actually be a good thing for the RenCen Marriott, as it will help Detroit attract more multi-hotel events to the city.
That all being said, with the Hudson Tower hotel... I actually hope it is not just a high end brand [[Four Seasons, Ritz, Waldorf, etc.). Reason being is that there is now a market again for such a brand to exist in Downtown Detroit, but if built, the business case is not there for such a brand to have a large number of rooms. Basically there is a market for a 125~ room Ritz/Four Seasons/etc, but not for 500 rooms. Most luxurious hotels are small in room numbers anyway. I also expect one of those brands [[or similar) to eventually open up in the renovated Book
Tower.
On the other hand, there is definitely a need and business case for another ~600 room 3/4-star hotel in downtown. [[I.e Hilton, Hyatt, JW Marriott, etc.). That is the hotel I hope goes in the Hudson Tower, or better yet paired with the luxury hotel described above. Simply put, I would like to see some height added to the skyline via the new tower, and a 600 room Hilton will result in a much taller Hudson tower than a 125 room Ritz Carlton. Hoping for height...