David Whitney Building to become Hotel and Apartments

**Gistok** · May-27-11, 07:50 PM

Am I correct in this assumtion.... the Grand Circus Park parking garage is used mainly by people living/working in the area [[such as the Kales folks)??

I have never used it... and I wonder if it gets a lot of use by folks who attend concerts and ball games?

**davewindsor** · May-27-11, 08:42 PM

Originally Posted by rjlj

Plenty of parking in the Grand Circus parking garage, I don't even see it as an issue.

And if there's a game or event at Tiger Stadium or Ford Field, where are these hotel guests supposed to park?

If this is going to be a luxury hotel like the Book Cadillac, it'll need a new parking garage like the Book Cadillac. You can't have a luxury hotel without a parking garage next door. I believe it's even code if they want to switch the zoning over from office to hotel. So, where is this new garage supposed to go and how horizontally built will it be so it doesn't obstruct the views of the hotel rooms?

**stinkytofu** · May-27-11, 08:58 PM

Originally Posted by davewindsor

And if there's a game or event at Tiger Stadium or Ford Field, where are these hotel guests supposed to park?

If this is going to be a luxury hotel like the Book Cadillac, it'll need a new parking garage like the Book Cadillac. You can't have a luxury hotel without a parking garage next door. I believe it's even code if they want to switch the zoning over from office to hotel. So, where is this new garage supposed to go and how horizontally built will it be so it doesn't obstruct the views of the hotel rooms?

I wouldn't mind seeing a little creativity and having an underground parking garage constructed on the Statler site.

**Gistok** · May-27-11, 09:43 PM

Originally Posted by davewindsor

And if there's a game or event at Tiger Stadium or Ford Field, where are these hotel guests supposed to park?

Ummm... currently 200 of the 900 spaces in the GCP garage are dedicated parking spaces to the residents of the Kales Building [[likely need to pass thru a cardreader with gate). I'm sure that as other businesses move to GCP that other of the remaining 700 spaces will be dedicated to specific purposes.... and removed from public parking.

As for the luxury hotel needing a parking garage... if it's luxury, it'll likely have valet parking... in this instance underground.

As for where are the folks going to a ballgame going park.... there's lots of places from the Eastern Market area over to the Michigan Building, which has parking available on game days. Plus there's thousands of space all around the Foxtown area, as well as the mammoth Opera House Garage.

When Greektown Casino took over the site of the former Greektown parking structure... thousands of parking spaces were lost to football and baseball. It wasn't a problem then... and I don't think it'll be a problem now.

There's lots of parking downtown. Somehow I don't think the loss of a few hundred spaces will affect the parking situation. Folks can even park on Cobo or other garages farther from the stadia, and take the People Mover.

**Trumpeteer** · May-27-11, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by davewindsor

And if there's a game or event at Tiger Stadium or Ford Field, where are these hotel guests supposed to park?

If this is going to be a luxury hotel like the Book Cadillac, it'll need a new parking garage like the Book Cadillac. You can't have a luxury hotel without a parking garage next door. I believe it's even code if they want to switch the zoning over from office to hotel. So, where is this new garage supposed to go and how horizontally built will it be so it doesn't obstruct the views of the hotel rooms?

Hey Dave come on over for a game and you wou;d see that NO ONE parks anywhere but the surface lots for a Tigers game.

**royce** · June-01-11, 10:49 PM

This is great! The most logical use for this building would be to have it as a hotel/apartments. I imagine that some deal will be worked out to use the Grand Circus underground parking structure. If there are 900 possible parking spaces and the Kales only uses 200 and the Broderick Tower takes up say 300, then that leaves 400 parking spaces for Whitney residents, hotel guests and staff. Should work out fine. I imagine that a hotel in the Whitney will look a lot like the Hyatt hotel in downtown Cleveland. It too has an atrium and hallway leading to hotel rooms and small retail shops. I can see the same thing happening in the Whitney. Again, kudos.

**313WX** · June-01-11, 10:57 PM

Skipper's Rule.

Especially with the potential of a double dip looming and they don't have financing on hand yet.

**Planner3357** · June-02-11, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by Gistok

Am I correct in this assumtion.... the Grand Circus Park parking garage is used mainly by people living/working in the area [[such as the Kales folks)??

I have never used it... and I wonder if it gets a lot of use by folks who attend concerts and ball games?

Card reader needed to enter main garage door west of Woodward. Same card needed to enter stairwells in park. The eastern entrance is generally paid parking for events. Though in the winter it is never open. The parking for Kales is completely dedicated to the lower western half of the garage. I don't know what the 1st floor is for, I would guess its for people working in Grand Park Centre...but I don't really know.

I do wonder where Broderick Tower residents will park. I would guess underground as well. Will they have a tunnel built to connect BT to garage like Kales had done? Not sure...but they should.

**Hypestyles** · June-02-11, 12:42 PM

...would the apartments be condos? all at the top levels of the building? allowing for stoves, refrigerators, etc.?

**esp1986** · June-02-11, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by Planner3357

Card reader needed to enter main garage door west of Woodward. Same card needed to enter stairwells in park. The eastern entrance is generally paid parking for events. Though in the winter it is never open. The parking for Kales is completely dedicated to the lower western half of the garage. I don't know what the 1st floor is for, I would guess its for people working in Grand Park Centre...but I don't really know.

I do wonder where Broderick Tower residents will park. I would guess underground as well. Will they have a tunnel built to connect BT to garage like Kales had done? Not sure...but they should.

I can't recall where, but I read there would be a tunnel built for the Broderick.

**Hypestyles** · June-02-11, 02:40 PM

a tunnel? like the batcave? neat...

**Ocean2026** · June-03-11, 12:36 PM

Gistok -thanks for the pictures- posters should remember that not everyone who reads these pages is from Detroit and many want to see.

**j to the jeremy** · June-03-11, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by davewindsor

A 108 room hotel? Hmmm... So, what buildings next to it are getting knocked down for the 108 car parking garage?

This is part of the mentality that kills America, planning-wise.

**lo_to_d** · June-03-11, 01:00 PM

Originally Posted by Detroit500

Makes you wonder which chains...
Holiday Inn? Whyndam? Hilton? Hyatt?

Can't imagine its Westin, Marriott, or DoubleTree, though it would be fabulous if this were to be a J.W. Marriott or W Hotel, or Ritz lol.

If you go to their website, it appears that the only Boutique Hotel they currently operate is Hotel Indigo. Maybe its a possibility?

http://www.hotelindigo.com/h/d/in/1/...nuBarSlot2_SOH

**Crew** · June-03-11, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by gthomas

How about a Hard Rock Hotel..? Great news though!

That's interesting because when Becker purchased the building a few years ago, that's exactly what he had in mind. He owns the Hard Rock hotels in Chicago and Vegas and is based in the Detroit area [[Grosse Pointe). His plan was to turn the building into a Hard Rock hotel until the financing wouldn't work with the current economy. Hopefully the markets have opened up since then.

**gthomas** · June-03-11, 02:51 PM

Wow that will be kool! I hope either 1. Hard Rock Hotel 2. W Hotel ...anything else will be JUST ok..?

Originally Posted by Crew

That's interesting because when Becker purchased the building a few years ago, that's exactly what he had in mind. He owns the Hard Rock hotels in Chicago and Vegas and is based in the Detroit area [[Grosse Pointe). His plan was to turn the building into a Hard Rock hotel until the financing wouldn't work with the current economy. Hopefully the markets have opened up since then.

**401don** · June-03-11, 03:11 PM

There may be a market for a boutique hotel but certainly not a luxury chain like W. Luxury properties average over 300/night. I don't see that in Grand Circus Park in the near future. We want this place to succeed don't we?

**DetroitPlanner** · June-03-11, 03:18 PM

How about a funky Ikia inspired Motel 6 like the one in AA?

**iheartthed** · June-03-11, 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by 401don

There may be a market for a boutique hotel but certainly not a luxury chain like W. Luxury properties average over 300/night. I don't see that in Grand Circus Park in the near future. We want this place to succeed don't we?

W Hotels have a similar price point to their sister brand, Westin, which operates the Book Cadillac just a couple blocks away...

**gthomas** · June-03-11, 03:52 PM

Sure do! I vision a nice Hotel District on Washington Blvd from Grand Circus Park to Michigan Av...Statler site becoming a Hyatt..? Set a trend...think outside the box and actually "create" something fresh and new. Tired of the same ol' Marriot Chains...

Originally Posted by iheartthed

W Hotels have a similar price point to their sister brand, Westin, which operates the Book Cadillac just a couple blocks away...

**gthomas** · June-03-11, 03:53 PM

Book Building can actually be a nice Hard Rock Hotel..?

**mikeg19** · June-03-11, 04:40 PM

The thing I'm wondering is what exactly warrants another hotel in downtown? From many comments on this board, it would leave you to believe that the Detroit hotel market is saturated enough for the time being. What projections are investors looking at to think it's feasible to add more hotel rooms to downtown when in the past few years we've added over a thousand? It seems like more moderate income apartments would be in demand with the thousands of people being brought into downtown from BCBS, Gilbert, etc. Obviously not all of those people will move into downtown as many probably own homes in the suburbs, but more affordable renting options or condos in the CBD seems like a better investment than another hotel. Would someone with more knowledge on this chime in?

**iheartthed** · June-03-11, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by mikeg19

The thing I'm wondering is what exactly warrants another hotel in downtown? From many comments on this board, it would leave you to believe that the Detroit hotel market is saturated enough for the time being. What projections are investors looking at to think it's feasible to add more hotel rooms to downtown when in the past few years we've added over a thousand? It seems like more moderate income apartments would be in demand with the thousands of people being brought into downtown from BCBS, Gilbert, etc. Obviously not all of those people will move into downtown as many probably own homes in the suburbs, but more affordable renting options or condos in the CBD seems like a better investment than another hotel. Would someone with more knowledge on this chime in?

I don't have the link, but the News published an article recently saying that the hotel market in Detroit has rebounded significantly and downtown Detroit is leading the way. But occupancy rates still aren't back at the 70% mark for general profitability [[I believe the current rate for downtown is somewhere in the mid-60s).

**Richard** · June-03-11, 05:08 PM

Because of the recent reduction in brown-field and other credits it will be hard to put affordable housing in downtown unless you pull in fed money and make a percentage low income but after rehab costs you need to keep rents high to recoup investment.

Office space currently ranging from $7 per sqft or the base starting point on the towers that have recently been rehabbed is at $15 per sqft and there are allot out there I guess if one could mix residential with office and hotel odds are the chance of survival are greater until the demand grows for anyone of those.