"It's Detroit that will emerge the biggest winner" Hotel Occupancy to Boom

[Ltdave]

Roberts Riverfront Hotel & Residence

i almost stayed there with my wife for our anniversary but we had plans to see My Fair Lady at the fox and so by staying near greektown [[Atheneum, first time for us) we were able to jump the PM, get off by the CoPa [[i think thats the broadway station) and walk to the theatre and back...

Roberts [[if im think of the right hotel) would have required us to use the car. i LOVED nyc where we left our hotel, hopped the metro and got out down near our play on broadway. we wanted to duplicate that experience in the D and we did. other than there were decidedly LESS people on the train, or downtown when we were there...

we dont live in detroit. we dont live in one of the SUBURBS. i work in the city but were about 65 miles from city center. we like it in town, but not the taxes, the lack of services and the lack of property...

[Detroitnerd]

The W hotel division [[part of Starwood) doesn't develop anything. They have management contracts with developers.

Oooooh! Picky, picky picky. Feel like splitting hairs today? [[Tell Starwood that they're not in the "Global Hotel Development" business. That's their tagline, yes.) Are you saying that just because they're a hotel management company that they didn't sink tons of money into that deal? What is development to you: Spending money to build a development or actually building it? What a pedantic response that strives to miss the point!

The building was hardly unwanted. It was the World HQ of Guardian Life. They moved to more cost-effective digs, and Related planned a condo-hotel development, which eventually became the W.

Um, they finished their downtown headquarters in the early 1980s. So if they had any presence at all in that building, it must have been minuscule. It looked largely abandoned for many years.

The point, which, in your usual fashion, you leap handsprings to avoid, is that, W, along with many savvy developers, see creative uses even for Beaux Arts buildings long considered outdated -- at least considered outdated by Detroit-style minds, which demand that everything must be brand-new, Class A office construction.

And, seeing as W has turned a 1911 skyscraper into a handsome asset, Detroit's Beaux Arts towers may be a good fit.

[JROLLA]

The info on the Roberts Hotel was helpful. I always came across it when it was the Omni but never stayed. Maybe I will check it out now.

[swingline]

Yes, I suggest everybody to check it out. Great friendly staff [[including me) and very reasonable rates for the location and amenities. Mr. Robert's is a great guy and love talking with visitors..very welcoming. He has about 8 chains throughout the nation. Great investment going on in Detroit.

That is all very good news, gthomas. One suggestion for Mr. Roberts though. His new Detroit property badly needs a name upgrade to generate some branding equity. Roberts Riverfront Hotel and Residence is really an unwieldy mouthful that generates an SRO impression rather than anything upscale. How about The Robert or simply The Riverfront Inn?

[Detroitnerd]

That is all very good news, gthomas. One suggestion for Mr. Roberts though. His new Detroit property badly needs a name upgrade to generate some branding equity. Roberts Riverfront Hotel and Residence is really an unwieldy mouthful that generates an SRO impression rather than anything upscale. How about The Robert or simply The Riverfront Inn?

What's wrong with Roberts Riverfront Hotel and Residence? Colloquially, it's gonna be called the Roberts anyway. Or, in Detroit's typically possessive fashion, Robert's.

Personally, I'm sick of this trend of naming something "The X". It's already passé. Like when they rebranded Greenfield Village & Henry Ford Museum as "The Henry." Now people see a sign on the freeway that says "The Henry." What the fuck is that?

That, my friend, is a $3 million payout to a consultant...

[Gistok]

What's wrong with Roberts Riverfront Hotel and Residence? Colloquially, it's gonna be called the Roberts anyway. Or, in Detroit's typically possessive fashion, Robert's.Personally, I'm sick of this trend of naming something "The X". It's already passé. Like when they rebranded Greenfield Village & Henry Ford Museum as "The Henry." Now people see a sign on the freeway that says "The Henry." What the fuck is that?That, my friend, is a $3 million payout to a consultant...

So, what you're saying is that you could be staying at the RenCen, go for the morning to The Henry, take the PM to spend an afternoon at CoPa, and go for an evening at The Max?

Maybe it's a good thing that Alfred E. Cobo's last name wasn't "Lavashinsky"!

[downtownguy]

Personally, I'm sick of this trend of naming something "The X". It's already passé. Like when they rebranded Greenfield Village & Henry Ford Museum as "The Henry."

Actually, it's "The Henry Ford"

[DetroitPlanner]

[QUOTE=Detroitnerd;281959]Personally, I'm sick of this trend of naming something "The X". It's already passé. Like when they rebranded Greenfield Village & Henry Ford Museum as "The Henry." Now people see a sign on the freeway that says "The Henry." What the fuck is that?QUOTE]

Actually Greenfield Village/Henry Ford Museum is known as the Henry Ford. The Henry is a swanky hotel next to Fairlane Mall.

[Detroitnerd]

[QUOTE=Detroitnerd;281959]Personally, I'm sick of this trend of naming something "The X". It's already passé. Like when they rebranded Greenfield Village & Henry Ford Museum as "The Henry." Now people see a sign on the freeway that says "The Henry." What the fuck is that?[QUOTE]

Actually Greenfield Village/Henry Ford Museum is known as the Henry Ford. The Henry is a swanky hotel next to Fairlane Mall.

Thanks for the lickety-split correction. I think both "The Henry" and "The Henry Ford" are head-scratchers, especially if you're passing through and see them on a sign on the freeway. Seems to me names work best when they ... oh, hell ... describe what they are?

[DetroitPlanner]

Logically this thread is pointless. Its not really news. At the begining of the recession we had added almost 2,000 rooms downtown plus quite a bit of convention space. Now that we are coming out of it, we have additional capacity plus new things that draw visitors to the area.

On the plus side its another sign we should have that awful time of between 2006-20010 fully behind us.

BTW I don't disagree with you both are sill names.

[kryptonite]

That, my friend, is a $3 million payout to a consultant...

I though the same thing when I first heard they were renaming it The Henry Ford. I though 'what a stupid name and I bet some clueless "consultant" made a bundle coming up with such a lame idea'. And of course use the term 'branding' to make it appear that you are earning the money. god...

It's still nice to hear The Book Cadillac referred to as that and the Fort Shelby. But honestly, i don't know if those are the official names now or if people are just referring to them by the old names. Sad to say, I have stayed twice at the Westin Book Cadillac and couldn't say if the name still includes Book Cadillac.

And please, anyone that reopens the Pontchartain - please keep the name.