Hotels in Downtown Detroit

**gthomas** · December-09-17, 11:56 AM

So, what I'm hearing is "Detroit doesn't have attractions to get hotels in its downtown area". That right there, I don't understand. My list is too strong to say that's a lie.

**Gistok** · December-09-17, 06:47 PM

Originally Posted by gthomas

So, what I'm hearing is "Detroit doesn't have attractions to get hotels in its downtown area". That right there, I don't understand. My list is too strong to say that's a lie.

No... I think it's more like you think we have a hotel problem with a few big brands missing downtown... but with each of the casinos having a 400 room hotel... the coming online of the West Book Cadillac, the Fort Shelby, the reopening of the Crowne Plaza [[with a 2nd potential tower to double the room counts to 800)... the opening of Aloft, The Fountain, the work-in-progress of the Wurlitzer, the Metropolitan and the Shinola... as well as others [[Hudson's, Fail-Jail, etc).... you see a problem, while others don't.

So we don't have a Ritz or a Hyatt... we have 1200 hotel rooms [[the casino hotels) that other cities don't have. So it kind of balances itself out.

**Hypestyles** · December-09-17, 06:51 PM

if the jobs can be filled, build them. might as well. Get high schools teaching hospitality skills/business management.

**restoretheroar** · December-09-17, 07:20 PM

according to sales execs within the district detroit, they claim a Live! hotel will be built in the district.
http://cordish.com/portfolio

**ABetterDetroit** · December-09-17, 09:06 PM

This thread is an excellent ruler to measure just how far Detroit has come in a few years.

New hotels have come on line last year, this year, and are under construction as we read this with even more rumored to be breaking ground soon.

But, but... We don’t have the brand names people want.

First world problems like this are kinda nice to have for a change.

**gthomas** · December-10-17, 03:21 AM

Originally Posted by restoretheroar

according to sales execs within the district detroit, they claim a Live! hotel will be built in the district.
http://cordish.com/portfolio

Whatever happened to the Virgin Hotel rumor to opening in near future in the District? Also, the JDV hotel planned in Brush Park?

**SyGolden48236** · December-10-17, 07:01 AM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

if the jobs can be filled, build them. might as well.

That is not the purpose for opening a hotel or any other type of business. The primary purpose of a business is not to provide jobs. The primary purpose of a business is to generate a profit for its owners. A hotel should never be built unless there is an unmet demand for hotel rooms. A hotel is not a jobs factory. Opening a hotel or any other type of business for the sole purpose of providing jobs is a guaranteed recipe for failure.

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · December-10-17, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by SyGolden48236

That is not the purpose for opening a hotel or any other type of business. The primary purpose of a business is not to provide jobs. The primary purpose of a business is to generate a profit for its owners. A hotel should never be built unless there is an unmet demand for hotel rooms. A hotel is not a jobs factory. Opening a hotel or any other type of business for the sole purpose of providing jobs is a guaranteed recipe for failure.

This is a very important point, Sy. My favorite thing about Dan Gilbert's activity downtown in the last decade is that he is NOT running a charity. He intends to [[and does) make money on his businesses. For profit enterprises are the lasting ones, and they are the real generators of jobs, growth and progress. Charity, to be sure, has its place in our personal lives, to demonstrate with our own time and money a commitment to helping someone else. But if you want to fix a city, you need businesses to to be able to do business.

**Zacha341** · December-10-17, 09:36 AM

Yep. It's a very competitive business: heads-in-beds has to be met, or you close fast. Or there's the long slide downward from lack of staff and poor management towards closure!!

Originally Posted by SyGolden48236

A hotel should never be built unless there is an unmet demand for hotel rooms. A hotel is not a jobs factory. Opening a hotel or any other type of business for the sole purpose of providing jobs is a guaranteed recipe for failure.

**iheartthed** · December-10-17, 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by SyGolden48236

The primary purpose of a business is not to provide jobs. The primary purpose of a business is to generate a profit for its owners.

Tell that to your politicians then...

**SyGolden48236** · December-10-17, 11:03 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Tell that to your politicians then...

I'm not really sure what you mean by that, it doesn't make much sense. But politicians are a big part of the problem. Most of them have never created, much less run a business in the private sector.

The purpose of any business is to generate wealth for the business owner[[s). Jobs are a means to help that happen. With more profit usually comes expansion of the business in order to generate more profit. This, in turn, creates a necessity for more jobs.

Nobody starts a business just to create jobs and lasts very long.

**Király** · December-10-17, 11:13 AM

August 27 and 28, 2011: I was looking for a room downtown for cheap. I used Priceline and got the Hilton Garden Inn for $55. Both the Lions and Tigers were playing on the 27th.

July 4-8 2014: Priceline couldn't find me anything at all downtown for less than $150.

**bibs** · December-10-17, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by Király

August 27 and 28, 2011: I was looking for a room downtown for cheap. I used Priceline and got the Hilton Garden Inn for $55. Both the Lions and Tigers were playing on the 27th.

July 4-8 2014: Priceline couldn't find me anything at all downtown for less than $150.

I experienced the same price increase over the same time period in Indianapolis. Price for a cheap hotel was around $85 in 2011 and the cheapest is now $135. Final four or a convention in town and the prices are stupid. I just drive straight though to Michigan to visit family to avoid the cost.

**Knocturnal** · December-10-17, 12:33 PM

Originally Posted by Király

August 27 and 28, 2011: I was looking for a room downtown for cheap. I used Priceline and got the Hilton Garden Inn for $55. Both the Lions and Tigers were playing on the 27th.

July 4-8 2014: Priceline couldn't find me anything at all downtown for less than $150.

It's all relative to the demand of that particular weekend. Anytime a much anticipated event is downtown, the hotels generally charge two or more times their average rate. For instance, Memorial Weekend prices are always sky high, but that is a reflection of the demand built due to the Movement Festival. They know they can get it.

A look at next Saturday's Lions game [[a rarity to be played on Saturday) shows that nearly no bookings are available, and of what properties are available, they are asking astronomical rates. It appears as though a lot of people will be enjoying the entire night downtown.

**iheartthed** · December-10-17, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by SyGolden48236

I'm not really sure what you mean by that, it doesn't make much sense. But politicians are a big part of the problem. Most of them have never created, much less run a business in the private sector.

The purpose of any business is to generate wealth for the business owner[[s). Jobs are a means to help that happen. With more profit usually comes expansion of the business in order to generate more profit. This, in turn, creates a necessity for more jobs.

Nobody starts a business just to create jobs and lasts very long.

It means that your politicians don't understand what you have written, that businesses are there to make money, not create jobs. So if what you say is accurate then politicians should stop selling tax subsidies to the public as job creators.

**SyGolden48236** · December-10-17, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

It means that your politicians don't understand what you have written, that businesses are there to make money, not create jobs. So if what you say is accurate then politicians should stop selling tax subsidies to the public as job creators.

Tax subsidies are often necessary in order to help a business expand, thus creating additional jobs as a bi-product. Nobody ever said that jobs are bad. What was said was that the first purpose of a business is not to create jobs. Another poster earlier in this thread said "if the jobs can be filled, build [more hotels]". A hotel should never be built merely to create jobs.

And they aren't "my" politicians. They are our politicians. They represent you just as much as they represent me. There is no need for divisiveness here.

**cmubryan** · December-12-17, 04:03 AM

Please people..20 years ago we had essentially four hotels downtown: Marriott in the REN Cen, Courtyard by Marriott [[both newly taken over by Marriott after GM purchased the buildings), Hotel Pontchartrain, and The Antheneum.

Fast forward 20 years and we have everything above plus three casino hotels at 400 rooms each, The Westin, Holiday Inn Express, A loft, Hilton Garden, The Foundation, with The Shinola, The Element by Westin, and The Siren all under construction. Not even mentioning whatever gets built at LCA, Hudson’s, etc. I think we are doing pretty damn good, given all that has occurred in the last 20 years. What is that like a 300%+ increase in hotels?

I do believe that downtown will have a Ritz and full-service Hyatt one day. Remember, less than 10 years ago we had them in Dearborn and they were there for decades so I’m sure we could support them again. I would also be willing to bet that we see more of the select service brands come downtown such as Residence Inn, Fairfield, Home2Suites, Homewood, Hampton, etc.

**iheartthed** · December-12-17, 08:29 AM

Originally Posted by cmubryan

Please people..20 years ago we had essentially four hotels downtown: Marriott in the REN Cen, Courtyard by Marriott [[both newly taken over by Marriott after GM purchased the buildings), Hotel Pontchartrain, and The Antheneum.

Fast forward 20 years and we have everything above plus three casino hotels at 400 rooms each, The Westin, Holiday Inn Express, A loft, Hilton Garden, The Foundation, with The Shinola, The Element by Westin, and The Siren all under construction. Not even mentioning whatever gets built at LCA, Hudson’s, etc. I think we are doing pretty damn good, given all that has occurred in the last 20 years. What is that like a 300%+ increase in hotels?

I do believe that downtown will have a Ritz and full-service Hyatt one day. Remember, less than 10 years ago we had them in Dearborn and they were there for decades so I’m sure we could support them again. I would also be willing to bet that we see more of the select service brands come downtown such as Residence Inn, Fairfield, Home2Suites, Homewood, Hampton, etc.

Forgot/didn't know that they are building an Element in Detroit. That will be the third SPG property in downtown Detroit once it is finished.

Detroit doesn't have any five star hotels, but I don't think those types of hotels are doing well even in the most visited cities. The Waldorf-Astoria in New York just recently closed for a several year renovation. I believe part of the renovation will be converting some of the hotel space to condo.

**iheartthed** · December-12-17, 08:30 AM

Also, this seems a little relevant: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/09/b...y-program.html

Nero · December-12-17, 07:46 PM

Many people left family behind when they left Detroit behind. Many people stay at hotels when they come and visit that family.

The rumors that Detroit doesn't have healthy tourism are about as reliable as when those people said Detroit only had a handful of millennials and businesses interested in moving downtown.

**gthomas** · December-13-17, 04:03 PM

Originally Posted by Nero

Many people left family behind when they left Detroit behind. Many people stay at hotels when they come and visit that family.

The rumors that Detroit doesn't have healthy tourism are about as reliable as when those people said Detroit only had a handful of millennials and businesses interested in moving downtown.

Lol HA, good one! People need to go downtown more often. The ones that disagrees haven't been in Detroit since early 2000's probably. It's a whole new scene downtown from just 5 years ago.

**gthomas** · February-13-18, 12:24 AM

Ok, we now know a few more "new" construction hotels are planned along with a few renovations and a second tower planned for one already established.

The District is planning two "new" construction hotels, one for sure will be high end. The other might be the LIVE! Hotel by Loews, where Hockey Town currently stands. The posh hotel planned next to LCA hopefully will be something along the lines of an Virgin Hotel, W Hotel, Hyatt..etc.

The soon to be demolished JLA will have a possible 30 story hotel built, another high end. Assuming some popular grand hotel will land there with stunning river views.

The beautiful Broderick Tower will definitely be high end, according to Dan Gilbert. And last but not least, the Crowne Plaza second tower addition. Hoping the new building is designed completing different but doesn't stick out too much from its current tower.

Exciting to see what type of new hotels make its debut in Detroit soon!

**Bham1982** · February-13-18, 07:44 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Detroit doesn't have any five star hotels, but I don't think those types of hotels are doing well even in the most visited cities. The Waldorf-Astoria in New York just recently closed for a several year renovation. I believe part of the renovation will be converting some of the hotel space to condo.

The Waldorf isn't being renovated because it wasn't doing well. It was purchased by a Chinese outfit for $2 billion, and they want to carve out some condos in the property, but it will remain a hotel.

**Zads07** · February-13-18, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by gthomas

The beautiful Broderick Tower will definitely be high end, according to Dan Gilbert. And last but not least, the Crowne Plaza second tower addition. Hoping the new building is designed completing different but doesn't stick out too much from its current tower.

Exciting to see what type of new hotels make its debut in Detroit soon!

The Broderick is residential FYI.

But yes, very excited to see the hotel boom in the city. The Metropolitan/Wurlitzer/Shinola block area will give the city its real first hotel block area.