Call it a Comeback: 2018 is the Year to Visit Detroit

Detroit’s rocky past is no secret: In 2013, the Motor City filed for bankruptcy and it looked like the once-thriving metropolis had hit rock bottom. Flash forward to five years later, and Detroit has turned one glorious corner. It has managed to resurface as one of the liveliest cities in America, with a strong community dedicated to its comeback. Last year, the New York Times listed Detroit on its 52 Places to Go in 2017 list; this year, Lonely Planet—which called the city “America’s most ambitious renovation project”—put Detroit in the number two slot on its list of best cities to visit in 2018. 



Photography: The Siren Hotel


The formerly deserted downtown has morphed into an edgy urban center where once-abandoned buildings have been given new life as trendy stores, innovative restaurants and boutique hotels with genuine historic charm. The revamp—which includes three new highly-anticipated properties—prompted Architectural Digest to name Detroit one of the top travel destinations of 2018. 

We’re already obsessed with these three awesome hotels, which are all slated to open within the same two-block section of downtown in 2018: The Siren Hotel, Shinola Hotel, and the Element Detroit Hotel will join recently-opened Detroit Foundation Hotel, a chic 100-room spot built in a former firehouse. 



Photography: Michelle & Chris Gerard | Location: Detroit Foundation Hotel


The Siren Hotel

Slated to open almost any day now, The Siren gives the dazzling art deco Wurlitzer Building a new life with 106 guests rooms, an in-house coffee roaster, a barber (The Social Club), a florist (Pot & Box), and a rooftop deck. Alpena—one of seven on-site restaurants—offers an eight-seat chef’s tasting counter with James Beard nominee Garrett Lipa. Rooms range from $119 (for the “friends on an adventure” bunk-bed quarters) up to the lux $419 penthouse, with sweeping views of the skyline and Comerica Park. 



Photography: The Siren Hotel


Shinola Hotel

Yes, you read that right. The high-quality Detroit maker of watches, leather goods and bicycles is behind this new space that has architecture lovers frothing at the mouth. The ambitious project, set to debut in late 2018, will connect two terracotta buildings to create a multi-level, greenery-filled space that sits on what used to be one of the busiest corners in Detroit back in the 1920s. Only renderings are available so far, but we can pretty much guarantee that the 130-room hotel will be a natural extension of Shinola’s classy-cool vibe.



Photography: Shinola Hotel


Element

The Metropolitan Building was once set to be demolished—in fact, it was vacant for so long that a tree on the roof grew to 13 feet. Fortunately, the building’s gorgeous terracotta details will now shine as a part of the future extended-stay Element Hotel with event spaces. Next door to the Siren Hotel and Shinola Hotel, Element will offer 110 one- and two-bedroom rooms, plus a rooftop bar and patio.



Photography: Michelle & Chris Gerard | Location: Element Detroit Hotel