David Whitney Hotel Reveals Detroit's Best Lobby Renovation

When it opens to the public in December, the David Whitney Hotel lobby will finally give downtown Detroit the grand, classy welcoming place it deserves. Recent hotel renovations like the Westin Book Cadillac and the Hotel Pontchartrain don't come close. The Guardian Building, and office building, is a close contender for a fancy old lobby, but that doesn't have a ground-level bar or restaurant. No, the restored Whitney lobby, closed since 1999, is back in a grand way and you will want to see it. #youaregoingtoinstagramthecrapoutofit Oh also the hotel and apartments are almost done.

The Whitney renovation has long promised to restore the second floor building entrance to the people mover, but that will open a little behind the building itself. Expect it up and running in January. As of the media tour earlier this week, the building opening is scheduled on December 15, but the hotel, run by Aloft, is not taking reservations yet. On the exterior, the developers at the Roxbury group are aiming to restore the facade to its historic state in 1915. This includes adding back the lions.

The apartment leasing prices came out in September for the 108 residences, which are on floors ten-19. Below that there are 136 hotel rooms. The ground floor restaurant space will be Grand Cirque Brasserie, which will face the Woodward side of the building; it opens in 2015. Opposite that, Aloft will also run a ground-floor bar.

The second floor Grand Ballroom, a 5,000 square foot event space available for meetings and events.
· Previous David Whitney coverage [Curbed Detroit]