Inside the Shinola Hotel in downtown Detroit

Old Detroit architecture mixed with a classic style and brand

By Robin Runyan Dec 19, 2018, 3:56pm EST

Photography by Michelle & Chris Gerard

After nearly two years of construction, the Shinola Hotel officially opens on January 2. The hotel—a collaboration between Shinola and Bedrock—combines old Detroit architecture with a classic style and brand.

The nearly two-year construction involved the rehab of 1400 Woodward and the Singer Building, the demolition and rebuilding of three neighboring buildings, and new construction on a parking lot. As part of the hotel, there are 129 guest rooms, multiple bars and restaurants, soon-to-be-finished event space, retail, and an activated alley.

The Shinola retail store.

The San Morello restaurant, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, opened for service on Tuesday evening and includes a private dining area. The Shinola retail store opened in late November, and Drought and Good Neighbor are both open in the new construction. The activated alley will be called Parker’s Alley, named after Thomas Parker, one of Detroit’s first black landowners.

To the right of the lobby, the living room offers many couches and sitting areas. A stairway leads upstairs to the mezzanine, for hotel guests only. This lounge has a pool table, books, and sitting area, along with a sign that was unearthed in construction and kept in the design.

Saksy’s Mezzanine

The rooms themselves are filled with Shinola products. The seventh floor rooms we previewed had huge arched windows overlooking the Hudson’s site, downtown, the David Stott Building, and possibly, on a clear day, Canada. The windows, which were covered before, and are some of the most stunning windows we’ve seen. We previewed both a study queen and a suite; the two rooms had a connected sitting area with a library for guests.

The interior of the Shinola Hotel. There are couches, tables, a bookcase, an area rug. There are multiple arched windows and a work of art hangs on one of the walls.

The event spaces in the annex should be knockouts when completed in March. We can expect glass-cage elevators in which to make a “dramatic entrance” into the ballroom. The Bixby Ballroom includes tiling on the ceiling to match the terra cotta tiles on 1400 Woodward, as well as stunning chandeliers and one of 17 fireplaces installed throughout the hotel. A high-ceilinged hallway leads to the Birdy Conservatory, which overlooks the Metropolitan Building. Below this will be a biergarten.

When finished, this area will be a whole new hotel district. Three formerly vacant buildings—the Wurlitzer, the Metropolitan, and 1400 Woodward—are now chic hotels in downtown Detroit. Here’s a look around the Shinola Hotel, just weeks away from opening.