Why here?
Detroit's remarkable comeback has resulted in a revitalized Cobo Center and a thriving downtown, replete with new facilities such as Little Caesars Arena (pictured), part of a growing sports and entertainment district. Beyond, Michigan has far more to offer, from tribal gaming to breathtaking natural beauty.
GIVING BACK
The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Tribal Council, which owns the 243-room FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek, opened a downtown restaurant and adjacent food pantry last spring to benefit the local community. Located in a historic firehouse, The Fire Hub offers upscale but affordable café fare, while the Kendall Street Pantry helps to feed the needy. Eighty percent of the restaurant's profits go to local charities.
NEW FOR SWINGERS
The new Sage Run Golf Course at Island Resort and Casino in the Upper Peninsula, set to debut in June, is part of an $8 million renovation project at the resort. Also in the works are a new spa and bar.
GRAND CHIC
Rendezvouz, a combination breakfast spot, afternoon meeting space and evening cocktail lounge, opened last fall in the Amway Grand Plaza, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton. The 682-room hotel in downtown Grand Rapids has a total of 47,000 square feet of event space and is steps from the DeVos Place Convention Center.
DETROIT
Local Update
• The Motown Museum, currently located in the house where Barry Gordy first established Motown Records, could be in line for a $50 million expansion that would make the venue a 50,000-square-foot music-world destination. Museum executives hope to house interactive exhibits, a theater, recording studios, a large store and meeting spaces -- not to mention a more extensive collection of Motown memorabilia, which the museum has already started working to acquire from collectors. As of press time, a timeline was not yet available for the project.
• A 130-room Shinola Hotel in downtown is under construction, a collaboration between the local lifestyle brand and a Detroit real-estate firm. The eight-story property is slated to have an on-site restaurant and possible retail space as well. Developers are calling for a fall 2018 opening.
• A $20 million makeover is planned for the 453-room Westin Book Cadillac. The luxury downtown hotel will update all guest rooms and suites, guest-floor corridors, public areas, F&B venues and meeting space. Work is set to begin in the second half of the year and wrap up in early 2019.
Meeting Hotels: Properties in the downtown district include the 1,328-room Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, 453-room Westin Book Cadillac, 400-room MGM Grand Detroit, 400-room Greektown Casino-Hotel, 400-room MotorCity Casino Hotel, 367-room Crowne Plaza-Detroit Downtown Riverfront, 260-room Courtyard by Marriott-Detroit Downtown, 203-room DoubleTree Suites by Hilton-Detroit Downtown, 198-room Hilton Garden Inn-Detroit Downtown, 174-room Atheneum Suite Hotel and Conference Center, 144-room Trumbull & Porter and 136-room Aloft Detroit at The David Whitney.
To find and compare hotels, and send RFPs, visit mcvenues.com.
Convention Center: Cobo Center; meeting space, 2.4 million square feet; exhibit space, 723,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 130. (313) 877-8777
Airport Transit: Detroit Metro Airport, about 21 miles southwest of downtown. Metro Cab taxi and Metro Cars sedans to downtown start at $47. Uber and Lyft both operate in Detroit.
Taxes: Sales tax, 6%; Cobo Center tax, 6%; Detroit Metro CVB assessment, 2%; stadium tax, 1%; total tax on hotel rooms, 15%
Group Venue: A visit to Parc, a popular restaurant in the 2.5-acre Campus Martius Park downtown, is a great way to get to know Detroit. More than 100 feet of windowed walls provide a 270-degree view of the park and city, while the cuisine is a refined take on classic Midwestern fare. The restaurant welcomes private events and offers a variety of flexible configurations, from cocktail receptions to a 12-seat private dining room to full buyouts. (313) 922-7272
Contact: Visit Detroit, (303) 892-1112