Shinola Hotel

Shinola Hotel

Nick Cave's Tondo, a ten-foot circle of sequined fabric, hangs in the lobby of a building that opened in 1915 on Woodward Avenue, in the heart of Detroit's historic shopping district, and the piece is a fair introduction: the 129-room Shinola Hotel treats craftsmanship as the whole point, not a marketing line. Five distinct venues run through the ground floor, from Chef Andrew Carmellini's wood-fired Southern Italian kitchen at San Morello to a speakeasy tucked past the front desk, a beer-and-shuffleboard hall, and a fried chicken counter next door, so guests who want their evening handled without leaving the building have real choices, not a single dining room stretched thin. Rooms run 280 to 300 square feet with soundproofing, blackout blinds and a working indoor fireplace, a detail rare in a downtown hotel. Seven event spaces totaling nearly 20,000 square feet, including a ballroom with a marble fireplace and a glass-ceilinged atrium with a wraparound terrace, put this hotel ahead of the pack for anyone planning a wedding or a meeting that needs to impress rather than just accommodate. Dogs travel free of complication here too, with a set pet deposit rather than a case-by-case negotiation. What this is not: a resort escape or a quiet retreat from the city. Check-in is 4pm, checkout noon, and everything from the library to the bar sits within walking distance of Capitol City and The Belt. Anyone wanting to be in the middle of downtown Detroit, fed well and housed in a building with actual history, will find the case made without much effort. A 1915 building on Woodward Avenue with five dining and drinking venues, including a hidden speakeasy, and 129 rooms with working fireplaces. Good for anyone who wants downtown Detroit handled without leaving the building, dog included. Not built for a quiet escape.