New hotels in Detroit

Detroit's downtown core has spent the last few years converting its most storied buildings — a 1930s radio studio, a landmark office tower, a century-old theater — into hotels for the first time, alongside genuine new construction in Corktown. The result is a small but distinctive wave of openings between 2023 and 2025, each tied to a specific piece of the city's architectural history.

What to do

A weekend in Detroit

Base yourself downtown or in Corktown and split two days between the two. Start downtown around Campus Martius and the riverfront, walk through the restored Book Tower (home to ROOST Detroit) for its shops and bars, then head to Corktown in the evening for dinner near Michigan Central Station and a nightcap at The Godfrey's rooftop I|O lounge. On day two, walk or bike the Dequindre Cut to Eastern Market for Saturday market browsing, then swing back through Brush Park to see the Bonstelle Theatre before heading home.

A full week

With more time, add Midtown for the Detroit Institute of Arts and Wayne State's campus (steps from the Bonstelle), New Center for the Fisher Building and Motown Museum, and a full afternoon in Eastern Market beyond the Saturday market — the murals and indie food shops reward a slower visit. Riverfront days are worth reserving for the Detroit RiverWalk and a crossing to Belle Isle. Renting a car or using scooters helps, since Detroit's core neighborhoods are walkable individually but spread out as a whole.

Neighborhoods

Downtown

The financial and civic core, home to Campus Martius, the Renaissance Center riverfront and the restored Book Tower. This is where ROOST Detroit operates inside Book Tower, and where Cambria Hotel Detroit Downtown occupies the former WWJ radio building a few blocks away — making downtown the area with the highest concentration of the city's new hotel openings.

Corktown

Detroit's oldest neighborhood, historically Irish, now anchored by Ford's redevelopment of Michigan Central Station into a mobility innovation campus. The Godfrey Detroit is Corktown's new-build boutique anchor, opened in 2023 with a rooftop lounge that has become a neighborhood social hub.

Brush Park

A once-derelict Victorian mansion district just north of downtown that has rebuilt rapidly with new residential towers. AC Hotel Detroit at the Bonstelle sits here, its new tower connected to the restored 1903 Bonstelle Theatre via a glass conservatory.

Midtown

Home to the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Historical Museum and Wayne State University, immediately adjacent to Brush Park. No tracked hotel opening sits within Midtown's boundaries proper, though the AC Hotel at the Bonstelle is a short walk from its cultural institutions.

New Center

North of Midtown, centered on the Fisher Building and the Motown Museum, with an ongoing residential and office revival. No tracked hotel has opened here in this window.

Eastern Market

A historic wholesale produce district turned food and arts destination, known for its Saturday farmers' market and mural-covered warehouses. No tracked hotel opening sits in Eastern Market itself, though it's a short trip from both downtown and Corktown properties.

Riverfront/Rivertown

The stretch along the Detroit River anchored by the RiverWalk, GM's Renaissance Center and Rivertown's converted warehouses. No tracked hotel opening sits directly on the riverfront; downtown hotels are the closest base for RiverWalk access.

Which hotel for your trip

Business travelers

Cambria Hotel Detroit Downtown and ROOST Detroit both put you within walking distance of Campus Martius and the financial district's office towers, with Cambria offering more traditional meeting space and ROOST better suited to multi-day stays needing a working kitchen and coworking access.

Design and history fans

Cambria Hotel Detroit Downtown's Art Deco radio-studio conversion and AC Hotel Detroit at the Bonstelle's 1903 theater pairing are the two clearest stories in this guide — both are adaptive reuses of architecturally significant buildings getting their first-ever life as hotels.

Longer stays and extended trips

ROOST Detroit's apartment-style studios and one- and two-bedroom units, complete with full kitchens, make it the obvious choice for stays of a week or more, or for anyone who wants to cook rather than eat out every meal.

Nightlife-focused travelers

The Godfrey Detroit's I|O rooftop lounge with its retractable glass ceiling is the most social, see-and-be-seen setting among the four, well suited to travelers who want a hotel bar that doubles as a night out.

Theater and arts-district visitors

AC Hotel Detroit at the Bonstelle's direct connection to the restored Bonstelle Playhouse, and its Brush Park/Midtown location near the DIA and Wayne State, makes it the pick for anyone building a trip around Detroit's arts and culture scene.

Frequently asked questions

What is the newest hotel to open in Detroit?

Among verified openings, AC Hotel Detroit at the Bonstelle is the most recent, opening in January 2025 in Brush Park, connected to the restored 1903 Bonstelle Theatre.

Are any of Detroit's new hotels inside historic buildings?

Yes — three of the four tracked here are adaptive reuses: Cambria Hotel Detroit Downtown occupies the 1936 former WWJ radio studio, ROOST Detroit operates inside the restored Book Tower office skyscraper, and AC Hotel Detroit at the Bonstelle is built alongside and connected to the historic 1903 Bonstelle Theatre. The Godfrey Detroit, by contrast, is entirely new construction in Corktown.

Which Detroit hotel is best for a short business trip downtown?

Cambria Hotel Detroit Downtown and ROOST Detroit are both within walking distance of Campus Martius and the downtown business core; Cambria suits a one- or two-night stay, while ROOST's apartment-style units are better for longer visits.

Is Corktown a good base for visiting Detroit?

Yes — Corktown is walkable, close to Michigan Central Station and has its own restaurant scene, with The Godfrey Detroit as its main boutique hotel option, though it sits a short drive or rideshare from downtown's core attractions.

Which new Detroit hotel is best for longer stays?

ROOST Detroit, with its full-kitchen studio, one- and two-bedroom apartment-hotel units inside Book Tower, is purpose-built for stays longer than a couple of nights.

Do any of these hotels have notable rooftop bars?

The Godfrey Detroit's I|O Rooftop Lounge has a retractable glass ceiling for year-round use, and Cambria Hotel Detroit Downtown also operates a rooftop bar above its Art Deco lobby.