The Shinola Hotel is a hotel in downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. Located at 1400 Woodward Avenue, the 129-room hotel opened in January 2019 as Shinola's first hotel. The property was developed by Bedrock in partnership with Shinola and combines two historic buildings with three new structures. Independent coverage has focused on the hotel's adaptive reuse of historic buildings, interior design, and role in the redevelopment of downtown Detroit.
In 2024, the hotel was included in the inaugural United States Michelin Guide hotel selection and received one Michelin Key. It retained the distinction in the 2026 selection.
History
Plans for the hotel were announced by Shinola and Detroit real-estate company Bedrock in 2018. The project marked Shinola's expansion into the hospitality industry and involved the adaptive reuse of historic buildings along Woodward Avenue, together with new construction.
The hotel opened in January 2019 with 129 guest rooms, restaurants, bars, and public spaces. The project was developed by Bedrock, with Kraemer Design Group serving as architect of record and historic consultant and GACHOT handling the interior design.
Architecture and restoration
The hotel occupies a group of buildings along Woodward Avenue that were connected to form a single hotel complex. Two of the buildings are historic structures: the former T.B. Rayl Co. building at 1400 Woodward Avenue and the former Singer Sewing Machine Company building. Three additional structures were constructed as part of the hotel project.
T.B. Rayl Co. Building
The T.B. Rayl Co. Building was constructed in 1915 at the northeast corner of Woodward Avenue and Grand River Avenue. The building was designed by the Detroit architectural firm Baxter, O'Dell & Halpin. Wirt C. Rowland, who was working for Baxter, O'Dell & Halpin at the time, is associated with the building's design and its terracotta detailing.
The building originally housed the T. B. Rayl & Co. store, a hardware retailer that sold items including sleds, ice skates, tool chests, cutlery and other household goods. Its exterior features an Art Nouveau decorative design. An eighth story was added to the originally seven-story building before the 1930s, and the building underwent further alterations during the 20th century, including storefront renovations for Sally Frocks and Meyer Jewelry Company.
The Rayl building was incorporated into the Shinola Hotel as part of the project's adaptive reuse of the site. During the conversion, historic elements of the building were incorporated into the hotel's interior design. Terracotta tile from the building's facade was molded and recast as plaster for the ceiling of the hotel's rooftop event space.
Singer Building
The former Singer Sewing Machine Company building was constructed in 1936. Its limestone-clad, neoclassical facade was designed by the Detroit architectural firm Smith, Hinchman & Grylls.
The Singer building was connected to the Rayl building and three newly constructed buildings as part of the hotel project. The floors of the Singer building differed in elevation from those of the adjacent structures by as much as 42 inches. To create continuous corridors through the complex, the construction team used a floating floor assembly and raised new floor slabs in the Singer building to match the elevations of the adjoining buildings.
Elements discovered in the Singer building during construction were incorporated into the hotel's interior design. A blue paint chip found in the building was used as the basis for a custom blue color used in rugs, furniture and other interior elements.
New construction and interiors
Three neighboring buildings were demolished and rebuilt as part of the project, which ultimately created a 160,000-square-foot hotel complex. Kraemer Design Group served as architect of record and historic consultant, while GACHOT designed the interiors and directed the project's design. The five buildings were connected into a single hotel, with a skybridge linking portions of the complex.
The interiors incorporate custom furniture, millwork and fixtures, with materials and design elements inspired by the historic buildings. The project included 129 guest rooms in numerous configurations, reflecting differences between the connected structures.
Hotel
The hotel contains 129 guest rooms in more than 50 room configurations, reflecting the varying layouts of the buildings incorporated into the complex. Public areas include a lobby, bar, meeting and event spaces, and retail and dining areas. The hotel has approximately 16,000 square feet of dining, entertainment, and retail space.
The hotel's food and beverage operations have included San Morello, an Italian restaurant operated by NoHo Hospitality Group, Evening Bar, The Brakeman beer hall, Penny Red's, and Ray's Hometown Bar. The Brakeman and Penny Red's opened in March 2019, following the openings of San Morello in December 2018 and Evening Bar in January 2019.
Reception and recognition
The hotel received coverage from architecture, design and travel publications surrounding its opening. Architectural Digest featured the project before its completion in 2018 and subsequently published a feature on the completed hotel in 2019. The publication also included Shinola Hotel in a guide to Detroit's design destinations, describing the preservation of the two historic structures as part of the hotel's design.
British GQ reviewed the hotel in January 2019, describing it as a 129-room property occupying several historic buildings and incorporating guest accommodations, food and retail space.
The Daily Telegraph also reviewed the hotel in 2019, noting that it occupies the former T.B. Rayl & Company and Singer Sewing Machine Company buildings alongside three new structures.
In 2019, the hotel was selected as an Engineering News-Record Midwest Best Project in the Residential/Hospitality category. ENR highlighted the project's combination of historic rehabilitation, new construction and detailed interior work.
Michelin Key
Shinola Hotel was included in the first Michelin Guide hotel selection for the United States in 2024, receiving one Michelin Key. The 2024 selection listed Shinola Hotel as one of two Michelin Key hotels in Michigan, alongside the Daxton Hotel in Birmingham.
The hotel retained one Michelin Key in the 2025 and 2026 selections. Michelin announced the 2026 selection on September 18, 2026, adding 470 hotels across 79 destinations to the global selection. The Michelin Guide defines one Key as "a very special stay" and awards Keys based on criteria including architecture and interior design, service, character, value and contribution to the surrounding area.
Detroit television station WXYZ reported the 2026 recognition alongside the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, noting that Shinola Hotel had previously received a Michelin Key in 2024.
See also
- Shinola
- Downtown Detroit
- Woodward Avenue
- Wirt C. Rowland