Detroit
Cobo Center completed a multimillion-dollar expansion and renovation in August 2015. The project included the addition of a new 40,000-square-foot ballroom, a new 30,000-square-foot glass-enclosed atrium with floor-to-ceiling views of the Detroit River, and a 50,000-square-foot exterior plaza. Cobo now also features a TV broadcast studio with satellite uplink capabilities and high-tech video walls on the exterior of the building to welcome visitors.
Construction continues on the M-1 Rail, a streetcar that when complete in early 2017 will service 20 stations at 12 locations.
Ann Arbor
Residence Inn Ann Arbor Downtown opened in October with 110 suites and more than 2,000 square feet of meeting space.
The former Dahlmann Campus Inn was sold in September and is currently undergoing renovations. At press time it was scheduled to reopen as the Graduate Ann Arbor next month.
Lansing
Hyatt Place Lansing/Eastwood Towne Center opened last year with 125 guest rooms and three meeting rooms.
The 96-suite Residence Inn East Lansing opened last year with one meeting room.
Grand Rapids
A 142-room Hampton Inn & Suites opened downtown in September, and a 107-room Hilton Homewood Suites (www.hilton.com) is on track to open downtown in July.
A 180-suite Drury Inn & Suites Grand Rapids is scheduled to open this summer.
At press time, the 126-room WoodSpring Suites Grand Rapids South was on track to open in mid-February.
Traverse City
The new Hotel Indigo, with 100 guest rooms, seven suites and 5,000 square feet of meeting space, will open in June.
An interior renovation of the 186-room Grand Traverse Resort and Spa was completed last summer.
Best Western Four Seasons reopened in early September 2015 after a renovation, including updates to guest rooms and the addition of a fitness center and business center.
Muskegon
L.C. Walker Arena, in downtown Muskegon, is undergoing an ongoing improvement project, including new flooring (complete) and a new workout facility that broke ground in January.
Kalamazoo
Homewood Suites by Hilton Kalamazoo-Portage opened in November with meeting space for up to 60 people.
Wings Event Center recently completed facility upgrades, including new flooring and paint, and a new large video scoreboard.
Mackinac Island
Grand Hotel is scheduled to open Sushi Grand, Mackinac Island’s only sushi restaurant, in May. Also, a portion of the hotel’s porch is being renovated.