Michigan Central announces new NoMad hotel
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Michigan Central Station, with the carriage house in the foreground. Photo: Stephanie Rhoades Hume/Michigan Central
Ford has reached an agreement with NoMad Hotels to open a 180-room hotel inside historic Michigan Central Station, most likely in 2027.
Why it matters: A new hotel helps propel Ford's long-term transformation of the once-vacant train depot into a global innovation hub and gathering place that symbolizes the city's future.
What they're saying: The Monday morning announcement is a "huge step forward" for Michigan Central after moving in Ford employees in October and the ongoing work next door at Newlab to pursue cutting-edge mobility solutions, Michigan Central CEO Josh Sirefman tells Axios.
- "We've been really cooking. The hotel is the next big piece that will really keep pushing this journey forward," Sirefman says.
Catch up quick: The depot's magnificent renovations were unveiled to the public last June, after a six-year restoration process.
- The depot, which opened in 1913, was designed by the same architects behind New York's Grand Central Terminal. It closed in 1988 and stood vacant until Ford bought Michigan Central in 2018.
- In 2023, a quarter-mile section of 14th Street near Michigan Central became the country's first stretch of road that can wirelessly charge an electric vehicle.
Zoom in: NoMad Detroit will anchor the station's west side and take up the building's top five floors — the first time ever that floors 14-18 will be occupied, according to Michigan Central.
- NoMad's restaurant and bar concepts will be installed in the station's restaurant and carriage house areas.
Between the lines: NoMad, which is affiliated with Hilton, will incorporate the area's history, art and culture into the hotel, CEO and founder Andrew Zobler said in a statement.
- Another NoMad hotel development was announced last month in Singapore.
- The Michigan Central hotel will be NoMad's first in Michigan.
What's next: Hotel construction will start at the end of the year, Sirefman says.