Ren Cen Marriott getting $15M in improvements

Adding to the city's boom in hotel room options, the Detroit Marriott at the GM Renaissance Center is undergoing a major $15 million renovation.

Improvements are being made to the hotel's corridors and the guest room bathrooms. "All the bathrooms are being redone with granite counter tops, new tiles and artwork," says spokesperson Matt Jones. "We were going for more of a residential feel."

Next year, work will begin on the restaurant, lobby bar and main lobby.

The effort was prompted, in part, by the number of new hotel rooms coming on line in Detroit. Jones sees an upside to the added competition. "In the long term, for the city, this is positive," he says. "It impacts the size of conventions the city can accommodate."

With the Super Bowl and the World Series in town, 2006 was a banner year for the hotel, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in November. Although 2007 has not been quite as lucrative, Jones says the positive direction the city has taken has helped the Marriott. "Some people still have a negative perception of Detroit," he says. "We change their perception once we get them here."

Source: Matt Jones, Marriott Hotel at the Detroit Marriott at the GM Renaissance Center
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh