Originally published on Conde Nast Traveler
The Motor City is making a comeback. In 2024, Detroit will welcome a host of new hotels, green spaces, and cultural attractions—not to mention the NFL Draft, expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors.
The highly anticipated Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park project, which the state likens to Chicago’s Millennium Park, will introduce new ways to play along Detroit’s western riverfront. Walking trails, a water garden, expansive playgrounds, and a sports center are among the park’s many features. Its goal—to give more Detroiters access to the outdoors—could be realized as soon as summer 2024.
Fresh digs like an AC Hotel, opening in midtown in 2024, put travelers in the heart of Detroit’s developments. The century-old Bonstelle Theater next door is getting its own facelift: the green-domed icon will reopen as an event and bar space alongside the AC Hotel (both the hotel and event space are expected to debut in time for the draft). Downtown’s Courtyard by Marriott in the Millennium Center will complete a $9.5 million renovation by 2024. And Corktown, Detroit’s oldest and arguably trendiest neighborhood, unveiled the hip new Godfrey Detroit, Curio Collection by Hilton in August 2023.
Other 2024 milestones catalyzing Detroit’s rebound: the completion of the $1.5 billion Hudson’s Site, a stylish downtown retail, residential, and dining hangout with a to-be-announced hotel; and the opening of the Ford-backed Michigan Central, a historic train depot turned innovation center featuring restaurants, retail, maker hubs, and public art. –Stephanie Vermillion
