Luxury hotel company to locate on top floors of Michigan Central Station
A luxury hotel is moving into part of Michigan Central Station, planning 180 rooms and 30 suites for the top floors of the building's tower.
This development will be the debut of NoMad Hotels in Michigan, via an agreement with Ford Motor Company that now owns the former passenger rail station.
"A year after we opened Michigan Central Station to the world, our vision to create a global innovation hub and a destination symbolizing Detroit's future is well underway," Bill Ford, executive chair of Ford Motor Company, said in the press release.
The follows the announcement of the hotel brand's Asia debut in Singapore, after Sydell Group and Hilton partnered last year in that joint venture. The NoMad brand was founded in 2011 and is led by CEO Andrew Zobler, an industry veteran in the lifestyle hospitality space.
The Michigan Central location will be part of Hilton's international luxury portfolio, with wellness facilities and additional amenities amid an interior design that celebrates the work of Detroit artists and makers.
"NoMad has built a reputation for developing hotels that take inspiration from the history, art, design and culture that make a place unique, and NoMad Detroit is poised to be no exception," Andrew Zobler, Founder & CEO, Sydell Group, said in the announcement. "A city steeped in history with an incredibly bright future, NoMad Detroit is part of an ambitious project that is transforming The Station at Michigan Central into a center for commerce, innovation, community and culture."
The hotel space is expected to open in 2027. The development will mark the first time in the building's history that floors 14-18 will be occupied.
Built in 1913, Michigan Central Station was intended as a replacement for the previous Detroit Union Depot. At its peak, the rail station saw more than 4,000 passengers a day. The station closed in 1988 because of changes in travel patterns.
Ford reopened the building in June 2024 after a six-year restoration effort. There are now tours, a gift shop, and , with Michigan Central intended to become a cornerstone of development in the Corktown area.
A mix of tenants are expected as development continues, and the first to move into the building included Ford Motor Company teams.
