Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center

03 / The story of this place

What’s it like to stay here?

The Marriott fills the 73-story central cylinder of John Portman's Renaissance Center. It opened in 1977 as the Detroit Plaza Hotel, the world's tallest all-hotel skyscraper at the time, and it's still the tallest in the Western Hemisphere. With about 1,300 rooms and 125,000 square feet of event space it's the city's largest hotel: the biggest room seats 2,200, there's a People Mover station inside the complex, the Riverwalk is at the door, and FUELL looks out on it through floor-to-ceiling windows. General Motors bought the complex in 1996, later moved its headquarters out, and in 2026 a Marriott sign replaced the GM logo on top of the tower. Under the GM–Bedrock plan the hotel is expected to close temporarily after the 2027 NCAA Men's Final Four while the podium and two towers come down, then return with 858 hotel rooms and 200 apartments.

• Detroit's largest hotel
• Western Hemisphere's tallest hotel tower
• People Mover station in the complex

Former names

Detroit Plaza Hotel (from 1977) · The Westin Hotel Renaissance Center Detroit (before the Marriott flag (years not verified)) · Detroit Plaza Hotel · The Westin Hotel Renaissance Center Detroit

Architect

John Portman & Associates

Getting there

Valet is $40 a day, or self-park at the Beaubien Garage (521 Atwater) for $40 per 24 hours with in-and-out. There's no airport shuttle (DTW is about 21 miles away), and if you're booking for after April 2027, check that it's still open.