DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Detroit Downtown – Fort Shelby

03 / The story of this place

What’s it like to stay here?

The Fort Shelby opened in June 1918 as a 10-story hotel at Lafayette and First Street, designed by Schmidt, Garden and Martin, and in 1927 Albert Kahn added a 21-story, 450-room tower. It became the Pick Fort Shelby in 1951, closed in December 1973, reopened only briefly in 1974, then sat abandoned for more than 30 years. A $90 million restoration brought it back in December 2008 as an all-suite DoubleTree, with apartments on the upper floors and a 21,000-square-foot conference center with two ballrooms. Every room has separate living space, which helps on a longer work trip, and Motor City Kitchen is downstairs. New owners bought it in 2026 and plan a $42 million renovation into an Embassy Suites by Hilton.

• 1918 hotel with an Albert Kahn tower
• All suites, each with a living area
• Walk to Huntington Place

Former names

Fort Shelby Hotel (1918–1951) · Pick Fort Shelby (1951–1973) · The Shelby Hotel (1974 (briefly)) · Fort Shelby Hotel · Pick-Fort Shelby · The Shelby Hotel

Architect

Schmidt, Garden and Martin (1918); Albert Kahn (1927 tower)

Historic building

On the National Register of Historic Places since 1983.

Getting there

Huntington Place and the riverfront are a short walk away. The Embassy Suites conversion is underway in 2026 and the hotel was still listed as a DoubleTree at the end of September, so ask when you book whether the work affects your stay.