The Westin Book Cadillac in downtown Detroit has announced it will begin a series of activities to celebrate the hotel’s centennial that will include a collaboration with the Detroit Historical Museum.
A free exhibit is being designed to depict the Neo-Renaissance hotel from its inception to present day. For example, the hotel made its movie debut in Frank Capra’s 1947 movie “State of the Union,” which starred Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy (who both stayed at the hotel).
On Dec. 8, 1924, Detroit’s Book brothers, Frank, Herbert, and J. Burgess Jr. changed the landscape of Washington Boulevard, dubbed at the time the “Fifth Avenue of the Midwest,” with the opening of the tallest hotel in the world with 33 floors and 1,136 guestrooms.
Designed by architect Louis Kamper at a cost of $14 million, the new Book Cadillac Hotel stimulated Detroit’s hospitality growth.
“We are thrilled to be working with the Detroit Historical Museum to kick off our 100-year anniversary,” says Debra Schultz, general manager of The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit. “The exhibit will be located adjacent to our Starbucks Reserve on the main floor, and Detroiters are encouraged to contact the museum with a favorite memory or hotel artifact for the display.” The exhibit is scheduled to open in mid-October.
Since its early years, the hotel has attracted major high-profile meetings and social events, and welcomed guests that included four U.S. Presidents: Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy. and Biden as well as other notable guests like Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Lady Bird Johnson, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Errol Flynn, Danny Thomas, Frank Sinatra, Joe Louis, and many others.
The 1980s were dark years for the Book Cadillac. The hotel was ultimately closed in 1984 and liquidated in 1986. It was sparred demolition in 1993. Not until The Ferchill Group (Cleveland) purchased the property in 2006 and created a unique finance package that included 23 sources of funding was the hotel restored to its former glory.
From there, a management contract was signed with Starwood Hotels & Resorts to operate the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit.
The hotel reopened on Oct. 6, 2008, following a $200 million redevelopment to create a 453-room luxury hotel and 65 upscale condominiums on the property’s top floors.
The hotel’s opening has been credited as one of the sparks that ignited Detroit’s revitalization by bringing new businesses to the city, including downtown residential housing, restaurants, and entertainment venues.
“Today our city is energized with new public spaces for gathering and places for major events like the recent successful 2024 NFL Draft event that brought 775,000 fans downtown,” says Schultz.
The hotel was prepared for the NFL event with the completion of a $23 million renovation in December 2023 by the new ownership, Oxford Capital Group in Chicago and Oxford Hotels and Resorts.
“We are extremely pleased with the addition of The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit to our hospitality portfolio,” says John W. Rutledge, founder, chairman, and CEO of Oxford Capitol Group and Oxford Hotels and Resorts. “This most significant anniversary year is the beginning of a dynamic and exciting new chapter for the hotel and Detroit.”
The Oxford renovation included a contemporary design with top to bottom fully refreshed guestrooms, more than 36,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, plus all public spaces within the 453-room property.
Last year brought the addition of Sullivan’s Steakhouse (formerly Roast), while Haus of Brunch off the Michigan Avenue entrance will welcome guests later this year (previously Spa 19 and 24 Grille).
For more information, visit bookcadillacwestin.com.
