Courtyard by Marriott’s Courtyard Detroit Downtown has undergone a complete overhaul.
Located in the Millender Center on Jefferson near the GMRenCen, Courtyard Detroit Downtown is owned by Bedrock and operated by Marriott International Inc. General Manager Margie Consolo says that starting in January last year, work began to renovate the hotel’s 260 rooms and public spaces from the lobby to the fitness center. The updates debuted in time for the NFL Draft, when the property was sold out.
“It’s been a full renovation, top to bottom,” she says.
Among the highlights are expanded and innovative meeting spaces. “We did have meeting facilities before,” Consolo explains. “We had two larger meeting rooms— [including] one on the first floor that held up to 300 people, and we still have that, it’s just been refreshed and updated. We also had the Skyline meeting space (capacity of about 150) up on the eighth floor that was also updated and kind of got a facelift.”
Another portion of the eighth floor has been transformed to feature a fitness concept called Cor that is modeled after the one Bedrock offers its employees. “There’s a reception area you walk through [where] people go and sit, work on computers, and watch TV,” says Consolo. “Then they walk into the cardio area that has eight different cardio machines. They continue to walk down the hallway by our new yoga studio, and a little further is our free weight area. It’s a super nice fitness experience now that feels much more like a commercial fitness center.” There’s also an indoor pool, sauna, and locker rooms.
Consolo says the new design tailors Courtyard Detroit Downtown’s fourth floor toward meeting planners as well as business travelers seeking a quiet area to work during their stay. “If folks are staying at the hotel or when they’re in the city and … want to rent out meeting space, we have breakout rooms … and all the technology to do Teams calls, Google calls, anything like that,” Consolo explains. “There are six breakout rooms—three can handle four to five people, and then three go from midsize to larger groups of up to 30. People can rent them for the day.”
The hotel exterior was also enhanced, including installation of new landscaping designs in outdoor spaces encompassing hotel entryways and the rooftop.
“When the renovation started and Marriott and Bedrock worked closely together, they definitely kept our guests top of mind,” Consolo says. “We work very hard to make it feel like a home away from home and I think we’re accomplishing that.”
The Millender Center is linked by skywalk to the GMRenCen. It also houses a Detroit People Mover station, giving guests immediate access to the 2.94-mile elevated single-track transportation system and linking to the QLine Detroit streetcar, providing access to New Center, Midtown, and Detroit’s Amtrak station.
