The Best Boutique Hotels in Michigan

An offshoot of the Detroit-based watch and luxury leather goods brand, Shinola Hotel keeps the spirit of the city alive and ticking. Get down with the Motown vibes in the stunning Canfield suite, with 20ft (6m) ceilings, loft-style atelier windows and a blazing gas fireplace. Sink into the couch cushions and thumb through the curated vinyl collection, spinning your chosen jam on the Shinola turntable as you await delivery of a bucket of Penny Red’s Detroit-style fried chicken.

There’s little that the Townsend Hotel can’t help you with. From the black Cadillac Escalade ready to ferry you around Birmingham to the comfortable Level Multisport workout clothes that’ll keep your gym routine intact, they’ve thought about it all. It’s not a far stretch to get a personal masseuse into your room for a treatment, just make sure you schedule it around the afternoon tea – you wouldn’t want to miss the clotted cream scones and triple chocolate banana mousse parfait now, would you?

It’s a renaissance by the riverfront at the Detroit Foundation Hotel. Pick any room and you’ll find iron-welded door handles, leather serving trays and fabulous wallpaper, all sourced directly from the best makers and creatives in the city. Brimming with homegrown pride, the elevated Chef’s Table in the Apparatus Room brings a two-Michelin-starred local chef back home for palate-pleasing plates proudly made in Detroit. Writing your way into Motor City’s Golden Age of Now is as easy as laying your head at the Detroit Foundation Hotel.

Artists in Detroit are breathing new life into Trumbull and Porter Hotel in Corktown. They’ve built custom furniture and been commissioned to create artworks and installations that you’ll see throughout the common spaces. And you’d better believe that the Deadhead Hash and Corktown Breakfast at the Red Dunn Restaurant are just as creative. If you fancy mural hunting, tour the city and the street art on two wheels with a bike rental from the lobby.

One night at the Kensington Hotel and you’ll ditch your alma mater for a Wolverine jersey. With the University of Michigan campus so close, the electrifying game day buzz will be intense enough that you’ll hardly need the Viennese Coffee Bar to perk you up. Home game? The snug and sufficient classic room at this Michigan boutique hotel will suffice. On away games, invite your new friends up to your suite’s lounge area, then celebrate a win over Ohio State with an hour in the hot tub.

The native language at the Inn at St John’s is “foodie,” so bring a bib and loosen your belt. Slide into a seat at 5ive Steakhouse and order a hand-selected cut before the other drooling diners beat you to it. The suites on the upper floors are a cut above as well, with each pillow-top bed dressed in soft Egyptian cotton. It may be the bourbon talking, but a thick steak and a night at this Plymouth hotel is the perfect pairing for luxe meat lovers.

A weekend getaway on Mackinac Island is a rite of passage for anyone getting to know Michigan’s “mitten,” and the Lake View Hotel wants to be your host. A flat-screen TV mounted on your suite’s wall will collect dust as you opt to watch the birds hop along the harbor from your lake-view room. There’s no rush to walk out onto Main Street; simply swaying on the rocking chairs on the front porch is entertainment enough.

The Siren Hotel will lure you into the Chamber, a suite so perfect for a pair of lovers or a solo traveler that the Do Not Disturb sign is practically built into the door. Custom terrazzo tiles bring just the right amount of color into the softly lit room. Whether you steal two of the eight seats at the intimate Albena or cozily sit in a red velvet booth at Candy Bar, you’ll have as few distractions as possible during your stay at this boutique hotel in Michigan.