Detroit's First Historic Luxury Boutique Inn and Meeting Center
Detroit, MI - November 26, 2001 - The elegance of Victorian architecture blended with a new century of hospitality will create a charming addition to Detroit's hotel market. The Inn On Ferry Street adds 42 rooms for business and leisure travelers in the heart of Midtown and Detroit's Cultural Center. A grand opening celebration for the
$8 million historic rehabilitation of turn-of-the-century Victorian homes and the Raymond C. Smith Carriage House and Terrace, located on Ferry Street between Woodward Avenue and John R., is scheduled for Thursday, December6 at 3:00 p.m. Civic leaders, along with city and state officials, will join invited guests for the festivities and tours of the Inn.
Amenities
The Inn On Ferry Street features individually designed deluxe guestrooms and suites, an intimate dining room, meeting space, gardens, reception areas and conference and meeting rooms. Furnishings and interiors are a combination of antiques and reproductions. Great importance was placed on architectural details including high ceilings, expansive windows, turrets and unique seating areas and fireplaces. Each room features in-room coffee maker, phones with data ports and voicemail, work area, iron/ironing board, hair dryer, cablevision and nightly turndown service with triple sheeting on beds. Guest services include a complimentary deluxe continental breakfast, same-day valet service (weekdays), complimentary newspapers, free guest parking, complimentary shuttle service within a 5-mile radius of the Inn and a complimentary social reception, Monday - Thursday, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Meeting Facilities
An ideal place for small meetings, the Raymond C. Smith Carriage House at 60 E. Ferry includes a meeting center that accommodates up to 40 with dedicated computer lines for Internet use and conferencing. The Raymond C. Smith Foundation Fund, facilitated by the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, provided the contribution toward restoring the carriage house and the adjacent terrace.
"The Inn On Ferry Street is the first historic and luxury lodging and meeting facility to be built in the Midtown area, " said Susan Mosey, President, University Cultural Center Association (UCCA). "Not only will the Inn bring new visibility to Detroit's Cultural Center, it will provide a unique lodging and meeting facility for individuals visiting Detroit's cultural, university and medical centers. We also expect many people will choose the Inn for special celebrations and overnight stays when attending downtown Detroit entertainment offerings. We are grateful to the Raymond C. Smith Foundation Fund for their generous support of the project." The Ferry Street Development Corporation (FSDC) is the developer of The Inn On Ferry Street project. FSDC is a joint venture between UCCA Community Development Company and the Founders Society DIA Acquisition Company, a subsidiary of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
The historic homes and carriage houses represent an era of grandeur in Detroit's late 19th Century, with Queen Anne, Elizabethan Revival and Romanesque Revival architectural styles. The original owners were successful business people who kept the wheels of Detroit's economy turning from dry goods to transportation.
The architectural firm for The Inn on Ferry Street was Elisabeth Knibbe Architects, Ypsilanti, Mich., specializing in historic preservation and adaptive reuses. D. J. Maltese Construction Company, Dearborn, Mich., provided construction management for the project.
Allied Hospitality Group, Inc., the Des Plaines, Illinois-based hotel management and Development Company, manages The Inn On Ferry Street. The Allied portfolio of hotels in Michigan includes properties in Birmingham and Petoskey. Room rates at The Inn on Ferry Street range from $149 to $199 per night for individual rooms and suites.
Funding sources and contributors for The Inn On Ferry Street project include: City of Detroit, Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Comerica Bank, Comerica Bank Community Development Corporation, Community Partners of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Detroit Economic Growth Corporation, Detroit Investment Fund, Detroit Renaissance Inc., National City Bank, National City Bank Community Development Corporation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, HUD, Hudson-Webber Foundation, Jane and Richard Manoogian Foundation, MASCO, Richard P. Kughn, Wayne County Metropolitan Growth Corporation, and the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, which facilitated contributions from Garden Club of Michigan, the Southeastern Michigan Commercial Economic Development Fund (supported by a grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority) and the Raymond C. Smith Foundation Fund.
For reservations or more information about The Inn On Ferry Street or Raymond C. Smith Carriage House and Terrace, call (313) 871-6000 or log on to www.TheInnOnFerryStreet.com