First look inside the AC Hotel Detroit at the Bonstelle

Work is wrapping up at the latest hotel to open near downtown Detroit. The AC Hotel Detroit at the Bonstelle is set to open for guests in January 2025.

The hotel includes a new 10-story building with 154 guest rooms, a fitness room, meeting rooms, and a cozy lounge on the first floor. A conservatory with a bar connects to the Bonstelle Theatre, which is currently being restored (and not open for photos) will open as an event space this spring. 

We toured the new hotel with David Di Rita of the Roxbury Group at a preview event Wednesday evening. 

The AC Hotel brand originally opened in Madrid and has a warm, minimalist style. The Conservatory offers tapas, cocktails, wine, and beer. Later in 2025, a rooftop bar will open. The lounge next to the lobby has couches, chairs, tables, a fireplace, workspace, and a smaller bar and could be open for smaller private events. The guest rooms are fairly spacious and have large picture windows.

When the Bonstelle reopens in the spring, it will host live performances and private events. It's connected to the hotel through the Conservatory.

The Roxbury Group, who have also done the Element Hotel at the Metropolitan Building and the David Whitney Building, are developing the AC Hotel Detroit with the Peachtree Group. Azul Hospitality is managing the hotel, Stantec led the design, Patrick Thompson Design led the interior design, and Sachse led construction.

The Bonstelle Theatre dates back to 1903 and was designed by Albert Kahn. It started as the Temple Beth El synagogue and by 1925, the interior was redesigned by theater architect C. Howard Crane and was converted to a theater and movie house. It was acquired by Wayne State in 1951 and decommissioned in 2018. Construction started for the AC Hotel in 2023.

The hotel is located at Eliot Street and Woodward in Brush Park. It's just down the street from Little Caesars Arena and Comerica Park. See more photos in the gallery at the top of the page.