The St. Regis Hotel, a Midtown jewel

The St. Regis Hotel, a posh boutique hotel on W. Grand Blvd. just west of Woodward, will undergo a major upgrade in the coming months. The Invictus Investment Group recently announced that it will make a substantial finan- cial commitment to one of the city’s most historic community assets in Detroit’s newly expanded Midtown area (formerly New Center) to enhance the hotel’s appeal for business travelers and tourists to the Motor City. Invictus partner Tony Saunders said former GM Executive Roy S. Roberts also is investing with Invictus in the St. Regis and that a previous owner of the St. Regis, the O’Neil D. Swanson family, will continue with a significant ownership position in the hotel.

“We are excited by the potential Invictus brings to the future of the hotel,” said O’Neil Swanson, president and founder of Swanson Funeral Home and a co-owner of the hotel. “We share their vision for updating its facilities and believe with their involvement and leadership we will achieve the goals for the hotel that my family envisioned when we took an ownership position several years ago. We look forward to working with them.”

The popular hotel, noted for its old-world craftsman-ship, contemporary charm and architectural design, sits across W. Grand Blvd. from the former General Motor’s headquarters and is a short walk from nearby Henry Ford Health Systems and the Motown Museum.
“It’s a gorgeous building with a lot of history and when you look at all of the energy that is shifting into the New Center area at this time, we feel it has the potential to be an anchor institution for the area,” Saunders said. “We are looking to create a dynamic experience that will keep people coming back for more.”

The cultural landmark, which incorporated the elegant Mauna Loa restaurant — one of city’s finest dining attractions in the late ’60s — remains a popular venue for Motown icons. The exclusive venue for “Motown the Musical’s” theater after-parties, where performers on the rise rub shoulders with musical legends like Berry Gordy, Smoky Robinson and Stevie Wonder, has become a destination point for first-time and returning tourists as well as business travelers and corporate affairs.

The W. Grand Blvd. and Woodward community is bordered by the John C. Lodge, I-75 and I-94 free-ways. Supporters at an election party for mayoral incumbent Mike Duggan noted that the New Center community is key to developing a Motown-Midtown intersection.
“The fact that it is located close to the last stop on the QLine adds to its attractiveness and the impact it can have on the area,” explained Saunders.

Architectural firm McIntosh Poris and Associates, whose most recent projects include converting the city’s downtown Fire Department Head- quarters into the Detroit Foundation Hotel, have been contracted for the St. Regis project. Connected by skywalk to the landmark Cadillac Place and Fisher buildings, the 124-room hotel’s $6 million renovation is expected to begin by June.

Rockford Construction has been selected along with Kyle Evans Design will serve as project designer for the new lobby bar, as well as upgrades to guest rooms and the hotel conference center. A redesign of the already elegant La Musique will open up the space to the large exterior patio looking out onto W. Grand Blvd.

Hotel guests have included such notables as Noble Peace Prize winner Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to rock superstar Mick Jaeger and from the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin to President Bill Clinton.

“One of the features I like best about this hotel is that it is really a testament to the city,” said Valerie Shepherd. a regular St. Regis guest. “It’s clear that the hotel has been treated with loving care, and the holiday soirees hosted by the Swansons are always great. There’s an outdoor park just across the boulevard and the proximity between the neighborhoods and downtown is just right.”