Detroit Riverfront Hotel to Open April 2027

The JW Marriott Detroit Water Square will open by April 2027 on the old Joe Louis Arena site. The 601-room property has taken bookings into 2029, more than a year before guests arrive.

Work on the 25-story building should finish by mid-December 2026. The $400 million project will feature 44 suites, two ballrooms covering 30,000 square feet, a spa, a restaurant, a fitness center, and a bar.

"The interest in the project, both from locals and on the meetings and convention stage, has been strong," said Scott Stinebaugh, director of sales and marketing, according to Crain's Detroit Business. Stinebaugh led a tour through the development on Feb. 20, 2026.

Groups have reserved room blocks for 2027, 2028, and 2029. Individuals can start booking in late summer or early fall of this year.

The property sits where the Detroit Red Wings played until 2017, when the team moved to Little Caesars Arena on Woodward Avenue. Work started in spring 2024 on the convention center-style facility.

Warren-based Joe Vicari Restaurant Group will open Andiamo Italian Chophouse at Water Square inside the building, as per the source. More than 200 people will work there, not counting restaurant staff.

The development received a 30-year, $130.6 million Renaissance Zone tax break and an $11.6 million Public Act 210 Commercial Rehabilitation Act property tax break over 10 years. A state reimbursement of $48.5 million for local school and library taxes brings the net value of the Renaissance Zone break to $82.1 million, as reported by Crain's Detroit Business.

The total package between the Renaissance Zone and the PA 210 abatement is valued at $93.7 million. Neumann/Smith Architecture designed the project. Macomb Township-based Colasanti Construction Services Inc. serves as the general contractor.

The facility aims to be ready when the NCAA Men's Final Four basketball tournament comes to town in April 2027.