BACK IN 2017 – in an article featured in
Frame 118, to be specific – we honed in on
intense localization in hospitality. A new
breed of hotels and restaurants had emerged.
Food, suppliers, products, materials, crafts-
men: every element was considered through
an uber-local lens. The phenomenon held the
promise of authenticity, something traveling
millennials are reportedly craving more than
ever before.
There was another factor at play, too:
community. Not only did these new-wave
hospitality hotspots serve as hubs for a city’s
citizens and tourists; they also sought to
support local society. And this is where a
brand like Shinola was already hard at work.
Established in 2011, the crafter of luxury
products – watches, leather goods, bicycles
and audio equipment, among other items –
has publicly committed to its Detroit base
from the outset. And a challenging base it
was. Detroit is only now recovering from a
period of drastic decline that culminated in
the city filing for bankruptcy just two years
after Shinola’s launch.
Already, most of the workers assem-
bling Shinola’s goods were local Detroiters,
many from the city’s once thriving auto-
motive industry. But during the process
of expanding its retail footprint into new
markets, Shinola got together with its owner
and operator Bedrock Brands to brainstorm
about what else they could offer their city.
(Bedrock has so far invested $2.5 billion in
Detroit’s CBD, a figure expected to more
than double.) ‘Out came a hotel,’ says Daniel
Caudill, creative director of Shinola. ‘We
knew that the quality of our retail experience
would translate perfectly to the hospitality
space. For years, many retail brands have
been partnering with and supplying hotels
with items such as linens and accessories. It
was a natural next step for brands to open
their own hotels. Now retail brands can be in
control and can deliver trusted and custom-
ized experiences that align with the lifestyle
their brand already caters to.’
Despite receiving criticism related
to gentrification and the exploitation of
its struggling home city in its branding
and marketing, Shinola claims to be part
of Detroit’s rejuvenation. ‘We consider the
property to be the city’s living room,’ says
Caudill, who tells me the space is filled with
feats of craftsmanship and design from local
Michigan companies. (It should, however, be
noted that the spatial container those locals
are filling is designed by New York-based
Gachot Studios.) Respected Detroit gallery
Library Street Collective curated the art in the
living room space, Booms Stone Company
provided the stone finishes in the guestrooms,
and local brands like Drought and Good
Neighbor rounded out the retail space on
the block. Caudill says it was important to
everyone involved in the project that »‘We consider
the property
to be the city’s
living room’
Shinola hopes that Detroit’s citizens
will think of the hotel as a community
meeting place.FRAME LAB 153