Named for the Greek mythological creatures who enchanted sailors through song, The Siren Hotel’s song is reviving the music of Motown in the newly renovated Wurlitzer Building.
For decades the Wurlitzer sat silently decaying. Formerly home to one of the largest music stores in the world, the building supplied the country—and even Europe—with unparalleled organs and pianos. Still today, the Wurlitzer organ is the soundtrack of the Fox, Fisher, and Fillmore theaters in Detroit. The building, when originally built, was synonymous with the art to which it was devoted.
Today, The Siren Hotel has restored the Wurlitzer’s old glory into a tribute to what came before and a nod to the unwritten future of this beguiling city. The once-crumbling façade resembles the original renaissance revival construction with intricate terra-cotta reliefs that the Detroit Times once called “sheer beauty,” and the pistachio-colored, Milanese flooring evokes old-world luxury.
Inside the 106-room labyrinth a plethora of restaurants, bars, and shopping. Populace Coffee on the ground-floor will be the place to start your day along with the ‘50s-esque Candy Bar from popular chef Kate Williams. There’s also an enigmatic eight-seat tasting-menu-only restaurant called Albena. And, opening later this year, an all-day diner and bakery, headed by Kate Williams and Matt Wang, called Karl’s.
As if that’s not enough, there’s a florist, two-chair barber shop, rooftop bar (which offers panoramas of the city’s famed skyline), and even a piano karaoke bar because, at this point, why wouldn’t there be one. It’s as if guests don’t even need to explore the hotel’s surrounding historic Broadway district.
The hotel itself is a destination. And the rooms offer an unusual boutique experience, ranging from simple bunk bed rooms to double-rooms with a birdcage all the way to top-floor penthouses.
The idea is not necessarily to be a hotel. It’s to be Detroit.