The developers of a $50 million hotel in downtown Detroit, having lost their prospective groundfloor tenants in the pandemic, are trying to hold things together by instead offering some very Michigan entertainment offerings: Shooting and golf. But given, of course, that it's an upscale hotel in downtown Detroit, the activities will be simulated.
Crain's reports on the Cambria hotel's pivot:
Instead of corporate tenants, developers are bringing in Five Iron Golf, a golf simulator and entertainment venue chain originating in New York City, and EOTech, an Ann Arbor-based designer and manufacturer of gun gear and clothing.
Five Iron Golf will fill 24,000 square feet with 13 driving bays, a large putting green and a club fitting area. Additionally, the space will include a full-service bar, two bowling lanes, pool tables, shuffleboard and widescreen TVs, according to a news release from the company. The Trackman-enabled bays measure play stats such as distance, spin and strokes in real time and come equipped with simulations of well-known courses around the world.
EOTech Gear Store will occupy around 8,000 square feet with an outdoor equipment retail store and an interactive firearms training simulator, Caradonna said. The shooting range won't be used for live firearms but will be used for training purposes and to demonstrate the company's technology.
The development announced in 2019 is planned for Lafayette and Third Streets. It was due to be complete in 2020 but the pandemic has delayed it to 2022.
