A 600-room JW Marriott hotel is planned for Water Square, on the site of the former Joe Louis Arena

A new JW Marriott hotel will open in downtown Detroit on the site of the Joe Louis Arena, Sterling Group announced Wednesday.

The hotel will be part of Water Square, which is home to a recently completed apartment complex, and will be connected to Huntington Place by a footbridge.

According to the Sterling Group, the project’s developer, the hotel will have 600 rooms and 25 floors, as well as meeting space.

“This connected hotel will change the landscape of hospitality in the city of Detroit and will allow Huntington Place to attract more and larger conventions. This will be a tremendous economic benefit to the city and region,” said Danny Samson, Chief Development Officer of Sterling Group. “We are grateful to Union Labor Life Insurance Company (Ullico), the State of Michigan, the City of Detroit and Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties for their continued support and hard work in making this project a reality,” continued Samson.

Construction began in April 2024 and is expected to be completed in early 2027, just in time for the Final Four.

This is the latest hotel project to come to the city of Detroit. EDITION, a five-star hotel, is expected to open inside the 45-story Hudson’s Detroit building in the coming years.

The JW Marriott will be one of the Water Square projects, which will also include a park between the apartment complex and the hotel. The park will be open to the public.