Dexter Hotel opened on 19 May in Elk Rapids, Northern Michigan, with almost every piece of furniture, ceramic, light fitting and textile made by Michigan craftspeople. It is the most considered hotel opening in the Great Lakes region in years.
Elk Rapids is a small waterfront town on the eastern shore of Grand Traverse Bay, fifteen minutes from Traverse City and the kind of place that people who know Northern Michigan tend to keep quietly to themselves. It now has a hotel worth making the trip for.
Dexter Hotel opened on 19 May in a reimagined former apartment building above the bay, developed by Shore North Development in collaboration with Kinship Hospitality, the company founded by Daniel Caudill and Kamron Bijeh-Apple. Caudill is the former creative director of Shinola, the Detroit brand that did more than almost anyone to revive the idea of American craft manufacturing as a serious design proposition. That background is legible throughout the hotel in the best possible way.
The 29 rooms and suites are built around a material palette that draws on Michigan’s mid-century furniture legacy: custom white oak furniture, woven textiles, muted tones, soft upholstery and gallery walls featuring original works by Michigan artists including Martyna Alexander, Pier Wright and Jesse Hickman. What sets the hotel apart from comparable design-conscious properties is the depth of its commitment to regional production. Almost everything — sofas, lounge chairs, lighting fixtures, ceramics, the reception desk, the bar, even the drapery — was designed by Kinship Studio and made by Michigan craftspeople. The ceramics collection of bowls, cups, plates and lamps was created by Traverse City ceramicists. The custom flush-mount ceiling lights were manufactured by Britten Inc. in Traverse City. A local seamstress in Traverse City sewed the drapery. This is not a hotel that sources regionally as a marketing proposition. It is a hotel where the region is structurally embedded in every room.
Noble Lounge, the hotel’s restaurant and bar, sits directly above the Grand Traverse Bay waterfront with patio access to the public waterfront park below. Beverage Director Anthony DiMaria, previously of Sugar House in Detroit and Otis Harbor Springs, leads a cocktail programme drawing on molecular techniques and ingredient-driven composition, including an in-house beer developed with Arbor Brewing Company in Ann Arbor. Executive Chef John Korycki’s kitchen, launching in early to mid-June, will focus on seasonal small plates sourced from Northern Michigan farms and cheesemakers, with a bar-forward, shareable format.
The timing of the opening is well chosen. Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City is midway through a $120 million expansion that will triple its capacity by spring 2028 and add direct routes from LaGuardia, bringing Northern Michigan’s lakes, dunes and wine country within easier reach of the east coast. July 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of the National Cherry Festival. Dexter Hotel is ready for the moment.
More at dexterhotel.com