The reimagined Dexter Hotel in Elk Rapids, Michigan, has opened its doors.
Billed as one of the region’s first hotels dedicated to contemporary design, regional craft and authentic Michigan heritage, the property features 29 thoughtfully designed rooms and suites, as well as the Noble Lounge – a lively restaurant and bar set just above the Lake Michigan waterfront.
Created by the former creative director of Shinola and built by Shore North Development in collaboration with Kinship Hospitality founders Daniel Caudill and Kamron Bijeh-Apple, the hotel reimagines a former apartment-style building in the waterfront town of Elk Rapids. The vision centres on material honesty, regional production and a design language rooted in Michigan’s influential Mid-century furniture legacy.
Assembled utilising modular stacked-box construction, fabricated off-site and assembled on location, the property enjoys enahanced soundproofing, with no rooms sharing connected walls, ceilings or floors, while maintaining structural precision and quality. Future exterior enhancements will add a warm cream façade with black metal hardware, shutters and planter boxes.
Inside, Dexter Hotel offers a modern, sophisticated aesthetic rooted in place through carefully sourced materials, custom fabrication by Michigan makers and curated vintage furniture that honours the state’s design legacy. The aesthetic palette emphasises natural, durable finishes designed to age beautifully: custom white oak furniture anchors the guestrooms, while copper and warm metals define the Noble Lounge bar and reception desk.
Guestrooms are designed to feel like warm, peaceful apartments with muted tones, natural materials, woven textiles and soft upholstery, with gallery walls featuring a mix of artistic styles. Handcrafted Serta mattresses paired with down bedding and Frette linens complete the sleeping experience.
Dexter Hotel also demonstrates a deep commitment to regional production. Nearly every element – from custom sofas and lounge chairs to the Kinship lighting collection, reception desk, bar, beds, nightstands and drapery sewn by a local Traverse City seamstress – was designed by Kinship Studio and fabricated by Michigan craftspeople.
Throughout the hotel, key details include a Kinship Ceramics Collection, comprising bowls, trays, cups, plates, soap dishes, and lamps created specifically for the hotel by local ceramicists; custom lighting, such as flush-mount ceiling fixtures manufactured by Britten Inc.; gallery walls of salon-style artwork featuring original pieces by Michigan artists including Martyna Alexander, Pier Wright and Jesse Hickman; custom millwork including the handcrafted reception desk and Noble Lounge bar, highlighting regional woodworking tradition; Salt & Stone Amenities and ClaySpace Ceramics to complete the regional craft story; and a custom signature scent to create a fully immersive sensory experience.
Designed to serve as a living room open to guests and locals alike, Noble Lounge is a lively, welcoming space that offers a thoughtful and approachable food and beverage experience, with bar and kitchen teams working in tandem to offer guests something distinctly Northern Michigan.
“Dexter Hotel represents a collaborative, design-led vision rooted in storytelling and place,” says Daniel Caudill, co-founder and Creative Director of Kinship Hospitality. “We approached this project by asking whether every element – every piece of furniture, every ceramic, every fixture – could be created by Michigan makers. Working with Northern Michigan’s extraordinary community of artisans allowed us to develop truly custom pieces that exist nowhere else, creating an authentic connection between design and region.”
Kamron Bijeh-Apple, co-founder and Managing Partner of Kinship Hospitality adds: “What we’re building with Dexter is a style of hospitality that feels easy but considered, where nothing is overdone, but everything matters. A big part of that comes to life in Noble Lounge, which is really the heart of the property – a place guests naturally spend time, whether they’re coming down for a drink, staying for food or just settling in for the evening. The goal is for everything to feel seamless, social and worth lingering in, without ever feeling like you’re being moved through an experience.”
