Dexter Hotel champions Michigan’s craft, furniture, art and design

With With 29 thoughtfully designed rooms and suites and the Noble Lounge – a lively restaurant and bar set just above the pristine Lake Michigan waterfront – Dexter Hotel brings a new standard of elevated-yet-grounded hospitality to one of the Great Lakes’ most beautiful coastal destinations. Guest rooms are designed to feel like warm, peaceful apartments – 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.

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, Dexter Hotel reimagines a former apartment-style building in the charming 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.

Rather than a themed experience, the property 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 guest rooms, while copper and warm metals define the Noble Lounge bar and reception desk.

Image credit: Dexter Hotel / Kinship Hospitality

What distinguishes Dexter Hotel is its comprehensive commitment to regional production. Nearly every element – from custom sofas and lounge chairs to the Kinship lighting collection, reception desk, bar, beds, nightstands, and even drapery sewn by a local Traverse City seamstress – was designed by Kinship Studio and fabricated by Michigan craftspeople.

Noble Lounge is designed as a lively, welcoming space for both guests and locals, offering a thoughtful and approachable food and beverage experience set just above the pristine Lake Michigan waterfront, specifically on the Grand Traverse Bay. The bar programme, led by Beverage Director Anthony DiMaria, balances classic technique with more original compositions – leaning into creativity within a structured, ingredient-driven approach. The program draws on molecular mixology techniques to transform familiar ingredients into unexpected, layered tastes.

In tandem, Executive Chef John Korycki’s menu features refined, shareable plates rooted in seasonal Northern Michigan sourcing, with a focus on thoughtful composition and a bar-forward sensibility. Central to both programs is a spirit of cross-collaboration: the bar and kitchen teams will work in tandem to maximise every ingredient. Together, they offer guests something distinctly Northern Michigan – familiar in feeling, surprising in execution.

“Dexter Hotel represents a collaborative, design-led vision rooted in storytelling and place,” commented 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.”

Image credit: Dexter Hotel / Kinship Hospitality

“What we’re building with Dexter is a style of hospitality that feels easy but considered – where nothing is overdone, but everything matters,” added Kamron Bijeh-Apple, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Kinship Hospitality. “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.”

Shore North Development brings expertise in identifying properties with transformation potential and reimaging them as elevated hospitality experiences. The partnership with Kinship Hospitality has created a property that celebrates Michigan’s design legacy while establishing a new standard for boutique hospitality in the region.

Main Image Credit: Dexter Hotel / Kinship Hospitality