A lack of large hotels cost Detroit the opportunity to host the NCAA basketball championship this year. It has also hurt the Motor City’s odds of hosting a National Football League draft or National Basketball Association all-star game. Regardless, Detroit’s City Council voted this month to block a 500-room hotel expansion near Detroit’s sports arenas.
The Crowne Plaza Detroit Downtown Riverfront Hotel had asked to build a new 28-story tower to expand its existing property. Unlike other downtown development projects, the...