Daxton Hotel

While the upscale suburbs of Detroit, Michigan had a substantial lodging market, they were missing a modern and inspired hotel experience for locals and visitors alike –– enter Booth Hansen, TynanGroup, and Morlights. Located in Birmingham, The Daxton hotel was conceived as a means to elevate the beautiful suburb by bringing an art-filled, high-style gathering spot to the mix.

From design inception, lighting played a key role in realizing the client’s vision, which included showstopping, decorative fixtures like a large geode structure encapsulating the main lobby bar and expansive, artistic chandeliers hanging in the ballroom. Morlights’ mandate was to ensure that these lighting elements not only exceeded aesthetic expectations, but are functional and easily maintained in the long term. In order to guarantee longevity we oversaw the manufacturing and installation process, including coordinating driver location and designing controls. Hands-on collaboration was a theme throughout the project — at one point, Morlights’ team laid out individual components of the chain chandelier in the ballrooms during an installation visit.

The Daxton’s focus on creating a dynamic showcase for art allowed Morlights’ designers to employ our extensive experience in both museum and high-end hospitality design to cohesively light all the artistic and functional elements of the hotel, precisely matching light and technology to each situation. From a full-scale sculpture of a unicorn to a giant pink bunny, we were undeterred, integrating show-stopping feature lighting, layered with carefully designed ambient light, to illuminate the crowd-pleasers while creating an incredibly comfortable guest experience, even when reading menus or navigating hallways.

Our work at The Daxton was a culmination of expert coordination from all teams and the shepherding of creative and artistic concepts by Morlights to meet the hotel’s expectations of whimsical wonder. By striking the perfect balance of creativity and functionality, we were able to equip the hotel for long-lasting, artistic impact for everyone who walks through the doors.

“It isn't often that a client has a vision that includes creativity and art as the centerpiece — not to mention a pink bunny. This isn’t a typical hotel, and that, frankly, made it a whole lot of fun.”