[DetroitSky]

Hotel concept Sonder to open 168 units in 2 downtown Detroit buildings

Sonder Inc. expects to open 168 of its apartment-like short-term rentals in two buildings in downtown Detroit beginning next month.

Forty-five of the one- and two-bedroom units are expected to be available for rent in the former Lawyers Building at 139 Cadillac Square while the remaining 123 are expected this winter in the former Gabriel Richard Building at 305 Michigan Ave.

Ellen Schulz, the Chicago-based general manager of the properties, said Sonder, which is headquartered in San Francisco, "brings consistency and quality of a hotel stay with a space that feels like an apartment."

Sonder operates in 22 cities across the globe.

Detroit might soon have interactive kiosks amid privacy concerns

Detroit — Dozens of interactive booths with free Wi-Fi, suggestions for dining and shopping or finding an open shelter bed for the homeless might soon be sprouting up downtown.

The Downtown Detroit Partnership has entered into a 15-year agreement with Ohio-based IKE Smart City that calls for the installation of at least 30 kiosks in the city's core and neighborhood districts, said Eric Larson, the partnership's CEO.

The new technology is planned amid tensions in Detroit over privacy concerns tied to the use of traffic-mounted cameras, real-time feeds to the police department's crime center and facial recognition software.

The kiosk technology — often equipped with high-definition security cameras — has also raised privacy concerns in some cities over unwanted surveillance and other features that may provide a user's personal information to third parties.

Detroit is believed to be the first city deploying IKE kiosks without cameras, Larson said, but the terminals can be retrofitted later on "if everybody is comfortable with it."

Get an early taste of Heidelburgers, a forthcoming restaurant from the Heidelberg Project

The artists behind the world-famous Heidelberg Project are preparing to open a burger restaurant to feed the hungry visitors to their outdoor art installation.

According to founders Tyree Guyton and Jenenne Whitfield, Heidelburgers will serve an assortment of burgers developed by accomplished chef and caterer Jeffrie Toney. Besides a traditional beef patty, they'll serve turkey burgers with a bit of spice, and meat-free burgers called Veggie Baby and the Vegan Volt.

Heidelburgers will also serve french fries, sweet potato fries and slaw.

Whitfield said the restaurant will be in the Heidelberg neighborhood, which is also home to their new headquarters. They'll host a pop-up event, which is nearly sold old, at the HQ later this month.

"The restaurant will happen in 2020," said Whitfield. "If all goes well with the pop-ups and we get the following that we hope, it will be spring and summer of 2020."