George H.W. Bush stayed at the hotel during the 1980 Republican National Convention . In 1985 , the Crescent Hotel Group , a subsidiary of Lincoln Savings & Loan purchased the Hotel Pontchartrain for $ 19.5 million . Lincoln S&L Chairman Charles Keating soon thereafter arranged to buy the hotel outright from the company and set up the Hotel Pontchartrain LP , controlled by Keating , his family , and executive contacts . The sale was financed by a series of ethically questionable loans from Lincoln and its subsidiaries and totaled $ 38 million . U.S. Senator Donald W. Riegle ( D-MI ) later cited his arrangement as his basis for considering Keating a constituent during his involvement in the Keating Five scandal
1980 Republican National Convention
1980 Republican National Convention
Crowne Plaza Detroit Downtown Riverfront