Cascade Township adopts hotel licensing changes despite Drury Hotels objection

Cascade Charter Township’s board voted to adopt amendments to the township’s hotel licensing ordinance, including provisions on video cameras, after hearing objections from representatives of one local hotel.

John Galluli, corporate counsel for Drury Hotels, told the board the proposed requirement for cameras in “interior hallways” is “far too broad” and asked the township to remove the hallway requirement or at least issue a conditional license to Drury’s Cascade property. Galluli said Drury’s local statistics show “the calls to Drury hotels are few and far between,” and that the proposed ordinance groups his client with other properties the staff described as “hot spots for emergency services.”

Manager Smith and staff told the board they had met with Drury’s counsel and found the objections were more corporate policy than legal concerns; staff said they were not aware of any case law or state statute that would make the hallway-camera requirement illegal. Manager Smith also noted that 15 of the township’s 16 hotels had already complied with the ordinance as written.

A local hotel manager who identified herself as Jamie said her property ran a 71% occupancy rate last year at a 180-room hotel (more than 46,000 room nights) and that there were 27 notable police responses over the past year, “none of those have been for violent crimes,” arguing the hotel had operated safely without hallway cameras. Other residents urged the board to keep hallway cameras to help identify misbehavior by groups such as visiting youth hockey teams.

Trustee Shipley moved to adopt the recommended amendments to the hotel licensing ordinance (staff items 1–4) and to direct staff to continue conversations about potential future adjustments or rewards for hotels that exceed compliance. The motion, seconded by Trustee Nordhoek, passed on roll call; staff were directed to pursue additional dialogue with local hoteliers.

The action amends the township’s hotel licensing rules (referenced in the meeting as Ordinance No. 001 of 2026). Manager Smith said conditional licenses remain an available tool for properties that cannot meet requirements immediately and that the township can revisit ordinance language if the board chooses to create objective triggers or a reward structure in the future.

The board’s action is procedural and regulatory; it does not purport to change criminal law or create new enforcement authorities beyond the licensing framework adopted by the township. The board asked staff to continue working with affected hotels to clarify implementation and to explore options that would recognize properties that have already invested in safety measures.