Room at Historic Zen Center

Room in Hamtramck, Michigan

  1. 1 double bed
  2. Shared bathroom
Rated 4.94 out of 5 stars.16 reviews
Stay with Emju Bess
  1. Superhost
  2. 5 years hosting

Listing highlights

City and garden views

Soak up the views during your stay.

Dedicated workspace

A room with wifi that’s well-suited for working.

Room in a religious building

Your own room in a home, plus access to shared spaces.
Monthly Rate $725. On the 2nd floor of the historic residency adjacent to Detroit Zen Center is a bright private bedroom, w/full bed, desk, window and recently updated. The 4 bedroom residency offers shared, clean bathrooms, vegan-only kitchen & common areas. A Studio loft available to book separately. Long term stays of a month or more require an application. Guests may opt into donation based organic meals June-Aug & Dec-Feb.

The space
Shared, clean spaces include a living room with a woodstove, full dining room, 2 tiled bathrooms, full vegan only kitchen, gardens & a private residency entrance. Founded in 1990 by Abbot Hwalson Sunim, the Detroit Zen Center is a home for zen monks & students, a public meditation center, & a non-profit organization. The Center has a hand-built, rustic feeling, while well-cared for.
The residency is a 4 bedroom home, connected via a green roofed corridor to the Zen Center Meditation Hall & Monastery (separate building). Guests can rent either the private loft apartment or spacious guest room (or both). The loft has a balcony that sits right above our 2,200 square foot Green Roof on top of the meditation hall, with incredible views of the roof & the City. There are 2 guest rooms: a spacious, ensuite guest bedroom with a view of the green roof through its sliding windows, and this more modest yet cozy bedroom with a view of the side street. We have radiant heat, high end kitchen appliances, washer/drier, 2 cats, high speed wifi, and a warm environment.

Guest access
In addition to your private guest room, you will have access to a full vegan only kitchen & common areas on the main floor, shared by 2-4 other residents. Meditations are offered next door inside the Zen Center both morning & evening.

We also have a library. We are a friendly, welcoming community to all people, with 2 cats who meander freely. The Center has 2 green roofs, public gardens, but we are in a very urban setting. Stairs are a must (the loft apartment is on the 3rd floor; guest rooms are on the 2nd floor).

Our spaces are very clean and well-organized; guests can use the kitchen & common area We want you to relax & enjoy the space but also ask guests to follow our own protocol to clean up after ourselves in the kitchen and public areas, and not leave things around or dirty dishes in the sink.

Other things to note
Guests are welcome to have privacy in their rented space; however the Zen Center is a shared setting.

In addition to meditation, we follow a plant based lifestyle, support local farmers, and try our best to reclaim, re-use, and incorporate sustainable practices. The kitchen use is vegan only.

Our green roofs, lower rain garden, and peace garden across the street are a strong & long-developed part of our mission, called 'Green Corner Initiative: aiming to create and build awareness around the need for public green space, green stormwater management practice (green roofs), and urban habitat for birds, bees & butterflies, & humans!

Your stay with us helps us continue our work, 30 years and counting. Thank you for reading!

Please review the basic rules before booking since our space is very unique. The guest rooms and loft apartment are only accessible by stairs; pets are not allowed (we already have 2 temple cats); some guidelines around substance use, coming & going, etc., are unique from other listings.

Where you’ll sleep

What this place offers

Lock on bedroom door
City skyline view
Garden view
Kitchen
Wifi

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4.94 out of 5 stars from 16 reviews

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Overall rating

  1. 5 stars, 94% of reviews
  2. 4 stars, 6% of reviews
  3. 3 stars, 0% of reviews
  4. 2 stars, 0% of reviews
  5. 1 stars, 0% of reviews

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for cleanliness

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for accuracy

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for check-in

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for communication

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for location

Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars for value

Where you’ll be

Hamtramck, Michigan, United States
This listing's location is verified.

Neighborhood highlights

Our neighborhood is in the middle of bustling Hamtramck -- a 2.5 square mile city district in the epicenter of Detroit. Hamtramck is an enclaved city, home to 32 ethnic groups -- and a large population of artists, students, and first generation folks to the United States. The most walkable area of metro-Detroit, Hamtramck is very urban -- a dense & eclectic community with grocery stores, restaurants, cafes, bars, music, and galleries all around. No need for a car if you are going to stay in Hamtramck -- but if you plan to visit other parts of Detroit, a car is useful. Downtown Detroit is 5 miles away. We are next door to the North End, New Center & the historic Boston Edison District.

Meet your host

Superhost
69 reviews
4.94 out of 5 average rating
5 years of hosting
My work: Director, Nonprofit
Speaks English, French, and Korean
Lives in Hamtramck, Michigan
What makes my home unique: it's a zen meditation center
I live half the year at the Detroit Zen Center in Hamtramck (Detroit), the other half in the wilderness of the Upper Peninsula on Lake Superior. I cherish time, wilderness, meditation, friends, teachers & communing with the wonder of life. I have been a Zen Buddhist monk for 20 years. I trained and was ordained at my home temple Sudeoksa, in South Korea, and teach meditation.

Emju Bess is a Superhost

Superhosts are experienced, highly rated hosts who are committed to providing great stays for guests.

Host details

Response rate: 90%
Responds within a few hours
To help protect your payment, always use Airbnb to send money and communicate with hosts.

Things to know

Cancellation policy
House rules
Check-in: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Checkout before 12:00 PM
1 guest maximum
Safety & property
Carbon monoxide alarm
Smoke alarm
Not suitable for children and infants