Le Meridien Chambers Minneapolis

The Le Meridien brand has had a relatively rocky history in Minneapolis.  The first Le Meridien was built as part of the Block E revitalization project and opened in 2001.  The hotel touted original works of art and the latest in technology in every guest room (which at the time just meant that they had flat screen televisions), and attempted to use it's location in the new mixed-used development as a selling point.  Unfortunately, like everything else located in Block E, it failed to thrive and in 2005, after the Le Meridien brand was acquired by Starwood Hotels and Resorts, the hotel changed its name to Graves601 (now Graves601 Wyndham Grand) as part of a re-imaging campaign. The Le Meridien Chambers is the second attempt at success in Minneapolis for the brand. 

The original Chambers Minneapolis was built on Hennepin Avenue in 2003.  Designed by David Rockwell, the hotel combined two decaying buildings in the heart of the theater district to become the state's first true boutique hotel experience.  The Chambers Minneapolis became the center of nightlife in the city with it's chic bars (one of them on the rooftop) and a restaurant, Chamber's Kitchen, headed by world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.  The other aspect of the hotel that set it apart from the rest was the world-class art exhibition space throughout the hotels corridors and lobby areas.  Perfect for displaying the owner's (Ralph Burnett) abundant art collection, the hotel became a destination not only for foodies and travelers, but for the local art scene as well.  It was this combination that attracted the Le Meridien brand to the property. 

Now called the Le Meridien Chambers Minneapolis, the hotel has retained much of its original appeal.  The restaurant has changed hands and is now called D'Amico Kitchen and there is now an ice bar (literally an outdoor bar made of ice) open during the winter months, but almost everything else has remained the same. 

RESERVATIONS
The Le Meridien Chambers uses all of the standard booking channels for hotels.  Being a Starwood Hotel, most of the best prices and packages are available on hotels own website.  For this stay, I booked using Hotwire (in combination with www.betterbidding.com) to make sure I was getting the best deal on this hotel.  Because you are not guaranteed a specific room type through most online booking channels, I immediately called the hotel after making my reservation and gave them all of my room preferences. 

ACCOMMODATIONS
The standard rooms at the Le Meridien Chambers are small, but designed well.  Almost all of the furniture is built in which keeps things from looking cluttered, but like its Starwood sibling, the W-Foshay, many of the fashionable chairs and benches look nice but are not comfortable to actually sit on.  The bed itself was comfortable and the bedding was what you would expect at this level of hotel.  There are two LCD televisions in the room and DVD players are available upon request at no charge.  The 32" television is in the main living/sleeping area and the 15" is in the bathroom.  The rooms feel quite sterile.  I assume this is done to keep the focus on the original artwork in each room, but when you don't like the artwork in your room (I didn't) it just adds to the bleak feeling.  The bathroom is definitely the high point of the room.  With large, glass-tiled showers, sleek sinks, and heated tile floors, the bathrooms take up about 30% of the rooms square footage. 

SERVICE
My interactions with the staff here were fairly limited.  Check-in and check-out were quick and easy, and while I wouldn't call anyone at the front desk friendly,  they weren't exactly mean either.  There were two or three times that I needed to call guest services and every question I had for them was answered thoroughly and professionally.  Most importantly, the staff had accommodated all of my requests in regards to room type and location. 

EXTRAS
The best features of this hotel are definitely the art exhibits, restaurant, and bars.  They really are some of the best in Minneapolis.  Another great perk is that your room key will also get you complimentary admission to the Walker Art Center located just blocks away. 

SUMMARY
This hotel is great for a weekend getaway.  It has everything you need all under one roof.  The food is fantastic, the drinks are tasty, the art is world-class, and the location is fairly central to everything else downtown.  While none of the staff went out of their way to make a good impression, none of them left a bad impression which is just as important in my book. 

W Minneapolis - The Foshay

Minneapolis is full of beautiful old buildings with tons of charm and character.  The Foshay Tower is probably the most recognizable example of this and Starwood hotels has taken full advantage with the W- Foshay.  The very trendy W brand has been in this very historic landmark for only a few years, but its impression on Twin Cities night life has been drastic.  With its huge Living Room lobby bar, the intimate Prohibition bar on the 27th floor, and Manny's steakhouse all under one roof, the crowds are present most nights of the week.

RESERVATIONS
As with most hotels, you can make a reservation for the W - Foshay through several different channels.  Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Priceline, and Hotwire all offer decent rates for this hotel, but the best values can be found on the hotel's own website.  The rates tend to follow downtown trends with weekdays being quite a bit more per night than weekends, and the best deals are often found in the form of packages and advanced-purchase rates.  For example, by booking the AAA Breakfast rate on the hotel's website and presenting a valid AAA card at checkin, you not only get a good price on a room but also $40 towards breakfast either in Manny's restaurant or via in-room dining.  Also, by paying for your room in advance (at the time of booking) and agreeing to lose the rights to cancel or change your reservation, you can save between 10% and 20% off standard rates.  Other packages include complimentary drinks, valet parking, and spa treatments, but always check what the going rates for these extras are before booking to make sure you're getting a good deal.

ACCOMMODATIONS
The W - Foshay is not shy when it comes to style.  This can be considered either a pro or a con.  The guest rooms are very modern and minimalistic with clean lines and shiny finishes.  While some consider this to be modern and forward thinking, others consider it to be cold and sterile.   The W brand categorizes its rooms using terms like wonderful, fantastic, spectacular, and wow, with wonderful being a basic room and extreme wow being the suite of all suites.  While a wonderful room will provide you with a bed, desk, entertainment system, and bathroom, the upper level rooms throw in more lounging areas, larger bathrooms, and separate bedrooms and are typically found on higher floors with better views of the city.  The beds are very comfortable and have down comforters wrapped in several layers of clean white sheets.  Pops of color are added to the mostly black and white rooms with the addition of hot pink mini-bars and silver bolster pillows.  All guest rooms have LCD televisions and DVD players as well as bed-side iHome alarm clock/iPod charging systems. 

SERVICE

The staff at W hotels are not called customer service agents, front desk clerks, housekeepers, or bell boys, they are called "talent".  When applying for a job, you are not going in for an interview, but instead an audition.  This idea of casting individuals to play certain parts is nothing new for anyone who has visited Walt Disney World, but it can be a little off-putting if you are used to typical hotel staff.  Arrogance hangs pretty thick in the air throughout the lobby and interacting more than a few times with the pretentious staff can almost be too much to handle for most people.  While you will always be provided with prompt and quality service, it is always served with a full glass of attitude that may or may not suit your taste.

EXTRAS

One thing that stands out at the W Minneapolis is the "Whatever/Whenever" service.  Most hotels call it a concierge, but W takes it a step further.  Available 24 hours a day, the whatever/whenever service is always just a button-press away.  Whether its tickets to tonight's hot show, dinner reservations at the newest great restaurant, or a bathtub full of champagne to soak in after a long days work, they can make anything that's physically possible (and legal) happen at a moments notice.  You incur any charges necessary to get what you want, but you will get it.  They can also hook you up with the Acura Experience program that gives you complimentary transportation both to and from any location in the downtown area. 

Another feature of the property is the observation deck.  Located 30+ floors above street-level, it is the only operational observation deck in Minneapolis.  Admission is free for hotel guests and about $8 for visitors. 

SUMMARY

Overall, this is great hotel for anyone that wants to feel a part of everything.  The common areas of the property are the "it" places to see and be seen, and the location really can't be beat as it is literally in the middle of downtown.    The hotel has a definite point of view which may scare off the occasional traveler, but for the trendy business person or the couple who wants to be glamorous for a night, this is the place to stay.