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.
