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Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: February 6th, 2013, 10:20 am
by mnmike
I was just going to post that! Yes...looks like it will be Starwood through the end of 2013 unless a new buyer wants to pay a hefty fee. Ameriprise wanted to bring Hilton in, so that is why they were going to.

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: February 6th, 2013, 5:55 pm
by mplser
why would hilton want to own a hotel a block away from their existing 800 room hotel???

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: February 6th, 2013, 6:20 pm
by mattaudio
Most of these big chains have lots of different marquees used in the same city.

In Mpls, Starwood has the Ivy, Westin, W Foshay, Chambers, Aloft, etc.
Marriott has the Marriott, Depot Renaissance, Hotel Minneapolis, and the Residence Inn on Lasalle.
Hilton already has the Hilton, Marquette, Doubletree (two, right?). My guess is that it would be under a boutique brand, although I feel like Ivy would compete with the Marquette in that portfolio.

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: February 6th, 2013, 6:21 pm
by mnmike
Hilton wouldn't have owned it, Ameriprise would have...and it was going to be a Conrad.

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: February 6th, 2013, 8:27 pm
by MNdible
It's very common for a hotel chain to have different brands within their portfolio literally right next door to each other. They're designed to hit different market segments.

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: February 7th, 2013, 6:25 pm
by Avian
Yup, as rumored, the Holiday Inn Metrodome near the West Bank is going to be a Marriot Courtyard now:

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/n ... polis.html

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: February 8th, 2013, 11:55 am
by nickmgray
A quick look at Las Vegas hotels gives you an idea of what Hotel competition really means. MGM owns half of the strip.
http://www.vegastodayandtomorrow.com/monopoly.htm

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: April 22nd, 2013, 7:46 pm
by Jfuss
Radisson Blu coming to downtown Minneapolis...
http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/b ... l?page=all

A California investment group closed Tuesday on its $28 million acquisition of the Radisson Plaza Hotel Minneapolis, clearing the way for the downtown hotel to be converted to a Radisson Blu. The Radisson Blu renovation will begin in the next few months and should be complete in 2014.

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: May 7th, 2013, 10:14 am
by Avian
The Millennium has re-opened. There are some terrific historic photos in this slideshow. They date from when the hotel was known as Capp Towers:

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/n ... ge_gallery


Image

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: June 4th, 2013, 9:52 am
by lordmoke
Downtown Hyatt adding 112 rooms. Not remotely as interesting as it sounds (but still a good thing):
http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/n ... ation.html

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: June 4th, 2013, 10:31 am
by mullen
very cool. not the sleekest exterior but for some reason i've always liked this hotel at the end of the mall. i like seeing the hyatt brand on the skyline.

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: June 4th, 2013, 10:58 am
by woofner
Too bad they're converting the Oceanaire space to a ballroom. It would be nice to extend the Nicollet Mall retail southward. Who knows, maybe they've been trying to rent it out for years and haven't gotten any bites. This space has an excellent patio, though, and it would be great to have retail on an actual pedestrian mall - I don't think that exists anywhere in Minneapolis (one thing St Paul has up on us).

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: June 4th, 2013, 11:28 am
by mnmike
Hmm, Oceanaire never had a patio...it was hidden on the back side of the building on the second floor, with no direct access to outside. I am not surprised they are converting the space, it is a very odd spot for a restaurant...like I said, no direct access to outside, and the windows front a 20 foot drop to La Salle ave.

As an aside...I have never understood why they don't make better use of the patio space available to their in house restaurant that faces the mall side. It is such a stark unused concrete space, but could make a really cool patio. They really should have tried to get Oceanaire or Mannys to take that spot, it would have been a great location with a few alterations to the outside to make it more obvious, and a much improved patio. At least the Hyatt actually has a decent restaurant in the space now.

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: June 4th, 2013, 11:37 am
by MNdible
Yeah, Redisciple must be confusing the Oceanaire space with one of the other two restaurants that has patio frontage onto the Greenway.

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: June 4th, 2013, 11:40 am
by mnmike
There are no restaurants back there anymore. Mannys and Oceanaire were the only ones on the greenway side of the building, and neither ever had an outdoor patio or even doors to the outside.

There is a random patio outside of their meeting room space on the back side that is also an ugly blank space. I have never seen it used for anything in the 13 years I have walked by. Perhaps before that it was used for something, not sure, but I don't believe a restaurant was ever connected to it. They really could make good use of that space on the back of the building with just a few upgrades. The entire exterior of tht building is pretty much a disaster.

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: June 4th, 2013, 12:14 pm
by woofner
My bad, I have to admit that despite working there for a year, I never had a clear idea of where those restaurants were located in relation to the exterior. I did manage to be aware that neither Manny's nor Oceanaire used the patio, I'm just saying that it would be great if some restaurant did (post-reno, the hotel restaurant does make better use of the patio that's closer to Nicollet).

Now that I think about, there is a hair salon and an existing meeting space fronting the patio on the Greenway. So I guess there is retail on the ped mall after all.

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: June 4th, 2013, 2:47 pm
by 5th Ave Guy
http://www.minnpost.com/cityscape/2012/ ... -buildings

Some info on the Nate's Building hotel on 1st & 4th.

Anyone know where this is at? I've seen some people that look like contractors in the old Om space lately.

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: June 4th, 2013, 2:58 pm
by mattaudio
Seriously, this is why we're in trouble. From the MinnPost comments section, an appeal to surface parking lots.
I regularly see period photos (late 1940s) of many of those buildings. It's a constant reminder of what we intentionally threw away.

In one respect, the ugly surface parking is not so bad - they can easily be replaced. Those soulless boxes are harder to get rid of.

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: June 4th, 2013, 3:17 pm
by min-chi-cbus
Surface lots are NOT easy to replace because owners hoard them in hopes of becoming super rich off of future land premiums, and if the parcels get subdivided then it becomes nearly impossible for large-scale developments (the profitable kinds) to occur on these lots. At least, that's what seems to be the impetus to having surface lots over boring, soulless boxes or parks (also hard to remove once there).

Re: Downtown Hotel News

Posted: June 4th, 2013, 4:33 pm
by John
I'm glad the Hyatt is expanding, but it would be nice to see the exterior reskinned and have the hotel more engaged with Nicollet Mall at the street level. The building does nothing to contribute to the city's character or pedestrian experience. It's an awful looking building and everyone knows it. The owners need to stop being so miserly, and update the exterior to a higher standard.