W Minneapolis
On my first stay it was Dec 30th, and I had one more suite night to burn up, and shockingly there was a really good rate at the W Minneapolis, for the 31st, New Year's Eve. My suite night got me from a standard room to at least a corner room. Not a suite, but well, as you'll see, it was larger than standard.The Foshay is a 1929 historical landmark modeled after the Washington Monument, and was originally an office building. It's a tad small so the rooms tend to be spatially challenged, but they do what they can with it.
Since the first NYE stay, I have stayed more times, and over Halloween, I was able to get a suite upgrade for a few days, which was well worth the upgrades.
NYE Arrival
I drove up I-35 to downtown Minneapolis. Traffic was super light. I go to check in and I had assumed the W would have a private New Year's Eve party, which would be an additional cost. I was floored when I found out it was included in the room. I got two tickets so I called my editrix and asked if she wanted to go. What was labeled under "obviously yes".The First Room
Well, nothing is far from the elevators in this place, and my room was no exception. It wasn't cramped but it didn't feel big either. The bathroom though was quite large and useable.The Suite in 3d
On my Halloween visit, I used Marriott nightly upgrade awards (I have a full year's worth to burn and it's the end of the year, YIKES!). It auto upgraded me to the Fantastic (or now called Metro) Suite.
So, many stays and now I have gotten an upgrade to a Fantastic Suite. I, a long time ago, when I was an executive at Starwood Hotels, got a tour of the Wow and E-Wow, but I have never seen the other suites here. I was actually expecting a smaller room, but this was really excellent for the entry level of this category.
Dining
Ok, let's just call this drinking. Manny's, a stupidly high-end steak house is attached and that's where breakfast is, but for a W the draw is the bars. Prohibition on the 27th floor (the ENTIRE 27th floor) and the Living Room on the ground floor. In most hotels, you have "food & beverage" or F&B - at W, you have B&F.Now as of the time of this stay, they no longer had breakfast at Manny's, but it was a selection (well for my status gift for my stay vs. points, always take the food) of food delivered to your room. For my suite, that was absolutely an astounding setup, with an area I could just have my breakfast at away from the other parts of the room.
Facilities
So they have a gym that's workable, and a museum. Plus a lot of event space which seems key to the property's feel.
Well, about the same as all of them except that 2108. That could be a big boy
Bathroom is pretty big, no bumping into stuff
Big shower, maybe for when you hookup in the bars? I wouldn't know, I'm old
These smell good, I have just never used them. I've been told by those in the know they are exceptional
Hmm, looks like there might be a party planned
Since it's a corner room, it has views in two directions downtown. North here
And to the East
That's a quarter of the floor
Snacks, very pricey, but I was tempted during the day
I brought my own drinks, actually I usually do
Good ole Momo
All the extras you may have forgot
Prohibition, the upstairs bar, the calmer of the two
The Living Room, this is the party spot. Usually has a DJ spinning on the weekends
And since it was New Years, well, it was a huge party. A great way to start the new year for Rob, traveling and in a high-end hotel. My favorite things
Manny's back then was open for breakfast, and while those seem like expensive options, the portions are HUGE
I couldn't even begin to finish this massive omelet
And for the morning after, water, bloody marys, and liquid IV - the party doesn't need to stop just because you're currently walking dead!
Every day, I got food, options between continental fruit, and 2 eggs meat
The continental, which was so significant, I couldn't finish
Solid as hell for my last day there
Now, the Living Room has had a very substantial update to a more modern city style
Much cleaner, brighter and lighter
This area especially looks great to me
Lots of cardio, but enough hard core weight stuff for my needs
And private massage rooms for therapists who are brought in, so they don't have to feel uncomfortable in your room. Brilliant
Welcome to the Foshay Museum
So this building was the tallest for 5 states into the 1960s. There is a museum on the 29th floor (only reachable by the far right elevator) where you can learn about its history which is storied (29 of them to be precise) and very cool
Neon glow of the man himself, Foshay
Many items from the opening and over the years. This was a heckava big deal for Minneapolis
And then there is a viewing deck outside going around the entire roof, much like many other buildings of the time, accessible from the museum. They say you can see 20 miles on a clear day, but my vision isn't that good
This is the top of the top
W for West, not for the hotel
Stylish and modern event spaces
For large parties or small
With a very slick nod to the past
For New Years a selfie spot I guess. This is so generational
Summary
THE party hotel in Minneapolis, no arguments can be made successfully to the contrary. The New Year's Eve bash was well done and quite a fancy to do. The rooms are small but the bars are super nice.There is no lounge, the regular rooms are pretty small so opt for a larger one, and lower floors actually have bigger rooms due to the narrowing nature of the tower.
Now that I have had a suite here, that is the only way to go. You will not regret it.