The Ivy Minneapolis, Luxury Collection [Master Thread]
Aug 2, 2011, 12:33 pm
#33
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: DC and Texas
Programs: Delta,SPG, Hyatt
Posts: 543
recent reviews/thoughts
Anything more recent. I have 4 nights coming on up and the reviews here are a wash, TA and Yelp are glowing. Looks really nice and got a nice rate.
a more recent review would be great!
-cheers
a more recent review would be great!
-cheers
Aug 10, 2011, 12:57 pm
#34
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: DC and Texas
Programs: Delta,SPG, Hyatt
Posts: 543
Hotel Ivy is a great hotel in a fantastic location.
Hotel Ivy is a great hotel in a fantastic location.
First - go to Brits – they have lawn bowling on the rooftop - and the rooftop is freaking huge. All around you have restaurants, bars, coffee, etc.
Do not miss Uptown – great food, people, stores, old school bowling alley with a huge beer list (draft and bottle) and a ton of rooftop bars. Great weather all week equaled packed bars and restaurants.
They serve butter with everything – I started asking for it to be placed on the side. Mounds of butter!
This city loves beer and it shows. Pet and bike friendly hotel and city.
Upgraded to Jr Suite – was hoping for a suite as they look massive on the chart. Check-in was a breeze – nothing to get excited about – 500 points and free internet – chatted a little , then on our way.
Nice room, huge bathroom and a ridiculous comfy bed. I liked the modern décor and I think most, if not all, channels were HD…to include HBO and HDNet.
Small area with couch and desk slightly separated by a wall. Didn’t take pics but still felt very open.
Room was clean and had ice and water waiting for us in the room. Great maid service as I requested extra waters and every night had them. Even though we kept the towels on the hooks, they replaced them everyday –
Elevators are the fastest I’ve seen.
Dunn Bros coffee every AM in the lobby – wasn’t the best, but doable until we sat down somewhere.
Bar at the hotel has reverse happy hour till midnight – good selection, better prices…fries are delicious.
We parked on the street, always found a spot and the cost savings were worth every penny. There is street parking everywhere – Friday 6PM through Monday 8AM. Sweet!
Valet was $28 night (I am too cheap for 4 nights).
Not sure what it is about this hotel, but we really liked it. May check out the Meriden, but this will be the place we stay…especially if we can snag the same rates next time.
First - go to Brits – they have lawn bowling on the rooftop - and the rooftop is freaking huge. All around you have restaurants, bars, coffee, etc.
Do not miss Uptown – great food, people, stores, old school bowling alley with a huge beer list (draft and bottle) and a ton of rooftop bars. Great weather all week equaled packed bars and restaurants.
They serve butter with everything – I started asking for it to be placed on the side. Mounds of butter!
This city loves beer and it shows. Pet and bike friendly hotel and city.
Upgraded to Jr Suite – was hoping for a suite as they look massive on the chart. Check-in was a breeze – nothing to get excited about – 500 points and free internet – chatted a little , then on our way.
Nice room, huge bathroom and a ridiculous comfy bed. I liked the modern décor and I think most, if not all, channels were HD…to include HBO and HDNet.
Small area with couch and desk slightly separated by a wall. Didn’t take pics but still felt very open.
Room was clean and had ice and water waiting for us in the room. Great maid service as I requested extra waters and every night had them. Even though we kept the towels on the hooks, they replaced them everyday –
Elevators are the fastest I’ve seen.
Dunn Bros coffee every AM in the lobby – wasn’t the best, but doable until we sat down somewhere.
Bar at the hotel has reverse happy hour till midnight – good selection, better prices…fries are delicious.
We parked on the street, always found a spot and the cost savings were worth every penny. There is street parking everywhere – Friday 6PM through Monday 8AM. Sweet!
Valet was $28 night (I am too cheap for 4 nights).
Not sure what it is about this hotel, but we really liked it. May check out the Meriden, but this will be the place we stay…especially if we can snag the same rates next time.
Sep 1, 2011, 3:46 pm
#36
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: DFW -
Programs: AA EXP 5MM, DL DM, Bonvoy Titanium, Avis CHM, National VIP
Posts: 556
Had a one night stay at The Ivy this week, found it to be good, but not great. Had reserved a junior suite - asked about an upgrade to a regular suite, but front desk clerk said the hotel was sold out. Checked SPG.com when I got to my room and it showed regular rooms and suites available for sale. Didn't pursue it further because it was just one night.
Room was very nice, but small for a "junior suite". Desk and chaise in a small separate area behind a partial room divider. Nice bathroom.
Ate dinner at the bar at the Porter and Frye restaurant and was totally unimpressed. Food sounded great but was very bland and uninspired. Asked for a substitute of veggies, but didn't get it. They seemed to be out of a few of the entrees that night and I heard the people next to me complain to the bartender about the portion size of their chicken - apparently had eaten the same thing there the previous week and the portion was now smaller. The bartender "checked with the kitchen" and reported back that they had gotten smaller chickens from their supplier that week - but she did discount their meal. Wouldn't go back for dinner.
Room was very nice, but small for a "junior suite". Desk and chaise in a small separate area behind a partial room divider. Nice bathroom.
Ate dinner at the bar at the Porter and Frye restaurant and was totally unimpressed. Food sounded great but was very bland and uninspired. Asked for a substitute of veggies, but didn't get it. They seemed to be out of a few of the entrees that night and I heard the people next to me complain to the bartender about the portion size of their chicken - apparently had eaten the same thing there the previous week and the portion was now smaller. The bartender "checked with the kitchen" and reported back that they had gotten smaller chickens from their supplier that week - but she did discount their meal. Wouldn't go back for dinner.
Sep 1, 2011, 6:04 pm
#37
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,816
Jul 27, 2012, 2:55 pm
#38
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 82
I have nothing (well almost nothing) but good things to say about Hotel Ivy. Although they definitely had some issues with platinum recognition a while ago, they have gotten dramatically better when it comes to upgrades (I usually don't even need to ask--as they frequently preblock me into suites). The service is excellent as well: in particular, Pepper (the concierge) is super friendly, helpful and always willing to go above and beyond to make a stay great--it's staff like this that keeps me coming back to the Ivy over the W or the Meridien (not that those properties are bad--just not as good from a service perspective in my opinion).
The only drawbacks about this property are: (1) lackluster platinum breakfast (just a few rolls and some coffee--be nice if they included a dining credit as the hotel's restaurant is actually quite good in the mornings), (2) distance from 'downtown' downtown--though, then again, Minneapolis isn't exactly huge so it's not really a problem to walk a mile to bars/restaurants and (3) the fact that Porter and Frye (the hotel's restaurant) is so bad--it's not even that the food is inadequate (it's fairly average for Minneapolis which has many excellent dining options), it's more that the place is deserted giving the restaurant a very dead vibe, plus the service can be pretty marginal in the evening. This property would be really phenomenal if they did a restaurant revamp and thought about expanding the morning breakfast selection for platinums beyond carbohydrates.
The only drawbacks about this property are: (1) lackluster platinum breakfast (just a few rolls and some coffee--be nice if they included a dining credit as the hotel's restaurant is actually quite good in the mornings), (2) distance from 'downtown' downtown--though, then again, Minneapolis isn't exactly huge so it's not really a problem to walk a mile to bars/restaurants and (3) the fact that Porter and Frye (the hotel's restaurant) is so bad--it's not even that the food is inadequate (it's fairly average for Minneapolis which has many excellent dining options), it's more that the place is deserted giving the restaurant a very dead vibe, plus the service can be pretty marginal in the evening. This property would be really phenomenal if they did a restaurant revamp and thought about expanding the morning breakfast selection for platinums beyond carbohydrates.
Aug 13, 2012, 3:39 pm
#40
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: HPN
Programs: SPG Gold, IHG Plat
Posts: 20
A review of the Hotel Ivy and Starwood Suite Night Awards...
We just finished a 2 night stay on points at the Hotel Ivy over the weekend (my first LC hotel). I tried to use my SNAs to confirm an upgrade in advance, but all room types were showing as booked (from T-5 to T-1) except for the executive level rooms, which I didn't think worthy of using my SNAs for. The two SNAs I had working the reservation expired as expected at 2 pm the day before arrival. I contacted the property and the plat concierge to see if they could do anything for me - plat concierge couldn't, but Tony at the hotel pre-blocked me into one of the executive level rooms. Shortly after midnight of the arrival day, the SPG app showed us upgraded to a bi-level penthouse suite (and my SNAs back in my account - score!).
We arrived at the hotel at 2 pm (1 hour earlier than standard check in time) and were able to check in without a problem (no Your24 request required). Our suite was huge with an entrance way, 1.5 bathrooms, a dining room, an upstairs office, lounge area, and bedroom. We used probably 25% of the space in the suite over the weekend. It was nice to see small details taken care of in the room. There were plenty of pillows, towels, bath amenities, etc. There was a WiFi router hidden in the dining room that provided great signal and enough bandwidth to watch movies on Netflix. If I wanted to nitpick about the suite, probably the only things I would say are that the bed was not as comfortable as the Ws or Westins I frequent, the second level had a ceiling of ~6'8", which is unnerving when you're 6'6", and plugs around the bed were not very easy to access. We were told we had access to the saunas and the workout facilities, but we never visited them.
We hit up the bar in the hotel for it's second happy hour (from 10 to midnight). Only one person was working the bar on Friday night and we got our complimentary drink that comes with the room (one per room per day). The cocktails and food from the happy hour menu were excellent. We enjoy having a quieter atmosphere, but be warned that the bar is not a place to go to party if that's your desire.
Valet parking is $28 a night as someone else mentioned. We were too lazy to park on the street or in a garage ourselves. We did walk to the river (about a 20-30 minute walk), which was nice to explore. Otherwise, we we driving to where we wanted to go.
Overall, it was a great hotel and we'll return there the next time we're in Minneapolis. The Suite Night Awards didn't work out as well as I'd hoped, but we got the upgrade in the end.
We just finished a 2 night stay on points at the Hotel Ivy over the weekend (my first LC hotel). I tried to use my SNAs to confirm an upgrade in advance, but all room types were showing as booked (from T-5 to T-1) except for the executive level rooms, which I didn't think worthy of using my SNAs for. The two SNAs I had working the reservation expired as expected at 2 pm the day before arrival. I contacted the property and the plat concierge to see if they could do anything for me - plat concierge couldn't, but Tony at the hotel pre-blocked me into one of the executive level rooms. Shortly after midnight of the arrival day, the SPG app showed us upgraded to a bi-level penthouse suite (and my SNAs back in my account - score!).
We arrived at the hotel at 2 pm (1 hour earlier than standard check in time) and were able to check in without a problem (no Your24 request required). Our suite was huge with an entrance way, 1.5 bathrooms, a dining room, an upstairs office, lounge area, and bedroom. We used probably 25% of the space in the suite over the weekend. It was nice to see small details taken care of in the room. There were plenty of pillows, towels, bath amenities, etc. There was a WiFi router hidden in the dining room that provided great signal and enough bandwidth to watch movies on Netflix. If I wanted to nitpick about the suite, probably the only things I would say are that the bed was not as comfortable as the Ws or Westins I frequent, the second level had a ceiling of ~6'8", which is unnerving when you're 6'6", and plugs around the bed were not very easy to access. We were told we had access to the saunas and the workout facilities, but we never visited them.
We hit up the bar in the hotel for it's second happy hour (from 10 to midnight). Only one person was working the bar on Friday night and we got our complimentary drink that comes with the room (one per room per day). The cocktails and food from the happy hour menu were excellent. We enjoy having a quieter atmosphere, but be warned that the bar is not a place to go to party if that's your desire.
Valet parking is $28 a night as someone else mentioned. We were too lazy to park on the street or in a garage ourselves. We did walk to the river (about a 20-30 minute walk), which was nice to explore. Otherwise, we we driving to where we wanted to go.
Overall, it was a great hotel and we'll return there the next time we're in Minneapolis. The Suite Night Awards didn't work out as well as I'd hoped, but we got the upgrade in the end.
Dec 9, 2012, 6:19 pm
#42
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Dec 9, 2012, 7:30 pm
#43
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Dec 13, 2012, 7:42 am
#44
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Posts: 100,369
Here's some more information. After being in receivership and then foreclosure, with changes of the general manager, executive chef (of Parter & Frye), and concierge, the property was apparently purchased in August by Ameriprise Financial, which has a headquarters building nearby. The company already operates a suburban hotel and conference center (Oak Ridge in Chaska), which they use for training events and also rent out to the general public. The apparent plan is to hire a management company to operate the hotel in order to save travel costs when employees visit headquarters and to also sell rooms to the general public. Statements at the time of the sale said that the hotel would continue to be affiliated with Starwood, presumably as LC.
The spa (and health club--very nice) is independent and not included in the sale. Also, most of the hundred or so units in the condo tower are in foreclosure. Most are rented out; fewer than about 10% are owner occupied although units still seem to be offered for sale.
The spa (and health club--very nice) is independent and not included in the sale. Also, most of the hundred or so units in the condo tower are in foreclosure. Most are rented out; fewer than about 10% are owner occupied although units still seem to be offered for sale.
Last edited by MSPeconomist; Dec 13, 2012 at 8:55 pm
Dec 13, 2012, 8:49 am
#45
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
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I wonder what was the source of northdakota's January 4 date. I haven't been able to find anything verifying this information.
Last edited by MSPeconomist; Dec 13, 2012 at 8:59 pm