W Minneapolis [Master Thread]
 

Checked in at 10AM. Hotel is located on Marquette between 9th and 8th. Beautiful lobby!

Mathew gave me a warm welcome and told me I had been upgraded to a Fabulous room. I asked him if I could get a suite if I checked in later. He went to the office and obviously asked if he could upgrade me to a suite. Two seconds later he was happy to announce that I had a Fantastic Suite, 2401. Amenity points offered as well.

Awesome suite. There are only 4 suites pr. floor and I assume that the regular rooms are pretty small since the floors are pretty small.

Internet is 12.95 pr. day. Wireless or Wired. The suite is a corner suite with separate bed room. 2 x 37" LG LCDs, DVD player in the livingroom.

Pink mini bar with bigger bottles in the livingroom.

Red wine, Dynamite from Sonoma, 26 bucks for a 375ml bottle
Veuve Cliquot Champers, 65 bucks (375ml)
Tanqueray Gin, 36 bucks (200ml)
Absolut 100 Proof Vodka and Belvedere (both 200ml)Vodka 36 bucks
Smaller bottles of Patron, 10 can rum and Johnny Walker black (all 50ml, 12 bucks)

Livingroom is large and long. Round diningroom table with 3 chairs, cool chair and huge couch in the hang out area. Room Service menu is not offered in paper version, only on the TV under the Menu. Great idea, but takes some getting used to. You can't order through the TV, you have to call. Ordered a coffee pot up here while preparing for the meeting. Took 10 minutes. Great coffee in french press. Prices are ok, 20% service fee and 3 USD delivery fee.

Bedroom is big, Tivoli clock radio, but no Ipod dock like in the regular rooms here for some odd reason. The bathroom is huge, separate tub with awesome view. Bliss madness in there, 10 bottles at least. The shower is huge.

Half an hour after checking in, a guy stopped by with a hand written note welcoming me and delivered an extra big Voss Water due to my W The Card membership. Great touch!

Fresh, new and great property, highly recommended. Will make my bi weekly visit to MSP a lot fresher. So it's bye bye Westin MSP and hello W! :)

Will report more after I try room service food and the bar tonight

more from the Strib's Barbara Flanagan; the Foshay long had Minneapolis' sole observation deck, so the skybar is a nice touch. Jon Stewart will be staying there during the RNC.
http://www.startribune.com/local/262...tml?page=2&c=y

"May I add that there are two WOW suites (one known as "extreme'') a 27th floor skybar, also with a great view, a Technogym, a pet-friendly PAW (pets are welcome) program, a 24-hour concierge, and believe it or not, a Foshay Tower museum.

"Wilbur Foshay's office is almost as it was in his day, with the paneled walls and tall windows opening to small balconies. You can rent it for a party.

"In 1929, when Foshay opened his building, John Philip Sousa and his band played a new composition by Sousa titled "The Foshay Tower March." The $20,000 fee Sousa never received made history. Foshay's utility empire collapsed just six weeks after the opening celebration and his check to Sousa bounced. In retaliation, the composer forbade the march from being played. Finally, in 1999, some devoted Minneapolitans paid the debt to the Sousa estate. The march can now be played if hotelgoers want to hear it."

Urm, surely all pet programs are pet-friendly? :)

On pets: stayed at the Westin recently and found Minne to be a tough city to find green space for the 'jobs' pets need to do. I'm not sure about the area around the W but by the Westin it is several block away to anything not concrete or dirt.

Pictures
 

tommy777 please snap a few pics and share them with us if you can :D

Sorry, guys.. No camera on this trip. We have to wait for you to visit the hotel, Bliss ;)

OK, here's the rest of the story:

Went to the Living Room bar on the first floor and it was pretty crowded for Monday night. A very nice girl that just moved from Montana served me. I decided to eat at Manny's which is conveniently located next door, there's a door in the Living Room so you don't have to step outside of the hotel to enter this restaurant. (best steak house in MSP) Unfortunately there was a 2 hour wait, so make sure to make reservations in advance. A little "just opened" challenges at the bar, but nothing critical. Prices are 5 for domestic beer, 6 for imported. Good selection on the beer front. Martini's and other mixed drinks are from 8-12 bucks. Good Cognac selection, including Louis XIII and 5 XOs. About 20 Single Malt's including Oban 18 years and many more

Did not visit the smaller bar "Prohibition" on the 27th floor.

Valet was 28. As for the dog park.

No surprises on the bill, great stay! Will stay there again in 3 weeks, will try to take some pictures then unless someone else visit's before then

W Foshay Minneapolis Trip Report
 

Mods is there any way we can make this the master thread?

Ok since there really haven't been any reports on this new mulitmillionaire dollar rehab project I'll be the first.

Day#1. Arrival at the W Foshay and valeted the car since my fiance had a gimpy foot(clumsy accident!) and yes, we brought our 2 dogs with us for the P.A.W. treatment. Wasn't quite sure who was a Valet attendant at first as the uniforms didn't stand out at all. What clued me in was the usual earpiece and attentive ready to help look on their faces. Plus after staying there a couple of days they were easily recognizable. Lobby was beautiful with original art deco ceilings and dramatic dark red, purple, and blue hues in the usual ultra cool W way. Lounge and Mannys steakhouse were to the right on the way in, and what appeared to be a roped off VIP lounge area just past the "regular" folks lounge. Front desk was this weird half circle moon covered in carpet on the backside. Check in was smooth, instant recognition of my platinum status... was offered points or the standard platinum amenity of a free in room movie. I took the points of course! Asked about an upgrade and was told that I was upgraded to the best possible room which was a Fabulous room vs the Spectacular room I booked for 151 at a gov't rate. Then I asked if any suites were available as I had just checked on my iPhone a half prior to see if there were still any available to book for our 2 1/2 day stay there. Didn't tell her that but she stated that none were available. :( Alas, up the elevators to the 21st floor, still with the original doors from back in the day although nice and shiny new looking now. Fabulous room was quite impressive, comfortable king size bed, flat screen with dvd player, a nice looking wet bar, and a huge bathroom with lots of windows overlooking the W and N sights of the city. Young looking kid couldn't have been more than 20-22 years old helped us with our luggage and gave him a nice tip. Was going to hang out at the pool and hot tub for an hour before dinner but alas none at this hotel! Big bummer! Oh and no executive lounge for you lounge types. The Whatever/Whenever service was great. I forgot to bring some shaving cream and the fiance needed a shower cap. They came up delivering some shaving cream though I was highly disappointed as I had thought some bliss hot shaving cream would be what I got. This was just plain old vanilla shaving cream with a cheap razor. They had ran out of shower caps so they went out to Walgreens and picked her up a brand new one from there. Nice touch! Went to dinner at the Oceanaire and got hooked up with a free ride with the Acura experience guys. They'll basically drive you within a reasonable distance in the city while you listen to the Acura DVD commercials and fill out a pamphlet with some of your info. Good marketing tool! Came back to the W and went up to the Prohibition bar on the 27th floor. Bouncer/doorman a friendly short stocky guy. Can't remember his name. Very helpful though on both nights. Bar with semi comfortable chairs and couches in separate room overlooking the entire city, bar off to one side. Kind of had a more old smoking office or with books on huge shelves though none were present. Fiance and I enjoyed some drinks and along came an entourage... fiance says "Hey come join the Party!" to the group and the lead man in front laughs and keeps walking. Turns to me and says, "Hey that was *#)_@!". Let's just say he's a famous rapper/movier star. So the rapper, said he had just finished a rap concert. Nice cool relaxing guy. I'll try to post some pics later of the hotel but not of so and so for privacy reasons. Funny later one of his groupies got escorted out by security. She must have crossed the line. Quite funny! Went back to the room and got some late night room service.... seamless request thru Whatever/Whenever. Food on the other hand... well I'd avoid the burger if I were you. Dry, tasteless, yuck. Off to sleep...

Day #2. Had called the concierge the night before and Alyssa, (what a sweetie!), hooked us up at the Denny Kemp Spa for today for massages, manicure/pedicure for the honey, and I ended up getting an add on men's facial. Awesome! Took a cab there as Acura was not available then. Awesome relaxing morning at the spa and then that's where things went wrong. Spa Manager had come out earlier saying he had called the hotel and they were sending there Acura car over to pick us up. Wonderful I say! 1 hour later, no ride, multiple calls to the hotel by the spa staff to fix the snafu, W said that the Acura people said he was waiting outside. I had made a couple passes around the building earlier and no car. Went again, no car. Long story short, we ended up taking a cab back a little irritated at Acura and the W. Asked to speak to the hotel Manager. Nick who came out at that time extremely apologized and stated it shouldn't have happened and that Acura normally doesn't pick up guests to bring back to the hotel but he would look into it and find out what happened. I did preface this with telling him that his staff was doing a wonderful job from Brian, Courtney on Whatever and Whenever, Alyssa and Nina on the Concierge side and great housekeeping staff and Bellhops. My 2nd question to him that I had checked online the day previous and today and it said suites were still available. Is there any way he could get us in one today? He said of course! Told us the night prior that 4 suites were out of commission due to lack of running hot water. Put us up into 25th floor of suites. Basic layout..... 4 suites on the floor, our fabulous room the night prior had 8 rooms on a floor. Bellhop came down, helped us move our stuff in to our new digs and "WOW" a huge suite! Approximately 400 square feet living room with wet bar, and flat screen TV with DVD. Small little office space off to the corner of the living room, little dining space on the other side. Bedroom with King in the other room and what I thought was huge in the bathroom prior this new one was even bigger. Steam shower to one side, large bathtub to the other side with a view of the city. The only real things I would say to add were a small flatscreen for the tub, adding recessed lighting to project that cool "W" vibe to the bathroom and another shower head for the steam shower would be awesome! Couches although large needed a lot more pillows to make it comfortable and more inviting but it would definitely be a good place for a night cap with friends. Got a late checkout the next day til 4pm. No prob said the W/W person. Called twice by the front desk asking when we were leaving which was a little irksome as I had confirmed for a late checkout the night prior. Don't call me when I say I want to leave later. Overall a great place to stay. We would definitely stay at this W again. Minneapolis in addition was a great city. Kind of a mix of Chicago and Madison scene and atmosphere. I would rate this stay 9/10. Now I just agreely await the points to add up on this trip. Next trip W Lakeshore Chicago. I'll give a full detailed report there.

Here's a link to my Flicker account. Sorry for the poor quality photos. They were on my iPhone as the fiance forgot to pack the digital camera. Enjoy! (cross fingers hoping link works!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/3050883...7607565439161/

Oops! Didn't realize there was a thread already created! I forgot to add that Valet parking cost a whopping $28 per day! Holy cow! The lot covered and uncovered around the corner I believe were 9 or 11 dollars per day. That's a pitiful excuse to add that much to the cost of parking!

I just checked into the W MSP and I have to say I like it. The bellman and front desk staff were all very nice. I was upgraded from my 257sq foot "wonderful" reservation to a "fabulous" room on the 20th floor. I didn't ask for a suite upgrade, but I was also only here for a one night business trip and didn't feel the need to ask for a room I wasn't really going to use.

The room itself was decorated nicely and met all my needs. It is uber close to my client and overall I think I like it better than the Westin. TV are HD enabled and have a DVD player attached. A ipod docking station was included in all rooms. I didn't use the in room internet, but I did use my AT&T wireless air card and got perfect recption from the 20th floor.

The workout room is very nice and you can plug in your ipod to the machine and then control on the large on screen controls. There were complimentary water bottles, headphones and towels.

The room itself isn't huge but the bathroom is monsterous with three windows and a large steam shower. It had great pressure. My room did not have a tub, but I don't use a tub so I would take a walk in steam shower over tub/shower combo any day!

Overall I am very happy so far with my stay and look forward to coming back to the W MSP.

Going back next week for my third stay. Will bring my Nikon D300 then and snap some shots as well

Any recent stays to report?

A relative of mine will be there this week and I'll report back if you remind me.

Had a similar great stay with upgrade to an accessible Suite the last week of December when we were in town to see the Vikings/Giants game. This is a great hotel and I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.

Oops, W Did it Again!
 

I had a wonderful stay over the weekend. The service was top notch and everything was great.

Check in
The check in agent was very friendly and gave me a warm welcome to the hotel. Prior to arrival, I had already been preblocked into a fantastic suite ^ ;) The agent confirmed my stay in a fantastic suite and informed me that they had given me the biggest fantastic suite in the house, the -04 series (~extra 200 square ft) and that I would enjoy it. He offered my Platinum Amenity, late check out until 4pm, told me about all the restaurants and bars in the hotel and sent me to my suite.

Suite
The suite was indeed very spacious with extra tall ceiling. As you can see from the floor plan, unlike the narrow "L shape" -01, -02, and-03 suites, the -04 series was not narrow at all. There was a huge sofa with side tables, an entertainment center with a bar, a large desk, and a large dining table for 4 in a alcove with panoramic view of Minnesota. The master bedroom was also very spacious with fantastic view. The huge master bathroom was inside the bedroom equipped with a separate tub and shower with a view. It was fabulous!



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*All pictures are copyrighted via flickr.com. All rights reserved

*Continued from previous post due to image limit
Click on the image for a larger version




Customer Service
What can I say? W always WoWs me with their customer service. Before I had a full moment to enjoy my suite, the check in agent called me immediately and asked if I liked my -04 series suite and if he could send me anything I wanted (he offered water, bottled of wine, etc free of charge). I declined the generous offer. Everyone I spoke to was extremely courteous and friendly just like what I'd expect from a W ^ Later in the evening, they came to turn down my bed and left me a couple of goodies.

Room Service
I thought the room service items were somewhat lacking, especially for a W. However, most of their items came from their in house restaurant, Manny's Steakhouse, which was excellent. I ordered a tenderloin cooked to perfection, along with truffle hash and snow peas with pancetta (YUM!). It was fantastic. The tuna tartar was also very tasty. After dinner, they delivered a pint of ice cream in an ice bucket so it wouldn't melt ^


Internet
There was free internet in the living room. Wifi and wired internet were both available for a fee

Location/Transportation
Like others have mentioned, the W is located on Marquette between 8th and 9th. To get there by the light rail, simply get on from the airport and get off at Nicolette Mall station, turn left towards the direction of the train on Marquette. You will first see Westin, then keep going for about 5 blocks until you see people dressed in black. That's the W ;) In addition to Manny's steakhouse, there are plenty of restaurants within walking distance. There is also a target a block away for those items you forgot at home. In the bitter winter, all the buildings are connected via the sky bridge. It's pretty convenient. The Guthrie Theater and the Metrodome are just a couple of minutes away via the light trail which runs 7 days a week. Airport is about 25 minutes away and the Mall of America is 30 minutes away.

Again, I had a fabulous stay at another W property. This time, it's Minneapolis. Where will I go next? :D


*All pictures are copyrighted via flickr.com. All rights reserved

Thanks a bunch. ^^

Thanks for the heads up on the MSP visit, I'm there almost every week. :rolleyes:

Sorry, I've had pictures from the W Minneapolis on my camera for ages now, thanks for finally posting some.

I think the suites are the same size, your pics look exactly like the suite I've stayed in a few times

The -01, -02, and -03 suites are the same size since they have the narrow L shape. The -04, however (at least that's what the agent told me and as shown in the first picture), have about 200 extra square feet. The -04 series basically has 2 extra hallway space that the other suites don't have. That makes the living area a lot bigger (the -04 series have the large L shape sofa where as the other suites have smaller sofas.) The bedroom is also bigger.

Thanks BW-yes you did it again!

I know at least one FT'er who will be happy to have a nice place in MPS ^

I have stayed in the larger 04 series and the smaller L shaped suite. The 04 is definitely better, but the others are quite adequate. I have to agree that the staff are all top notch and very nice. The lounge serves excellent cocktails and snacks. I had a tomato soup and grilled cheese small plate. It was considered an appetizer but was plenty for a light dinner.

W Minneapolis Weekly stays..
 

Alot of great feedback on here! ^

As an FYI, PM me if you have specific questions about the property. I stay at the property 2-3nights a week, EVERY week. Can provide you with all the staff details and specific room #s to ask for. Every floor is different, which thus equates to 52 different room types.

I check in to a different room every time, and have had about 30 so far. By the end of 09, should have the hotel covered. Sad me. TOOOO much time at the property!

Happy Travels to Minneapolis!

You are exactly right! When requesting suites, ask for the -04. For the -01,-02, -03 on the upper floors, the living room is VERY VERY narrow...I actually tripped over the 2 white "coffee tables" as I entered the room! Also, if anyone is clausterphobic, don't stay in the suites on the top floor (28). The windows get progressively smaller as you go up, so by the time you get to 28, they are too small!

Reach out to me if you want more specific details about various rooms...

Great report, but please don't say "sky bridge" to a native Minneapolitan. It's a SKYWAY. :-:

darn right!

$129 at the W Hotel, The Foshay
 

Must book by July 20th to score the lowest rates of the summer at the W Minneapolis- The Foshay. Available for arrivals Thursday-Saturday through October 12, this special offer translates to a mere $129 per night

http://traveler.fivestaralliance.com...el-the-foshay/

Keep an eye out for promo rates through Starwood channels. I had a nice stay there a few weeks ago on a $96 AAA rate. Great Plat treatment, excellent staff, and an upgrade to a beautiful Fantastic Suite up top. Highly recommended.

I just checked out of the W MPLS today -- what an amazing stay!

I'm local to Minneapolis and wanted to just do something special for a my big 25th birthday. Checked in at 4pm on a Saturday, it was very busy -- and the line was 7+ people deep. The front desk guys were cool, collected and worked efficiently (some very high maintenance people were checking in). Without any mention of it, the gentleman at the front desk wished me a happy birthday with a big smile and let me know I had been upgraded to a "fantastic suite". Room rate included free valet and $50 Parasole gift card to be used at Manny's the Living Room Bar or the Prohibition sky bar.

I was in suite 2402, the forementioned "L" shaped suite that had eastern and southern exposures. Yes, the living room component of the suite was a little narrow, but the set up was actually quite conducive to entertaining a few friends before heading out for the night. The view of downtown from the soaking tub and rain shower was really cool.

Prohibition Sky Bar is really fun -- great service. If you're looking to do a group event, make sure to call ahead for space blocked off. I've never been this bar when it hasn't been mobbed/SRO. Tip: directly on top of the bar is a little mezzanine level that is first come/first serve for seating. Get there early and stake your claim -- it's just like having a private VIP room above the bar.

I never get the "attitude" that some people seem to mention about W hotels at the Minneapolis location. Just a really good, well-trained staff from top to bottom. The room was great and the bar was fun. Perfect staycation spot for a Minneapolitan.

Will be staying at this hotel next week. Scored a $130 BRG rate. ^

I assume there is no lounge as no one has mentioned it. Are there alternatives to the $28 valet parking?

If you're there on the weekend, street parking is free. We parked behind the hotel on Marquette between 8th and 7th. Great hotel.

I am there mid-week. Is street parking allowed?

We just stayed there Thursday night (11/5). Street parking is allowed. We found a spot on the side where it was free after a certain time (can't remember sorry), but then from 7-9am I had to move the car. So... I had a wake-up call to go move the car. After driving around several blocks, I found a parking lot (kiddie-corner) that allowed all day parking for $9.00

My brother and his wife parked their car at the back of the building for $17.00 overnight. I think it's the TCF Bank building parking, but it was able to save them a few extra dollars.

We were upgraded to an -04 suite series. 2504. The views were amazing. We really enjoyed the Prohibition bar on the 27th floor. The bartender was very friendly and has been there since the hotel opened.

We're doing a mattress run right now, but next time I will definitely stay at this property! It'll now be my first choice for Mpls.

And the W has done a great job with preserving as much as they could with the Foshay tower, while still giving it the "W touch". :)

I'm writing this message from the W Hotel in Minneapolis.

I have recently become a platinum, so this is my first stay as a platinum member of starwood.

The staff here are amazing, especially Nicholas who works the night shift. I don't think there's a single thing the guy can't do. It's people like that, that make a hotel like this luxurious. Any question or concern I had, he immediately addressed.

I was upgraded to a suite from a standard room (i forget which one). This is not a points stay, or a cash/points stay. I'm at the top floor (28) right above the prohibition bar, and the views from here are amazing.

Overall, when staying in Minneapolis I won't think twice about revisiting this property. Everything has thus far been amazing.

Thank you Starwood for the Experience.

I usually stay at the Ivy. First time at any W but I have to say I won't be returning. I'm a plat and even though there were suites available I was told I was only allowed one upgrade level. Seriously? I wasn't asked about my amenity either. The room was small, had no coffee maker (sorry it should be standard unless you run a great service like the Ivy), valet was more than the Ivy and the bottled water wasn't free. The grossest thing was a coworker traveling with me had to pay $61 to receive 4 or 5 fedex packages. Sorry I won't be staying here again.

I received the same treatment on a recent stay and promptly moved my Minneapolis business to Hyatt.

Any recent reviews or Plat treatment? Based on these old posts, I'm more strongly considering the Westin or even Aloft.

I stayed for 4 nights at the Marriott City Centre in January (superb service) but most of my time in Minneapolis was actually spent in the two properties located in the W hotel. Manny's Steakhouse and the Prohibition bar. They really appealed to me to make the W my next stay, judging by the latest posts hower the rooms themselves and service do not seem to be the draw.

I have stayed at both the Marriott City Center and the W Foshay. The rooms at the W far exceed the ambiance of those in the Marriott, particularly with the very large slate bathrooms with powerful rainforest shower heads. The Marriott bathrooms are tiny and claustrophobic.