Rizma W.
Yelp
Hands down, the best property I've had the pleasure of staying at in any of the countries I've visited.
The property is stunning. The service is unmatched. I was genuinely sad to leave when it was time to check out.
I learned later that the hotel had only opened a week or so prior, and my stay just happened to coincide with their grand opening reception. It was a beautiful affair filled will free flowing cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, live music and even an artist on site creating a painting of the lobby. It ended with a story of the genesis of the hotel and how it came to be, acknowledgements and thank yous, as well as a champagne toast with the staff.
Here are some of the highlights of my stay:
-The staff!! No request was too big or too small. The staff responded promptly and cheerfully every time I made a request. I was greeted every time I entered or exited the hotel and the staff remembered certain specific details about my stay which I appreciated. They are also very receptive to feedback and are still refining and tailoring the guest experience.
-The hotel has a "Brew and Bite" station (near the indoor fireplace), which offers a local beer (brewed next door, actually) as well as a root beer, and small bites for guest to enjoy. While I was there, the "brew" as a Finnegan's pilsner, and the "bites" were mini tarts in fig, lemon meringue and apricot flavors.
-My Executive Suite was simply gorgeous. Spacious, yet comfortable. The room also comes equipped with Alexa, who can perform some basic functions, such as tuning the in-room radio to a particular station.
-Large notepads (perfect for people like me who can't live without their to-do lists)
-Posh, modern decor in the room and throughout the hotel
-Mini bar with a wide variety of snacks (junk food and healthy treats), and well as wine and soft drinks
-Soft, plush towels
-Fluffy in-room bath robe
-In-room fridge
-Housekeeping not only cleaned, but organized my room (putting my suitcase in a corner of the room out of the way, putting my slippers next to the bed, etc) without moving things too much
-Oshibori towels in the bathroom of my suite. I know they're traditionally for hands, but they were gentle enough to use on my face, allowing me to refresh my skin without ruining my makeup.
-Large walk in shower with decent water pressure.
-I stayed on the 7th (of 8) floors and while I usually prefer a top floor room, I never heard any noise from above or neighboring rooms. Very quiet stay.
-The hotel is a short 4-block walk from well known cafes, bars, restaurants, stores and shops, as well as Nicollette Mall. It's also about a 15 minute walk from venues such as The Target Center and the famous First Avenue music venue.
A few things I would improve:
-Despite the multiple light fixtures, the living area of the room was very dim. It made reading/working at the desk quite difficult in the evenings.
-When I arrived, the surfaces had a layer of dust on them.
-There are no microwaves in the room, but housekeeping will happily heat up food upon request.
-There are no water/ice machines, although there are ice buckets in the rooms. The hotel provides 2 bottles of water a day, and more water, as well as buckets of ice, are available upon request.
-As plush as fluffy as the towels are, they leave a thin layer of annoying fuzz on the skin. After putting on lotion, the layer of fluff turns into dozens of little white fuzz balls that are a pain in the butt to completely remove, especially when you have to wipe down with the same towels that caused the fuzz in the first place.
-I hope that the hotel will consider offering more non-pork protein options for breakfast, as well as offer more 'portable' and convenient breakfast options (i.e. breakfast sandwiches) that can be eaten on the go (for those of us who do not always have the luxury of time for a sit-down breakfast).
So thrilled to have been part of the inaugural group of guests to stay at this wonderful hotel. I sincerely hope that I'll be able to stay here again soon.