As part of my quest to stay at every W, I made the W Minneapolis my home on a weekend in July. The comfortable summer weather makes it a great time of year to visit Minnesota and I was particularly eager to stay at the hotel because the building, called The Foshay Tower, is a historic landmark with a bittersweet history.

It was 11pm by the time I arrived at the hotel and in typical W style, there was a Friday night dance party raging at the lobby bar.  I slipped past the crowd and through the dimly lit lobby to the purple colored front desk (perhaps an homage to Minneapolis native and “Purple Rain” singer Prince).  The check in process was a breeze, but I couldn’t hide my dismay when the representative told me my room was on the 4th floor.  The Foshay is a 27 story tower; not only would I miss out on a city view from a high floor but I assumed I would hear dance music all night.  The staff assured me that my room faced the back of the hotel, away from the club, so it should be quiet. Luckily when I got to my room, it was.

The Cool Corner Room

The King Bed

The Mini Bar

My “Cool Corner Room” felt more spacious than I anticipated. I loved the high ceilings of the Art Deco building – they must have been 12 or 14 feet tall.  The king bed was very comfortable, the desk was ample, and the finishes in the bathroom were sleek.  The space-capsule-looking mini bar was pricey but it was fun to look at.  Overall in the room, especially the bathroom, there was lots of wasted space.  The walk in rain shower was one of my favorites but it was too big and could easily accommodate a group if needed.

The 27th floor of the hotel is a bar with panoramic views of Minneapolis.  Aptly named Prohibition, it’s a popular hang out with hotel guests but I didn’t see many locals.  The views can’t be beat from the high floor but they don’t distract from the equally as high drink prices, especially for the Midwest.

According to my research, the building was completed in 1929 by William Foshay.  His design specified that the top three floors would be his apartment and the rest of the building would be rented as office space.  After an opulent opening ceremony in September 1929, Mr. Foshay lost his fortune in the stock market crash and just six weeks later the building – including the residence in which he never lived – went into receivership.  The tower was converted into a W in 2008.

The hotel is centrally located in downtown Minneapolis near shopping, eating, and the Mary Tyler Moore statue.  There is valet parking for a fee but I found street parking, which is inexpensive during the day and generally free after 8pm.  In fact, a few blocks from the hotel, I got lucky with a row of spaces that only required meter feeding Monday through Friday.

I redeemed 16,000 Starpoints for a free night and prepaid $143 for my second night’s stay.  Be sure to sign up for the Starwood American Express card so that you can earn points for free stays at W Hotels.