(ARA) - With its eclectic mix of entertainment, culture and recreation, Minneapolis is becoming a destination place. Well known for its strong support of the arts, the city boasts not only a range of cosmopolitan amenities, but a beautiful park system and friendly natives too.
Minneapolis’ dynamic downtown is filled with live music and performance venues, upscale shops, and restaurants featuring everything from sushi and modern Scandinavian to nouvelle French cuisine. Second only to New York in the number of theater seats per capita, the city hosts an ever changing line-up of Broadway productions and nurtures an impressive group of progressive local theaters. Cultural attractions include the world famous Walker Art Center, the Minnesota Orchestra and the venerable Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
And when you come to town, there’s now a new place to stay. Le Méridien Hotels and Resorts has just opened the first Art + Tech hotel in the world in the Mini-Apple. Long admired for the vibrancy of its art and design community, Minneapolis was chosen as the ideal location for the Art + Tech concept, which blends European luxury with cutting-edge design, locally-inspired art and a wealth of state-of-the-art communications amenities to create a hotel experience unlike any other.
“The hotel is designed to envelope guests in an environment rich in contemporary art and design,” said Juergen Bartels, CEO of Le Méridien Hotel and Resorts. “Every detail, from the ambient lighting to the regionally-themed art and photographs to the 100 percent Egyptian cotton linens is intended to create a wonderful experience for the visitor.”
The “tech” in the hotel’s name means that each guestroom is designed as a complete communications experience with a 42-inch plasma television screen (along with a 10-inch flat screen television in the bathroom), a DVD and CD player, instant wireless Internet access and a library of videos and music.
“We wanted the hotel to reflect the vibrancy of Minneapolis,” said Bartels. “Our goal was to create a place that would be visually stunning and also have all the amenities.”
And there certainly are amenities. Rooms feature specially designed beds that produce a “floating effect,” and bathrooms with “rain showers” that incorporate multiple body jets in a freestanding shower tower. Spa treatments, 24-hour room and concierge service, and a wealth of other hotel services are available.
A destination in itself, the hotel’s one-of-a-kind Cosmos restaurant, designed by the New York-based firm Yabu Pushelburg, features international cuisine and a superb wine list in a striking contemporary interior. Infinity, the hotel’s street-level bar, offers distinctive cocktails and light snacks in a high-energy club atmosphere.
The hotel is located in the very heart of Minneapolis’ lively theater and entertainment district, with easy access to shopping, professional sports venues and the downtown business area. Not your ordinary hotel experience, Le Méridien Minneapolis is a great addition to the city, which until now has lacked a distinctive, luxury hotel in the central downtown.
So whether you want to do some indoor ice skating at the historic Milwaukee Road Depot, watch the Twins win at the Metrodome, have a picnic in the Sculpture Garden or just take a stroll along the river, there is a lot to keep you busy in Minneapolis. And now there’s a place to stay that captures the spirit of the city.
To plan your next getaway, go to www.lemeridien-minneapolis.com, or call (800) 543-4300.
Courtesy of ARA Content
