The Grand Hotel :

As a boy, the Minneapolis Athletic Club struck me as a storied, even hallowed space.  Built in 1915, the premier “Gentlemen’s Club” was where the best boxers trained. Later, it served as training ground for the Minneapolis Lakers. I grew up across the river, in St. Paul.

I recently stayed at the club -  now the apt named Grand Hotel Minneapolis. The property was renovated and transformed into a hotel in 2000, and Kimpton Hotels bought the property in 2010, gracing it with another full renovation. 

The boutique hotel is perhaps the only such property with an adjoining 58,000 square feet of athletic facilities (the former athletic club). The LifeTime Fitness chain revamped the already vast gym in 2010 – and included free membership for all Grand Hotel guests.

A few blocks from the Mississippi River and the ever-popular Nicollet Mall., the Grand has retained the rich, masculine feel of the former Gentlemen’s Club. Gone, of course, are the billiard  and card rooms, bowling alleys and the famed Stag Room. Now, the 14 story hotel features 140 rooms - each, surprisingly, has a different layout design - and all are furnished in ways that retain the robust feel of the original property.

Decidedly Masculine Rooms
Heavy oak, four-poster beds anchor each room.  Each bed is laid with luxury European linens and set with a black pillow emblazoned with a white-silhouetted stag– a fitting remembrance of the former Stag Room. 

Wide wing chairs and ottomans upholstered in crocodile skin complete the sportive rooms, along with silvery side tables in the shape of tree stumps. Thick velvet, burnt-teal drapes frame windows that overlook downtown Minneapolis.  I had a great view of the 1929 Foshay Tower, now the W Minneapolis, originally modeled after the Washington Monument. 

The hunting and woodsy theme is found throughout the hotel – but never dealt so heavy-handed that it interferes (except perhaps for the silver, side table tree stumps, which seem a bit of a stretch).  In short, the hotel retains the state’s greatest asset:  the the omnipresent sense of “Minnesota Nice.” 

Seattle-based Dawson Design Associates, which mastered the recent renovation, terms the property “a stylish rendition of a modern day 'Gentlemen's Club' designed to celebrate the exuberance and strength of famous athletes of both past and present.”  That theme is furthered in a mammoth black-and-white photograph of Rome’s Coliseum in the lobby, and the entrance bar’s metal beaded screen studded with gladiators and lions.  Nearby are modernized animal trophies. 

Again, none of this hits one over the head too solidly, so you may even have to search for such details – as it should be. 

Original brass U.S. Mail postal slots are retained near each floor’s elevators and in the lobby – another nice retention from a bygone era. 

The Grand’s Unparalleled Athletic Facilities
If all the décor seems too rugged for female travelers, trust me, it’s not.  There is a solid confidence in the Grand’s design that anyone, and especially business travelers, will enjoy.  Also, the hotel offers the “Grand Girl’s Getaway “package, which includes 20% off spa services, discounts on tours  - and although it may seem gratuitous to the gender – pink champagne delivered to your room.

Room configurations range from Presidential, Grand and Luxury suites, to King, Queen and Double Double Deluxe rooms. Kimpton properties were ranked number one in overall customer satisfaction among upscale hotels in the 2012 Market Matrix Hospitality Index. 

The athletic facilities can’t be overlooked as one of the Grand’s main draws.  An elevator opens directly onto the third floor gym, complete with expansive cardio, weight training, boxing, yoga and Pilates rooms. Racquetball, handball and squash courts are also nearby, along with a running track and stretch rooms. 

The basement floor harbors an indoor six-lane lap pool, along with the original cherry-wood lockers, of which there are hundreds. The sight hearkened back to storied scenes of the old athletic club.  A spacious steam room is outfitted with eucalyptus oil sprayers.

Grand guests can also join Lifetime’s Tuesday and Wednesday after work running club at no charge.  Members gather in the lobby, run three blocks to another nearby LifeTime Club, then run six miles along the Mississippi River.

The Grand’s sweeping spread of athletic facilities is a welcome change from meek, corner-of-the basement workout rooms found in many other hotels - stuck with a single weight resistance station and squeaky treadmill. 

Common to all Kimpton Hotels, the property offers a complimentary 5 p.m. wine hour along with free internet and a $10 “raid the mini bar” credit for Kimpton InTouch loyalty program members (no charge for joining).  Other nice touches included a plug outlet on bedside dressers for phone charging, a TV found at the end of bathtubs, $5 credit ....