Hotel Ivy, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Minneapolis

Hotel Ivy occupies a sleek, high-rise building with a modest Ziggurat style combining tan stone and blue reflective windows. Constructed in 1930 as a church for the Second Church of Christ Scientist, the building later became known as the Ivy Tower and remained largely empty from 1993 to 2008, when Hotel Ivy opened its doors as a luxury hotel. The hotel completed an eight million dollar renovation in summer 2015, including the restaurant and bar areas, where couples can often be seen relaxing over drinks. Guests check into a cool, sleek lobby with a modern, minimalist decor that features dark colors, rich velour seating, heavy wooden furniture, and a lounge area with mirror-top tables and a gray marble bar. Constantine, the on-site cocktail bar, has low, sexy lighting, many lit candles, animal heads on the wall, a large pentagram next to the bar, and a mix of plaid, leather, and velour booths. Along with lots of couples, the hotel sees many corporate travelers who are drawn to the location in close proximity to the business district. 

Hotel Ivy is conveniently located in downtown Minneapolis and is connected to the Skyway, enclosed footbridges between buildings that allow travelers to maneuver through downtown without being subjected to the outside weather. The Minneapolis Convention Center is a five-minute walk away. Nicollet Mall is a 10-minute walk, while Target Center takes 15 minutes to reach on foot. The light rail is a 12-minute walk away and can take guests to other areas of Minneapolis. For instance, TCF Bank Stadium is a 10-minute drive or a 30-minute subway ride. Restaurants on surrounding streets are within a five- to 10-minute walk from the hotel. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is a 15-minute drive or a 35-minute subway ride. 

Classical music plays from a Bluetooth speaker as guests enter their rooms, establishing a cool, contemporary atmosphere. Room decor is modern and simple with dark wooden furniture, white linens, gray carpet with hexagonal shapes, and plush blue chairs. Suites have additional design elements like hanging art and separate living rooms. Room design overall feels pleasant but less luxurious than other areas of the hotel. All rooms include flat-screen TVs, coffee/tea facilities, bottled water, and safes. Wi-Fi is available, but not free in most rooms. Grand Deluxe Rooms also have minibars and chaise lounges, while Executive Rooms (in addition to minibars) get a free nightly cocktail, Wi-Fi, and turndown service with chocolates. The Penthouse covers two floors, has a couch, and a dining room table. The spacious limestone bathrooms exude the luxury and elegance associated with a hotel of this class and size. They have glass showers with rainfall showerheads and separate deep-soaking tubs, along with spacious countertops, Molton Brown toiletries, illuminated magnifying mirrors, and scales.  Note that complaints have been made about poor housekeeping services. 

Hotel Ivy’s dining options include an Italian restaurant, Monello, which serves three meals a day; the lobby lounge bar known as Venetia that serves drinks and small plates; and Constantine, a cocktail bar. The hotel offers a la carte breakfast for a fee. There’s a 5,000-square-foot fitness center that has cardio machines with TVs, weight machines, and free weights. It also provides yoga and fitness classes for a fee. The Ivy Spa Club offers massages, hydrotherapy and beauty treatments, a whirlpool, and saunas. Business guests can use the fully equipped meeting spaces and wireless printing, though Wi-Fi is not free throughout the property, and there's no business center. The on-site ballrooms are often booked for weddings. Pets are allowed with fees.