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It's odd how one of the most popular areas of the city doesn't have a hotel for visitors to stay at. Are there even any to the west in St Louis Park within walking distance? The only one I can even think of is one near the hospital in Midtown! While Uptown may not have the room for a typical hotel chain, you'd think at least a boutique hotel would've opened up by now. Is there just no demand?
I suppose part of the reason is the lack of offices in that area as many hotel stays are for business reasons. It's good that that office building is going up near the Lagoon. That's a crucial missing piece of such an otherwise very walkable area -- places for people to work.
And I guess that Uptown is still pretty isolated for visitors to stay at. Until a light-rail line or some other kind of streetcar or bus trolley opens up, it's not going to be a great place for tourists to stay at because it limits their reach of other parts of the city.
Just another reason why Minneapolis frustrates me. I love it so much, but it's also lacking so many things that could make it even better. It's so far behind other cities in a lot of ways, which only hurts it. The pace of change is just dismal. Have they even decided on the route for the Southwest line yet? I haven't even heard anything about that line in the news for what seems like a year now.
It's odd how one of the most popular areas of the city doesn't have a hotel for visitors to stay at. Are there even any to the west in St Louis Park within walking distance? The only one I can even think of is one near the hospital in Midtown! While Uptown may not have the room for a typical hotel chain, you'd think at least a boutique hotel would've opened up by now. Is there just no demand?
I suppose part of the reason is the lack of offices in that area as many hotel stays are for business reasons. It's good that that office building is going up near the Lagoon. That's a crucial missing piece of such an otherwise very walkable area -- places for people to work.
And I guess that Uptown is still pretty isolated for visitors to stay at. Until a light-rail line or some other kind of streetcar or bus trolley opens up, it's not going to be a great place for tourists to stay at because it limits their reach of other parts of the city.
Just another reason why Minneapolis frustrates me. I love it so much, but it's also lacking so many things that could make it even better. It's so far behind other cities in a lot of ways, which only hurts it. The pace of change is just dismal. Have they even decided on the route for the Southwest line yet? I haven't even heard anything about that line in the news for what seems like a year now.
There's been a great deal of talk about a hotel in Uptown in years past. I believe one was very close to being built (memory is a bit fuzzy, but I think there was going to be a boutique hotel where Solheim is located, and there was also talk of a hotel going in as part of the Mozaic project, although I assume that specific project is long dead), and I think the odds are great that one will open up at some point. In the meantime, there are some nice Uptown-area B&Bs, if you're looking for somewhere for family or friends to stay while visiting. It IS odd that there isn't anything currently, but now that development is back in business in Uptown I think that will change. I don't think it's been lack of demand, so much as complications with funding.
On the work issue, there used to be far more daytime jobs in Uptown; it's been in more recent years (past decade, give or take a few years) that entertainment has started to dominate. There are a lot of people involved in Uptown who are working hard to bring back more daytime office jobs (and some DO exist), and the new project you mention is a much-needed step in the right direction. It should have been completed a couple of years ago, but like everything else, it got slowed down with the economy.
I agree with much of what you're saying, particularly about the slow rate of change and the glacial speed of transit projects, but some of the issues in Uptown are probably better blamed on the economy rather than the city or its policies. Now granted, there's a core group of outspoken people in Uptown who get up in arms about practically any new business or development (some of them didn't like the hotel ideas, either -- there's no pleasing some people), but I'd like to think that there are also many people active in Uptown who are supportive of Uptown for what it is -- a walkable urban neighborhood -- and who don't actively prefer to attempt to make it into what it is not and has never been.
Don't forget to contact your city council member, perhaps run for your neighborhood board, and make your voice heard! (and participate in the endorsement process, which is where the REAL city council member decisions really happen, at least when it comes to the DFL) I don't know your demographic, but I think younger renters are the ones most likely to be brushed aside as irrelevant. I think it's time for a change of the guard, or at least a better representation of the opinion of those who value Uptown for its urban qualities.
Location: Cleveland bound with MPLS in the rear-view
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I agree, you'd think there would be more demand for hotels in Uptown. If I were coming in from out of town to see the city, I'd want to stay in Uptown. I don't know why there aren't more hotels at all. However, if light rail or any kind of transporation linked to downtown and the Hiawatha, I think the demand would increase dramatically! Also, the Mozaic project and its new office space will likely lead to new demand for more office space in the future, and hotels do most of their business with companies.
Demand has been there and will, I think, continue to be there; I think it's likely there will be one built within the next five years (hopefully sooner rather than later).
A hotel in Uptown would be picture perfect for the discriminating tourist, in summer, who could luxuriate around the lakes. A hotel with balconies/rooftop deck overlooking the lakes.
But it takes a herculean task just to get a mid-rise apartment building in that area built, let alone a midrise hotel.
And anyone who has ever lived in Minneapolis fully realizes the selfish forces of opposition to such projects and elsewhere in that city with that Fargo mentality.
Former, frustrated, exasperated Minneapolitans know the score!!
There are no doubt some politics at play, in one form or another, that keeps potential hotel projects from becoming financially feasible. That said, I would guess thus far developers have looked at market studies and cost to open the hotel (in terms of price of land, construction costs, and permits whatnot by the city, etc) and decided there wasn't enough of a return on investment to make a project viable. Considering, over the course of the year, hotel demand is still only so-so in downtown it would probably be a hard sell (remember, Minneapolis isn't exactly a tourist hot spot 5-6 months a year because of our less-than-enviable weather)
Keep in mind businesses in downtown are loathe to try a hotel for their visitors that is not connected by skyway or more than across the street, so a potential Uptown hotel cannot rely on that possible business. There is probably limited demand for leisure in Uptown that isn't accommodated by downtown hotels.
Until one of those elements changes, I would say it will be unlikely to see Hotel Uptown.
A hotel in Uptown may seem like a good idea from a locals perspective, but you have to ask if there's any real motivations to stay there... For one, the bar scene in Uptown is really dominated by the post college 21-30 demographic, many of whom live nearby. It really lacks the kind of true high end dining and entertainment that would draw more well heeled locals for an overnight stay like downtown. Plus parking in Uptown is generally free and easy, which also makes an option of an overnight hotel stay less relevant for locals. Now, if you're a business traveller you have to consider the difficulties Uptown presents. There's few offices in the area so it's safe to assume most guests would probably be heading downtown. While it's not hard or expensive to get downtown from Uptown, it's still a bit of a hassle. Considering there's already a glut of hotel rooms downtown it's hard to justify putting someone up in a room in Uptown, unless they really value the local appeal of places like Cowboy Slims and The Drink. In short, I think Uptown is too youth oriented to appeal to mature couples on weekend retreats and not convenient enough for business types. Now, if someone wanted to build a miniature Hard Rock Las Vegas somewhere down there, with an emphasis on parties, bars, and pools it probably would do quite well on the weekend. Let's face it, during the day Uptown is about the lakes, by night it's about the bar. It doesn't really offer a diverse location or customer base to support a hotel operation 365 days a year.
A hotel in Uptown may seem like a good idea from a locals perspective, but you have to ask if there's any real motivations to stay there... For one, the bar scene in Uptown is really dominated by the post college 21-30 demographic, many of whom live nearby. It really lacks the kind of true high end dining and entertainment that would draw more well heeled locals for an overnight stay like downtown. Plus parking in Uptown is generally free and easy, which also makes an option of an overnight hotel stay less relevant for locals. Now, if you're a business traveller you have to consider the difficulties Uptown presents. There's few offices in the area so it's safe to assume most guests would probably be heading downtown. While it's not hard or expensive to get downtown from Uptown, it's still a bit of a hassle. Considering there's already a glut of hotel rooms downtown it's hard to justify putting someone up in a room in Uptown, unless they really value the local appeal of places like Cowboy Slims and The Drink. In short, I think Uptown is too youth oriented to appeal to mature couples on weekend retreats and not convenient enough for business types. Now, if someone wanted to build a miniature Hard Rock Las Vegas somewhere down there, with an emphasis on parties, bars, and pools it probably would do quite well on the weekend. Let's face it, during the day Uptown is about the lakes, by night it's about the bar. It doesn't really offer a diverse location or customer base to support a hotel operation 365 days a year.
I don't agree. Many of the spots in Uptown are NOT youth-oriented; there's far more to the area than Drink and Cowboy Slim's. (not to mention that there are decent dining options; not necessarily the "best" in the Twin Cities, but restaurants like Lucia's can certainly hold their own in the quality department, barbette is a popular wine option, the rooftop bars are hopping, and places like Chino Latino are trendy and have a draw that goes beyond just the college crowd) In any case, developers have come very, very close to building a hotel in recent years (2007), and now that building is once again going on at rapid pace in Uptown I would assume that building a smaller boutique hotel will soon be in the cards. The appeal is obvious -- proximity to the lakes, a busy neighborhood with a lot going on. Those looking for a young party scene are more likely to stick downtown and its clubs, not Uptown. I don't think the Uptown hotel would be focused on those strictly looking for a place to crash after a night of hard partying. Those with business strictly in the downtown offices will stick downtown. An Uptown hotel would be more along the lines of the boutique neighborhood hotels found in most other cities: not a classic "business" hotel, not a crash pad for the party set. As recently as 2007 there were THREE hotels in the works in Uptown (here's one then-proposed plan), so one of these days I think it's a safe bet that one will open. I would also guess that the audience is geared to the standard boutique traveler crowd -- those who prefer to stay in an interesting neighborhood to the central business district,, whether they're business travelers or traveling for fun. It's also one of the densest neighborhoods in the city, and from personal experience I can say that many local residents would like a convenient hotel for friends and relatives to stay while in town. For that matter, a hotel like that could probably also do a good wedding/reunion business. It's a far more "diverse" location than the suburban chain hotels or the downtown business hotels.
Last edited by uptown_urbanist; 06-19-2011 at 09:41 AM..
I think that if a hotel in Uptown was a viable business proposition one would have been built by now. I'm not sure hotels can get by here just on tourist traffic and I can't see any demand for a hotel in the area by business travelers.
They weren't built in part because the economy came to a halt -- practically nothing was being built in recent years. Now the cranes are back, Mozaic is actually being built, and I think it's realistic to expect that hotel talks will once again resume (if they aren't already happening behind-the-scenes). There's a fair amount of office space in and around Uptown, and that space is expected to grow in the future. This has been a hot topic, and I don't believe the demand has dried up; the money just hasn't been there to take on new building projects. Uptown was a hot prospect for hotel companies less than five years ago; it stands to reason that once things get going again it will once again be an obvious choice for a hotel. Uptown is continuing to grow (as have other nearby areas, especially Lyn-Lake). There's really no reason to think that one WON'T be built, especially given the attention the area has received from those in the industry.
UPDATE: I asked someone who knows the local situation, and he says that in recent years there was an oversaturation of the market downtown; hoteliers aren't worried about filling rooms during the summer or on weekends year-round, but don't think there is currently the demand to fill the winter weeknight business, at least not enough to warrant the cost of building a new hotel, assuming that the growing hotel rates don't go up and land price in Uptown remains high. More office space is being added (which would help fill the winter weekday evenings), and presumably at some point someone will get around to building a hotel, although probably not in the very near future. Interestingly (well, at least to me!) neighborhood opinion seems to be mixed; many people love the idea of a hotel (and I do think most of the neighborhood associations are supportive), but there's the same old group of people who doesn't want one because it will add traffic and people to the neighborhood.
Last edited by uptown_urbanist; 06-19-2011 at 09:14 PM..
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