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Stay a Night at Graves 601, Help a Homeless Child Sleep Tight

Where: 601 1st Ave N [map], Minneapolis, MN, United States, 55403

Minnesota’s Niceguy image scarcely needs polishing, but those ever-friendly Midwesterners have gone ahead and stepped up their do-goodery once again. That’s right, Minneapolis's prairie-chic Graves 601 Hotel recently unveiled a new “Giving Room” package that helps guests give back the community without even lifting a finger.

All guests who book the “Giving Room” promo have to do is, well, pay for a standard room rate. In exchange, Graves Hospitality will donate a night of housing at a local shelter for a needy child or family, with the donation placed in the guest’s name.

Graves Hospitality is working with a local family organization called Perspectives, which works to break the cycle for at-risk families and children. Of course, there's a limited number of packages available each night, but we say kudos to Graves.

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Tags: Minneapolis Hotel Reviews / Elaine Glusac / → All Tags

Chambers Minneapolis: A Little Cold, Inside and Out

Where: 901 Hennepin Avenue [map], Minneapolis, MN, United States, 55403

So far we have heard nothing but good things about the Chambers Hotel Minneapolis, aside from the fact that it's in Minneapolis.

Now the Grey Lady weighs in on the place. Reviewer Elaine Glusac is the second reviewer today to weigh in on "coldness" of a hotel's too modern decor:

A throw rug over the black-stained wood floors would have warmed up my gallery-white standard room, No. 512. But cloudlike feather bedding, down pillows and high-thread-count linens compensate.

In all other areas from room service to helpful staff to hotel amenities (free WiFi) to the dining options ("über-chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten" and his Chambers Kitchen), the hotel passes muster. But the crowning glory for the hotel is their $7 million art collection which seems to appeal to two types of clientele according to Glusac:

40-something sophisticates who might buy the modern art on the walls, whereas the younger, bohemian lounge set looked like those who had created it.

Rooms start at $199 a night.

Related Stories:
· Chambers Minneapolis: Check In, Check Out [NY Times]
· Minneapolis Gets a Touch of NYC with the Chambers Hotel [HotelChatter]
· Monday Night Reservations at Chambers Kitchen [HotelChatter]

Tags: Hotel Restaurants / Minneapolis Hotel Reviews / → All Tags

Monday Night Reservations at Chambers Kitchen

Where: 901 Hennepin Avenue [map], Minneapolis, MN, United States, 55403

On a Monday night in Minneapolis, we thought we could get a dinner reservation fast and easy. But that's not so at the hip new Chambers Hotel restaurant, The Kitchen.

The hotel is the sister property to the upscale Chambers Hotel in New York City and has only been open for a few months. Unlike the Gramercy Park Hotel, this place has very few hiccups and a still-hot vibe, as evidenced by the tough time wrangling a table at The Kitchen last night.

There was no major event going on in downtown Minnie yet the restaurant was buzzing with activity. The crowd was hip, designer-clad, and spanning all ages. From the young fresh-looking men and women in Prada to the older exec types in YSL suits, the crowd was beautiful and happy.

However, the ambience remained pretty low-key. No one appeared to be eagerly eyeing anyone down for a dueling match of Who's Who in this bar.

More on the restaurant after the jump.

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Tags: Hotels / → All Tags

Raves for Graves 601

Where: 601 First Avenue North [map], Minneapolis, MN, United States, 55403

Standing across the street from Target's corporate headquarters is the Graves 601 Hotel, a hybrid of SoHo slick and Minnesota nice which makes it a perfect weekend spot for the uber-hip--so says the NY Times.

Men's magazine Best Life has listed this hotel as one of the boutique hotels to visit with your lady, and the hotel has garned countless recognitions from other travel media.

Our first reaction is that the hotel has it easy since there's probably no other chic boutique hotel in Minneapolis. And the location can't be beat since people doing biz at Target HQ want a convenient place to stay.

But a New Yorker in town on business was wowed by the upscale design, great food, friendly staff and outstanding service. He even went so far as to say:

 I was suprised that I was in Minneapolis. From the doormen to the housekeeping, hands down the best service in town--maybe anywhere.

The rooms come with 42-inch plasma TVs, etched-glass headboards, and modern showers with five separate body jets. The hotel's well-regarded restaurant, The Cosmos, is the only AAA Four Diamond restaurant in Minneapolis. Additionally, the hotel is connected to the Skyway, a 7-mile loop of glass-enclosed walkways around downtown to protect you from the cold.

Another bonus is that the hotel offers all this hipness and convenience for $209 a night. The bad news is that once you step outside the hotel, you are still in Minneapolis.

Related Stories:
· Graves 601 reviews [TripAdvisor]