First look: Hotel Ivy's multimillion-dollar renovation in downtown Minneapolis

Centrally located between the Minneapolis Convention Center, Orchestra Hall and downtown's entertainment and business districts, Hotel Ivy was among the first in a new wave of boutique hotels in the area when it opened in 2008.

Flash forward a decade-plus, and it was becoming necessary to step it up. In March 2022, the hotel was purchased by new ownership, but remained a member of Marriott's Luxury Collection — big-name backing, but with the uniqueness of an independent.

Following the pandemic pause on the hospitality industry, Hotel Ivy's reinvention started last fall with full revamps of its long-running restaurants and bars. Now the remodeled rooms and interior spaces, courtesy of Whitespace Interiors, are available for booking.

The jewel of the property remains the namesake 1930 Ivy Tower, a peculiar 14-story mini-skyscraper/castle covered in exposed aggregate concrete. When the modern Hotel Ivy was built, it wrapped itself tightly around that classic ziggurat tower. On a tour of the new renovations, I was most impressed with the spaces that interacted with or filled space in the old building, such as the Anda Spa, the Breva restaurant and the basement bar and cantina, Masa & Agave. But even beyond the old tower, the new-look spaces all pay tribute to that history.

In all, the revamp represents a literal and symbolic reinvestment in, and a bet on, downtown Minneapolis — just as the city's hotel revenue hit an all-time monthly high in June.

The rooms

The guestrooms now have a brighter look with a lighter color palette. In a nod to the Ivy's historic roots, an Art Deco or Moderne style pervades the elegant new furniture, including a tall wardrobe, a desk, an easy chair and a fancy bar cart that replaces the old mini-bar.

That bar cart, by the way, now has better, more local offerings, including Indeed beers by the can and handcrafted chocolates from Groveland Confections sharing space with the usual M&Ms.

Wall art pays tribute to Minneapolis lakes, which you might be able to spot from higher floors.

It might be worth it to spring for a larger king room, which felt like a noticeable upgrade thanks to the increased square footage and a wide opening to a more palatial bathroom, with both a glass walk-in shower (replete with a rain-shower head) and a tub with a view.

Public spaces

The upgraded conference and event spaces were sleek and professional. The above setup wasn't in place when I visited, but for events the hotel can make use of a closed-off skyway space, so your wedding guests can lounge in style while suspended over 2nd Avenue South.

Heading to the basement, the gothic former Constantine cocktail bar became a faded 2010s party memory once I stepped inside the darkly elegant Mexican bar/cantina Masa & Agave. Deep inside the old tower's foundation, the luxe Mexico City vibe, with authentic blankets draped over the chairs, felt perfect for date night, whether or not you're staying at the hotel. Chef Bjorn Thompson's menu features shareable interior Mexican street food, and naturally, over 300 agave spirits.

(The private party room, with a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe, was a nice touch.)

For a brighter, perhaps more professional dining experience, the newish Breva features Midwest-inspired New American cuisine, also helmed by Thompson, on the ground floor of the Ivy Tower.

Elsewhere, a genuine sense of calm came over me when I stepped into Anda Spa, which makes use of that same hallowed tower space and features treatment rooms, relaxation areas, sauna and secluded jacuzzi There's also one of the largest, most decked-out gym spaces in downtown.

The future

The last phase of the renovation is yet to come, with a planned makeover of the lobby and a new lobby bar called Bar Breva, a spinoff of the main restaurant with small bites and craft cocktails. The above photo looks real, but is a rendering of that future lobby bar.