Salt Hotels to debut groundbreaking Minneapolis hotel, The West Hotel, in 2023

Posted in Future, News on 10 October, 2022

The North Loop property designed by internationally renowned Architects Snow Kreilich and Neri&Hu will introduce Salt Hotels’ hospitality to the Midwest for the first time.

Salt Hotels – a collection of artfully-designed boutique hotels with properties in Los Angeles, Miami, Nantucket, the Hudson Valley, and beyond – will debut its latest property, The West Hotel, in Minneapolis next year. A first-of-its-kind development for the burgeoning city, the hotel will transport Salt Hotels’ signature hospitality and thoughtful curation of guest experiences to the Twin Cities.

The West Hotel, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. All images are renderings.

“The West” as it is already being referred to, is a collaboration between some of the hospitality industry’s top and most creative talent, both local and worldwide, including Minneapolis based developer Commutator, LLC, Salt Hotels; Snow Kreilich Architects; Neri&Hu and Greiner Construction.

Located steps from the Mississippi riverfront in Minneapolis’ North Loop – the highly coveted culinary, design, and boutique hub for Minneapolis – the 123-room property encompasses a modern structure thoughtfully integrating four historic buildings, resulting in an unmatched design destination for both locals and visitors.

“My partners and I are elated to bring these iconic historic buildings back to life, while setting a new standard for superb design and hospitality excellence in Minneapolis.  With Salt Hotels’ gracious management style, The West will be a welcoming community gathering place for locals, and an inspiring destination for visitors from around the world.” said David Wilson, partner of Commutator, LLC.

The West will feature 123 luxe guest rooms and an expansive lobby housed in a former brass foundry, including communal workspaces, fireside lounge, library and bar, creating a vibrant new social hub for Minneapolis. The property will also feature a stone cellar cocktail bar, a rooftop bar with an outdoor terrace featuring sweeping views of the city, an outdoor dining patio and six unique and highly flexible event spaces perfect for meetings, social events and special occasions. Guests will find the same exclusive amenities, intuitive service, and impeccable design inspired by local culture that they have come to expect from Salt Hotels.

The hotel’s exterior is designed by 2018 AIA Architectural Firm of The Year, Snow Kreilich Architects and the interior architecture and furnishings are designed by the internationally acclaimed Neri&Hu, completing one of their first hotels in North America. The visually stunning guest rooms will house custom designed contemporary wooden cabinetry and furniture, expansive windows, clean lines, lush fabrics, commissioned original art and amenity filled bathrooms.  Rooms in the historic buildings also feature exposed brick walls evoking their 19th Century pedigree.

“We’re eager to expand into this vibrant city and collaborate with these amazing and talented partners,” says David Bowd, CEO of Salt Hotels. “I fell in love with Minneapolis the first time I visited. The people are incredible, and the beautiful architecture, along with its strong creative culture and appreciation for service and design – both cornerstones of Salt Hotels – solidified Minneapolis as Salt Hotels’ latest venture. We’re excited to be expanding here during a time when such transformational developments are taking place.”

Opening in late 2023, The West adds to Salt Hotels strong pipeline of openings, which also includes developments in Nantucket, MA, Newport, RI, Litchfield, CT and Mexico.

ABOUT SALT HOTELS
Founded in 2014 by Chief Executive Officer David Bowd (formerly Chateau Marmont in Hollywood, The Mercer in New York, and the Chiltern Firehouse in London) and Chief Creative Officer Kevin O’Shea (Starwood Hotels and Resorts and Morgans Hotel Group), Salt Hotels’ award-winning approach to hospitality has set new standards in design and guest experience. The company created Salt House Inn and Eben House in Provincetown, MA to acclaim in 2014 and launched two projects at the forefront of Asbury Park, NJ’s renaissance: The Asbury and Asbury Ocean Club in 2019. In 2021, the group launched the award-winning Hutton Brickyards in Kingston New York followed by Hotel Greystone in Miami Beach. Salt Hotels added Wave Resort and Bungalow in Long Branch, New Jersey to its collection in early 2022, and will open in early summer on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts followed by The Aster, a Membership Club and hotel in Hollywood, California. Salt Hotels integrates the design, amenities, and technology of large lifestyle hotels with the intimate, personal service, unique character, and community connections of a luxury inn—no matter the scale. For more information, visit www.salthotels.com.

ABOUT COMMUTATOR, LLC
Formed in 2018 by David Wilson, John Gross and Andrew John Commers to re-develop the long dormant and much loved Commutator Foundry building and adjacent properties, the partners bring diverse backgrounds and expertise with a shared passion for design and hospitality, and unwavering commitment to the North Loop neighborhood and the City of Minneapolis.  David Wilson brings decades of business experience working in the technology industry and a passion for city building and civic engagement.  A lifelong real estate development professional, John Gross has designed and co-founded several top restaurants in Minneapolis including Kado no Mise, Kaiseki Furukawa, Gori Gori Peku, Martina., Colita, Rosalia, and Sanjusan. Commers adds his project management expertise from twenty years of doing complex urban development.

ABOUT NERI&HU
Neri&Hu and their designs have been recognized by a number of prestigious international awards spanning the fields of architecture, interior, product and graphic design: Brick Award Building Outside the Box (2022); Dezeen Awards Architecture Studio of the Year (2021); Frame Lifetime Achievement Award (2021); Architizer A+Firm Awards Best Firm (2021); Madrid Design Festival Awards (2020); Design for Asia Grand Award (2020); Blueprint Overall Award for Design (2019); The Plan Award Overall Winner (2018); ELLE Decor International Design Awards Designers of the Year (2017); ICONIC Awards Interior Designers of the Year (2017); INSIDE: World Festival of Interiors Awards (2017); ELLE Decor Japan Design Awards Designers of the Year (2016); Dezeen Hotlist (2016); Maison&Objet Asia Designers of the Year (2015); Wallpaper* Design Awards Designers of the Year (2014); Far Eastern Architectural Design Award (2014); Interior Design Hall of Fame Induction (2013); Architectural Review Emerging Architecture Award (2010); Red Dot Award (2010); Architectural Record Design Vanguard (2009).

ABOUT SNOW KREILICH ARCHITECTS
Snow Kreilich Architects is a nationally recognized and award winning architectural studio based practice in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The studio was formerly Julie Snow Architects, founded in 1995 by Julie Snow.  Since its inception, the studio has received significant and consistent design recognition, winning a variety of design awards ranging from a Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award, a Design Distinction Award from I.D. Magazine, a National AIA Honor award, a Progressive Architecture Award, a Holcim Bronze Award for sustainable construction and several GSA Design Awards & Citations.