Boutique Hotels--B&Bsdowton Mpls.

In town for the fringe festival in Aug. I prefer to stay downtown. Are there any down-to-earth or downscale (hip is cool) accomodations in downtown Mpls.? I can only find the same-old same-old chains.That%26#39;s for August.

Boutique Hotels--B%26amp;Bsdowton Mpls.

Not so much on the B%26amp;B scene in downtown Minneapolis - however -

here%26#39;s a few you might like to check out:

Nicollet Island Inn

http://www.nicolletislandinn.com/

yes, you are staying in a historic inn, on and island, in the Mississippi, right next to downtown. Lots of stuff to do around that area - and an awesome Sunday brunch.

Chambers Hotel - on Hennepin Avenue

http://www.chambersminneapolis.com/

right in the thick of things on the main drag - new and artsy - awesome top floor bar with primo views - and an Ice Bar in the winter time - and art collection to boot. Even if you don%26#39;t stay here, check, out the top floor bar.

It is sister hotel to NYCity%26#39;s Chambers

Graves 601 (formerly a le Meridien)

http://www.graves601hotel.com/

techy %26amp; sleek - part of Block E - some say too sterile

if you forgo your lodging choice, and just look at price - you might get good deal with Expedia or Priceline -

there%26#39;s Crowne Plaza, Grand Hotel, Marriot, Hilton Towers, Hyatt, %26amp; even Holiday Inn Express all downtown - but then check out some fun bars/restaurants -

Nye%26#39;s %26amp; Psycho Suzi%26#39;s comes to mind

Boutique Hotels--B%26amp;Bsdowton Mpls.

When you say down-to-earth/downscale, boutique hotels do not come to mind. Could you clarify if you%26#39;re looking for basic accommodations that are not chains? Or something unique that is not necessarily based on price?

I%26#39;m with creason.

Down to earth and downscale are pretty opposite of boutique and hip. You have to pay for boutique and hip.

If you want hip/boutique, the obvious choices are the Graves and the Chambers. But they%26#39;re spendy.

I would go the route DowntownMinneapolis suggested and check out deals on Hotwire and Priceline.

Typically a boutique hotel is a small hotel i.e. a boutique as opposed to a department store, which can run the gamut from luxurious to quirky or hip. Traditionally, they are run by a proprieter on premise and can be significantly less expensive than the franchise monoliths. They are not bed and breakfasts. San Francisco, London, New York, and Paris have many. They don%26#39;t show up on websites that cater to contract booking--e.g. expedia, priceline, etc. They might appear in travel books such as the Lonely Planet Travel Guide. They are best known by word of mouth, and that%26#39;s why I came knocking here.

BTW

Down-to-earth in this case means simply styled, lacking in pretensions, Minnesota nice.

Downscale can mean either plain, inexpensive, not luxurious.

Hip can mean trendy by design, location, or proprietorship. (Any place that advertises as hip is not hip.)

Thanks.

I%26#39;ll just say.. y%26#39;ain%26#39;st gonna find that kinda hotel in downtown Minneapolis.

do your best

enjoy the rest of the trip

I think some point however many years ago the term ';boutique'; was hijacked to mean trendy and artsy. That%26#39;s what Minneapolis%26#39; boutique hotels are for sure. There is nothing down to earth and baseline priced that is boutique. But for a mid-sized city, we have tons of hotels here. So there are ample choices. Marquette is my favorite in town, because of the nice experience I had there and friends continue to have. Great service and fabulous location. Beautiful rooms too.

I cannot think of anything hip - that is down-scale in Minneapolis-

The least hip - most boutique that I can think of is the Nicollet Island Inn.

It is very nice - so not-dwon-scale - but far from any thing chain like

http://www.nicolletislandinn.com/

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