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The W is for ‘WOW’ at the W-Foshay Hotel-Minneapolis

Blog by: Maelynn Le

22 October 2022

All photos were taken by Maelynn Le

Photo: The W sign inside the lobby


Minneapolis, MN is a very artistic city with many statues, art museums, and sculptures spread across the city. It is known for its many great hikes, lakes, and biking paths. The Minnesota Vikings play at the US Bank Stadium as well. Minneapolis is located in Twin Cities near St. Paul MN, about 15 minutes driving. It’s about a 30 min drive to the border of Wisconsin and a 15 min drive to Mall of America (the largest mall in America).


W-Foshay Hotel is located on Marquette Ave. This hotel use to be an office building and was constructed by Wilbur Foshay in 1929 (more on the history later). To get to the hotel from Minneapolis/St. Paul airport, if you are driving, you will get there in about 15 mins. If you take uber, it will also be a 15 commute and the cost would be about $17.00. If you were to take the light rail, it costs about $2.50 for a ticket and would be about a 30-40 min commute. From there, you would take the Blue Line and get off at Nicolette Mall and walk about 7 mins to reach the hotel. There are a lot of places/tourist attractions to check out while you are near the hotel.

  • Nicolette Mall- 7 min walk

  • Loring Lake- 20 min walk

  • Minneapolis Sculpture Garden- 20 min walk

  • Target field- 10 min walk,

  • Mississippi River- 15 min walk

  • Stone Arch Bridge- 20 min walk

  • Minneapolis Institute of Art- 30 min walk and 7-8 min drive

  • Minnehaha Falls- 20 min light rail ride (blue line)

  • Target Field— 5 mins away from Nicollet Mall if you take the Blue Line

  • The US Bank Stadium- 5 mins away too if you take the blue line from Nicollet Mall.

  • St. Paul- 15 min drive and a 45 min light rail ride (green line)

Photo: Living Room


The W-Foshay has a very unique history. The building was built in August of 1929 and was built by Wilbur Foshay who was an art student turned businessman. It has 32 floors and standing at 447 feet high. This building was the tallest building for 4 decades and one of the most historic buildings of today. The Foshay building was an office building where companies would go and work before later it was transformed into a hotel. This building was modeled and inspired by the Washington Monument in Washington DC. As a tribute to George Washington. When the building first opened, there was a 3-day event ceremony that was held and included speeches, visits from historical figures, fireworks, unveilings, and lavish dinners and dancers. There was even a song called “Foshay Tower Washington memorial march“ by John Phillip Sousa and performed this song with his band. Unfortunately when the Great Depression hit and the Stock Market crashed, the business was suffering. Foshay was in debt and he past away penny less. In 2006, the Ryan companies and Ralph W. Burnet spent about $90 million dollars to convert the office building into a hotel as tribute to Foshay’s life.

Photo: W-Foshay Museum on the 30th floor


The W-Foshay hotel has a great history and the hotel wanted to keep some of the caricatures of the office building. This hotel is described as a luxury hotel infused with Art Deco style, and urban chic with vibrant decor. It has that touch of historic glam as the hotel kept a lot of the original pieces at the hotel like the elevator doors. The hotel has a ton of character while glamming it up to be like a “nightclub” setting. There are 2 restaurants inside the hotel which are Manny’s Steakhouse on the lobby level and Probation Bar which is on the 27th floor. There is also Key Cafe where you can get bakery and savory dishes there. On the 30th floor, there is a Foshay museum where you can learn more about the hotel’s history and how it was developed. Upstairs at the museum, there is an observation deck outside overlooking all of Minneapolis. The view is so gorgeous and I think that might be my favorite part of the hotel. The amenities the hotel has are:

  • 24/7 fitness center

  • free coffee and tea downstairs and in your room

  • room service

  • 1 restaurant and 1 bar

  • pet friendly

There are 256 rooms and a few meeting spaces too on the 2nd floor.


I got the pleasure to stay in the cool corner room on the 10th floor of the hotel. My first impression of the room was it looks like the living room/lobby area. It had the same modern chic, historic glam look with a nightclub feel in the room as well. When I came in, the room was very clean and the bathroom was a nice size. I loved the bathroom with that large shower head and the high ceilings. It made the shower feel better and then the water pressure was perfect for me. The thing was the floor didn’t feel smooth as I don’t know what the flooring is, but it felt a bit hard on my feet. I think tile would have been better for my feet. There was also a cart where you can store your beverages to keep your drinks nice and cool. They have a safe to store your expenses in, a coffee machine, and a room service menu where you can order room service. There are shampoos, body wash, and conditioner in the bathroom as well. I thought the overall room setup was convenient and organized as it was a large room and spacious. Another thing is that the light next to the stands was flickering subtly. I am not sure if the lightbulb needs to be changed because there were times that the light was stable but other times, the bulb would sometimes flicker. It’s not a huge deal but is something to be aware of. My view from the hotel was very nice. You can see a lot of buildings and trees that were very attractive to look at. Overall, I felt safe at the hotel, the room was in a very clean condition, and there wasn’t a whole lot of noise outside. It was quite quiet for the most part.


Photo: Bed at the Corner Room


Amazing stay at the W-Foshay Hotel in Minneapolis! The decor was chic, the room was great, Manny’s steakhouse was amazing, and the overall service was amazing. A lot of tourist attractions are within walking distance/bike-able, and Minneapolis is such a great city to visit. Thank you to Luis, Hailey, and the rest of the staff at the front desk/in general for taking great care of me during my visit. I had a very fun time in Minneapolis and at the hotel itself as well. If you are a history buff, the W-Foshay hotel has a rich history that is exciting to learn more about.

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