Hotel description

Formerly a member of Le Meridien’s forward-looking Art + Tech sub-brand, Graves 601 has gone independent, and is to be the first of a series across the Americas for the Minneapolis-based Graves Hotels and Resorts.

They’re off to a flying start — thanks to its unique pedigree, Graves 601 has avoided many of the growing pains common to new ventures, skipping right ahead to the good stuff. In this case, that means it offers the kind of contemporary luxury that’s hard to get right: design that’s stylish without being trendy, and the sort of atmosphere where a 42-inch plasma screen feels smart and functional rather than ostentatious.

Bedrooms feature hardwood floors, Italian linens and white cotton duvets, and the bathrooms are state-of-the-art, with glass basins on limestone tables, freestanding rain showers and bars Hermès soap. Public spaces are outfitted with zebra-striped Japanese hardwood, futuristic furnishings and creative lighting effects. It’s rather the sort of experience you’d expect in New York or Los Angeles, yet the service is distinctly Midwestern: friendly, unpretentious and down-to-earth.

The surrounding area is one of the hot spots of the new Minneapolis, with a dining and nightlife scene driven in large part by the Target Center sporting arena across the street. Graves 601’s Cosmos restaurant is one of the city’s most in-demand, as are the two nightspots, the Cosmos and Infinity lounges, and the neighborhood offers a wealth of other options as well.