News & ReviewsNews & Reviews
Depot upgrades to Renaissance
March 16, 2007
Depot upgrades to Renaissance
Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal - March 16, 2007by John Vomhof Jr.Staff Writer
NANCY KUEHN | THE BUSINESS JOURNAL
View Larger The Courtyard by Marriott at The Depot in downtown Minneapolis is undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation, after which it will convert to Marriott's more upscale Renaissance brand.
Work at the hotel, which opened in 2001 inside a former train station, includes a complete overhaul of guest rooms and public spaces, including new carpeting, wall coverings, furniture, bedding and technology.
The owner, Minneapolis-based CSM Lodging, decided to switch to the full-service Renaissance flag in response to guests' request for more amenities. The company remains committed to Courtyard, however, and hopes to build a new one downtown within 18 months.
Business at The Depot is healthy and continues to grow each year, said Robb Hall, the hotel's managing director. The downtown location draws business travelers during the week, while the indoor skating rink and water park attracts families on the weekends.
But the hotel always has wrestled with something of an identity crisis.
"We built and ran The Depot like a full-service hotel, yet we branded it as a Courtyard, creating inconsistencies for the customer," Hall said.
Traditional Courtyard customers paid more than they were used to and received more services than they needed. Guests who wanted full-service were left without some of the basic room amenities they expect, like hair conditioner and hand lotion.
After three years of consideration, The Depot finally decided to switch to the Renaissance flag and its full-service offerings.
"We really think that's what our customers have been looking for all along, and they've been really confused," said Rob Dann, president of CSM Lodging.
Renaissance Hotel & Resorts typically focuses on properties with unique stories and distinctive decors, making the historic Depot a prime candidate.
The hotel will officially become The Depot, a Renaissance Hotel by Marriott in mid-May. Rates for the hotel's 225 rooms will run from $249 to $299 a night, up $30 from the Courtyard's prices.
The renovation includes a significant change to the hotel's interior decor, including new carpeting and vinyl wall coverings. The new look features more vibrant colors: deep reds, oranges and greens.
Changes to the guest rooms include:
Wood blinds instead of heavy drapes;
Granite countertops replacing faux-marble;
Shorter armoires that make the room look more open;
Taller beds with fancier bedding;
32-inch, flat-panel TVs with a connectivity panel that allows guests to run their laptops, MP3 players and videogame systems through the TV.
The interior facelift also stretches to the public spaces, including the bar and restaurant. The hotel will add a business center, featuring a conference room for teleconferencing and individual wireless workstations.
The hotel will convert three guest rooms into a club area for frequent customers, offering complimentary breakfast in the morning and cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the evening.
Plans for the lobby include a new sundry shop and automated check-in kiosks.
Room renovations began two weeks ago, and work on the public spaces will start soon.
St. Paul-based Ste. Marie Design was the design firm for the project. CSM is acting as the general contractor.
While most of the hotel will get a new look, its historic attributes will be untouched.
The Depot, which housed a train station from 1899 to 1971, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. CSM paid close attention to preserving the building's history when transforming it into a hotel in 2001.
"We've gone through painstaking efforts to keep our 120-year-old cracks in the floor," Hall said.
The history also played a prominent role in the rebranding. Marriott wanted its Renaissance brand listed first in the hotel's name, but CSM insisted on having The Depot out front.
Ben Graves, president of Minneapolis-based Graves Hotels Resorts, applauded the move. The Depot should undergo a seamless transition because it is simply switching from one Marriott brand to another, and the Renaissance brand's prestige should help draw more premium events and weddings, he said.
"It probably should have been a Renaissance when they first opened it," Graves said.
Graves Hotels Resorts originally had planned to make its Block E hotel a Renaissance before backing out of that deal and switching to Le Meridien. Graves later dropped the Le Meridien brand, converting to a private flag, Graves 601 Hotel.
CSM also looked into the Renaissance brand when The Depot opened in 2001, but opted to go with Courtyard because that brand was more established at the time, and CSM had experience with it at other properties. The company operates eight other Courtyard locations in five states, including properties in Bloomington and Roseville.
Downtown Minneapolis won't be without a Courtyard for long either, because CSM wants to build a new one there. The company has identified several potential sites and is nearing a deal for one, Dann said, declining to disclose the location.
Once a deal for the land is completed, it will only take about a year to get a hotel open, he said. "I would love to have a Courtyard open before the Republican National Convention."
The downtown market is getting tight, but there will still be demand for a Courtyard following The Depot's conversion, said Paul Wischermann, president of hotel-development and management firm Wischermann Partners Inc. in Minnetonka.
"It's not really doing anything new to the Twin Cities," he said, "and therefore, you are reshelving existing demand."