Rufus R. Rand Jr., a World War I aviator with the French Lafayette Escadrille and the president of the Minneapolis Gas Light Co., always looked to the clouds. While the Roaring ’20s were at their apex in 1928, he built the 26-story Rand Tower, which was the tallest building in Minneapolis at the time.
Rand Hotel
The tower housed offices for 89 years; Maven Real Estate Partners of Minneapolis bought Rand Tower in 2017 and converted it into a hotel. The Gettys Group, based in Chicago, renovated the building, restoring the original Parisian Art Deco details and creating 270 guest rooms—with the refined Rand Tower Hotel, a Marriott Tribute Portfolio Hotel managed by HHM, completely renovated by December 2020.
Rand Hotel
“The Gettys Group commissioned art that honors Minneapolis from Local Language Art [of Oakland, California], an art consulting firm that focuses on highlighting local elements,” says Bernadette Schindel, the hotel’s director of corporate sales. “A plethora of original elements remains, including facades, windows, marble floors, ceilings, lanterns, sconces, metal inlays, walls, elevator doors, and more. The details give the guests a feeling of flight, and every room has a different selected and sourced material, including stretched canvasses and polished brass that add inspiration to the overall experience.”
Rand Hotel
The Rand Tower Hotel has 7,000 square feet of meeting space, and groups can also buy out any of the hotel’s three Daniel del Prado culinary establishments: a bar and restaurant for French lighter bites, Bar Rufus; elegant cocktail lounge Miaou Miaou, named with a nod toward the iconic lions of the Lafayette Escadrille; and the French-Punk-inspired Blondette restaurant, which fuses classic French techniques with Pacific Northwest ingredients. The three establishments all opened in 2022, including the latter two in October, when the Rand Tower Hotel marked its official grand opening. The hotel is connected to the Minneapolis Skyway System.
