The Marquette Hotel
Triton Hospitality Group has acquired The Marquette Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton in downtown Minneapolis and has appointed Evolution Hospitality as manager of the property. Based in Santa Monica, California, Triton was founded in 2021 by hospitality and investment veterans John Murphy and David Parsky to acquire underperforming hotel assets.
Rand Tower Hotel.
When people gather these days, it’s like long-lost friends reuniting after years away. There’s an enthusiasm that energizes the room; attendees are truly present after months of separation courtesy of COVID-19. The Twin Cities didn’t stand dormant over the past two years, and here’s a recap of projects and openings of interest to the meetings and events industry.
Reactivating landmarks
Dining tables at 6Smith.
Life at the lake is a dream full of gorgeous views, activities on the water, and a sense of peace you can’t quite seem to find anywhere else. But, more often than not, these perks come at the cost of a road trip, a lack of amenities, and sometimes even lousy Wi-Fi.
But in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, just 20 minutes from downtown Minneapolis, both Wayzata and Excelsior offer groups the comforts of the city as well as the lure of the lake, thanks to downtown districts located within steps of the shoreline.
Sometimes you need food and beverage on wheels for convenience or a memorable touch to get attendees talking. We found creamy homemade ice cream, delicious java, beautifully spun cotton candy, and gorgeous boxed platters that are mobile.
Coffeehouse flair
Rand Tower Hotel's Bar Rufus opened July 8.
Minneapolis’ historic Rand Tower Hotel debuted the first-floor lobby bar and restaurant, Bar Rufus, on July 8. The hotel will open two additional establishments later this summer along with curated in-room dining, all concepted by chef and Twin-Cities restaurateur Daniel del Prado.
The Radisson Blu Mall of America in Bloomington will host the 2023 National Education Conference.
The Bloomington, Minnesota Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Society of Government Meeting Professionals (SGMP) announced plans to host next year’s National Education Conference (NEC) in Bloomington from June 2-8, 2023. Some 350-400 government meeting planners will attend the conference, which will take place at Radisson Blu Mall of America. The news was announced during the 2022 conference in Pittsburgh, Penn.
Associations North, formerly known as the Midwest Society of Association Executives, promoted Angela Kisskeys to president of the organization.
Originally joining the team as an office administrator in 2007, Kisskeys was named marketing and communications manager in 2010 and became a co-director of Associations North in 2017.
Radisson Blu Mall of America promoted Kate Anastasi to director of sales and marketing. Anastasi has been with the Radisson Blu Mall of America team for eight years and has held many support and leadership roles within the sales team. She had most recently served as the assistant director of sales and marketing. Anastasi won the 2021 Radisson Blu Manager of the Year award.
The Cocktail Bar at Mara at the Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis
Minneapolis’ first five-star hotel is thoughtful in details with breathtaking views of the Mill City—and several destination restaurants.
“I’d sure like to take a bath there,” I said, perhaps a little too revealingly, to others in the bathroom suite during a tour of the new Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis. Beyond the tub, the floor-to-ceiling windows revealed the Mississippi River, a large swath of the northern and western Twin Cities, and the meandering lines of Interstate Highways 394 and 94.
D’Amico Catering has returned to Walker Art Center as the exclusive culinary and planning service for all private events taking place at the museum. The Minneapolis-based catering company managed the Walker Art Center’s special events and food service from 2011-2016.
