Hyatt Regency Minneapolis has begun a $25 million renovation to its guestrooms, suites, public areas, and restaurants. Stonehill & Taylor will oversee the architecture and design concept for the renovation, while Jonathan Nehmer + Associates (JN+A) serves as project manager. “We designed the hotel as a modern homage to the local heritage, culture, and economic history of Minnesota, as well as the proud history of American manufacturing,” says Michael Suomi, principal of Stonehill & Taylor. “We thought the area is best represented in a contemporary aesthetic with references to local industries, materials, and crafts.”
As such, the firm Stonehill & Taylor is employing locally sourced elements such as Red Wing Stoneware and granite cultivated from local mines. The state’s Scandinavian history serves as inspiration for the lobby, whose centerpiece is an expansive stone fireplace framed by rustic wooden logs. A sunken living room with split-timber walls and furniture, light fixtures, and earth-toned carpeting surround the fireplace, while natural materials like wood and yarn give a handmade feel to the furnishings.
The renovation will revamp existing and F&B outlets while introducing new ones such as a 360-degree lobby bar outfitted in floor-to-ceiling windows. Inspired by the local milling industries, Stonehill & Taylor will implement a sophisticated natural palette in the restaurant design, with off-whites and wood tones. The restaurant features American walnut columns and three over-sized pendants suspended from vintage pulleys that are reminiscent of old factories.
A palette of soothing indigo, cool grays, and warm gold tones sets the stage in the hotel’s 533 guestrooms. Leather headboards and chairs, luxurious linens, soft wool throws, modern walnut desks, and original artwork further define the guestroom design. Guest baths boast dark tile flooring, Scandinavian-style mirrors, and locally sourced granite on the countertops. Meanwhile, guestroom corridors will feature wallcoverings that showcase Minnesota’s thousands of lakes and rivers with subtle blue hues set against beige.
