Mill District Business Spotlight: Aloft and wxyz bar

Aloft Minneapolis, the hip, 155-room hotel located at 900 Washington Avenue South, opened in the Mill District on August 8, 2008.  It is part of the Starwood family, and guests earn Starpoints with each stay.

Jenai Sele, Sales & Social Media Manager, (below) took a break from her busy schedule to give us a tour and provide insight on what makes Aloft not only a great choice for lodging, but for neighborhood events as well.

A native of Grand Forks, Jenai has been with Aloft since moving to Minneapolis two years ago.  She held positions at the front desk and as Sales Coordinator prior to her promotion this January to her current position.

Below, the wxyz bar and lounge area look out onto the courtyard.   You can just hang out, or shoot a game a pool, play shuffleboard or other games.

The wxyz bar has a tasty selection of appetizers, including (but not limited to) pizza, burgers, quesadillas and tator tots.  Happy hours are 5p-7p and 10p-Midnight.

While Aloft doesn't offer room service, their "re-fuel" station - including sandwiches, salads, fruit, snacks, etc. - is open 24 hours.

Other amenities include:
 - 24-hour access to workout facility
 - Pool open 6a - 10p
 - Sundry shop
 - Free shuttle within a 5-mile radius
 - On-site washer and dryer
 - Meeting room facility for up to 75, with in-house food and beverage service and full AV package.

Click here for additional amenities.

There are adjoining rooms available, and this property has one suite with a King bed and full living area including dinette (with a downtown view, of course).  The rooms are comfortable and designed efficiently.  Lack of bathroom counter space is my number one beef with hotels, so I was really impressed with the ample counter space here.

Aloft offers an $89/night "condo" rate for guests of Mill District residents.  A Nice Ride station was recently installed on Washington on front of the hotel.

Sample events that both Mill District residents and hotel guests can enjoy:

- Friday night DJ's spin from 9:30pm-1:30am.

- New in March, 2011 - guests can show their room key at the Guthrie ticket desk for 50% off the price of a select shows.

- A popular offering started in 2010, Aloft's package deal including a BBQ followed by a show at the Guthrie. 

- Returning April 4 - live music every Wednesday night.  Weather permitting, it's in the courtyard.  If the weather isn't nice, it's in the lounge area.

- In addition to corporate meetings, Aloft also hosts special events. For example, Fashion Week is coming up, and there will be a Runway Show on April 8. 

With all the picturesque spots for wedding photos in our neighborhood, it not surprising that Aloft is popular with wedding parties.  Starting in May, they average up to 3 wedding couples per week.

Jenai loves technology and social media.  Follow Aloft on Facebook and Twitter.

Final note, and it's rather embarrassing, I've always pronounced the name "AY-loft" - it's actually ah-loft.  Dah.