The InterContinental Hotel at MSP celebrated its opening on Monday, July 30, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.Graves Hospitality, a local firm, and the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) worked together to gain approval from the FAA to place the 291-room hotel on the site between the inbound and outbound roadways at Terminal 1.
"This project is a prime example of a public-private partnership at work, developing a business and creating jobs at an airport that contributes more than $16 billion in economic activity to the Twin Cities' area annually," Brian Ryks, the MAC's CEO and executive director, said at the ceremony. "The MAC seeks to provide the best airport experience to our customers, and the InterContinental and its amenities furthers that vision."
The InterContinental's services includes two first-floor restaurants, a 30,000-square-foot meeting and event center, luxury spa and a penthouse-level lounge that tops off the structure. The hotel's rooms provide dynamic views of MSP's airfield and the skylines of both Minneapolis and St. Paul.
A public security checkpoint is located in the hotel and offers direct access to Concourse C across the new skyway.
When complete, the hotel will also feature an art park out front on land along the inbound roadway.
The MAC formally began the process of seeking the development of a hotel at MSP in 2014, with a request for proposals. Construction started in 2017.