Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis

For most of its history Minneapolis was a city with plenty of good hotels and no true grande-luxe one. That changed in 2022, when Four Seasons opened its first Minnesota property in the base of the new RBC Gateway tower on Hennepin Avenue, and instantly reset the top of the market. It is the newest, most complete and best-served luxury hotel in the Twin Cities, and it is the clear number one on our Minneapolis list.

The ranking rests on measurable guest sentiment. Across 449 published Google reviews the hotel holds a 4.5/5 rating, a strong score for a property still early in its life, and one built on a real pattern of stays rather than a handful of openings-week visits. On our scale that converts to an HFK score of 9.0/10, the best in the city. What the number cannot capture is why a brand-new tower hotel feels worth the premium, which is what the rest of this review covers.

What makes Four Seasons Minneapolis the city's top hotel?

Two things, mostly: the completeness of the offering and the strength of the dining. On the first, this is the only downtown Minneapolis hotel that pairs true five-star service with a full spa, an indoor pool and a genuine destination restaurant under one roof, the amenity depth of a resort in the middle of a Midwestern winter city. On the second, Mara gives the hotel a culinary center of gravity that most business hotels can only dream of.

It also has the advantage of being new. The rooms, the systems and the public spaces are all recent, so there is none of the dated-edges problem that afflicts older luxury hotels, and the design leans into a warm, contemporary Nordic-Midwest palette that suits the setting. Combined with brand-standard Four Seasons service, that newness is a big part of why the guest scores sit where they do.

Where is it, and what is nearby?

The address is 245 Hennepin Avenue, at the northern edge of downtown where the street grid meets the Mississippi. That puts the riverfront, the Stone Arch Bridge and the Mill District within a short walk, with Nicollet Mall, the Warehouse District's restaurants and nightlife, the Guthrie Theater and US Bank Stadium all easily reachable. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is about 20 to 25 minutes away. For a visitor it is a genuinely central base; for a business traveler it is well placed for the downtown core and the riverfront corporate campuses alike.

What are the rooms like?

The 222 rooms and suites sit high in the tower, and the views are the headline: floor-to-ceiling windows framing either the Mississippi River or the downtown skyline, with the river-view categories the ones to request. Interiors are contemporary and immaculate, as you would expect of a 2022 build, dressed in warm neutrals and natural materials, and equipped with the Four Seasons standards, in-room tablet controls, Nespresso, a proper minibar and marble bathrooms. Reviewers consistently describe the rooms as spotless, well-equipped and comfortable, which for a business-and-celebration hotel is exactly the report you want.

The dining: Mara, Riva and Socca

Dining is where this hotel genuinely punches above a typical five-star. Mara Restaurant and Bar is led by Gavin Kaysen, the James Beard Award-winning chef behind the city's celebrated Spoon and Stable, and it brings a Mediterranean-inspired menu and a serious beverage program, the lamb tartare and the pastas draw specific praise, and it pulls in Minneapolis diners in their own right rather than relying on hotel guests. Above it, Riva is a rooftop coastal-Italian bar and restaurant that makes the most of the skyline, and Socca Cafe handles all-day coffee and lighter plates at ground level. Between the three you have a hotel where you can eat genuinely well without ever booking elsewhere.

Spa, pool and service

The spa and indoor pool are the quiet differentiators. In a city that spends a good part of the year cold, having a full-service spa, a heated pool and a fitness center in the building turns the hotel into a legitimate wellness retreat as well as a place to sleep, and it is a facility set no direct competitor offers downtown. Layered over all of it is Four Seasons service, the attentive, anticipatory standard the brand is known for, which the reviews reflect and which is the connective tissue that makes the whole thing feel worth the rate.

What do guests consistently say?

For a hotel only a few years old, the review pattern is already clear and strongly positive. Guests praise the service first, warm, polished and genuinely Four Seasons in standard, then the rooms, which come up again and again as immaculate, spacious and quiet, with the river and skyline views a recurring highlight. Mara draws its own stream of compliments, often from local diners rather than overnight guests, and the spa and pool are cited as the amenities that make the hotel feel complete rather than merely nice. The criticisms are few and mostly about price, this is the top rate in the city and it does not discount, and the occasional note that a brand-new hotel is still settling certain service rhythms. Weighed together, the feedback reads like a property performing at the top of its market with the normal early-life fine-tuning, which is exactly what the 4.5 average across 449 reviews reflects.

What is there to do around the hotel?

The riverfront location is a real asset for a visitor. Steps away are the Stone Arch Bridge and the Mill District, where the Mill City Museum and the Guthrie Theater anchor a walkable stretch of restaurants and history along the Mississippi. The North Loop, one of the country's better neighbourhood dining-and-shopping scenes, is close by, as is Nicollet Mall and the downtown core. A little further out lie the Walker Art Center and its Sculpture Garden, the chain of lakes that defines Minneapolis summers, and, across the river, the museums and campus of the University of Minnesota. Sports fans have US Bank Stadium (Vikings), Target Field (Twins) and Target Center (Timberwolves) within reach, and the Mall of America sits near the airport to the south. Between the riverfront, the theatre district and the North Loop, a guest can fill a weekend on foot or with short rides, which makes the hotel a strong base rather than just a business address.

How to book it well, and when to go

Two decisions shape the stay. First, the view: request a river-view room or a higher-floor category, since the outlook is a big part of what you are paying for, and the difference between a skyline and a river orientation is worth specifying. Second, the season. Minneapolis rewards a summer or early-autumn visit, when the lakes, the riverfront and the patios are at their best and the city feels outdoors; deep winter is quieter and often better value, and this is precisely when the indoor spa, pool and Mara come into their own. Rates rise around major conventions and marquee sporting events, so book ahead for those dates. As ever at this tier, compare the direct Four Seasons rate and its perks, breakfast, upgrades, credits, against the aggregators before booking.

How does it compare to other Minneapolis hotels?

The Four Seasons sits a clear tier above the rest of the Minneapolis field, which is more a set of very good four-star hotels than a bench of luxury rivals. Hotel Ivy, a Luxury Collection hotel, is the closest in ambition and the strongest alternative for a design-led stay; Loews and the historic Marquette, Curio Collection are dependable upper-upscale options with more local character and lower rates. What none of them offers is the full package the Four Seasons brings, brand-standard service, a destination restaurant, a spa and a pool in one new building, which is why it holds the top of our Minneapolis ranking. Choose the alternatives for character or value; choose the Four Seasons when you want the best the city has.

Who should book Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis?

Book it if you want the best hotel in the Twin Cities, full stop: couples marking an occasion who want a river-view suite, Mara and the spa; business travelers who need five-star service and a destination restaurant in one place; and visitors who value a complete, contemporary luxury hotel over character-hotel quirk. Look elsewhere if you want a boutique or historic property with more local personality, or if you are price-sensitive, this sits firmly at the top of the market. For a genuine luxury stay in Minneapolis, though, it is the clear first call, and the guest scores confirm it.