InterContinental hotel plans to open at MSP in summer 2018

"This is really a great day to celebrate a real milestone here, and it's a lot more than just watching concrete dry," joked Ben Graves, president and chief operating officer of Minneapolis-based Graves Hospitality, the developer behind the hotel.

While Graves had earlier hoped to have the 12-story hotel open by the Super Bowl, which will be played in Minneapolis in February, it won't be completed until next summer.

The 291-room InterContinental will include a security checkpoint and a new skyway that would allow guests to cross straight to the terminal. It will also have a penthouse-level "observation bar" for viewers to watch planes takeoff and land.

The hotel is part of the airport's $1.6 billion capital improvement program, which includes a new front entrance under construction and a 5,000-space parking structure and car rental facility that will break ground this summer.

"The new InterContinental hotel will add to that energy by providing a great mix of style, comfort and convenience that will be a fantastic reflection not only of our airport but all of Minnesota," said Brian Ryks, executive director and chief executive of the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which owns and operates the airport.

The hotel was made possible by a partnership between Graves Hospitality and Boston-based real estate investment firm Intercontinental Real Estate Corp., which is unrelated to the hotel brand. RSP Architects designed the hotel, and PCL Construction is building it.

St. Paul-based Wold Architects and Engineers recently announced it has purchased Illinois-based Ruck Pate Architecture. The acquisition nearly doubles Wold's Illinois team.

"Ruck Pate has a strong reputation for smart design and superior client service, which mirrors our approach to client relationships," Roger Schroepfer, a Wold partner, said in a statement. "Together, we will have a broader range of resources and expertise to offer our clients as we grow our presence in the Illinois market."

Wold currently has four offices. Ruck Pate employees will join Wold workers in Palatine, Ill., and form the Wold Ruck Pate office. Ruck Pate focuses on architecture design for clients in K-12, higher education, government and religion.

"We look forward to continuing to serve our current Illinois clients as Wold Ruck Pate, and we'll now be able to offer them even more resources like engineering and interior design by LEED professionals," John Maurer, Ruck Pate president, said in a statement.

Nicole Norfleet

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