Finding Minnesota

ROCHESTER, Minn. (WCCO) ― In the last two years, there have been a lot of luxury hotels opening in downtown Minneapolis -- The Westin, The Hotel Ivy, the W… all of them are pretty swank.

They offer high-end accommodations for business travelers and tourists.

But outside of the Twin Cities there is another fancy hotel, one that caters to an even choosier crowd and really knows how to treat people like royalty.

It's a concept known as a hotel within a hotel, and it's in Rochester, Minn., right across the street from the Mayo Clinic.

From the ground up to the ninth floor of this building, you'll find the historic Kahler Grand hotel. It opened in 1921.

John Kahler was a friend and business associate of Dr. Will and Charlie Mayo, the two brothers who put the clinic on its track to fame.

Over the years, the hotel and the hospital prospered together and last summer, a renovation project took the relationship to new heights.

Bruce Fairchild is one on the hotel managers, who gave Angela Davis a tour and a glimpse into its history.

"The Kahler has been privileged over the years to host many dignitaries and VIPs guests, and we said we really need something that fits them, so that when the people that travel and stay in luxury accommodations come to Rochester and the Mayo Clinic, they have some place to stay here," Fairchild said.

Hotel management decided to take advantage of the large number of visitors from other cities and other countries, flying to Rochester for treatment at the Mayo clinic; visitors with deep pockets, accustomed to living like royalty at home.

The 10th and the 11th floors of the Kahler Grand hotel became even grander, and got a new name: The International Hotel.

Fairchild pointed out some of the cool features in one of the suites on the 11th floor.

"The drapes are all on remote-controlled so you can open and close them with a flip of a switch."

He went on to show off the bathroom.

"So this would be a European bathroom because the bidet. And the marble floor, it's heated," asked Davis.

"Yes, we set that slightly on so that when the guests come in here at night so they don't have to put their feet on that cold tile," said Fairchild.

But it's not just the furniture and high tech gadgets that make The International Hotel special, it's the staff too.

Many of them speak foreign languages like French and Arabic, making it easier for guests to communicate their needs.

A man from Alabama explained how compassionate the staff seems to be as well. Ed Herber had several extended stays at the hotel while his daughter receives treatment across the street.

"The last time I was here I came away with the saying what Mayo is to medicine, Kahler is to accommodations. They've just been absolutely tremendous to us, to my daughter and myself. I just couldn't say anything nicer about them," Herber said.

So here's the catch. The cost.

A two-bedroom, two-bathroom suite with a full kitchen will run you about $2500 a night.

A more modest one-bedroom suite is $650 a night.

Don't think these rooms sit vacant. Management is actually thinking of expanding The International Hotel to another floor.

The hotel also has less expensive studio units that run about $400 a night. Those rooms are part of a weekend getaway package that targets the locals and folks in the Twin Cities.

To find out more about The International Hotel and the Kahler Grand Hotel in Rochester, click on the links below.

The International Hotel
The Kahler Grand Hotel

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