I recall my mom and many others saying "you never get a second change to make a first impression". Right from the start things were poor.

Of the 2 people staff the front desk, one stayed on a phone, not talking, while a small line formed. She never did say anything, and eventually shrugged and hung up. Body language was "this call is more important than you". The other person was far too verbose, telling each and every guest about every amenity (those of us waiting probably memorized it by the time we were the primary subjects), even though it should have been clear we all don't need to hear about everything.

Decorating and vibe was trendy / modern / minimalist / kewl. (Not sure the right word, but definitely not your dad's best western.)

Hallways were loud, and seemed like echo chambers. (This assessment was validated when the bar rush returned.)

Rooms were very functionally designed. Unfortunately, some small concerns - bathroom sliding door wouldn't fully close (2 inch gap), small closet handing and storage area adequate only for tiny luggage, water pressure more like what you expect at an up-north cabin, mattress was the worst I can remember at a hotel in at least 10 years (maybe it was from my dad's best western).

Hoped for a nice lounge night at the end of the evening. However, hotel had booked a large birthday group (50+ people) with their own overly-distorted-loud-from-too-small-and-overpowered sound system. Why would a hotel with a cool bar allow the rest of its patrons to be overwhelmed?

I stayed at the Aloft because it is a block from the Guthrie where I attended a workshop and a performance. I parked my car in the Guthrie ramp, a municipal ramp that has a people entrance right across from the hotel (cars enter the ramp across the street from the Guthrie). For $15 at check-in I got a 24 hour in and out pass for the ramp. Perfect! I also received a few bucks off for my stay because I was attending a Guthrie performance.
I got a pizza from Sarpino's delivered to my door in a half hour. In the morning I purchased a $5 egg/cheese/ham English muffin in the lobby and enjoyed it with the coffee provided in my room. These conveniences fit my busy schedule.
The room was very clean. Especially nice was a box on the room desk that had electrical outlets for personal electronic devices as well as input jacks to connect devices to the room's large TV.
Check-in was pleasant and the staff was friendly. I would stay again at the Aloft.

My husband stays at this hotel all of the time. He likes the accessibility to light rail and that the hotel has a shuttle to get him to his appointments.

And, I mostly liked it with the exception of the bathroom setup. Everything is just too close for comfort for me. I mean, the toilet stall door doesn't even close. I'm sorry, but I want privacy in that part of my life.

The room could also use a second desk-like chair. I looked at the pictures of other Alofts and some have them. I'm not sure why this location doesn't.

The WiFi is completely open, which is also a problem.

I figured out the lighting without much problem. But, the shower/toilet area is lit by only one bare bulb. Don't plan on seeing when using them. Also, even one bedside light is really too bright for the other person to sleep.

Note to housekeeping: Don't take away towels. Most couples need more than two a day.

All in all, though, I'd stay here if I was alone. I like this part of Minneapolis. I like the beds and bedding. I like the bar area. The people who worked their were service oriented and friendly.

This hotel was very trendy. It is defintiely made for your business type vistor. It is a smaller type room with trendly placement of bed and shower and bathroom. this is not the type of hotel to spend all day relaxing and walking around. It is geared towards your professional crowd and younger client base. the bar was great looking and the decor was more bar like.

We were here for a wedding which we did not spend much time in the room and we were happy not to pay as much becasue we only realy used it to sleep.