Sold luxury hotel gets new brand, multimillion-dollar renovation plan

The Hotel Sofitel Minneapolis was rebranded as a Sheraton on Thursday, about one month after its sale to Galleria mall developer Warren Beck.

Sheraton's parent company, Stamford, Conn.- based Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., also announced that the 282-room Sheraton Bloomington will undergo an $8 million renovation "to transform the property into a modern upper-upscale hotel with all of the Sheraton brand's signature amenities and services."

This marks Sheraton's return to Bloomington for the first time since July 2011, when the former Sheraton Bloomington Minneapolis South was rebranded as the DoubleTree Bloomington-Minneapolis South. That hotel is located at 7800 Normandale Blvd., next door to the former Sofitel.

Meanwhile, the Sofitel brand no longer will have a presence in Minnesota.

The Sheraton Bloomington now is managed by Minnetonka-based Wischermann Partners Inc. The general manager will be Marc Faubert, who also runs the nearby Westin Edina Galleria (also owned by Beck and managed by Wischermann Partners). Faubert formerly managed the former Sheraton Bloomington Minneapolis South from 2000 to 2005.

The Sheraton Bloomington, located at the intersection of Interstate 494 and Highway 100, ranks No. 16 on The MSPBJ List of the largest Twin Cities hotels. Beck paid $18.75 million to buy the hotel in late September.

Reported by:  Greater MSP Business Journal