The Hotel Landing opened a little over a year ago in downtown Wayzata to much fanfare—and for good reason. It’s the first hotel built on the shores of Lake Minnetonka in over 50 years, which is quite a milestone for an area that once boasted many lakefront resorts and summer tourists from the Twin Cities. “We’ve been very, very well-received,” says general manager Katie Neufeld. “Last summer, we had a lot of tourists, a lot of weddings and a lot of corporate business as well.” Even the winter season, typically quiet for hotels, was busy at the Landing. “We had lots of families visiting relatives,” Neufeld explains. “We have a wonderful relationship with the neighbors.” And, there was that little event called the Super Bowl. “It was a smashing success for us,” Neufeld says.
Neufeld, who’s a veteran of the luxury hospitality industry, having worked in Chicago, Atlanta and New York City, says she’s got “the greatest job in town. I’m so proud of the feedback we get about our customer service, our attention to detail and how we anticipate guests’ needs. Sometimes luxury service can feel a little stuffy, but we’re not. It’s a gorgeous hotel in a gorgeous area, and it speaks for itself.”
Do, see, eat, play
The staycation trend—to act like a tourist in your own backyard and see your community with new eyes—
is a good one any time of year, but especially in the summer, when kids are home from school and outdoor activities are plentiful. Here are a few tips for a “getaway” in Wayzata.
Book a room (even just one night!) at the Hotel Landing. Let somebody else make breakfast and wash the towels.
Eat at ninetwentyfive, the hotel’s on-site restaurant. “It’s breakfast, lunch and dinner,” says Neufeld. “We do a great Sunday brunch.” The restaurant is headed by star Twin Cities chef Lenny Russo, who previously found renown with Heartland in St. Paul (read more about the eatery and Russo in next month’s issue of Lake Minnetonka Magazine).
Spend a day along Lake Street, shopping, eating or checking out the water. “We are at the end of this beautiful street in Wayzata,” says Neufeld. “We have complimentary beach cruiser bikes for guests to use, and we also have complimentary transportation within five miles.” Maybe you’re up for a luxurious night out? “We have a hotel Jaguar,” Neufeld says with a laugh, “so it’s a nice treat to be able to run around in one of those.” She says the hotel has great relationships with other local restaurants, and they often send their guests to nearby Gianni’s, Baja Haus and 6Smith. “There’s not a restaurant we wouldn’t recommend, and everything is within walking distance,” she says.
Take a cruise. If you’re staying at the hotel, staff can hook you up with one of Lake Minnetonka’s many dinner or sunset cruises, or help you rent a canoe or paddleboard for exploring the local bays on your own.
