The Shoreline Hotel Opening, Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota

• Lake Minnetonka’s only waterfront hotel, The Shoreline, opened on May 1 with 27 guest rooms, including a presidential suite, a restaurant, a 32-slip marina, and a sandy beach.
• Most rooms feature private balconies, floor-to-ceiling windows, and panoramic water views.
• The full-service restaurant serves coastal-inspired cuisine with local influences.
• The hotel has partnered with a professional wakeboard athlete to offer on-site classes.

The Shoreline Hotel, Lake Minnetonka's first hotel in a century, opened in Spring Park, Minnesota, on May 1.

Located on the site of a former yacht club and office building, the boutique hotel has 27 guest rooms, including a presidential suite, a sandy beach, and a restaurant with coastal cuisine.

The rooms' interiors are inspired by the hotel's lakefront surroundings and feature pebble tile and quartz countertops and floor-to-ceiling windows. As The Shoreline is the only hotel situated on the lake, most guest rooms offer unobstructed water views, too. Larger groups and families can stay at the king suites, which include sleeper sofas, or request a room with bunk beds. Kelly Olsen, the hotel's owner, told Travel+Leisure that she avoided designing the spaces in a “kitschy” nautical theme because she wanted the focus to remain on the lake.

“Everything is in neutral colors, but there are a lot of textures, too. […] We did a two-tone paint on the walls—it’s lighter on the top than the bottom. That line brings your eye to the lake even more,” Olsen explained.

As an ode to her late husband, who was an artist, she decorated the hotel’s public spaces with original art and plans to host artist exhibits.

Cabana Anna’s, the hotel's all-day restaurant, is named after Olsen’s late grandmother and focuses on healthy coastal fare with local influences.

“She lived to be 104 and was the maid of honor in my wedding when she was 100,” Olsen said. “I started to put all of those Blue Zone principles in the hotel in honor of my grandma.”

The Shoreline also provides access to a 32-slip marina for guests arriving by boat. “Some of the slips are seasonal rentals, and the rest are open for boat-up traffic for the restaurant and overnight parking for hotel guests,” Olsen said. “I want people to feel comfortable coming in off their boat for happy hour or getting ceviche and sitting on the beach.”

While Minnesota is renowned for its lakes and many lakefront cabins, this is the only hotel on a lake within the Twin Cities metro area. “We’re 25 minutes from downtown Minneapolis. I think there will be a lot of people who come here as a staycation,” Olsen added.

The Shoreline has partnered with professional wakeboarder and Minnesota native Alexa Score, who will teach classes on-site. Guests can also rent out paddleboards, kayaks, and e-bikes.

Nightly rates at The Shoreline Hotel start from $299, and you can book your stay at shorelinehotel.com.