Omni Viking Lakes Hotel Holds Grand Opening In Eagan

EAGAN, MN — Nearly a year after its initial opening in October, the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel held its grand opening celebration.

The construction of the hotel cost nearly $100 million, REBusiness Online reported in 2020.

Guests were able to sample food and drinks from the hotel’s restaurant “Ember and Ice,” go on tours of the hotel and even attend Tuesday’s Vikings Training Camp.

Guests also listened to those involved in the building and opening of the hotel speak about the hotel.

Speakers included:

• Brent Glashan, General Manager of Omni Viking Lakes Hotel
• Peter Strebel, President of Omni Hotels & Resorts
• Bob Rowling, Founder of TRT Holdings, Inc.
• Mike Maguire, Mayor of Eagan
• Mark Wilf, President of the Minnesota Vikings
• Doug Baker, Chairman of Ecolab
• Kevin Warren, Commissioner of the Big Ten Conference

Eagan’s Mayor Mike Maguire shared with Patch what the opening of the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel would mean for Eagan.

“I think Eagan has been looking for a first-class hotel for a number of years,” Maguire said. “I think this hotel really puts Eagan on the map in terms of destinations for conferences, large events in a hotel like this one and could bring people out to Eagan to see all that we have here beyond Vikings Lakes. It's a really great addition to what we have here in Eagan.”

Maguire also told Patch that the hotel’s grand opening celebrates perseverance through the pandemic.

“It also is kind of a celebration of the perseverance and partnership that the Vikings and their partner organizations have had through the pandemic; it was really just an investment that they decided to make before the pandemic,” Maguire said. “They didn't let up on coming through it. So it's really a celebration of Eagan coming out of the pandemic and moving forward.”

Bob Rowling, founder of TRT Holdings, Inc., the holding company that owns the Omni Hotels chain, said during his speech at the speaking portion of the event that although opening during the pandemic was “terrible," the hotel had begun making money in June.

Mark Wilf, president of the Minnesota Vikings, told Patch that construction for the hotel began in the fall of 2018 and that this is the first event for everybody involved to come together since the hotel’s opening.

Wilf shared that as president and owner of the Vikings, his role in the construction of the hotel was as an investor. Wilf and his family bought the land for development for the Viking Lakes campus.

“We had a partnership and other owners, and we've invested, and we are very proud to be part of the design and the effort to bring this hotel to Eagan and very grateful to the city of Eagan for their cooperation to help make this happen,” Wilf said. “So our role was to really be investors in Minnesota and in Eagan and to help make Viking Lakes something unique and special.”

According to the Omni Hotels and Resorts website, partners for the Viking Lakes Hotel included MV Ventures, Ecolab, Cambria and Viking Lakes Hotel Physician Partners.

Since the hotel’s opening, Eagan has become a destination for visitors, Wilf said. He told Patch that he expects it will continue to bring in visitors and economic development.

“We're very grateful to our partners and to the city of Eagan,” Wilf said. “I encourage everyone to come visit Omni Viking Lakes and the area, and we’re also excited about the season ahead for the Vikings. Skol Vikings!”

See also: PHOTOS: A Look Inside The Omni Viking Lakes Hotel