Whether you’re traveling for a conference, meetings, or a quick overnight trip, having reliable go-to spots in a city can make all the difference.
At Dakota, we’ve spent years on the road meeting with allocators, industry professionals, and investment managers across the country and around the world. Along the way, we’ve learned firsthand which hotels, restaurants, and coffee shops consistently deliver. The ones that turn a business trip into a productive, enjoyable experience.
That’s why we created Dakota Recommends. The insider list for business travel exclusive to Dakota Marketplace Members, or with a subscription.
Built by executive business travelers for executive business travel, it’s a curated collection of hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, and event spaces designed for professionals who expect more from every trip.
Unlike tourist guides, it’s built for business. Every spot is Dakota Verified, tested by the same team behind Dakota Marketplace and trusted by thousands of firms.
Now live inside Dakota Marketplace, Dakota Recommends includes more than 1,000 verified locations across 25+ U.S. cities, London, and Paris. Each listing features “Dakota Must Trys”... our insider dishes and experiences our team swears by.
Minneapolis
Anchored by the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, this metro area is one of the most concentrated and diverse allocator hubs in the Great Lakes region. Beyond its reputation for Fortune 500 headquarters and a strong financial services ecosystem, Minneapolis stands out for its deep bench of institutional investors, long-established wealth managers, and a growing RIA community that consistently ranks among the most active in the Midwest. For investment sales professionals, it’s a market where efficiency meets density, you can cover banks, pensions, RIAs, and foundations all within a short drive.
Major financial institutions such as RBC Wealth Management, U.S. Bancorp, Ameriprise Financial Services, and Securian Financial Services anchor the broker-dealer and private wealth channels, while Thrivent Financial adds meaningful scale from its Minneapolis headquarters. On the institutional side, the region is home to influential plans including the Minnesota State Retirement System and the 3M Pension Plan, alongside well-known endowments and foundations such as the Mayo Clinic, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, and the University of Minnesota Foundation.
Minneapolis also delivers outsized value in the RIA channel, with more than 75 registered investment advisors represented inside Dakota Marketplace. Firms like Wells Fargo Private Bank (formerly Abbott Downing), Wealth Enhancement Group, and Orgel Wealth Management headline a competitive and highly engaged advisor landscape.
In short, Minneapolis combines accessibility, breadth, and institutional depth… a hub where high-quality meetings come easy, and where every trip can touch multiple segments of the allocator universe.
That’s why Dakota Recommends now highlights Minneapolis inside Dakota Marketplace, bringing together the same travel-tested venues our team relies on when meeting allocators,
Minneapolis Inside Dakota Marketplace:
- 3 Hotels across the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro, curated for reliability, convenience, and easy access to allocator meetings
- 10 Restaurants perfect for client dinners, investor lunches, and post-meeting drinks throughout the Twin Cities
- 2 Coffee Shops ideal for casual meetups or morning prep before appointments
- 1 Event Space suited for receptions, private dinners, and networking gatherings in the heart of the city
Every spot meets the Dakota standard: Elevated, professional, travel-tested, and never crowdsourced. These are the same venues our team uses when hosting events, meeting allocators, and building relationships in Minneapolis.
Dakota Recommends
Dakota Recommends isn’t just a list, it’s a toolkit for business travelers. These are the places that have helped us at Dakota deliver successful meetings, memorable events, and efficient trips time and time again.
When you're traveling for work, trust the spots we've already vetted. You’ll find them all in Dakota Marketplace, organized by metro area, ready to support your goals on the road. We've also incorporated "Dakota Must Trys" under each place listed!
Whether you're planning your next trip or refining your meeting strategy, book a demo of Dakota Marketplace to explore the people and places that keep our team coming back.
