Jim Graves

“Development is an art form for me. Graves Hospitality strives to be the best in class. That means it's all about creating projects that engage with our guests in creative and authentic ways.”

Over the past thirty-six years, Jim Graves has established himself as a tenacious leader in the hotel and restaurant industry. As CEO, Jim spearheads project development by adeptly combining the financial acumen and interpersonal skills necessary to bring deals to fruition. Creative and innovative in his approach, Jim's entrepreneurial career has proven to be as distinctive as it is successful.

While teaching school in his hometown of St. Cloud, he became attracted to the hotel industry. He worked for two years in hotel development before venturing out on his own in 1979. He launched the AmericInn brand of limited-service hotels, developing 65 of them in small and midsize cities. Despite success in this market, Jim craved more in the way of creative satisfaction and decided to pursue higher-end projects.

Jim is probably best known for redefining Minneapolis luxury hotels with his illustrious graves|601 Hotel. The hotel earned prestigious inclusion in Condé Nast Traveler's Top 100 Hotels issue, and its in-house restaurant, Bradstreet Craftshouse, was named in USA Today's 10 Best Hotel Bars in America. With the success of this Downtown Minneapolis icon, Graves Hospitality launched itself into a new age of hospitality. Currently, in addition to hotel and housing projects in both Uptown and Downtown Minneapolis, Graves' most prominent upcoming local venture is a 300-room luxury hotel that will be located on the main terminal at MSP international airport.

Since its inception, Graves Hospitality has developed and managed more than 100 residential and commercial projects, and the family-owned company now operates a notable portfolio of hotels and restaurants, making Graves one of the last remaining independent hoteliers in Minnesota.

Under Jim's adept guidance, Graves Hospitality has become the standard for industry excellence and, as a testament to his success, in 2015, Jim was inducted into the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame.