Rochester’s Original Landmark Hotel & Hospital
In 1921, Kahler Grand Hotel started as Rochester's landmark property, known as The Kahler Hotel. This unusual building was a hybrid, one of its kind. The eleven-floor structure not only offered services of an upscale hotel but also was the beginnings of the Mayo Clinic Hospital, originally called "The Sanatorium."
Depression Era Growth
During the Depression-era, more improvements were made, despite hard economic times. Due to Minnesota's bitterly cold winters, a pedestrian, tile-lined subway system was constructed, connecting the downtown Mayo Clinic Campus of patient buildings and hospitals to surrounding hotels and retail.
Birth of the Kahler Hotel Collection
In 1953, hospital functions were phased out of The Kahler Hotel. The Kahler Corporation sold its hospital holdings, including Colonial Hospital, The Worrall, and Kahler Hall nurses' home, to the newly expanded Methodist Hospital. Using profits from these sales to expand its hotel services, The Kahler Corporation enhanced its hospitality business for patients and tourists and built several hotels aimed at different demographics.
A Legacy of Hospitality and Heart
With a proud legacy, The Kahler Grand Hotel is all about making every guest experience memorable. We truly serve the community with all our heart. The Kahler Grand Hotel celebrated 100 years of gracious service and authentic hospitality in 2018.
The Mayo Brother’s Vision
The Mayo Brothers wanted to build a hospital in Rochester, MN. As a small country town, Rochester could not offer enough places for patients and hospital workers to stay, creating a demand for development in the hospitality field. As a beginning effort, the brothers asked John Kahler of The Kahler Corporation (formed in 1917) to build them a hotel/hospital to be the origin of this grand, medical vision to offer care and lodging to people.