Mixed feelings about the Wyndham, Minneapolis
Written: Mar 25 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Semi-decent location, friendly staff
Cons: Older hotel, outdated interior
The Bottom Line: Not worth the regular room rates, but fun to stay at if you get a nice discount. Interesting atmosphere, very very very helpful staff.
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| xxskagirlxx's Full Review: Wyndham Minneapolis Airport |
I just returned from a brief stay in Minneapolis. Being that my friends and I wanted to keep most of our money for shopping at the Mall of America, we employed Priceline.com to secure our lodging. We managed to get a room for $50 at the Wyndham Hotel in Bloomington, MN (a suburb of Minneapolis). It was known as the Wyndham Airport Hotel due to its proximity to the Minneapolis Airport.
We didn't have any problems finding the hotel. It was located right off of I-494, a main freeway that runs East-West through the southern part of the Minneapolis area. It was located in Bloomington but was also close to Edina, which had a nice shopping center. There were many gas stations and restaurants (fast food and sit-down) within a couple miles of the hotel. It seemed to be located in a fairly established, upper income part of town.
The hotel itself could have used some work on it's exterior. The only views from the hotel were either the freeway or a parking lot. It seemed as though the immediate areas surrounding the hotel were in the middle of being redeveloped as many lots were full of crumbled concrete with signs telling of things to come.
We had arrived in Minneapolis around noon. We were in Minneapolis to not only shop, but also pick up a Vespa Scooter from a dealership in town. We needed all the extra space we could get in our truck and so we needed to get our luggage out of the back. Although check-in time was 3:00 p.m., the friendly staff let us check in early. We were then able to relieve ourselves from the burden of our luggage.
The first thing I noticed upon entering the hotel was how dark it was. Dark wood panels and trim were present everywhere. This gave the lobby a somewhat majestic, yet outdated feel. There was a restaurant located to the immediate left. We walked past a dark lounge area and down a lavishly decorated corridor to the elevators. Both elevators were very small and dimly lit. We made it up to our the fifth floor and walked down a very small hall.
Our room was very...interesting. It contained one king bed (that was to be expected using Priceline), a chair, a padded bench, a t.v., and a desk lining the wall. Although there were many furnishings in the room, it was still spacious. The bed also faced the window, which was an interesting setup but very nice. The bathroom was spacious. However, the style of the furnishings in the room needed to be updated. The bathroom was done in a brown and white flecked marble and a brown and white decorated wallpaper. The effect together was somewhat dizzying. The bedroom also contained the same dark wood that was present throughout the entire hotel. Nothing really matched. The ambiance of the room could best be described as shabby chic. I could tell that the room, like the rest of the hotel, was very luxurious when the hotel was first built but needed some serious modernizing.
Some of the perks of the room were the feather pillows on the bed. And the bed itself, which was very comfortable. Also, the little trial sized shampoos and soaps you usually receive in the bathroom were from the Bath and Body Works.
That night we discovered that our battery in our monster sized truck had died. This was a major problem as we were headed out to see a concert we had bought tickets for. A very nice girl from the front desk came out not once, but twice to help us with our truck (we ended up throwing the beast into neutral and pushing it so she could reach it with her jumper cables). We were on the road fifteen minutes later and we made it to the concert just in time to see the headlining artist playing his last four songs. If it wasn't for that girl (and I regret not getting her name), we would not have seen the concert at all. She was a very big help.
The night I spent in that hotel room was probably the best sleep I've ever had in any hotel. My fiance and I shared the king bed, one friend took the comfy armchair/ottoman in the corner and the other took the padded bench (she layered blankets and pillows on it). The bed was very, very comfortable (those feather pillows were a great touch) and the room was well built. We did not hear a peep from other guests all night.
In the morning, my fiance and I decided to go swimming. We were taking the elevator down when another man joined us. He informed us that the other elevator was out of service because his wife and daughter were stuck in it on the fourth floor. That did not surprise me. Like I said, the hotel definitely needed some modernizing. (I found out later that they got out after an hour and the hotel gave them their lodging for free).
The pool was very big and nice. The pool room had windows surrounding it and skylights in the ceiling. The whirlpool was tucked into the wall, offering a view of the pool but also some privacy. There was also a workout room that I did not use but looked to be full of nice equipment.
The staff was very polite and nice during our stay. All of the help was friendly and cheerful. We were greeted many times while walking around the hotel. This made us feel very welcome.
The hotel also had a restaurant and roomservice. Although we did not utilize this amenity, the menu had a lot of variety and the dishes seemed to be moderately priced.
All in all, I would probably stay at this hotel if I were to receive a room for $50 again. However, I do not feel that this hotel did not live up to its regular prices (about $110 a room). The Wyndham Hotel had an excellent staff and everything was clean. With some remodeling, I feel that this hotel could be great.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
xxskagirlxx
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 - Top 500 |
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Member: Stevie
Location: South Dakota
Reviews written: 151
Trusted by: 87 members
About Me:
I dress up my dogs and then force my husband to take them for walks.
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