Sofitel Minneapolis: an exotic escape in the Twin Cities
Written: Oct 18 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful decor, clean room, comfy bed, good internet deals, and receptive staff.
Cons: No bathtub in all rooms. Upon arrival, no room available.
The Bottom Line: A luxurious stay in the Twin Cities which makes for a great weekend away!
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| scottcolson's Full Review: Sofitel Minneapolis |
What would make me return to epinions after nearly a year away? A great hotel stay at a reasonable price.
My wife and I recently took a weekend away, but stayed close to home. We went from the outskirts of the Twin Cities, to Bloomington for a 2 night stay at Sofitel Minneapolis. We were only 30 miles from home, but the beautiful part of the weekend was just the chance to get away.
We had never heard of Sofitel until we started researching our "weekend away." We found their website at Sofitel.com. They only have 10 hotels in the US and 11 total in North America, but they have 204 hotels worldwide. We were intrigued that a hotel chain with so few locations would have a hotel in Bloomington.
We booked our getaway online. For their online special we were able to pre-pay $89 per night, plus taxes for two nights. What a deal, for rooms that retail at up to $240.
We arrived at the hotel and were amazed by the 4 story open lobby. It is huge! There are sofas and chairs scattered around the lobby but it is very airy and has interesting artwork and light fixtures. We thought it had quite a European influence, but what do we know?
We checked in and were told that our room wasn't available yet. Check in time is 3 pm but at 4:30 they didn't have all the rooms clean yet. This was irritating, but we sat to wait. After the first 20 minutes, I checked in with the staff and I was told that it would be at least another 20 minutes. At this point they offered us drinks from the bar, free of charge. We each had a drink while we waited but the total wait was close to an hour. Fortunately we each brought a book. I was annoyed by the wait, but the free drinks were a nice touch and the staff were very friendly.
Finally, we were given our room key and we had a room right near the elevator. We walked in and we were stunned with the beauty of the room! It was very clean and decorated nicely. The bed was a king size with down comforter and down feather bed. What luxury! There was a flat screen TV on the desk with full digital cable and we enjoyed a couple of movies during our stay.
There is available pay-per-view and video games like most hotels. We were most impressed by the incredible comfort of the bed. The one downside: no bathtub in most of the rooms. So, no chance to soak our weary bodies. Oh well, a minor omission.
What other features does the hotel offer? (Those which we didn't need?): meeting rooms, concierge, fitness room, WIFI internet access for a fee, dry cleaning, Valet parking, available babysitting, and much more.
We were very impressed to say the least.
The hotel is located just 15 min from Minneapolis-St. Paul airport and 10min from the Mall of America, close to downtown Minneapolis.
Unfortunately, we had to cut our stay short because our son got sick at home and we had to go home to help him. We were frustrated because of our inability to get our money refunded since we prepaid and only got to use one night. None-the-less it was well worth it.
If you are planning a trip to the Twin Cities, I highly recommend this hotel for a luxurious stay. It has consistently been rated AAA 4 diamonds and you'll see why.
Also, we had quite a surprise a month and a half later. In spite of our pre-payment, they refunded us our second nights stay on our credit card since we had to leave. What service!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
scottcolson
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Scott Colson, MD
Location: OH to NV, to IA, finally in MN!
Reviews written: 106
Trusted by: 91 members
About Me:
Family Physician practicing in the Twin Cities, MN
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