Tru by Hilton Minneapolis Mall of America — Hotel in Bloomington

Before diving in to this review, I feel it’s necessary to acknowledge the kind of property this is. It’s designed for the budget conscious traveler who simply wants a clean and modern room, for a reasonable price, and can put up with minimalism. It should also be noted that this hotel shares a building with another Hilton property, specifically a Home2Suites. ||Seeing as the only thing shared between them is parking and common areas, we’ll start there.|The exterior of the hotel is stylish with nice landscaping and was well kept, and the parking lot was well lit. Inside, the lobby was nice, and the pool, fitness center, and business center were well appointed. The hallways were nice, as were the elevators, and despite the property being slammed, remained clean. ||Breakfast: It appears that when the hotel was built, there was a breakfast room and line for Tru and one for Home2, now they run both out of the Home2 side. As far as quality, it was above average, but selection was below average. It was definitely above the breakfast typically seen at Home2, though reviews of just Tru properties show a better option. This combination also created a new problem. Seeing as the breakfast room was handling way more people than intended, and the hotel was nearly full on both sides, seating was hard to find and the lines were always long, but the staff worked super hard to keep up. ||Speaking of Staff: The staff here were incredible, super friendly, and some of the hardest working I’ve seen. This is a big property that was very close to capacity, with some big groups too, but they certainly worked to keep up. ||Location: Simply put, absolutely incredible. It’s less than a minute drive to the Mall of America, and quite close to MSP. An airport shuttle is provided. ||Security: All outside doors require keys, and the room has an RFID/Deadbolt and a flip out lock. Digital Key is offered.||The Room Itself: Great for What It Is|As a minimalist property, the room lacks furniture, but it has all the essentials. A nice mini fridge, a closet space with hangers, two comfy and clean beds, a desk and chair, some storage space, and a huge TV. The room features several power and USB ports, and is well lit. The bathroom was the problematic part. All of the plumbing was in perfect working order, and the shower was beautiful, with great product. There was also plenty of counter space. However, the door lock didn’t work and the shower door didn’t seal, allowing water to escape to the floor. There was also a large dust build up in each corner. The rest of the room was spotless though, one of the cleanest I’ve been in.||Summary: Despite the shortcomings in the bathroom and breakfast, this is a fantastic property with an affordable price that I can...

I'd give this hotel 2.5 stars. Read on for the pros and cons...||PROS:|Good proximity within walking distance to Mall of America and several restaurants. We ate at Chevy's and Hazelwood while staying there.||Clean, newer, modern, minimalist hotel. ||Room has hard floors, white bedding, a small desk, iron/ironing board, small fridge, glass door shower, soap and lotion dispensers on the wall, large TV, luggage/shoe rack, hair dryer, several charging ports, several lamps. ||Breakfast buffet included the typical waffles, boiled eggs, oatmeal, dry cereal, muffins, flavored yogurts, tea, coffee, juice, bagels, fruit. The farm yogurt machine and berries were really good. See my notes about the omelets below under 'Cons'. ||Plenty of self parking ($10 a night as of June 2024). ||Large lobby with pool table, chairs, convenience foods for sale.||Airport shuttle available. (Wish we'd known!) ||CONS: |Hotel is practically located under a flight path. The first night we laid there listening to planes overhead trying to get to sleep. I then researched whether MSP airport has a curfew and it doesn't. However, after 11pm, things did seem to quiet down. Other than that, we experienced a fairly quiet stay.||We paid $20 with tip for a ride share from the airport, only to find out the hotel offers a free shuttle. Thanks for not making that obvious. :]||No daily housekeeping. Came back to the hotel the first evening after a long day out and the room hadn't been freshened. It would have been nice if someone on check-in had told us about this. It annoys me that since Covid, hotels have cheapened out on daily housekeeping. ||I'm used to average hotel buffet breakfasts, but this one was very average. I took one bite of the mini folded omelet which was cold and rubbery and immediately threw it away. I hate wasting food, but it was not good. Please provide some more healthy options, plain yogurt, plain oatmeal, fibrous breads. The downtown Minneapolis Tru had a better breakfast. ||No extra pillows, towels or blankets in the room. Just the bare minimum. I'm sure you could ask for them at the front desk. ||The front desk staff weren't terribly inspiring. ||Loud A/C unit in the room, but it helped drown out the planes! ||All in all, an adequate stay near Mall of America. ||Please click the thumbs up if this...

Overall, it was an okay stay. The location is convenient to MOA and the airport but not that close to a grocery store. The nearest is about 10 minutes away.

I found the accommodations adequate but the decor was sparse and feels utilitarian and cold. The mattress was very uncomfortable. The bar that is supposed to be a closet is not usable and a sharp edge of the metal sliced my finger open taking my clothing down. Rooms are not very insulated for noise. Any rowdy guests in the hallway or next door will jolt you out of a deep sleep and the second night the tv was blasting next door so loud I couldn’t sleep. The staff did take care of it though which I appreciated. I couldn’t ever get the heat to work correctly and was freezing most of my visit. This time of year they should be going through and setting the thermostat and turning off of the AC. If I tried to do the temp at 68 the AC would switch on. The thermostat was so cheap, Hilton needs to invest in Nest thermostats please.

The hotel uses very strongly scented laundry detergent/softeners which I reacted to. My clothing still smells of that detergent yuck. If you are sensitive like me, this is not a good fit for you. I did appreciate the free access to laundry in the lobby but front loading washers must be kept open to dry otherwise they get mildew. I cleaned out the washers and did a cleaning cycle before using them. Just baking soda and vinegar once a week will keep the washers clean but you must first scrub clean including the entire rubber seal. And leave the doors propped open to dry.

I found the staff very nice and the breakfast was standard fare. Would love actual silverware instead of plastic or at least cutlery that doesn’t bend each time you take a bite. Based on the above there are better options in the vicinity so I most likely...