AmericInn by Wyndham Inver Grove Heights Minneapolis — Hotel in Inver Grove Heights

Be aware of valet situation and actual parking location!

We have stayed and parked at AmericInn by Wyndham Inver Grove Heights Minneapolis twice now. The first time was excellent and had great value. We booked it through Park, Sleep, Fly on both occasions.

On this occasion, we stayed from June 5th- to June 6th with parking from June 5th to June 15th. When we checked in we were told they were not using the previous parking location (nearby movie theater) and that they would possibly need to valet the vehicle to a separate nearby location. They asked us to keep our car keys before leaving on the trip. They said that they were currently using a lot at Travel Tags which is approximately 1 mile from the hotel. Also being skeptical of valets I took a picture of the mileage prior to leaving for the trip on the morning of the 6th before handing over the keys. We left for our trip and returned on the 15th. When we ubered back to the property we noticed that the vehicle moved about a row over and went in and collected our keys. When we turned on the car I noted the mileage which was 17 miles more than when we left. We went back in and asked why the car had about 20 more miles added to it. The desk person said they had moved it. We asked to speak to the manager and the manager could not be contacted either in person or by phone. I stated that we would contact law enforcement because the vehicle might have been taken on a joyride. After that she stated that the car was moved to Woodbury which is approximately 8 miles away from the hotel. When asked where in Woodbury it was parked she stated a Country Inn and Suites. I asked to leave a message and did not hear back from anyone till after I contacted Wyndham and Park Sleep Fly. I did hear back from a manager soon after though. Below is what we were sent.

“I apologize for the misunderstanding regarding the valet situation, but I can assure you that the car was not taken for a joyride, nor has that ever happened to any other vehicle. We currently do not have access to any nearby parking lot except the on-site lot and the Country Inn and Suites in Woodbury, where the vehicles are valet-parked when space is required on-site. The lot is about 10 minutes away and has staff there 24/7 in addition to video surveillance. We do not valet 100% of the vehicles. We also offer on-site parking for the guests who do not feel comfortable leaving their vehicle for valet. Our Front Desk staff failed to inform you regarding the parking situation, and therefore, we are sorry for the surprise of the added mileage. We have refunded the parking fee for your reservation due to the misunderstanding, but I can assure you that we take all the precautions necessary to ensure that the valet is operated safely and with transparency. Precautions include video footage of our valet vehicles to consider any damage that may or may not have been on the vehicle, in addition to documentation of mileage and gas levels which I rectify with each car to make sure that the valet never goes anywhere they are not supposed to with a guests' car, we also have valet insurance. I have issued points to your Wyndham account on top of having the parking fee waived. I will communicate with my Front Desk staff to ensure that they deliver the correct information to all of our guests. We hope to see you back soon, and we appreciate your feedback.”

I don’t necessarily think the staff was up to no good especially when it was explained but am upset they were not straight forward with what they have to do. The hotel did try to rectify it too which I appreciate. The staff has always been friendly but be aware of the situation. I am not the first complaint regarding this if you look at google reviews.

I think the more transparent option is limit the number of spots sold at that specific hotel if you can’t accommodate them without driving 8 miles each way.

In all fairness It’s a great value still especially those who drive to MSP for long trips just know...

I’m giving the 5 star rating based on excellent customer service and assistance I received last night from employees: Ram, Aaron, Sakshyam, and Sid. The hotel is nice and clean. The rooms spacious and modernized and the bath products smell lovely. A light breakfast is included. But the staff is what make the difference. Being a woman at a strange place alone at night can be scary, the 4 men who work here made me feel safe and comforted. The long story is below.

I had a terribly long day involving working an overnight shift in an Emergency department in California followed by my flight and many delays to get home. When I finally arrived to Minneapolis at 1045 pm I was exhausted. I hopped in my car and prepared to make my two hour drive home. I stopped for fast food right after landing and right after leaving the drive thru my low pressure alarm came on for my tires pressure.

I drove to the nearest gas station to find it closed and without an air pump, so I drove to the next and the next. By the time I got to the 4th station I was very stressed and discouraged. Am I about to get a flat tire? I don’t even know what city I am in any longer. I am alone. It is late. I am tired. I attempt to fill my tire with the air pump, but it’s dysfunctional only taking more pounds of pressure out of the tire instead of adding it. Now it is almost flat. I decide to go to a hotel and figure it out in the morning.

The americinn is across the way from the gas station so I drive over. Upon walking in I was greeted by Sid and Aaron. They were friendly, but unfortunately had to explain to me that the hotel was completely booked. I asked if there was anything nearby and explained my predicament and that I would not be able to drive far. At this point Ram and Sakshyam we’re walking up. Ram explained he had a portable device and he could help me get air into my tire. He escorted me out and we were able to put a bit of air in my tire. But then his device’s battery died. At this point I’m crying. He was so empathetic and helped me not to feel like an idiot. He told me not to worry that he would charge the device. He escorted me back inside and told me to rest, get some coffee and eat my food (which is now cold) and he would help me after the device has charged. I start calling other hotels nearby and everything is booked. I start branching out but most places only have one room left and it’s expensive and non refundable and I don’t even know if I can get too far. Meanwhile I call my mother to inform her of everything going on. While I’m on the phone Sid walks up to me and says he found me a room.

What!? How? That’s amazing. While I was searching for a room, so we’re the guys, without me asking and it just so happened one guest decided to check out early, oddly, at 1 am. This of course worked in my favor. They went over and prepared the room for me. When they were done we went back outside with Ram’s charger and filled my tire up. Aaron came out as well and was prepared to put on my spare if needed. I, unfortunately, do not know how to place a spare tire.

We were able to pump the tire to the cold temp recommended psi and so we made a plan to wait it out and see if it’d lost pressure by morning. That way I would know if it was safe to drive home. Ram told me he’d meet me in the morning to help me out.

All 4 guys were lovely, kind, patient, empathetic, going above and beyond to help a person in distress. They are clearly very hard workers, because not only were they doing work not required (they could’ve easily told me to get on my way and not helped at all) the entire time they were helping me they were helping the other hotel guests, fielding questions and getting linens, answering phones, dealing with a rowdy group breaking hotel policies, checking people in and out and then flipping my room in the middle of the night. I have never received such incredible kindness and...

I stayed in this hotel recently for a State Tournament. I didn't expect grand things, just a basic hotel that was clean with a breakfast. Special Olympics pays for one night and usually we turn this into a fun trip to the cities as we go every year. I waited to book my other nights because of the reviews. I don't even know how there are good reviews from only a few weeks ago! First off we had to park all the way at Apple bees. Some of the team mates that have mobility issues had to pull up away from the door to unload wheelchairs in the rain because the cut off to get wheelchairs is not under the awnings and it was hard to get inside due to the rough cracked concrete. I used the general bathroom and it was more than disgusting. There was clearly long signs of neglect not just from being busy The corner had clearly been mopped and not swept so there was 2 inches of sludge and dirt in the corner caked. The paper towels were over flowing the trash can and all over the floor. There was no toilet paper and no way to get toilet paper. I had to use paper towels. Which obviously others also had to do because the paper towels spread about had more than drying hands remnants. The soap was in a dollar store pump bottle and it was very chemically and smelled of a commerical cleaner which later made my hands peel. We get to out room and there was a sticky spot literally right at our door which appeared to have been there a long while and no way to avoid it. When you walk in you can't see anything because there are no light switches to light up the room. Even the few places to turn on a light didn't make the room light enough to do anything. There was candy on the floor where the wood is so it blocks under the bed. Pop can tabs in the floor, hair, and basically looked like your couch under a cushion after 6 months. The sheets appeared clean and the only reason we didn't immediately leave is there was a mattress protector that covered the bed. The bed didn't have a bed spread just multiple sheets that were so stiff. The pillows were filled with what felt like crumbled foam and the size of a throw pillow. There wasn't even 2 for each person so no support. On top of that the beds are those cheap very flat and hard but springy at the same time. The lamp on the desk was sticky and the desk was sticky and pretty much any hard surface you touched. There was no coffee maker even though that was what was advertised. I was desperate for a shower after finding all these things and even the shower was awful. They have us 2 towel for 3 people and ONE washcloth. There was no ice on any floors so you had to ask the front desk. The front desk even told one of the teammates mom that she could only have one bucket of ice even though she needed it for her special diet to keep her food cold! The elevator is scary and smelled badly. Every single one of the team talked about their room. One family asked to move because they found used towels on the floor of their room and the same issues all around. Their room had a coffee maker but after how gross the room was there was no way I would use the coffee maker anyways so didn't ask for one. The shower head was so crusted you didn't even get a good spray in the shower. There was shampoo but the conditioner was missed. The shade for the window is one of those see through ones but was missing any curtain or other pull down so the whole night the lights from the street lights shine right in your eyes. The breakfast was powdered eggs and the sausage was cold. We got our own breakfast and coffee on the way to the competition and found a hotel for the rest of our stay. I will never stay here. I have stayed in some old shady motels while traveling due to escaping weather or being snowed in and they were better than this. Never again. To have 3 people behind the desk sitting and talking while this place is this neglected is insane...