Embassy Suites by Hilton Minneapolis Downtown — Hotel in Minneapolis

We were there for a Twins baseball game, staying Saturday and Sunday night. The stay was very difficult, mainly due to what seemed to be severe under staffing. -Pros: Room was good, relatively quite for being downtown. Great location for the Twins baseball game. -Cons: Severely understaffed. Inaccurate information about pool. Inaccurate information about checking in/parking. Digital key not working well in areas outside of room.

I was able to check in online using the Hilton Honors App. I wondered about parking and was told via the chat feature in the App I should come to the front desk prior to parking. When I attempted to pull into a spot in front of the Hotel a large tour bus was taking up much of the space. I pulled in front of a car that was in front of the bus. Some individual who appeared to be from the bus company came over and demanded I move my car immediately so the bus could pull forward into the area I was in as they were supposed to park there overnight. I moved my car and after several trips around the block (the bus still had not moved) I went in to find out I did not need anything before parking in the lot down the street. The bus did eventually move to an area in front of the hotel and stayed there for both of the nights we were there. -When we got to the hotel, I am glad we used the App to check in as there was a long line to check in. They were not allowing any "early" check ins we were told and many people were in the lobby waiting. We though did have to wait to use the elevator as other visitors were stuck for several minutes in the elevators on the first floor as the digital key was not working to allow them to select a floor and allow the elevator to leave the main floor. We had this same issue. The digital key in the App worked okay for our room but worked very poorly for other areas of the hotel (pool, fitness center, elevator). We eventually did get a "regular plastic key" which worked fine. -We got to the pool and no towels were stocked. When we called the front desk we were placed on hold for several minutes. Eventually we gave up getting ahold of someone. -Once using the room we had the following issues-the toilet seat cover was not attached to the toilet, the sink did not drain well, a disposable cup we were given near the coffee/tea was already opened with staining on the cup. Otherwise, the room was relatively quiet for being downtown and was good. -The next morning (Sunday), we went to the pool shortly after 6 am (as online, in the App and on a sign outside the pool it says the pool opens at 6 am. And my children wake up very early). We were unable to enter the pool with the regular plastic key or the digital key. When calling the front desk we were told that the pool did not open until 7 am on weekends, and we should have been told that at check in. My 2 and 4 year old were very disappointed. -We called for new towels to be brought to the room around 8:00 am, when calling the front desk the phone rang through without answer 4 or 5 times. -We went swimming around 9:30 am, there were no towels. After several calls to the front desk again, we did get ahold of someone. Towels were eventually brought to the pool. -The next morning (Monday), given the stated times as well as the front desk staff on Sunday noting that the pool opened at 7 am on the weekends (instead of the stated 6 am time) we went to the pool shortly after 6 am. We again could not enter. Another hotel patron was in the pool, they opened the door for us. They said that they went to the front desk at 6 am when they could not enter and were told that the pool would not be opening until 7 am. They were allowed in by the front desk staff. Shortly before 7 am a maintenance worker came to the pool and told us we should not be in the pool. I told him it was stated and we were told the pool opened at 6 am, he said the pool needed to be tested before it could be opened and he was doing that right now. Again towels were not present. -The pool issues may not seem like a big issue to many but with a 2 and 4 year old this...

This was the most unreal experience. The goal of this trip was to get away to celebrate our 5-year anniversary and return home feeling recharged and refreshed. Instead, we spent most of our time stressed, sleep deprived, sneezing from dust, and switching hotels before coming home.

Overall my assessment is that choosing this hotel is a gamble. The inconsistent experiences shared by different customers means this hotel is a risk to the Hilton brand and reputation. My experience was the worst experience I’ve ever had staying at a hotel.

The good:

We appreciated the customer service from the front desk attendant. She was very pleasant and the breakfast experience was nice. The staff greeted us with a smile and the food was decent.

The bad:

Our room had minor defects that made us feel uncomfortable. It seems the the maintenance and housekeeping staff do not perform regular property walks and their staff don’t seem to follow any kind of system for flagging concerns to maintenance.

There was missing paint on the walls near the baseboards and the walls were scuffed and unwelcoming. A noticeable stain (resembling bodily fluids) was on the carpet near the foot of the bed. The bathroom pocket door did not close. The shower door was unbalanced, causing it to rest partly ajar when closed. Water was leaking on the bathroom floor every time we took a shower.

Serious concerns:

The vents in our room were extremely dirty. In the 24 hours we were there, a film of dust had gathered on all of our belongings, the side tables and even our extra keycard that was laying on top of it. It seems like the hotel’s maintenance has not been keeping up with furnace filter changes and the vents are caked in dust.

The bedding arrangement was absurdly unsanitary. As we were turning down the bed, we quickly realized there was no mattress cover - the mattress was exposed, only covered by a single top sheet. The sheet was too small for the bed, meaning the bottom of the mattress near our feet was just exposed. It was like the housekeeper tried to hide it. By the time we caught this issue, there was nobody on staff to assist us, so we just dealt with it and tried to sleep.

The mattresses are 5 years old per the management. It is so worn that when you lay on it, you will start to sink into the middle. Seems like they don’t have a system for replacing worn furniture.

The dust from the vents gave my fiancé a sore throat so we had to turn off the A/C. With the bed being so uncomfortable and the room eventually becoming too warm, we barely slept at all. The next morning, we chose to leave early because the thought of staying another night was unimaginable.

The ugly:

The next day I relayed these concerns to management. They apologized and confirmed that this wasn’t the standard for Hilton. He offered me a refund and mentioned I would need to call my third-party booking site since I paid with credit card miles.

I agreed and my fiancé and I concluded our stay in Minneapolis at another hotel.

Today, we were shocked to see a charge from the hotel on my credit card. Since I had paid for the hotel using credit card miles, I was expecting a refund of miles, not an additional charge on my card. I called the front desk right away asking for an explanation. Despite explaining that I had already paid for the hotel stay, they said they had to charge my credit card and once the booking site called them, they would refund me. I have yet to get more clarity on this situation, but the most concerning thing is that nobody called me to explain the situation. They just charged my credit card. I have spent the majority of my afternoon now thinking about this stressful experience and I’m angry.

I am waiting for a call back from Troy, one of the managers and I will be disputing the charge with my credit card company if it is...

Dates of stay 6/11-6/14/24

Let me begin this review with a disclaimer - I don’t usually write travel reviews - unless I experience is nothing short of stellar. Here’s a little background, my husband travels extensively throughout the US for work (225+ nights a year). Sometimes, I travel with him. When I travel, oftentimes, the experience proves forgettable.

I’m writing today because the Embassy Suites Minneapolis Downtown deserves my five star review. Here’s why: my husband got called at 2pm on a Tuesday & needed to travel the same day for an emergency job. I booked this hotel online thinking that it was a different Embassy Suites that was closer to my husband’s job site. Exhausted from our travels, when we arrived, Willie at Reception showed us kindness. He joked around & gave us an honors bag (water & snacks) while we waited for the manager even though we told him that we were cancelling our reservation. That’s when we met Josh Rolling (the manager). He was kind enough to cancel the reservation without charge. Before cancelling, he urged us to secure another room because his hotel was sold out & many events were going on.

I booked another hotel from my phone while standing at their front desk. While we were in route, the hotel called, stating that their reservation system erroneously allowed us to book a room that was not available. We spent the next two hours desperately searching for a hotel room only to learn that three events were going on & there were no rooms available.

At that point, I swallowed my pride & called the Embassy Suites Downtown Minneapolis number directly. At this point, it was 10pm. Even though the room we’d reserved, & then given up, went to someone else, Josh found us a room. Because they went the extra mile for us, we extended our stay to cover my husband’s work trip (three nites). They had more availability the next night, so the team offered us a free upgrade to a bigger room. We accepted & the upgraded space was beautiful.

It doesn’t hurt that this 1911 building looks regal with high ceilings, heritage wood doors, brass fronted elevator cars & marble accents throughout. It’s impeccably clean. Stays include a full breakfast (with made to order omelets and fresh fruit). If sleep is your thing, the beds feel new & comfy (not too hard or soft), the bedding is high quality cotton & the pillows are pure luxury, mostly feather & down. The hotel even provides a complimentary weeknight drink & snack reception from 5-6:30pm. 

The hotel team works hard to make sure that each guest is satisfied with their stay. In the first 24 hours, I’ve had housekeeping check in, received text messages to provide feedback/make requests & my husband and I have been personally addressed by the manager when passing by the front desk.

The place looks spotless, the workout room is huge & the location is within walking distance to many venues (restaurants, shops, the baseball stadium, concerts, etc.). If you’re looking for a high quality hotel in the middle of everything Minneapolis, & you’re alright with the costs associated with a downtown hotel property (paid concierge parking, local sales taxes, etc.), I highly recommend this hotel. The situation’s no different in Chicago, Milwaukee or Detroit. You’re paying for proximity. In this case, you’re also enjoying a high level of service & a quality property. We will be rebooking the Embassy Suites Downtown whenever we travel to Minneapolis. The people make this place. Staff - thank you for putting the “service” back into customer service.

-D....