The Berkman Short Term Stays — Hotel in Rochester

Family stayed one night @ the Berkman Hotel in a 2 bedroom (one king, one queen bed) apartment, in June 2021. It was likely the best value hotel room I have ever stayed at in my adult life, in terms of daily cost VS. total square footage of apartment, quality of amenities / appliances, and recreational options. There are options for single night stays as well as long-term stays, given the close proximity to the Mayo Clinic and the intent to provide a comfortable, luxurious home away from home for families of patients.

Positive Feedback includes: impressively large amounts of room space (bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, living room, kitchen and balcony)... clean, comprehensive, and functional appliances (kitchen, clothes washer/drier, water temperature, HVAC)... generally comfortable furniture... impressive recreational area on the 4th floor with indoor pool table, comfortable sitting areas, a dual sided fireplace, multiple large HD TVs, recessed (booth) eating areas, and outdoor swimming pool and sun deck (fully furnished with charming lighting, music soundstation / TV veranda, grills, fire pit, and more)... convenient smartphone-based bluetooth interfaced room / store / garage / elevator access keys. Greatly exceeds expectations for the $239 per night compared to all other hotels we've stayed at over the past decade.

Negative Feedback includes: difficulty contacting them via the phone number posted on their website (Google Maps has a different number that allowed directly contacting the Concierge to confirm the reservation; might have been a temporary technical issue?)... hard bed (could be a pro or a con, based on preference)... uncomfortable sofa in living room... $10 parking garage fee... no restaurant / no free breakfast (but nearby restaurant food quality was superb; we recommend the...

Highly recommend the Berkman for a short term stay. We have been coming to Rochester for my medical care for many years and usually stay at the nearby Courtyard Marriot because of its proximity to St Mary’s hospital. It has been a few years since we were last here and we were pleasantly surprised to see this beautiful new building had gone up since our last visit. We decided to give it a try and had a wonderful experience. All of the common areas smell lovely, are well lit, and clean. Unlike some of the negative reviews on Google, the hallways smell just a nice as the lobby and the staff is absolutely lovely. The rooms are spacious, well maintained, and incredibly clean. Even every piece of silverware and glassware in the fully equipped kitchen was spotless. The shop by the elevators has an array of foods and other necessities. It’s so well organized and thoughtfully curated that it actually brought us joy to pick up a few things. The staff is very accommodating. I had surgery during our visit, so we checked out of the Berkman for two days while I was inpatient. Upon our return to the hotel for my recovery, we had a new fresh room waiting for us. They’re very understanding that a lot of their short term guests are likely there for medical treatment at Mayo. They did not give us a hard time about adjusting our reservation as needed, which we really appreciated. The Red Cow restaurant downstairs is delicious. I can’t say enough good things about this property. It’s a wonderful addition to the campus of the best hospital...

Discriminatory and Unprofessional Concierge and Event Planning Services

I spent close to $500 to reserve a 3-bedroom suite to celebrate my son’s graduation. We hoped to invite a few friends and family to have a low key gathering with some food we would serve from our room and use 2 or 3 tables from their very large common area for seating. However, when I called, the concierge was very rude, and unaccommodating, provided no possible way to make something work. I was told I could only host 7 people, the capacity of my room. I offered to pay to reserve a few tables as their website clearly states they have event space available to rent (I was aware of this because I had toured these areas just last year.)

Oddly, when I emailed the event planner, she first asked if my event was a Mayo event or personal. So, initially, she did not state that they no longer allow gathering space reservations. It was after a few correspondences this changed, and I was told they no longer allow events of any type or size.

I felt strongly that staff was biased to specific clientele and did not want to accommodate my small gathering for whatever reason. Their lounge spaces are absolutely beautiful, and we were so looking forward to hosting a small, intimate gathering with family! I wanted to do something special and unique for my son, but unfortunately, I...