Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot

This was my second time staying at this property and actually did a previous review of it. I wish I had read my review before booking it because I forgot about the quirks. Don't get me wrong, I do like this hotel but it still has the minor issues it had the first go around. This was a last minute business trip so I had to make a hotel choice kind of quickly. Instead of spending time going over and over every hotel in Minneapolis, I just went with what I knew and liked. It's in a good location, not quite in the center of things but still in the city and close to North Loop which I like. As I stated, I do like this property and ok that I picked it. The staff is great. From check in to the people working in the dining room for breakfast, everyone was pleasant which goes a long way with me and how it makes me feel about a hotel. One thing I like is the self parking. I do like the treatment of valet but there self park is a better way to go because it's easy access right out the back and was always easy to find spots. Don't waste your money on valet here. Sorry valet. When you have to be somewhere by a certain time, there is no worry about getting to your car on time. The room: The room size is perfect. It's not large with wasted space but it's not small and cramped like a boutique hotel. I had a room with 2 Queen beds which in my mind are always larger rooms than a king but I could be wrong. The bed was comfortable and there are plenty of outlets for charging. Now kind of the downside. WHICH this is just me. Some people may not care about these things and for me, these were the same things I encountered the first time around. For one, there is not a dresser. None. Zero. There is a closet to hang clothes but no dresser WHICH since I was there for an extended stay really could have used instead of living out of my suitcase. This was the major thing I forgot about rooms. I know it's a trend in hotels to not have a dresser because those hotels cater to younger people who stay for the weekend but this hotel feels like it doesn't really cater to that crowd and more the business and event crowd who would really benefit from a dresser. The other thing is the bathroom situation. Again, my quirk, but I don't like when the shower is separate from the sink. I like when it's all one room. Some rooms have this but mine did not. It's also very dated looking so it makes the room feel a little dated. Another issue I had was the shower. It was an old tub with a shower curtain but had issues with the curtain because it didn't quite fit the size of the tub and had a shower head that had one setting and that was to spray wide which meant you either got the bathroom floor soaked on one side of the shower or the other because the shower curtain was not an adequate sized. Lastly, the lighting. I felt like it was a dark room. It could have used a boost in lighting especially in the entry space of the room. See. All my little quirks. I did really really like that this room was quiet. Being there for business, quiet goes a long way and loved this aspect. Overall would I stay here again and recommend it? Sure. I would probably stay again and would recommend it but warn people about the no dressers in the room. I love visiting Minneapolis and would say that this made my time there much better.

We stayed at the Renaissance Minneapolis/The Depot while in town for a college tour. We had a 2-queen-bed Deluxe Guest Room on the 6th (top) floor, overlooking the Federal Building across the street. First, the positives: 1) This is a lovely hotel that has been nicely renovated. It's really well done. I love seeing a unique property that feels like the city surrounding it. The decor and styling are modern but fit the historic building and Minneapolis. The staff was friendly and always available, and the lobby smells SO GOOD. 2) The location is great—an easy walk to the Mill Museum and the riverfront. Right outside is Dunn Brothers Coffee for a morning brew. We did not eat at the hotel (we never do when breakfast is not included — we enjoyed a local place, the Hen House Eatery, that was fantastic), but the restaurant looked busy when we checked in at 9 pm! Now, the negatives: 1) I've stayed in a lot of hotels. Over the past few years, there has been a trend to make the bathroom door a glass, barn-door style. Imagine my surprise when I walked into our room and found an amber-frosted glass WALL where a bathroom door or closet door should have been. So, not only does the bathroom have a glass wall, but around the corner, it has a barn door that opens to the bed area and has gaps. The toilet is right inside the barn door, so everyone can experience the potty time together. Just what a teenage boy wants in a hotel room with his parents! Just what anyone wants when sharing a hotel room with another person. If there are TWO beds, that means there should be a proper, private bathroom space. Just replace the normal doors! Marriott, please stop designing bathrooms like this! 2) Along those same lines, there was a tiny closet with some hanging space, but zero drawers or shelves anywhere to unpack. We had 3 small bags, and there was only a small wooden bench area to place them. Again, with 3 people in the room, it was not practical to have to root around in bags for two days instead of being able to put things in a drawer. It was a mess. 3) The only other negative was the noise — the walls between rooms did not filter noise very well. Our neighbor was blaring the TV pretty late at night. Also, be prepared for a lot of street noise. Despite feeling fairly uninhabited and barely seeing any other people on the streets, including drivers, the street noise was very prevalent, even on the top floor. Overall, I give it a 6/10. It was pricy at $560 for two nights in MPLS. If it was more reasonably priced, I would have overlooked some of the annoyances. This is not NYC. I don't know why it is so expensive and why parking is $30 a day when the city is basically vacant. The noise would not affect my returning to this hotel; I would choose a courtyard-view room instead next time. It's a nice enough place that I would return if we found a better price. However, I probably would not book again unless staying solo — I do not need to "enjoy" the lack of bathroom privacy again.

Loves the property and the original train depot. So great to see that corporate operations don't tear down all history! Loved our stay!

Was charged more when I checked in than what Expedia priced I booked at

Great

The classic decoration, facilities and location were very well.

I decided to spend more on a room this visit and i was extremely disappointed. The bed was the worst, you could feel springs and had a rubber mattress cover. I expected more from a hilton. The bathroom light was out so i had to stand in front of the windows to put on my makeup. Never anyone at the front desk . And, my room wreaked of cat pee, so someone had a cat in the room. If i would have asked for a different room but there was never anyone at the desk. I was so disappointed after spending $500 for 2 nights.