Millennium Minneapolis

I couldn’t sleep properly during my four days here. On the first night, loud drilling and banging woke me at 5 a.m. The room phone didn’t work, and five calls from my cell to the front desk went unanswered, so I had to go downstairs. An hour later the noise was still going. The room itself was old and dated, with water stains across the ceiling, no towels or washcloths, and a clogged shower drain. The AC made a loud settling sound every hour. I reported that noise too and was told maintenance would come, but nobody ever did. Housekeeping was supposed to bring towels, but didn’t, so I took some from a hallway cart. The staff were friendly, but that doesn’t help much when you’re paying $300 a night and can’t sleep. I heard the hotel was doing much-needed maintenance and would close temporarily three days after a major local conference. It felt terrible that they booked conference attendees just to make a last-minute cash grab and leave people inconvenienced.

We came for the Valentine’s Day weekend dinner in the dome, not to stay overnight, and it was glorious. The views were incredible, the atmosphere felt immaculate, and the band did a lovely job setting the mood. Servers were attentive and seemed to anticipate what we needed. It was more intimate than I expected, with about eight tables. There were no-shows in our time slot, so it was just us and one other couple, which meant more interaction with the band. Our table had chocolate roses and romantic decor, plus bread and water. We were warmly greeted off the elevator, and staff checked our coats and showed us to the table. We parked in the garage, which has no elevators. It usually costs $35, but parking was validated for the event. The concierge pointed us toward the elevators to the dome floor. I hope more people hear about these events. I think they’re planning more, so keep an eye out.

Our stay turned into a nightmare at the front desk on the evening of 8/31. The man working there said there was a “lack of information” and told us to call the booking site. He was annoyed throughout the conversation and walked away before I could get his name. The booking site called the hotel, then told me they would refund us and that he’d been “very rude” to them too. My wife, our 9-month-old, and I were left stranded, scrambling to find another hotel nearby. The baby was calm, but the man seemed bothered that a baby was staying there. I’ve never been treated with that kind of disrespect. If I’d gotten his name, I would have filed a complaint above him. I don’t trust management to make it right. Avoid this place, and I hope they hire kinder staff.

The hotel handled our large conference well. Our group often took over the lobby and lounge, and the staff accommodated us nicely. The location was excellent, with lots of places to eat nearby, and the local pubs allow minors. The in-room Wi-Fi was almost unusable, and they wanted extra money for an upgrade. I was busy with the conference and barely needed it, though it would’ve been nice to watch a YouTube video at night.