The Berkman

We had a wonderful stay at the Berkman and would highly recommend it for a short visit. The rooms were spacious, well maintained, and incredibly clean, right down to every piece of silverware and glassware in the fully equipped kitchen. The shop by the elevators is thoughtfully stocked with food and other necessities, and it was actually fun to pick up a few things there. The common areas were bright, clean, and smelled lovely. The hallways smelled just as nice as the lobby, despite some negative Google reviews, and the staff were absolutely lovely and accommodating. We've been coming to Rochester for my medical care for years and usually stayed at the nearby Courtyard Marriot because of St Mary’s hospital. When we returned after a few years away, we noticed this beautiful new building and decided to try it. I had surgery during the visit, so we checked out for two days while I was inpatient. When we came back for my recovery, a fresh room was ready. They understood that many short term guests are here for Mayo treatment and were flexible when we needed to adjust our reservation. We really appreciated that. The Red Cow downstairs is delicious. I can't say enough good things about this property, a wonderful addition to the campus of the best hospital in the world.

The hospital put us up here free of charge, and wow. We had a super clean penthouse suite with two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, and a full kitchen already stocked with everything we needed. Over 1,000 square feet of space made it an excellent place to recover from surgery.

The room had a good sized balcony with a table and two chairs, and it was well appointed with coffee provided. The shop uses card access and has plenty of food and refrigerated items. Service was great, with a good range of restaurants within walking distance and only a short drive to Mayo Clinic downtown.

We left and asked for a full refund after finding out at 8 p.m. that the balcony door still opened wide when our toddler jiggled the handle. Earlier, maintenance had said it was fixed, but it had only been made so it couldn't be opened, or so we were told. With a toddler there, that wasn't safe. The AC also didn't work, and despite the website description, there was no technology at all in the room. The room itself was clean, but the hallway smelled strongly of incense and curry, bad enough that I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with asthma. At check-in, three staff members were chatting behind the counter. One looked at me, then turned away to keep talking, and I had to ask loudly to be checked in. A guy helped reluctantly. The maintenance man was nice, but he too had been part of the group ignoring me. The front desk staff made us feel like an inconvenience. If I didn't have a child, the place might have been okay, but that door changed everything.