Recently stayed here for two nights after visiting every other hotel in town. This looked like the safest and best bet for surprises. It is also the newest in town and has the fanciest appearance from the outside.

Some positives about the place is that they were accommodating for our gathering. Most of the staff was friendly and helpful. I also liked that they had coffee available all day. Having the pool open early and until midnight made it easy for us to make use of that nice area. There was a gas grill and two outdoor tables for the guests to use. There was also a small playground for kids and a walking trail adjacent to the property.

I also received a nice discount by signing up for their emails.

The room was clean, large and perfect for holding the number of birthday party guests. It would have been nice to have doors that opened to a balcony since there was the roof top area for that. They only gave us one bar of soap in the bathroom and there was no exhaust fan. There was no dishwashing soap.

Although the furniture was obviously cheap, the bed was comfortable with nice linens.

As soon as we checked into the room we heard kids running up and down the hall. The walls are as thin as any other place I've stayed but at least we were on the top floor. The kids were making a racket out there on the days we wanted to sleep late as well.

The one staff member I had difficulty with was very stern and brisk. She made it so inconvenient for us to look at the room. It took several trips there and lots of waiting around to take a peek If they would have had pictures or a diagram of the room I wouldn't have had to see it.

This same sour puss wouldn't let us have a late check out either. It's funny how one person can make such a difference in the overall experience.

Regarding the gathering, the only glitch was that they were late in getting the area cleaned for our party as the floor was just being mopped when we came to set up. We had to walk on the wet floor as guests were arriving. It all worked out in the end but I had communicated our schedule to everyone and was surprised to find them cleaning at the last minute.

There was a free breakfast available in a very nice breakfast area. However, the hot choices were unhealthy and blah biscuits and gravy on both mornings. I felt this was a bad choice for the weekend. I would rate the breakfast poorer than the Hampton Inns that I prefer. Why not an egg dish for the weekend?

The location of the hotel is highly visible to motorists but it is also noisy as there is a new traffic light right next to it and I heard lots of trucks air braking. The busy traffic area makes it difficult to walk to the few restaurants that are several blocks away. Another safety issue is that there is no stop sign at the hotel exit to the busy highway. It's difficult to see the traffic lines at night there.

I am rating this hotel higher only because it is the best choice for Faribault which is where we had to be. II have stayed in Owatonna and enjoyed the Country Inn and Suites. Better yet, just drive to the Cities if you can.

Our stay at Grandstay Residential in Faribault was nothing short of amazing! My family of three (including one teen girl) traveled to Faribault recently for a convention and we were blown away by our accomodations and the service provided by this hotel. We have been all over the midwest for various conventions and sporting events and this has been the best stay we have had to date! The rooms were spacious and comfortable and the staff was great! I wish I knew the lady's name at the front desk, short blonde hair with a very 'can do' attitude and a hockey player daughter. She made our trip even better than expected by telling us all of the great places to visit from Owatonna to Northfield. We took her advise and traveled all over this little piece of heaven in Minnesota and wish that we could thank her for all of her tips on the area! Every time we passed the front desk we recieved a smile from anyone that was behind it. If they were checking someone in and we needed service they acknowledged us and let us know that they would be with us as soon as possible. We spent so much time in the pool and hot tub it was ridiculous, but the pool area was so lovely it was hard to resist spending a great deal of time in there. This was really a hotel experience that I will never forget and we will definately be looking for Grandstay Residentials on our future vacations based on this trip! Top Notch!

Excellent value and friendly staff. Room well appointed and very clean. We have stayed here twice and found it nearly perfect. Anytime we have had questions about the local area the staff have helped us. I'd recommend this hotel to any family.

We were at this hotel for a wedding and were very pleased with the staff, our room, breakfast, and the playground for the kids. Everything was very clean and in good repair. It was a very nice experience and we would definitely stay here again.