I will preface my rating by saying that our family of three was able to get 1BR suite on a Saturday in December for $99. In addition, the purpose of our stay was for some family fun. For our purpose you cannot get any better for $99 on a weekend in downtown Minneapolis.

The room was big and clean, could maybe use some updating, but not in dire need. We had a full size refrigerator, microwave and range. Also had two TVs - one in the living area and one in the bedroom. The living room also had a pull-out, which worked perfectly for our 9-year-old.

Our daughter had a ton of fun at the waterpark with her cousins. All the kids really enjoyed the waterpark. There is also a mezzanine for adults to sit and have a drink or snack. Note, you are not supposed to bring outside beverages into the waterpark, however, you are allowed to bring drinks in from the hotel bar in plastic cups. They also server a small selection of beer in the mezzanine (Coors light and Mich light I think).

There is also the skating rink. Be sure to call ahead of time if you have your heart set on skating though, as they do rent the rink out for special occasions (weddings, etc).

We also spent some time hanging out in the room next to the lobby that has a pool table. It's not a game room - it's a free pool table (yes free, how often do you see that anymore?) in a nicely decorated room.

A final bonus was that we had tickets to "A Christmas Carol" at the Guthrie theater, which ended up being just a short 3-block walk. The location is great for the Guthrie, Metrodome or other venues on that end of town.

Overall the hotel fit our needs perfectly for a family get together.

I should also mention that in our hasty departure, we left behind a necklace and two mugs. When I called the hotel, housekeeping had already recovered our items and happily offered to mail them to us free of charge.

I'd agree with the positives expressed in other reviews - staff is quite friendly (chipper greeting when I arrived at midnight and left two mornings later at 4:30am), the location is right downtown, and the rooms are spacious, clean, and with all items I used in working order. The hallways are quite wide (so much so that I noticed it), so very wheelchair friendly if that it a consideration - room design, at times though, not so much. On the downside - the rooms could use a refresh from a furniture/design perspective. The desk/night stands/TV stand are simply old; the couch and chair are worn. The TV stand didn't even place the TV high enough where you could lay in bed and see the whole screen without peering over your feet. I know Marriott overall is embarking on a refresh of the Residence Inn rooms, and it is certainly needed here. Again - everything in the room works and the stay was good; if you're looking for a more modern room, though, there are likely better options.

Rooms are big and clean, equipped with good appliances and very well located. Beds are comfortable and 24h service has good food options. Pizza for instance is quite good. Connection with Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel with interesting business meetings installations.

Stayed here for a week for a conference. This Residence Inn is a very clean and comfortable hotel with large rooms and lovely staff. The breakfasts and evening foods were okay. All staff members we encountered were very nice and helpful. This hotel is adjacent to a Renaissance Hotel. which has a good restaurant. It is a hefty walk to the convention center but a pleasant one and we did not feel unsafe at any time. The skyway can be accessed in the garage across the street from the hotel however walking just on the street was a shorter walk if the weather is nice. Our room had a nice sized desk for working, full kitchen (only microwave, no oven), small kitchen table, a sofa/chair/coffee table and a tv in the den area. There was a queen bed, 2 bed-side tables, a dresser and tv in the bedroom. The bathroom area was large and clean. All the furniture, linens, etc were clean and the room smelled clean. Kitchen utensils/glasses/plates/pots and pans were nice and seemed fairly new. We had Lund's grocery deliver groceries the day we arrived (order on-line) which was perfect.