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Everyone needs a place to lay their weary head. For travelers visiting Duluth, The Suites Hotel at Waterfront Plaza is an excellent choice for rest and rejuvenation. Well-known for its family-friendly environment and proximity to great restaurants and attractions, The Suites Hotel at Waterfront Plaza makes it easy to enjoy the best of Duluth.
Rooms at The Suites Hotel at Waterfront Plaza offer a flat screen TV, air conditioning, and a kitchenette providing exceptional comfort and convenience, and guests can go online with free wifi.
A 24 hour front desk and newspaper are some of the conveniences offered at this hotel. A pool and free breakfast will also help to make your stay even more special. If you are driving to The Suites Hotel at Waterfront Plaza, free parking is available.
Nearby landmarks such as DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace (0.1 mi) and Amsoil Arena (0.2 mi) make The Suites Hotel at Waterfront Plaza a great place to stay when visiting Duluth.
Travelers looking to enjoy some fish and chips can head to Grandma's Saloon & Grill, Fitger's Brewhouse Brewery and Grille, or Canal Park Brewery. Otherwise, you may want to check out a Mexican restaurant such as Mexico Lindo, Little Angie's Cantina And Grill, or Burrito Union.
If you’re looking for things to do, you can check out Canal Park (0.1 mi), Enger Park and Tower (0.9 mi), or Aerial Lift Bridge (0.3 mi), which are popular attractions amongst tourists, and they are all within walking distance.
Whether you’re traveling for business, pleasure or both, The Suites Hotel at Waterfront Plaza is sure to make your visit to Duluth one worth remembering.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Historic Hotel
City View
Languages Spoken
English
Location
325 S Lake Ave, Duluth, MN 55802-2305
The Suites Hotel at Waterfront Plaza
3.5 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
First - 1 ice machine for an entire hotel?? Checked twice - of course never had ice. Luckily o found an employee that evening who went into the kitchen to get me ice. Most hotels don’t do daily room service anymore. Which is fine by me. I checked to make sure it wouldn’t be cleaned and they told me they only do that if you request 24 hour in advance - so know that. That have a (free) parking lot across the street I could park my full size truck.
If you go to Duluth to drink and party. This is the place - you can walk back to your room. But I’ve outgrown that and Friday and Saturday nights were noisy with people (masses of people) on the street and cars racing in the road. So you hear that till exhausted and fall asleep. I’d guess Sunday through Thursday is quieter.
The room was huge and clean. The safe wasn’t usable as it was locked. It has a kitchen which was nice - it had one bowl , several plates, silverware but 1 fork - so if you need those check that. For the price it’s nice you can walk all around town to the bridge and beyond. Couple shops and a lot of restaurants nearby.
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled solo
Room Tip: Read through the reviews so you know if you’re ok with the negatives.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I have stayed at this hotel 5 or so times and have had Wildly different experiences each time.
You cannot beat the location at all. Its right in canal Park and barely need to hop in a car for anything. I can see the lighthouse from my room I'm that close to Lake superior. (yeah I'm still in the hotel typing this)
My biggest reccomendation is book through the hotel and not air bnb. Booking air bnb for a condo in the suites was horrific (air bnb stay was in 2022). The bed frame in the air bnb was literally so broken that the mattress had to be pulled onto the floor for the whole trip. The ac was also broken. The furniture was also weird, mismatched, sparse, often broken and just wasn't worth the price tag one bit.
This year we went back to the hotel side and has been much better. By much better I mean the ac works and can lay on the bed on the bed frame. Compared to last year the bar was set low. Something is consistent between the condo side and the hotel side though. This place has seen better days and they clearly do not have the staffing to maintain cleanliness. My whole family gets multiple rooms and you know it's bad when the first thing she does is offers clorox wipes to wipe down the place myself because we know better. They've been saying they're remodeling since last year now and in all fairness they have redone the lobby which is very nice and it looks like the pool has been redone too, but I really need them to get to the rooms because while cute they're tired and just not clean. The carpet is gross (seriously bring slippers), I'm literally staring at cobwebs on the curtains. The bathrooms also have a lot of grime.
So why keep coming back? The location. Easily. You may feel gross staying here but I'm never in the room anyways, and don't have to fight for parking. Its just so easy. I really hope a year down the line the rooms are redone and this review is deemed moot and I can eat my words. Until then.
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Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Travis Gilbertson, General Manager at The Suites Hotel at Waterfront Plaza
Responded Sep 18, 2023
We are anxiously awaiting the room updates ourselves as we know the changes that have already occured look pretty good and we are exciited for more updates. We also are in talks with the condo owners themselves for updates and refreshes to their rooms as well. Thank you for the feedback and we will bring the issues to our teams to get better solutions.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We were looking for a place to stay that was a pet friendly hotel. The reviews on BringFido suggested this would be acceptable for us. The location is right where all the action is at in canal park, and it was only a five minute walk to see the fireworks.
The hotel, on the other hand, was tolerable. Parking and check-in were efficient. The room was clean and well-appointed. The drawback was that for having two dogs based on where we were located for the room on the 2nd floor, on the complete opposite side of the building from the elevator. Once you got to the lobby, you had to walk out the back door, and go a half block to find a patch of grass. Luckily it was well lit in the grass and it was summertime, so I enjoyed (as well as my dogs) getting our steps in, but I couldn't imagine doing that in the winter. They allow dogs, but challenging for finding a place for your dogs to do their business.
The rooms were not quiet at all for sleeping. We heard partiers (couldn't tell you if they were up/down/left/right) that went until 3a in the morning and we could hear every shot they took and every beer can they crushed. Paperthin walls and appears to be a party hotel.
Apparently there is not regular housekeeping either. We had to go down to the front desk twice for towels, as our room only had 2 sets and the room was not made-up during our stay.
To end on a positive note, my 11 year old son absolutely loved the pool area. This is one of the better pool areas in the Twin Ports!
It worked for us for this stay, but will likely not be staying here again.
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Date of stay: July 2021
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip:Â Don't book a studio -- they are windowless
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kristine Buckman, General Manager at The Suites Hotel at Waterfront Plaza
Responded Oct 7, 2022
Thank you for your review of your hotel stay. We are disappointed that other guests were not being friendly neighbors during your stay. We are glad your son found our pool area the best in the Twin Ports and we are happy you were able to bring your pets even if the pet area wasn't the most convenient for you. Please come back and enjoy the pool and a renovated hotel the Spring of 2023.
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I will start by saying I know this building is old BUT the prices are ridiculous for what you get. The building itself is in a wonderful spot but doesn't make up for the poor experience. I booked in a wedding block and paid as much as others who had a multi-room room - I had a studio. When I asked them to check to make sure I got the wedding price, they said I had. I barely slept for 3 days because of the horrible bed. It was like sleeping on a plywood board. The tiny couch (which is advertised as another pull-out queen bed) was a little better, which I resorted to at 3 AM. The toilet hadn't been cleaned before we got in our room as evidenced by the dried urine spots all over the edge of the bowl. The water pressure is so bad in the shower that it took a VERY long time to rinse my body and hair out. I could've done a faster job showering from the sink. I chose this location because the suite has a stove/oven in it but they don't give you any pots/pans to use and actually cook. Since that was the case, I could've booked a cheaper room and spent the money eating out like I had to here. Despite seeing people cleaning and working in the hotel, it seems that they likely need more to keep up with the consumption of amenities such as pool towels and coffee/breakfast in the morning. The room comes with an iron which I needed but it didn't work and the plug kept falling out of the outlet. There's ONE ice machine in the entire building. The staff are nice enough but on the phone they are rude. I will say I did ask to check in early on my first day and they were nice enough to accommodate that. Save your money and go somewhere else. The pool area is nice and has a 1 ft deep children's pool, which is convenient for the kiddos. It didn't burn my eyes like other places with high levels of chemicals. The breakfast spread is nice and has a lot of options.
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Date of stay: June 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Â Save your first ticket for parking and validate it when you check in. They will send you a QR...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin K, General Manager at The Suites Hotel at Waterfront Plaza
Responded Jun 11, 2024
It's disappointing to hear about your experience at our establishment. We sincerely apologize for falling short of your expectations during your recent stay. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us, as it helps us identify areas for improvement. We understand your concerns regarding the pricing and the discrepancy between the amenities provided and the rates charged. We strive to ensure fair pricing for all our guests and regret any misunderstanding regarding the wedding block rate. Rest assured, we will review our pricing structure and ensure that it aligns with the value we aim to provide. We apologize for the discomfort caused by the condition of the bed and sofa bed in your studio. Providing a comfortable sleep experience is paramount to us, and we will address this issue immediately to ensure future guests do not encounter similar problems. Cleanliness is a top priority for us, and we are deeply sorry for the oversight with the toilet cleanliness. We have reinforced our housekeeping procedures to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. We acknowledge your feedback regarding the water pressure in the shower, availability of cooking utensils, and maintenance issues with the iron and outlet. These issues have been noted, and we are taking steps to rectify them promptly. Regarding the amenities such as pool towels and breakfast items, we are actively working to enhance our inventory management to meet the needs of our guests more effectively. We appreciate your recognition of the positive aspects of your stay, such as the pool area and breakfast spread. Your kind words about our staff's accommodating nature are also greatly appreciated, although we regret any instances where our phone service fell short of your expectations. Once again, we apologize for the inconvenience you experienced and thank you for bringing these matters to our attention. We hope to have the opportunity to regain your trust and welcome you back for a much-improved experience in the future. If you would like to discuss your concerns further, please feel free to contact our management team directly.
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Just returned from a trip to Duluth, staying at the Suites for 4 nights. We were very pleased overall especially with the staff at the Hotel for their friendliness and willingness to help. If we needed towels or anything else for the room(1 bedroom suite) it was quickly supplied. Our room was very clean and we loved the kitchen with full refrigerator and stove which we used daily. A coffee pot is supplied that makes one serving at a time. We bring our own percolator as we enjoy multiple cups in the morning. The breakfast buffet has coffee that you can bring back to the room .This buffet is an important feature for both cost saving and convenience. Always enough food to start us off on our day. The lobby and pool area has been renovated and is good to look at as well as the clean pool being wonderful for a refreshing dip. Parking in the back lot was convenient and cost free because your parking ticket is validated at the front desk for the full extent of your stay. Once we parked there was hardly any reason to use the car as many restaurants, shopping opportunities and entertainment venues are an easy walk away. We will definitely be staying here in the future.
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Travis Gilbertson, General Manager at The Suites Hotel at Waterfront Plaza
Responded Aug 16, 2023
Glad to hear your stay was great and the staff accomodated you well. We look forward to your next visit.
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Stayed here with my husband and teenage son for one night on a trip up the North Shore. Stayed in the two bedroom suite. Were pleasantly surprised that it had two bathrooms (one off the master and the other off the main room). Didn't use the kitchen facilities but they are there if needed. We had a nice view from our windows. Pool is nice with sauna and hot tub. Breakfast in the morning was very good. Location can't be beat! Lots of great restaurants and shopping in the area. Parking is free but across the street, so a little bit of a hassle with loading and unloading. Did use their laundry facilities - they have two washers and two driers that are coin operated on the 3rd floor. It was handy to have available.
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Kristine Buckman, General Manager at The Suites Hotel at Waterfront Plaza
Responded Nov 6, 2023
Wow! Thank you for the kind words and 5 star rating. We look forward to seeing you again and making the next experience just as perfect!
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Staying here in an incredibly big 3 bedroom suite. Pros: Wonderful location in Canal Park. Close to restaurants, shopping, Duluth harbor and downtown. Fun pool area. Continental breakfast is good. Cons: As you walk to your room the hallways are filthy. I guess that should of been a warning? Our room was not vacuumed, kitchen counters were filthy, dirty pots and pans had been put away. Kitchen and bathroom floors sticky. Every mirror is gross. Looks like housekeeping changed the bed linens and cleaned the bathroom sink tops. That's something at least. We had no toilet paper, handsoap or bath towels stocked in the bathrooms. You can't use the ceiling fan in the living room because it is covered in dust and cobwebs. The sauna only has 2 of 5 heaters working so not really great there. My hubby called down for the vacuum. I moved furniture and we cleaned. So room # 1213 got a thorough vacuuming. I did state to the general manager my concerns with the cleanliness and she offered to take $50 off of our total bill. With absolutely no apology or concern. She just seemed more irritated with me for bringing it to her attention more than anything. Just be prepared to clean yourself when you get there.
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Date of stay: May 2024Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin K, General Manager at The Suites Hotel at Waterfront Plaza
Responded Jun 11, 2024
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed the wonderful location in Canal Park, the fun pool area, and our continental breakfast. However, we are deeply sorry to learn about the cleanliness issues you encountered during your stay. This is certainly not the standard of service we strive to provide. Your feedback regarding the condition of the room and common areas is very important to us, and we take it seriously. We apologize for the inconvenience you faced and the lack of proper housekeeping in your suite. This is unacceptable, and we understand how frustrating it must have been to have to clean the room yourself. We also apologize for the inadequate response from our management team. We aim to provide a welcoming and attentive service, and it’s clear we fell short in this instance. Please know that we are taking immediate steps to address these issues. Our housekeeping team is being retrained to ensure that such oversights do not happen again, and our maintenance team is looking into the sauna heaters and ceiling fans. Additionally, we are reviewing our customer service protocols to ensure our guests feel heard and valued when they bring concerns to our attention. Thank you again for your valuable feedback. If you have any further concerns or would like to discuss this matter in more detail, please feel free to contact me
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Despite what will be a very negative review, the staff did the best they could given a challenging circumstance. I lay the blame solely at the feet of management for not have more accessible maintenance and more staff on hand during a busy time. Our keys would not open the room. After going back and forth several times being told there was another door, a staff member walked up with me and determined the card reader needed a new battery. Two staff members attempted to fix it and couldn’t. They called a maintenance worker and we were told he would arrive in around 45 minutes. They kindly offered to comp some of the price and stored our bags as we walked around town. We returned 90 minutes later to be told maintenance hadn’t arrived yet. It was getting late and our kids needed to start getting ready for bed. We were offered additional comps but told the door wouldn’t be fixed any time soon. We ended up cancelling the room and being told our card wouldn’t be charged. It being late on a popular weekend, there was limited availability in town so here we are driving hours back home again. Believe the negative reviews. I almost changed reservations because of them and wished I had. The management frequently responds to negative reviews here, yet nothing apparently changes. Again, the staff did their best given the situation management puts them in. Do. Not. Stay. Here.
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Date of stay: December 2024
Location
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I really hope to see a change in this hotel as their location and large/multi room suites are great. However, the cleanliness of the whole establishment is appalling and I would not recommend that anyone stay there until it is managed.
I traveled there with my husband and two young children in a two- bedroom condo. It was clear the room was not vacuumed as we picked up several small items my child could have choked on and a sock leftover from a previous guest. The furniture had stains on it. This wasn't ideal, but fine. When we returned from a day trip, our room had an acrid smell and we discovered a thick layer of dust over the whole living room and kitchen area. The private residence next door to our room was under construction and they had drilled through the walls creating dust everywhere - all over my children's clothes, baby bottles, food, etc. They seemed aware the construction was taking place and wish they would have taken preventative measures to move us. Either way, I requested we be moved and they did move us to a similar room. I inquired about my children's clothes being washed but didn't a straight forward answer to how it would be resolved. The new room we were moved to also had not been vacuumed and I picked up a screw and plastic off the floor. We also found a used tampon on the thermostat in one of the bedrooms. After that point, we choose to checkout and go home and requested our money back.
I think management wants to do the right things and attempted to handle the situation, but they have a long way to go.
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Date of stay: May 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Justin K, General Manager at The Suites Hotel at Waterfront Plaza
Responded Jun 11, 2024
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience at our hotel. We sincerely apologize for the issues you encountered during your stay. Your feedback is incredibly important to us, and we are taking immediate steps to address the concerns you raised. We are deeply sorry for the cleanliness issues you encountered in both rooms, especially given the potential hazards they presented to your children. This is not the standard we strive to maintain, and we understand how this negatively impacted your stay. Please be assured that we are addressing this matter with our housekeeping team to ensure such oversights do not occur in the future. The situation with the construction dust is particularly troubling, and we apologize for the inconvenience and discomfort it caused your family. We should have been more proactive in either preventing the dust from entering your room or relocating you before it became an issue. We are currently reviewing our procedures to better handle such situations and to communicate more effectively with our guests. Regarding the washing of your children's clothes, we regret that you did not receive a clear resolution. This was a significant oversight on our part, and we will be implementing new protocols to ensure we can provide timely and effective solutions to such problems. We appreciate your understanding that our team did attempt to resolve the situation by moving you to a new room. However, we clearly fell short in ensuring the second room met the cleanliness standards you deserved. Please accept our deepest apologies for the distress and inconvenience you experienced. We are committed to making the necessary improvements to our services and facilities. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future, providing you with the excellent experience that many of our guests enjoy.
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This was our second time at the Suites Hotel. Considering that the cost to stay in the Canal Park area is usually pretty high, this hotel is in my opinion the best value for your money. Breakfast was pretty good, the pool area was nice, I enjoyed the kitchenette option. Staff was friendly. Is it the fanciest, no, but it has been solid and reliable, and when visiting Duluth is never cheap, this makes it a little bit more accessible.
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Date of stay: July 2024Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Â Free parking across the street.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yes, there is an outdoor lot directly across from the front door of the hotel. It is not a guarded lot, but it is a busy area an is fairly safe for vehicles and you have in--out privileges.
There are more places to choose from in the Duluth area.
PRICE RANGE
$105 - $172 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
hotel in canal park, in canal park duluth
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
The Suites Hotel in Canal Park
LOCATION
United StatesMinnesotaDuluth
NUMBER OF ROOMS
128
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect nightly room rates, including any mandatory fees. Taxes not included. Please see our partners for more details.
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Are there any historical sites close to The Suites Hotel at Waterfront Plaza?
Many travelers enjoy visiting Glensheen - The Historic Congdon Estate (3.0 miles), Clayton, Jackson, Mcghie Memorial (0.4 miles), and Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial (0.4 miles).
