Hilton HHonors - Hilton Minneapolis

A few questions regarding the Hilton Minneapolis....

1) what would be ~ the cab fare from the airport...?

2) is there an executive lounge?

3) Is there a decent workout facility? or athletic clubs nearby?

Yes there is an Executive Lounge/Level. When I was there in July it was very well done.

The fitness center was pretty decent by 3* hotel standards. Pool, maybe 10 cardio machines, weights, sauna.

No idea on the taxi fare though.

$20-$25.

Derik,
If you're not locked into staying at the Hilton (may be very nice although I've never stayed there) and depending on how the rates compare, you might do well to check out the Hampton Inn/Mall of America. It is not a typical HI, 5 or 6 floors and has suites with stand alone whirlpool, not tub/jacuzzi combo. Also has expanded free breakfast and free mall of america and airport shuttle. Across the Hwy was a sport center with a rock climbing wall visible from the street. A couple of years ago I received an upgrade to a jacuzzi suite (wasn't HHonors member at the time) after telling the desk clerk at checkin about my night from hell in the Fairfield Inn at Duluth the night before.
http://www.hamptoninnrichfield.com/index.htm

Avoid the Minneapolis Airport Hilton as they have routinely treated frequent HHonors stayers poorly -- no welcome gift, no upgrade without additional $$ charge, rude service, etc.

I've never stayed at the Hilton Minneapolis, mainly because it's three blocks from my apartment, but that's not the point. The point is, you should stay there and not at the Mall of America because of the location. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

There's a Lifetime fitness downtown and a YMCA as well.

Email me when you'll be there and I'll buy you a beer. (Us gracious Minneapolitans....) http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I've stayed at the Hilton downtown Minneapolis a lot. The pool area is not bad but I never use the gym at that hotel. About 4 blocks away is a first rate YMCA with all the equipment you would need. I think a day pass is $16.00.

Any suggestions as to the best rooms to request at the downtown Minneapolis Hilton?

Request the corner junior suite - #2345, 2445, or 2545. It has windows on two sides and has a king-bed and a sofa bed in the sitting area.

Wonderful executive lounge on the 25th floor has muffins, bagels, and fruit for breakfast. They also serve hot hors d'oeuvres in the evenings. The coffee machine in the lounge serves espresso, cappuccino, and mochaccino all day.

Hilton Hotels Corp. (HLT.N) on Wednesday said it had sold the 821-room Hilton Minneapolis to 1001 Marquette LLC for about $92 million. The hotel will continue to be managed by Hilton under a long-term agreement, the company said in a statement. The new ownership, a Delaware limited liability, is expected to spend $15 million to upgrade the hotel over the next three years, it said.

MisterNice

This post had me shocked for a minute, I'm in MSP a lot lately and this has become one of my favorite Hilton properties. Glad to see it's staying a Hilton.

Service here is great.


The new ownership, a Delaware limited liability, is expected to spend $15 million to upgrade the hotel over the next three years, it said.


Once suggested upgrade: Redo the non-executive floor rooms. There's such a difference that I considered going to another property in lieu of getting put in a non-exec floor room for a week.

This post had me shocked for a minute, I'm in MSP a lot lately and this has become one of my favorite Hilton properties. Glad to see it's staying a Hilton.

Hilton, and Starwood too for that matter, have been and will continue (to a lesser extent) pursuing sales of many of their properties. Except for a handful of flagship properties, they generally don't want to be owning the real estate, that's best left to real estate investment companies. They are selling the properties at great prices now given the real estate market, and they can repay debt and return capital to shareholders.
In fact, the vast majority of Hilton family-branded hotels (and Starwood, and Marriott) are owned by third parties -- many are managed by Hilton, but a lot are actually franchised (particularly the midscale brands) so Hilton neither owns nor operates the hotel, but provides reservations services and marketing support, and ensures that the property is kept up to standards.

BTW, I had a very good experience at the MSP hilton a few months ago. GREAT bed!

Just received this email:

Earn Double Hilton HHonors® Base Points and Double Airline Miles at the
Hilton Minneapolis
Earning double HHonors Base points is easy when you're traveling to Minneapolis. Book Plan Code H2 for a stay occurring between November 1, 2006 and April 15, 2007, at the Hilton Minneapolis where you will enjoy excellent accommodations and service. Plus, earn double miles with American Airlines, Continental Airlines,
Delta Air Lines, Midwest Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Southwest Airlines*, or United.

Thanks for the post! I have a stay at the Hilton Minneapolis starting on the week of Oct 30...do you think the promotion would still apply?

Thanks for the post! I have a stay at the Hilton Minneapolis starting on the week of Oct 30...do you think the promotion would still apply?

Smok -

Welcome to FT

I check in on Tuesday. Please post if you had any success at the front desk getting this promotion applied to your stay.

I called HHonors before checking in and I was told that the H2 code can only be applied for standard rates, not the corporate rates that I used for my reservation. Let me know if you have any success with it.