The Commons Hotel

My husband and I stayed here a few weeks ago and had a great experience. The hotel is clean and well-kept with a very inviting ambience - fireplace and shelves lined with books when you walk in, lots of comfy seating throughout the lobby area. The rooms have very nice, modern decor. The bed was pretty comfortable for a hotel. We loved that the windows in the room open - rare in a hotel but great for some fresh air. The location was great - we have stayed downtown before and weren't sure we would like staying elsewhere because it was so convenient, but there are plenty of things within walking distance or a short drive since it's on the U of M campus, plus it is quieter and more pleasant than downtown. Once the light rail is finished (right out in front of the hotel) it will be even easier to get to downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul, although as it is you can quickly get on the interstate and be downtown in about 10 minutes. All of the staff we dealt with were very friendly and helpful. In fact, when we checked in it came up that we were there for our anniversary, and when we came back from dinner that night, there was a small gift bag outside our door from the front desk clerk, Taylor, who had sent up a couple of Izze drinks and a bar of chocolate with a card! We both agreed that this will be our hotel of choice whenever we are in the Twin Cities.

The Commons was a breath of fresh air. The hotel has been completely remodeled and is very stylish. Beds are fantastic. The lobby is a hopping place. The Beacon bar and restaurant had wonderful service and really good food with terrific atmosphere. Maid service was slow but the rooms were clean. Are room wasn't cleaned until mid-afternoon each day. Absolutely will stay there when visiting Minneapolis.

I felt very surprised at how beautiful this hotel was as I entered through the ugly construction. Check in was quick and helpful. The room was clean and the bathroom was comfortable. I was able to open my window which I really like. I used the fitness facility and found it clean. I enjoyed the starbucks being so close as well as a Dairy Queen!! Don't judge I used the fitness facility!!! The sheets were clean and cool. The only issue I had was my TV kept pausing for 30 seconds and then coming back on. It was odd and did this quite frequently. I also liked the free Wifi! I did not drive, so I did not park. I used the shuttle to get me back to the light rail train and they were quick and efficient. All around I would definitely stay again.

Very clean and comfortable, good decor. Good wi-fi in the room. The rooms were hot, though, and there was no way to make it cooler. Very convenient to campus.

Given that this was a last-minute booking at a hotel on the UMN's East Bank Campus ON SPRING FOOTBALL WEEKEND (and we were NOT there for football!), I expected nothing from this hotel. I was so very pleasantly surprised! The only downside was that our room was right next door to the elevator shaft (and it has three elevators in the bank, y'all.) I expected it to be mechanically noisy and horrid, and even in that, I was really surprised! You could hear the elevator motors really well in the bathroom (possibly due to a ventilation shaft?) but you couldn't really hear them in the hotel room itself. The ONLY downside to the room adjacent to the elevator was the people themselves getting on and off and being loud and obnoxious, but surprisingly, there were very few folk in that category. The place has been designed to look like a "Steampunk" modern throwback science classroom. Lamps are made from surveyor's equipment, retro coil light bulb fixtures abound, and the number plate for each room has a picture of a patent application in the background. The staff are truly incredible and went out of their way to be helpful and nice. Even the wi-fi connection was actually free (unlike many upscale hotels in the Cities). The bed was comfy, the room very clean and very nicely decorated, and the window in the room even opened, which is really rare these days! Overall, I really enjoyed the stay and would stay there again in a heartbeat.

Stay was fine except for the fact that we din't have microwave in the room and no complimentary breakfast. Good to stay because of its location (within UofM).

The rooms were very dirty. There were old wrappers still laying under the desk. The shower floor looked like it had not been cleaned very good. There were dust bunnies when I closed the main door and the door in the bathroom. Television kept going in and out of reception. Was not able to get Fox News only CNN or MSNBC.

Beacon restraurant is very upscale and very untraditional food. Had lots of issues with the TV and took long time for someone to come to our room to fix it. Great location on campus though.

I loved it

Even though they are remodeling, everything was kept up very well. Common areas were clean, new room decor is very nice. The Hotel is close to everything, parking, entertainment, great food!