- friedmanm
- First Reviewer
- 4 out of 5
- Avg. Member Rating
- 12
- Reviews
Favorite hotel in the world.
- May 28, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
I have never been to a hotel that offers such a luxurious experience without the staff being snooty or rude. It's the sort of place where you feel comfortable walking around in a fancy outfit, but the service is always friendly and nice. They do an excellent job of walking the line between high-end business travelers and those that are just looking for a luxury weekend. My fiance and I have gone here twice -- once when we were attending a political event in the building and again for the weekend of my birthday. On both occasions, we were continually surprised by the level of service that we felt from every member of the staff. They did such a wonderful job of making our stay pleasant while also staying out of the way. We called down for the car and went out to dinner -- when we came back there was classical music playing on the radio, a full ice bucket, and fresh towels. They had already made up the bed earlier in the day, but the bed linens were straigtened and the pillows were fluffed. It was like elves had been in our room and made things just perfect for us!
The food and alcohol in their restaurants is superb -- and my fiance is the most particular person when it comes to high-quality, fresh food. The room service involves a full table being brought to your room. They offer you your choice of pillow type and they even have the memory foam ones for your neck. The towels are warm and fresh and the toiletries are ones that I would actually USE. It really is a wonderful place. You feel SO comfortable and relaxed there.
PERFECT...... as always
- January 5, 2009
- Rated 5 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
I feel like I'm in wonderland when I stay at this hotel. Something about it is magic. I love to travel and maybe I feel this way because it's so above anything Minneapolis has to offer. Room is always perfect and clean. You can tell now it's not "brand New" anymore. But the bed is the most comfortable you'll ever sleep in. Staff are awesome. Something was goofy with our TV, we called, someone came up within 5 minutes and after reboot it worked perfect. Room service and food were perfect!! Fast. The only thing I'd change is it took 30 minutes to get our car from valet. The hotel was sold out - but they should've staffed for valet.
The 601 Graves Hotel: A sterile, dark, and silent hotel
- July 9, 2008
- Rated 3 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
On paper, this hotel sounds great: located in Block E, lots of art, huge TV in all the rooms, very cutting edge. Unfortunately when you view it in person, the experience resembles a grave! It is very dark in the main lobby and the reservations desk. Even the bar/lounge had all the windows covered. Staff only speak if spoken to first and even on a busy Fourth of July weekend, the place was silent as a tomb! The room was clean but had a real sterile feel to it. To sum up, if you like a welcoming, exciting, and fun hotel, stay away from the Graves!
Failed to Deliver on the Most Basic Hotel Experience
My wife and I are seasoned travelers and know the difference between a hotel that delivers a first class experience and one with the pretense to. Graves 601 fails to deliver on the most basic of hotel experience, the guest rooms and guest relations.
The hotel common areas are quite nice, the hotel staff is friendly.
We paid extra for the “executive floors”. We checked into our hotel room and it was surprising in a bad way. What in a hotel is more basic than a clean, well appointed room? The list of deficiencies is very long but includes; extensive marking on the walls (black marks, scrape marks, etc.); extensive marking on the woodwork; wood paneling coming off the wall, the wood writing desk askew at about a 10% angle, a tear in the settee, film of dirt on the faux-leather seat, mixed-match wall paint and painted un-sanded plaster; the window shade coming apart, and probably most disturbing a rather dingy-grey condition of the pillows and comforter under their outer casings (discomforting to say the least).
I called the hotel manager. He came and looked at the room with the maintenance manager. They acknowledged all of the items I pointed out but tried to tell me that the last hotel guest probably had caused all the damage (I don’t think so unless they stayed there for about a year.) He even sat on the writing desk to show me why the desk might have gotten to be at that skewed angle (Do I care?)
Management now says that they offered to move me- they say that they wrote that in their notes- I can tell you that they didn’t. They offered to fix the deficiencies the next day but I was stuck in the room sick with flu- what a disaster.
When I reserve a hotel that promotes a first class experience, I absolutely do not expect to go in and have to point out deficiencies in my room. That is their job, not mine. I do not expect to have to fight for another room or have to negotiate compensation in the form of a reduction in rate because the hotel has failed to provide the level of service that was expected and promised- that is what a manager does, that is the essence of hospitality.
A couple of other things that irked me about the property; I was not informed that parking was $30 per night (seems more like Chicago or San Francisco than Minneapolis) and that web access was $14 per day (these days what hotels don’t offer this for free.)
Kirk E.
San Francisco
This is the rudest hotel in Minnesota!!!
- December 2, 2007
- Rated 2 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
I stayed overnight before a business meeting. The room was paid for by the company with which I was meeting. I turned down an additional night in the hotel, because the staff is so incredibly rude!!. After entering from the street, there was no registration desk. I had to find the concierge to find out how to even get into the hotel - up the elevator to the 4th floor (no sign, or friendly instruction). When I mentioned to the front desk that it is unwelcoming to have no sign or help finding the front desk, she looked at me like I was stupid. The room was very nicely furnished, but a little strange. The ventillation system was very noisy. Also, the bathroom has a television, but no bathtub! The final straw was lunch at the end of my meeting. A blizzard had started about two hours before my meeting was over, and our hostess offered to send us with "to go" lunch. When I asked the hotel food services assistant for a "to go" box, she told me "we don't do that." Indeed, the hotel won't provide this service, even before a severe winter storm. If you want to be treated very badly, come to the Graves 601 Hotel. You will not be disappointed. If you want to be welcomed, and treated like a guest, go somewhere else!