We stay at the AmerInn once or twice each year. The reason is simple: it's located just blocks from my brother's home in Long Lake. Once you start into the far western suburbs of Minneapolis, your hotel options quickly dissipate. The only choice in this neck of the woods is the AmericInn.
Words like basic, suitable, and standard come to mind when I think of this property. It is pretty much a white-bread kind of place with few surprises.
The small two story hotel sits behind the parking lot of a McDonald’s and a Super America Station. This is one of the most scenic neighborhoods in the Twin Cities; it's a shame this hotel has such a dull location. You are blocks away from scenic Long Lake and just miles away from famous Lake Minnetonka, but you wouldn't guess it here. Our room's view was of the garage side of the auto-repair shop next door.
The lobby is cozy and has a fireplace and a comfortable sitting area. The guest rooms are very basic and plain. They are always clean and the upkeep is good. The rooms are suitable for a good night’s sleep but not much more. They are not the inviting kind of room you want to spend an afternoon lounging around in with a good book.
Last year, we were offered one of their in-room Jacuzzi suites. When offered, it was presented as something very special that had to be seen to be believed. I was eager to see what this luxurious suite would look like. When we opened the door, we were surprised to find the standard AmericInn room a tad larger and with a huge white-tile hot tub in the middle of the room. The tub looked more like an oversized bathtub and was just sitting in the middle of this bland hotel room. I had to chuckle every time I opened the door to the room— there this enormous bathtub was, right in the middle of the room!
The hotel does offer a nice indoor pool and a tiny fitness center in one corner of the pool area. The hotel offers free newspapers each morning and a continental breakfast in the lobby.
My one complaint this trip was that the hotel was almost empty, yet they placed the few guests in one far corner of the hotel. We were housed with a group of high school girls who were having a progressive slumber party in the rooms surrounding ours. The walls proved not to be soundproof, as we painfully had to listen to each giggle and antic all through the night. .
There is little offensive about The AmericInn. Maybe if other choices were available, I would book somewhere else. But this is the only game in town, and I certainly see myself staying here again. It delivers what it promises and won't throw surprises at you—unless it's a huge bathtub in the middle of your Jacuzzi suite!