This hotel is in a perfect location for out-of-towners going through the Mayo Clinic. Inside passage all the way. Room very nice, clean,room service fast, excellent, responsive. But apparently antiquated plumbing. Took at least 10 minutes to get even lukewarm water, and it never got hot. Slightly warmer in the washbowl. Realize hotel may have governor on water to avoid scalding, but this was way,way below that kind of temp. Tub/shower tiles need re-grouting. Plenty of nice bathtowels. Staff very pleasant and helpful. Maybe just some work necessary in the boiler room? Would stay there again, probably, but only if we can get a "deal" such as the one we got this time through Priceline. Their rack rate of $249 is too high for a room without a good supply of hot water.

We stayed at the Marriott last July and are returning once again this July! When I arrived in Minneapolis after a flight from NY, I was really tired and the Rochester Direct shuttle brought us to the Marriott late morning around 11:00 a.m. Although, check in time was 3 p.m. we telephoned enroute from the shuttle with a request for early check in. When we arrived, a clean room was ready for us! On the day we checked out, we still had a final appointment at 12:30 p.m. returning to the room only after 1:30 p.m. We were offered the option to check out late with no additional costs! We were informed this is their standard service to patients. This Marriott is extremely accommodating to their Mayo patient guests. It was quiet with clean air in spite of some construction with a lot of dust going on out on the streets. We were given a room above the lobbey area where most of the patients stayed. We liked the convenience of being attached to Mayo Clinic and other venues via both the skyway and under-ground with just an elevator ride away. The food in the Lobby restaurant was quite gourmet and very tasty, although definitely not cheap as in Kahler Grand next door. The atmosphere is totally different too and definitely more peaceful with fine dining services. The bar area is filled with Mayo professionals and very peaceful with easy listining music. The room service was out of this world with a roll- away table fully decked with cloth service! The room as always is the case with Marriott - pretty comfortable; bed, luxurious with new comfortable mattress covered by allergen proof covers, feather quilts and pillows, plenty of extras, everything in working order, etc. The bell boy brought us free water bottles with ice on our first day although the hotel does offer water bottles in the room for a fee. We had negotiated the rate via priceline's half price and were fortunate enough to have our $115 a night rate accepted! This year however, we ended up paying a bit more than half price ( full price was $249 and we paid $145 per night) still worth every penny! I would not even think of staying at any other hotel!!! My only disappointment was not having brought my own laptop, use of the hotel internet had to be paid for, at a quite a high rate!

We stayed at the hotel the same time as the "sports mom". My Dad had to have reconstructive surgery on short notice. We went up for the weekend with our 3 kids. We stayed on the concierge floor. John (who manages the hotel) the bell staff, concierge floor staff and maid service all were terriffc. MOST hotels (except for theme park or water ride hotels) DON'T directly cater to kids - that being said - I was there - MOST of the kids were polite, quiet, respectful, etc - however - there were a NUMBER of kids who were completely OUT OF CONTROL. Throwing toilet paper in the atrium - "catching a ride" up to the concierge floor and looting the complimentary stuff (that people were paying a premium for) and generally being hooligans. Running up and down the halls having water fights, etc..... As the father of 3 - generally normal rambunctious and not always very calm - teenagers, I have a lot of tolerance, but many of the kids for the tournament were out of control. To the extent that the hotel brought in extra security staff (temporary - rent a cop) to be the enforcer - as most "security" folks are - they were pretty hard nosed. Not all parents were all that nice either. SItting by the pool with huge coolers full of beer, many empty pizza boxes, etc. Its important to remember that hotels call the people that stay there "guests" - but not everyone who stays at a hotel knows that its important to "act like a guest". We've traveled world wide extensively with our kids. We've always stressed that staying at a hotel ISN'T like staying at home, you are sharing space with other people and you need to act accordingly The hotel is a great hotel and had a fabulous staff who is incredibly accomodating to my elderly handicapped but very independent parents.

My mom and I brought my blind father in a wheelchair to Mayo for a 2nd opinion on his terminal cancer. The convenience of the Marriott allowed us to return to our rooms (adjoining on the 8th floor) and rest between his morning and afternoon appointments. I travel a lot, spending more than 160 nights a year in hotels and so I tend to select the high end hotels for comfort. Regarding some negative, earlier reviews, this is not an appropriate hotel for a hockey team or any tournament team trip. This is a hotel for people who are ill, and it caters to them very well. Kids running up and down the halls, overflowing into common spaces, and talking loudly outside rooms is just not appropriate for this hotel setting. We did get bored with the identical menu every single day, but most customers probably stay fewer days than we did. We thoroughly enjoyed the amenities of the concierge floor, having cocktails and hors d'oeuvres nightly. While our trip does not reflect the thrifty end of the spectrum, Mayo patients seeking luxury, convenience, and outstanding service should definitely stay here or at the Kahler.

Our youth basketball league booked a block of rooms this past weekend (Feb 29- March 3) for a city wide youth basketball tournament. This hotel HATES kids. They were rude to the kids. Un-accommodating to their parents. Down right snooty. I have stayed in many Marriotts but I would never give this hotel my money again. The hotel was angry that families were not utilizing their over priced hotel restaurant (6 bucks for SIDE SALAD!!). They went so far as to kick families out of the lobbies who were sharing "between game" snacks with their teams. They kicked families out of the pool area that were trying to use the tables there for meals. Here's the kicker - they have NO handicap parking. My husband was on crutches and they expected him to walk through the sky way to their "free" parking. Otherwise, they tell the handicap patrons that they will park their car for 14 dollars a day...seems like a real scam since they cater to the largest hospital in the world. Don't stay at the Marriott Mayo in Rochester, MN. This hotel believes they are above the common consumer. Lots of other very nice and ACCOMMODATING hotels in Rochester