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Hotel Review: Hilton Garden Inn Minneapolis University Area – A Good Pick for Central Minneapolis Hotels?
- Alyssa
- Mar 31
- 6 min read
When visiting the Twin Cities for the Minnesota State Fair, we wanted to stay near the fairgrounds but not too close to be affected by traffic all day. We stayed about 10 minutes from the fairgrounds at the Hilton Garden Inn Minneapolis University Area, a great option for those looking for central Minneapolis hotels with easy access to the city. Located right next to the University of Minnesota campus, this hotel provided a convenient and comfortable stay. We stayed for two nights in a double room and paid $351.78 in total. If you’re searching for a hotel in central Minneapolis that balances location, price, and accessibility, this might be the right fit. (If you want to see what we ate at the fair, check out our socials!)
Getting To The Central Minneapolis Hotels:
The Hilton Garden Inn Minneapolis University Area is about 8 miles (20-minute drive) away from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. There are multiple transportation options available to get there from the airport; taxi, ride-share, public transit, and rental cars. Since we were only in town for 48 hours, and only had one activity on the agenda, ride-share worked the best for us on this trip.
Taxi:
Taxi service at Terminal 1 is accessible via the Tram Level (Level T). At Terminal 2, taxi service is available at the Ground Transport Center, located on the ground level of the Purple Ramp directly across from the terminal building.
Average price to downtown Minneapolis: $39 - $49
Average price to downtown St Paul: $31 - $38
For a taxi from the airport to the Hilton Garden Inn Minneapolis University Area expect to pay about $31-$49.
Ride-share:
If you plan to use Uber or Lyft, your ride will pick you up in the Ground Transportation Center located on Level 1 of the Green/Gold Parking Ramps. From terminal two pick up is available from the Ground Transport Center, on the ground level of the Purple parking ramp.
Average price from airport to hotel with Uber: $20-$30
Average Price from airport to hotel with Lyft: $30-$40
Public Transit:
The Twin Cities have multiple options for public transit that put you within walking distance of the hotel for a fraction of the cost of a taxi or ride-share. The closest bus stop is only about a ten-minute walk to the hotel! Leaving from the airport you can take the blue line metro from terminal one to Franklin Ave. From there you will take a bus to Ontario St SE & Beacon station, and from there you will have to walk to the hotel. For more route information here is the Metro Transit website.
Rental Car:
Airport rental car counters at Terminal 1 are located on the ground level of the Silver Parking Ramp. You can take the underground tram to the ramp and then there are signs leading you the rest of the way. Rental cars are easy to come by at such a large airport. There is a large rental car station with over ten different car rental companies. An alternative to renting a car from a rental company is using the Turo app, which is similar to Airbnb but for cars. You can rent someone's personal vehicle through the app, and it works just like a normal rental car. We have used it in the past and had good experiences. The airport even offers a designated area for cars rented through Turo to be parked and ready for pickup. You can read more about Turo here on their website!
Average rental car price per week: about $565
Average rental car price from Turo per week: about $400
Check-in:
The standard check-in time for the Hilton Garden Inn Minneapolis University Area is 3:00 PM. We got there later in the evening, well after 3:00 PM. There was no line at the check-in counter and we were greeted by staff as we walked in. The check-in process was under three minutes, we showed ID, processed the card for damages, and were off to our room in no time. We even got two free bottles of water for being Hilton Diamond Members. The only downside about check-in being so fast is that we got no information about the hotel or the other benefits we got as diamond members. We later found out via the app that we had $10 of food credit each!
Room Details:
For this stay we booked a double room, it was significantly cheaper than a king room by about 20-30 dollars a night! We paid $351.78 in total for two nights and did not want to spend more for a single bed. Our room was clean and modern, with useful amenities like a coffee bar, microwave, and mini fridge.
The bathroom had a bright and clean feeling. There was a large vanity with enough counter space to spread out our bathroom items and a backlit mirror near the sink. The shower was a standing shower with a waterfall head and had large bottles of toiletries bolted to the shower wall. Upon closer inspection, the bathroom was not as clean as it appeared! There was some mold and mildew in the shower. It was heavy near the grout lines of the shower, the drain, and the bottom of the shower door. The shower door did not close properly, and water leaked while the shower was running.
Just outside the bathroom was a coffee bar/cooking area complete with a coffee machine, microwave, and fridge. Next to that was a large wardrobe/armoire with a few hangers, a safe, and ironing equipment. The bedroom itself was spacious, there was a seating area near the window with two chairs and a table, a workstation with a small desk and chair near the tv stand, and two beds with a bedside table in between them. The view out the window looked across the street to a hospital building and its parking lot, along with some slight views of the street below.
The linens on the bed were haphazardly placed, and both beds were in the same shabby condition. Although they were made poorly, the beds were comfortable to sleep in. Each bed had three pillows, and although they were very soft, three were enough to sleep comfortably.
Property:
The hotel has a range of amenities on site like a pool, jacuzzi, bar, and even a gym. They also offer parking on-site for an additional $30 a day, in an attached garage. We did notice that some of the spaces looked a little tight in the garage!
The pool and jacuzzi are indoors, and completely enclosed. They are located right in front of the elevators and are easy to get to. There were towels near the pool for guests to use, and baskets for used ones to be discarded. The pool looked a little murky, but the water in the jacuzzi looked clear.
The gym was a good size for a hotel and had a variety of equipment; cardio machines, free weights, and a cable machine with a digital screen showing possible workout variations. The gym also had a towel station, as well as a refillable water bottle station/drinking fountain.
There is a small bar in the lobby, and in the mornings they also serve breakfast. We did not try the food since it was about $18 per person, and we were headed to the fair to eat all day anyway! Near the bar is also a grab-and-go section with some light snacks and drinks.
Check out:
Check-out from the Hilton Garden Inn Minneapolis University Area is at 11:00 AM, but we were lucky enough to score an additional hour when we called the front desk in the morning. We did not have to do anything special to check out, and just left our room keys in the room and headed to the lobby to wait for our Uber. If leaving the keys in the room stresses you out, you can check out via the app as well! We had no issues leaving the keys in the room and got an emailed receipt later in the day.
Summary:
We enjoyed our two-night stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Minneapolis University Area. We stayed in a double room and paid $351.78 in total for our stay. Our room had a few minor issues like mold/mildew in the shower, and messy linens on the bed. Other than that we enjoyed the room, found the beds comfortable, and liked that we had a coffee bar, microwave, and fridge in the room. The hotel has a nice gym with a variety of updated equipment, and made for an easy spot to hit a quick workout after eating so many sweets at the fair! Overall, we would stay here again if we were in the area, and the room was the right price!
Do you think a stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Minneapolis University Area is worth your wallet? Let us know below!
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