HighSchoolHockeyForums.com

This topic may bore a lot of people - but I'm a "manager". It's important to me and maybe a few others...(?)

Please post your best and worst "hotel experiences" of the year - based on: "whatever"...

Our best: "Hermantown Airport Econolodge" - Not "fancy" at all, but reasonable at $80/night and an EXCEPTIONALLY friendly, helpful, staff. When in Duluth, we will go there again, in order to avoid below...

Our worst: "Canal Park Hampton Inn" - Fancy, beautiful, and expensive with a PSYCO lady behind the desk!! Beware!!

Holiday Inn Alexandria. Great Pool and play area plus they welcome hockey teams, unlike some hotels in other places that won't let you bring hockey bags inside to dry out equipement. (AmericInn @ Redwing)

Holiday Inn Alexandria. Great Pool and play area plus they welcome hockey teams,

That's good to hear because that is where we will be at next weekend.
The Country Inn (Alex) was good to us last year when we were there last year.

Holiday Inn South, Rochester has always been good to the kids. It has the added convenience of being right across the street from the four sheet arena (two old, and two brand new). Kids eat free, pets allowed. It's a busy, somewhat chaotic pool area. Red alert however: the kids are no longer allowed to play knee hockey in the recreation area.!! They can still play wall ball and the "claw" machine is very generous.

Holiday Inn St. Cloud the Holodome is a great kid friendly hotel. The Holiday Inn Waterfront Duluth is very kid friendly, although lots of elevators (the kids get out of sight quickly) and you have to use the parking garage. There's a trend here for the holiday inn and it doesn't hurt that kids (under twelve) eat free at most of them.

I agree with the Amerinn-Red Wing, not kid friendly and it can be expensive ( at least during baseball season).

Did have a good experience at the Inn by the Lake in Duluth. They have a rooftop outdoor pool the kids get a kick out of, all day hot chocolate, and they do a bonfire by the lake with complimentary s'mores.

The Sawmill Inn in Grand Rapids is not hockey friendly. They will gladly take your reservations, but will not be very accommodating while your there.

The new canal park lodge, the old park inn, in Duluth was great. Nice accomodations, and hockey family friendly.

stayed at the Sugar Lake Lodge in Grand Rapids, actually about fifteen minutes out of Grand Rapids. no pool, but the rooms were townhouses with upstairs bedrooms and full kitchens with utensils and dishwashers. The kids had a good, if different experience. There was a sledding hill. Had virtually no interaction with the hotel portion, except check in. I'd do it again, just that there is no pool. You can, however, bring your own movies or playstations and hook them up. There were a few rooms with no heat that had to be re-assigned, and at night you have to drive between the groups of townhouses, that's not as convenient as walking down the hall to your room but there were enough positives about it. especially if you know what you are heading into, than you can plan better. Our manager did a great job and set up a french toast breakfast for the boys on Sunday, a potluck and bonfire on Saturday night with sledding--all just in our private area.

heres a good one. last winter we stayed at the amarican inn crookston. there was a wedding dance going on and the music started at 10. we were right across the hall from the band our walls literaly vibrated! the hotel manager said she would move us to a new room but my mom refused saying im already in my night gown. needless to say we didnt sleep much music went until one drunks in the hall until 2 atleast. they refused to give us any type of rebate on the room. i asked the hotel manager why would you put someone not in the wedding party in that room? she just looked at me like well ahhhh ummmm. ill never stay their again.

DMom wrote:stayed at the Sugar Lake Lodge in Grand Rapids, actually about fifteen minutes out of Grand Rapids. no pool, but the rooms were townhouses with upstairs bedrooms and full kitchens with utensils and dishwashers. The kids had a good, if different experience. There was a sledding hill. Had virtually no interaction with the hotel portion, except check in. I'd do it again, just that there is no pool. You can, however, bring your own movies or playstations and hook them up. There were a few rooms with no heat that had to be re-assigned, and at night you have to drive between the groups of townhouses, that's not as convenient as walking down the hall to your room but there were enough positives about it. especially if you know what you are heading into, than you can plan better. Our manager did a great job and set up a french toast breakfast for the boys on Sunday, a potluck and bonfire on Saturday night with sledding--all just in our private area.

Ive done this exact thing several times, and it was a blast.
If you plan it's great, plenty of party area, to separate the good kids from, the partying parents.
Fires, ice fish, bring the snowmobiles etc.

All around great time.

The best thing you can do if you want return business is this...
Accommodate the parents, they are paying, and to most hockey parents this is one of their vacations, the kids take care of themselves.

Provide a gathering spot where they can party until the wee hours if they want, that way you won't have them going room to room, so you can follow them around kicking them out.

We stayed at a place in Fargo, can't remember the name, but they had a conference room off the main lobby, and they said it yours until noon tomorrow, no charge as long as we cleaned up afterwards. we stayed in there doors shut made all kinds of noise laughing and the usual volume rise as people do when they get on their way.
Not one complaint, in fact they asked us if we needed anything.

That was the best time I can remember not because the hotel or the rooms were so great..but they allowed us to enjoy our weekend.

Best Hotel when playing in Duluth Area:

Hawthorne Inn and Suites. Reasonable rates in a great location.

Our team always got a hotel Suite room for the players and coaches to hang out in for "off-ice events".

Blue,

How about the Rainbow Inn?

I'm still unthawing after 4 years so I have no recollection of that place.

Americ Inn-Hutchinson: Stay away if you're going there for hockey!
Had a employee in the pool yelling non stop at the kids--NO
FUN FOR YOU---while the parents were in there.

Would not allow us to sit in the breakfast area at night but would let somebody else that was there for a family party.

and the best part was, this was a mite jamboree!

This is a great thread.

Cragun's gave each of our teams a room in the basement to use the entire weekend. The kids could leave their knee hockey stuff set up down there, they tipped the tables and built a whole little arena and the staff was supportive of that. The parents also could use the rooms all night if they wanted, so the card party went on till the wee hours (least that's what I heard)... the cons are that if you aren't by the pool or by the gymnasium, your room could be two blocks of passageways away. also, the kids, get out of sight really quickly and there are a lot of little hallways and deadends in the stairways....if you can get the whole team by the pool, it's a great way to go if you are headed to Brainerd for a tournament. It is kind of expensive and breakfast is not included.

Breezy Point was fine, they put us in our own building but than you have to take the shuttle bus to the pool and arcade, on the plus side the shuttle bus goes to the arena also. think we had to rent the party room there but they gave it to us until sometime the next day

edge wrote:This is a great thread.

I hope people are making lists!

a little off topic, but one idea that worked really well (in Duluth anyway) was to have the "team meal" done by Olive Garden. The boys got their pasta and tomato or white sauce, chicken, salad, etc., for a reasonable price per family. I thought it was a great idea to replace the pizza night or even the potluck night (no hauling crockpots to the hotel!) One of the Centennial moms on our summer team thought of that one, it was amazing how a square meal helped everyone feel better. I don't know how much advance notice she had to give them, but it we did have to go pick it up and supply the beverages--they supplied plates, plastic silverware, serving spoons....everything else, it was great.

second ruunerup: Hampton Canal Park- They have a banquet room, pool , free/very good breakfast and walking distance to all of Canal Park's "landmarks"
first runnerup: Edgewater in Duluth: Pool, Perkins next door, and best of all, outdoor jacuzzi
Number One: Holidy Inn Fargo: Pool, excellent breakfast buffet, blackjack tables with $1 Minimum which allows an average player to play all night on a $20 bill, and always a good band playing variety music for a big crowd. Get your sleep in b/4 you get to Fargo...

Holiday Inn St Cloud is the best hockey hotel!

wildthing wrote:second ruunerup: Hampton Canal Park- They have a banquet room, pool , free/very good breakfast and walking distance to all of Canal Park's "landmarks"
first runnerup: Edgewater in Duluth: Pool, Perkins next door, and best of all, outdoor jacuzzi
Number One: Holidy Inn Fargo: Pool, excellent breakfast buffet, blackjack tables with $1 Minimum which allows an average player to play all night on a $20 bill, and always a good band playing variety music for a big crowd. Get your sleep in b/4 you get to Fargo...

""second ruunerup: Hampton Canal Park- They have a banquet room, pool , free/very good breakfast and walking distance to all of Canal Park's "landmarks"""

You must have been there during the psycho lady's weekend off!....

I still recommend staying away from that place!

really? wrote:This topic may bore a lot of people - but I'm a "manager". It's important to me and maybe a few others...(?)

Please post your best and worst "hotel experiences" of the year - based on: "whatever"...

Our best: "Hermantown Airport Econolodge" - Not "fancy" at all, but reasonable at $80/night and an EXCEPTIONALLY friendly, helpful, staff. When in Duluth, we will go there again, in order to avoid below...

Our worst: "Canal Park Hampton Inn" - Fancy, beautiful, and expensive with a PSYCO lady behind the desk!! Beware!!

DMOM- I didn't know you worked at the Canal Park Hampton Inn?

DMom wrote:Holiday Inn South, Rochester has always been good to the kids. It has the added convenience of being right across the street from the four sheet arena (two old, and two brand new). Kids eat free, pets allowed. It's a busy, somewhat chaotic pool area. Red alert however: the kids are no longer allowed to play knee hockey in the recreation area.!! They can still play wall ball and the "claw" machine is very generous.

Holiday Inn St. Cloud the Holodome is a great kid friendly hotel. The Holiday Inn Waterfront Duluth is very kid friendly, although lots of elevators (the kids get out of sight quickly) and you have to use the parking garage. There's a trend here for the holiday inn and it doesn't hurt that kids (under twelve) eat free at most of them.

I agree with the Amerinn-Red Wing, not kid friendly and it can be expensive ( at least during baseball season).

Did have a good experience at the Inn by the Lake in Duluth. They have a rooftop outdoor pool the kids get a kick out of, all day hot chocolate, and they do a bonfire by the lake with complimentary s'mores.

Hi DMOM- I also agree! We've been staying at the Inn on Lake Superior for years. By far the nicest hotel in the State of Minnesota.

suggestion: I noticed you referred to baseball season in your last post. The good old boys club does not like when you write about other sports. It all about hockey, hockey and hockey. Did I mention Hockey

[quote="BoogeyMan
Our worst: "Canal Park Hampton Inn" - Fancy, beautiful, and expensive with a PSYCO lady behind the desk!! Beware!![/quote]

DMOM- I didn't know you worked at the Canal Park Hampton Inn?[/quote]

Looking for a love connection with a kindred soul is not on topic.

GO TO YOUR THREAD.

Thank you Aim High for sending him back to his own thread and I hope you were aiming for a laugh with the kindred soul stuff- I know I got a good laugh out of it. I have been home with sick kids all day but they've worn me out and I have no energy left to deal with the obnoxious one. His kids aren't old enough for travel hockey, so I really thought this topic would be a safe one.

You're welcome, although I do feel slightly bad for doing that to TomAss.

Yes, that was an attempt at humor, although I'm sure it was lost on its recipient.

We also enjoyed the Olive Garden in Duluth, great suggestion.