I am a Marriott Rewards, Starwood and Priority Club member and while all three programs had more affordable hotels in Minneapolis on the weekend I was there, I decided to give the Marquette a try given the glowing reviews here and being "#1 in Minneapolis". I've relied on tripadvisor many times and the reviews have always been reliable, but just this once, the reviews posted were very different than my experience at the Marquette.

On a good note, the Marquette is centrally located in downtown Minneapolis, but then again, so are the Marriott, Radisson, Crowne Plaza, etc. After circling the street twice looking for the valet parking (later learned that it was not manned during certain hours), I decided to self-park in the parking lot which the Marquette shares with other establishments. The Marquette lobby is very small and there were only two check-in clerks (for a line of about 6 guests), although the complimentary coffee and cookies were a nice touch. In a normal chain hotel, I would have no problem with 2 clerks for 6 people, but if you're touting yourself as the creme de la creme in Minneapolis, then you shouldn't have to wait 15 minutes to check in. I must say, the check-in clerk was very, very pleasant.

Upon arriving at my room, 1067 (avoid at all costs), I was surprised at the large size of the room which the check-in clerk had described as standard. But, it also seemed strange that there was no television in front of the bed. In fact, this is the first hotel I've ever visited where the tv is in a cabinet perpendicular to the bed and therefore, not clearly viewable from it. Although you can roll out the tv and turn it toward the bed, the cabinet door partially blocks viewing. Very strange.

I started unpacking and while placing my amenity bag in the bathroom, I noticed there was no soap in the room. I called housekeeping and soap was delivered quickly by an indifferent member of the staff. When I opened the door to take the soap, I noticed a second door, inside my room and catty-corner to the front door, and opened it thinking it was a closet. Instead, I walked into another guest's room, complete with IPOD, laptop and all the guests clothes in full view; fortunately, he wasn't there and I promptly returned to my room and locked the door.

I took a shower the following morning, prior to leaving for lunch with friends and then to the airport. The device to unplug the tub was not working so I manually pulled the plug from the bottom of the bath tub only to find a clot of hair. It was disgusting but as I was checking out, I had no option but to shower and get out fast.

During my brief time at the Marquette, I got the impression that the hotel was trying too hard to be something it's not. The decor is part minimalist, part classic, all confused. The service ranges from outstanding to non-existent. While housekeeping had obviously been to my room (bed was made), there was absolutely no attention to detail. Five star hotel? Not even remotely close. Next time, I'm staying at the Marriott.