Hotels, Airports, Transportation

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Hotels and Accommodations

Airports

Transportation

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Hotels and Accommodations

Downtown Minneapolis alone has at least 43 hotels at time of writing, so there are options aplenty, even before considering the rest of the city or surrounding suburbs.

That said, Minneapolis has sold out or nearly sold out all 90,000k+ hotel rooms in downtown multiple times in Summer 2024 alone — a couple times for last-minute events. As far as we’re aware, there’s no planned event that would cause scarcity as of now, but one of the surprise sellouts in 2024 was the same date as the wedding (May 10). Additionally, we know at least one courtesy block was declined at a sizable hotel because the hotel was already nearing capacity. So, plan accordingly!

For guest convenience, blocks of pre-negotiated room rates have been secured at three hotels. There are a limited number of rooms guaranteed. To ensure availability and avoid afore mentioned surprises, it’s recommended to book a room early.

Block Options:

Marquette Hotel Minneapolis | Hilton Collection

710 S Marquette Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 333-4545
[Website]

Commute from Hotel to Venue:

Why Marquette Hotel Minneapolis?

• Upscale hotel in heart of downtown, with gorgeous views and connected to the skyway system
• Walkable area with access to bars, restaurants, and shopping along Nicolette Mall
• EV Charging and optional valet car service for a fee
• If the couple opts for a hotel instead of home for the night, they will likely stay here. (Where they stay is still undecided at time of writing.)
• Bar and restaurant on-site

Price and Block Details

• Enter group code “925” to book using the block rates.
• Block rates expire after rooms all block rooms are booked or 4 weeks prior to event — whichever comes first.

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Home2 Suites Minneapolis Downtown | Hilton Collection

317 2nd Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55401
(612) 351-3499
[Website]

Commute from Hotel to Venue:

Why Home2 Suites Minneapolis Downtown?

• Comfortable hotel catering more towards mid/long term guests, providing comforts like kitchenettes to minimize impact of missing home; straddles downtown’s Gateway District and connected to the skyway system
• Walkable area with access to bars, restaurants, and located just 5 blocks from the Mississippi, 3 blocks from The Commons outside US Bank Stadium, and 2 blocks from Nicollet Mall
• Plenty of nearby parking ramps (none immediately connected!), 2 blocks from the light rail Blue Line leading direct to the airport, and complimentary hot breakfast

Price and Block Details

• Note: we arranged a block with Tru and Hilton automatically added Home2. For those trying to coordinate locations with other guests, you should know while both offer slightly different accommodations, both are in the same building as part of Hilton’s dual-branded experience. (Because we all need one more detail to look into, apparently…)
• Enter code “0560061264” in the ‘Corporate Rates’ box or click the button below to book using the block rates.
• Block rates expire based on hotel availability.
• Optional valet parking for a fee

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Tru Minneapolis Downtown | Hilton Collection

317 2nd Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55401
(612) 351-3475
[Website]

Commute from Hotel to Venue:

Why Tru Minneapolis Downtown?

• Comfortable, youthful hotel catering to short-term guests with amenities intended to help guests have fun on their stay; straddles downtown Minneapolis’ Gateway District and connected to the skyway system
• Walkable area with access to bars, restaurants, and located just 5 blocks from the Mississippi, 3 blocks from The Commons outside US Bank Stadium, and 2 blocks from Nicollet Mall
• Plenty of nearby parking ramps (none immediately connected!), 2 blocks from the light rail Blue Line leading direct to the airport, and complimentary hot breakfast

Price and Block Details

• Note: we arranged a block with Tru and Hilton automatically added Home2. For those trying to coordinate locations with other guests, you should know while both offer slightly different accommodations, both are in the same building as part of Hilton’s dual-branded experience. (Because we all need one more detail to look into, apparently…)
• Enter code “N0110175” in the ‘Corporate Rates’ box or click the button below to book using the block rates.
• Block rates expire based on hotel availability.
• Optional valet parking for a fee

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The Chambers Hotel

901 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 767-6900
[Website]

Commute from Hotel to Venue:

Why The Chambers Minneapolis Downtown?

• The Chambers Hotel is at the center of nightlife, dining and shopping in downtown Minneapolis. On the corner of 9th and Hennepin in the heart of the historic theater district.
• Walkable area with access to bars, restaurants, theaters, and is the location for some of Friday night’s festivities. Easily accessible by transit.
• Multiple nearby parking ramps (none immediately connected!), 4 blocks from the light rail Blue Line leading direct to the airport.

Price and Block Details

• Note: This hotel unexpectedly offered us the option to add this as part of other arrangements. We’re passing along the rates because they were too good not to, but our primary blocks remain The Marquette and True/Home2.
• Must call to book. Ask for Nicole or Leah and tell them you’re booking under our rates. (The person answering the phone may be able to help, but we were told to ask for Nicole/Leah.)
• Block rates expire based on hotel availability.
• Self parking for a fee.

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Airports

Atlanta may be bigger, but people actually want to spend time in the MSP airport. There’s a reason the Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) has been rated #1 Airport in North America 7 out of the past 8 years.

MSP has two terminals. The one pitfall (which construction started on in 2024 to fix) is that you need to leave the secure zone to change terminals. The good news? You almost certainly will never need to change terminals.

Both terminals have two TSA checkpoints, and all four have Pre-Check. Pre-Check is open 4am – 8pm. CLEAR is also available for those of you who’ve been duped. Usually lines aren’t terrible (especially with Pre-Check), but see TSA real-time security wait times for MSP to be sure. For the handful of International guests: Global Entry is also available at MSP.

If you’re flying out of Terminal 2, MSP is also part of a pilot program, MSP RESERVE, to pre-schedule security screening time and reduce waiting and uncertainty. You do not need to be a Pre-Check customer to use this free program; all general boarding passengers are also eligible. Pre-Check customers can use it as well, but they will need to follow general security screening if opting to schedule an appointment.

The airport is a quick 20-30 minute ride into downtown Minneapolis.

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Transportation

Transit to/from airport into downtown Minneapolis

• Personal / Rental Vehicle
• Taxi: Estimated $25 – $40
• Rideshare (Uber/Lyft): Estimated $25-$35
• Light Rail Transit: Estimated $2 – $3.25

Both terminals have pickup for personal vehicle, rental cars, taxi, rideshare (Uber/Lyft/etc.), and light rail.

The light rail connects directly into downtown Minneapolis or Saint Paul. Pay in advance of getting on the train via app or via MetroTransit app. The Light Rail Blue Line stops at both airport terminals and goes directly downtown. The recommended room block hotels (Marquette, Tru/Home2) are within two walkable blocks from the Nicollet Mall station.

Transit Around the Twin Cities

Personal Vehicle

MSP Airport has rental cars available from either Terminal 1 or Terminal 2.

A mix of metered and free street parking is available throughout the city. If parking in a metered space, we highly encourage downloading the MPLS Parking app in advance. This works for meters across the city; there are pay boxes as well, but the app allows recharging the meter from anywhere with Internet access.

Bus / Transit

MetroTransit is a great option for transportation in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, as well as getting to/from the airport with light rail stations in each terminal. Fares vary, but a standard non-rush hour fare is just $2 and is good for unlimited transfers for 2.5 hours after first use. Learn how to ride here.

MetroTransit is typically cleaner and safer than most other cities we’ve experienced — and we’ve tried many! Start/stop location and times via Trip Planner and/or NextTrip are usually reliable, but be sure to pay attention to frequency since some lines run less often — especially further from city-center.

Use the MetroTransit Trip Planner tool to find the best (fastest/cheapest/least walking/etc.) route from your exact location. Put your stop number into NextTrip to see real-time when the next arrival is.

Uber / Lyft / Taxi / Rideshare

Uber and Lyft recently threatened to leave the Twin Cities, but regional governments called their bluff. As a result of a poorly executed bluff, the two companies inadvertently encouraged half a dozen or so new competitors to enter the market. We can’t vouch for those since we haven’t yet tried them, but if you try them let us know — we like options! We also like that it started to drive prices down again. Fares vary, but typical fares from point A to B within city limits of Minneapolis will typically range from $12 to $30 based on trip.