Phil G.
Yelp
I always stay at the Marquette. My loyalty is ridiculous, but it remains a firm part of my being, even when my loyalty goes towards innocuous things, like hotels and restaurants. If you're good to me, I'll have your back no matter what. The Gestapo can pull out my nails, but I won't divulge a name. It's one of my very few good points.
I stayed at the Marquette Hotel when it first opened, around 1973 or 1974. The in room steam showers blew my mind back then. I would never predict I would have a daughter who would graduate from the University of Minnesota, earn her masters in Minneapolis, get married and stay in Minneapolis. Back then, I was a New Yorker and thought my stay in the midwest was short lived. I was wrong, and as a result, I have stayed at the Marquette close to one hundred times.
It's a Hilton now, so I get points, but there are many practical reasons why my loyalty to the Marquette stays true:
It is in the very heart of downtown Minneapolis.
The Marquette is attached to the IDS Center and the skyway system.
Nicollet Mall, and its bars and restaurants, are right out the door.
The Dakota, one of the best jazz clubs in the world, is two blocks away.
Rooms, at the Marquette, are large, comfortable, quiet, and are updated constantly.
Prices remain rather reasonable for the quality and modern elegance.
Staff has always been nice to me, even without remembering me.
The bar is always great, and a consistently good restaurant and bar, Mission is right next door.
New, trendy hotels are popping up all over the cool city of Minneapolis. However, the Marquette is my hotel, and as long as it's good to me, it will be my hotel of choice in the city of Minneapolis.