Room Service: Days Inn Minneapolis West/Plymouth (Plymouth, Minnesota)

Days Inn Minneapolis West/Plymouth
Plymouth, Minnesota

This hotel in the Minneapolis suburb of Plymouth has been quite open and honest about wanting to make improvements, and we're fans of the idea of a rebirth in old accommodations. Partially for that reason, I chose to stay at the Days Inn Minneapolis West/Plymouth thinking it would be a fun and economical choice in a city full of choices and options.

The location of this property leaves much to be desired if you're aiming to make this your launching pad into the Twin Cities. It's as far as you can get in the outer ring of this metropolis' vast expressway network. Unless you're using your car to drive in, it’s definitely very hard to get there. Driving into the property I noticed a flurry of pylons along with freshly laid asphalt. On one hand, you can tell that this property has proof of renovations, but it was a little difficult to navigate around the lot.

Reception was most definitely the gleaming highlight of the stay, as the clerk who managed front desk when I checked in was very polite and patient with my extraordinary requests for a quiet floor and early arrival. Customer service is exceptional for a property of this price range and I was processed within brand spanking new premises. The breakfast area beside the desk was the gem of the property. Unfortunately I had come at a time when their fitness centre was not complete so that room sat empty, like several holes carved from the hallway, which was disappointing.

When I booked this hotel, I had fears reminiscing about a horrible experience staying at an inn in Asia years ago, where the reception area was more or less impressive, but the rooms were of astonishingly bad quality. I was worried it could happen here. To my relief, it was most certainly not that worst case scenario. But there was definitely a gradually degrading feel in the look of the place from the lobby up to my room on the second floor. The renovations look like they were still in progress, but the state of my room was an extreme game of contrasts encapsulated with four walls and a roof.

Select decor from the lamps to the fridge and microwave were new if not modern, yet some furniture including the desk and dressers were still from a previous era. A tube television still graces this oasis, with an automated viewing gizmo and game controller that harkens back a decade or two, but the channel lineup was diverse enough and the viewing quality was perfectly fine. One plus about this room in particular is a table and two chairs, though frankly it looks like this set could do with an update.

The bathroom was a whole other work of art if that's what you could optimistically call it. The bathroom sink is separated from the toilet and shower. The taps, old and discoloured, and accompanying the new hair dryer is a tissue dispenser with a filthy removable cover that could be clean so simply as an effortless swipe of a cloth with disinfectant.

The light in the shower and toilet looks like it could double as a bug zapper, and certainly sounded like it. The tub contains stains of a long departed anti-slip mat. It took a longer than acceptable time for the toilet to flush after pressing the handle, and the most unsettling part of the entire room was the walls within the shower and toilet which are differing splotches of paint that could've been fixed so easily.

Take it from me. A hotel deserves a second chance and this property does offer a good breakfast in beautiful surroundings, and I can even tell you that management added to the flawless customer service. But it's still a long way to go before this property becomes a great option.