To kick off my transatlantic Airbus A321XLR adventure, I spent a night at the 291-room InterContinental Minneapolis St. Paul Airport, prior to my Aer Lingus A321XLR flight. I’d consider myself to be a bit of an airport hotel aficionado (I know, glam!), and I always like finding the best airport hotels. I was looking forward to this stay, as I had heard great things about this property.
The InterContinental MSP is definitely an above average airport hotel, with comfortable rooms, two full-service restaurants plus a coffee shop, a decent gym, and excellent airport views. That being said, the hotel’s most compelling feature when it opened back in 2018 — direct access to the airport — is only sort of still available.
I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again, as it’s no doubt the best hotel at the airport. Then again, I don’t often find myself overnighting here, so…
Booking the InterContinental Minneapolis Airport
I booked my one night stay at the InterContinental MSP using an IHG free night award, which I got for having the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (review). You’ve gotta love credit card free night awards, as they can often more than justify card annual fees, not even accounting for other perks.
As a point of comparison, the hotel would’ve cost $240 if I had paid cash, so I’d say that’s quite a good value.
InterContinental Minneapolis Airport location & transportation
The InterContinental is connected directly to MSP Terminal 1, so it’s the only hotel connected directly to the airport. You can’t beat the hotel’s proximity to the airport… in theory.
The hotel is connected to the airport by a skyway. The entire skyway that you see below is actually in the airport’s sterile area, meaning it’s past security.
Back when the hotel first opened, it had its own dedicated security checkpoint, meaning you could use that skyway for arrivals and departures. At the start of the pandemic, the hotel’s private security checkpoint was shut down, and it has never reopened.
That means that you can access the hotel on arrival via the skyway, but on departure, you can’t use this facility. That means you have to take a shuttle to the terminal… even though the hotel is technically connected to the airport.
So when I arrived at MSP, I followed the signage in the direction of the hotel. While staying airside, I proceeded toward gate C25, which is right by the entrance to the hotel.
Across from that gate, I spotted the escalator, and then took that up to the skyway, which let me walk straight to the hotel.
At the end of the skyway, there are two sets of double doors you walk through, essentially intended to ensure that this is only used for one direction of travel.
As you can see, the facility is closed in the other direction.
So to get to the terminal, you need to take one of the shuttles. Service is offered 24/7, every 20 minutes, to both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
While this was convenient enough, I’ve gotta say, it’s kind of a pain to have a direct connection to an airport, but to not use it. I’m not sure if the private TSA checkpoint never reopened because the hotel simply wasn’t willing to pay for it, if the TSA wasn’t willing to allocate the staffing, or what.
But this setup no doubt takes away from the convenience that you’d expect when staying at a hotel connected directly to the terminal. Maybe the owners just don’t think they get a revenue premium for that outbound checkpoint, or something.
InterContinental Minneapolis Airport lobby & check-in
The skyway lets out on level three, so that’s where I first arrived. I then took the elevator down to level one, where the lobby is located.
I’ve gotta say, it’s not a very welcoming vibe when the first sign you see is about not jumping in the elevator, how it could take up to two hours to get out of the elevator, and how fines will be imposed. I’m a little confused — does the hotel have some special issues with its elevators, or why aren’t these kinds of threatening signs more common?
The hotel’s lobby is a good size, and feels modern, with cool lighting. There’s quite a bit of seating in the lobby, in addition to the cafe and two restaurants.
I arrived at the hotel very late at night, way past my bedtime. While I wasn’t looking for a welcome celebration for my arrival, the night auditor was so brief in her interactions that it bordered on rude, as we must have exchanged a total of 10 words.
InterContinental Minneapolis Airport guest room
With keys in hand, I headed to the elevators, to get up to my room. The hotel has a total of 12 floors, and I was assigned room 1127, on level 11.
Based on what I saw in the IHG app, I had been upgraded to a runway view room, presumably on account of my IHG Platinum status. These rooms are marketed as being 375 square feet, so that’s a pretty standard size for a hotel room.
The room felt relatively modern and luxurious. It featured a king size bed with a very comfortable mattress and pillows, a couch by the window, a desk with a chair, and a wall-mounted TV.
In the far corner of the room, there was a Nespresso coffee machine and a selection of tea.
There was also a mini-fridge, but it wasn’t stocked with anything.
The bathroom was back toward the entrance, and featured a sink, a walk-in shower, and a toilet in the corner.
Toiletries were in reusable containers and from BYREDO.
The best part of the room was the views, as my room had awesome views of the apron and runway. It was especially nice to be so high up, since I almost felt like I was in an air traffic control tower.
Wi-Fi in the room was fast and free, and the room felt clean. That being said, it also had some wear and tear, clearly reflecting that the hotel hasn’t undergone a significant renovation since it opened back in 2018. For example, the curtains were all ripped, but it was only obvious when you got close to them.
InterContinental Minneapolis Airport gym
The InterContinental MSP has a gym on the third floor, which is open 24/7, and on the same level as the skyway. The gym is sufficient, with a decent selection of cardio and weight equipment — it’s nothing special, but it does the trick.
When the hotel first opened, it had a spa and thermal pool on the third floor. However, the owners clearly wanted to monetize this space more, and it has now been turned into meeting rooms.
InterContinental Minneapolis Airport restaurants & bars
The InterContinental MSP has three different food & beverage outlets, which is fairly impressive for an airport hotel. They’re all located on the lobby level.
La Voya Brasserie is the hotel’s signature restaurant. It’s open daily from 6:30AM until 1PM, and on Tuesdays through Saturdays, it’s also open from 5PM until 10PM. The restaurant is described as serving “traditional French dishes infused with Minnesotan influences,” and you can find all the menus here. The restaurant is a charming and fairly intimate space, nicer than you’d expect for an airport hotel.
While it wasn’t included, I had breakfast in the restaurant, and you can find the menu below.
To drink, I had a cup of coffee, and then to eat, I ordered the La Voya Omelet, which came with mushrooms, shallots, and gruyere, along with a side of hash browns. The omelet was certainly tasty, but they went heavy on the cheese, so I couldn’t finish the whole thing.
Bradstreet Crafthouse is the hotel’s other main restaurant, and it’s open daily from 1PM until 11PM. It’s described as a gaming hall with gastropub favorites, craft cocktails, and a wide selection of beer, and you can find the menu here. I didn’t eat anything here, but it’s certainly quite a themed space.
Last but not least, the hotel has Coffee Bar, which is the coffee shop located in the lobby. It’s open daily from 6AM until 8PM, except Sundays and Mondays, when it closes at 2PM. This has everything from barista coffee, to pastries, to sandwiches and salads, and more. I always appreciate when a hotel (especially an airport hotel) has a coffee shop like this, as it’s a useful amenity when on the go.
Bottom line
The InterContinental MSP is a solid airport hotel, one of the better ones in the United States. It has great airport views, is relatively luxurious, and has a decent selection of dining. That being said, there’s no denying that the hotel isn’t quite as good as it was when it first opened.
Specifically, the biggest selling point of the property was the skyway, offering direct access to the airport. With the hotel’s TSA checkpoint now being “temporarily closed” for years, you need to take a shuttle to the airport.
Ultimately this is still a good airport hotel, and it was a great use of my IHG free night certificate. I’d recommend this property if overnighting at MSP.
What do you make of the InterContinental Minneapolis St. Paul Airport?
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