Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot Reviews

My husband and I were married at The Depot in August 2018 (I fully intended to write this review much earlier, but clearly time got away from me!). We expected a lot of family and friends to be traveling to Minnesota from out of town and for the first time, so we wanted a venue that was impressive, attached to a hotel, and centrally located in the Twin Cities, with easy access from MSP Airport. The Depot met all our criteria. Serving as a train depot in its prior life, it was historic, classic, and beautifully restored, with the original marble floors, high ceilings, and grand ballroom that we wanted (we had our ceremony and cocktail hour in the Winter Garden and our reception in the Great Hall). As the venue's name implies, it's also now a Marriott hotel, and it was newly renovated just before our wedding, so the hotel lobby and rooms were outfitted with all the modern amenities and aesthetics. The venue is also in Downtown Minneapolis, just a short walk from a light rail station, so we knew our out-of-town guests could access it easily.

The staff was amazing from the very beginning: responsive, attentive, flexible, and able to anticipate all our needs. I never had any trouble reaching our primary contacts at the hotel, and they gave us a discount on our wedding suite for the night before our wedding (it was free the night of the wedding, of course), since I wanted to stay at the hotel with my bridesmaids before our nuptials. The staff also outfitted the bridal suite with an abundant amount of full-length mirrors and chairs (at no extra charge) to ensure the ladies and I had everything we needed to get ready for the big day.

As for the food (which really is what most guests remember anyhow), everyone who came to our wedding still tells us how amazing it was. We opted for the most expensive food package to meet our minimum (we had a small wedding of about 75-80 guests). This included crab and shrimp on ice, many passed hors d'oeuvres, a salad course, a choice of beef/fish/vegetarian entrees for our guests, and a champagne toast. However, we were able to try a variety of hors d'oeuvres, entrees, and wines at our tasting, so even if we had gone with a more mid-range food package, the food still would have been delicious. (The Depot does large, elaborate tasting events about four times per year in their main ballroom, where you'll be able to sample most of the menu offered and peruse other wedding items from local vendors (cake, flowers etc.). This is drastically different from many other venues, which typically only allow you to try a handful of items during a tasting.)

All in all, my husband and I couldn't have asked for a better wedding venue. If you choose The Depot, you won't be disappointed!

I worked with Brooke in sales and Mario in catering. Wow! They were both detail oriented, communicators and helpful. I love the app feature The Depot has rolled out. With a click of a button I am able to get assistance from staff instantly. They treat every event like it’s the best and their own.

The Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot was a positively wonderful place to have our daughter’s wedding reception this July 2019! The staff was extremely professional, helpful, and accommodating. Brooke and Cindy went “above and beyond” to address the needs of the Bride and Groom and the Wedding Party! Our family and friends came from all over the country, and it was very convenient for them to stay at the two adjoining on-site hotels so amazingly close to the reception in the Great Hall. In addition, the location is complemented by the energy of the vibrant downtown milling district on the river. All of our guests were dazzled by the historic beauty and sophistication of the venue. They were equally impressed with the superbly prepared cuisine, from the hors d’oeuvres to the entrees to the late-night menu offerings. The professionalism and courtesy of the staff, including the bartenders, was beyond measure. Everything about our experience was exceptional, and we highly recommend The Depot for your very special wedding event!

We used the Depot as the hotel our wedding party and family stayed at, as well as for our reception dinner. They did such an awesome job, the brand new renovations are BEAUTIFUL! The historic parts of the building are stunning as well. Highly recommend this hotel!

We had our wedding ceremony and reception at The Depot in January 2017 and it was everything we hoped for and more. The team that we worked with to plan for our day was fantastic. They responded to email quickly and always provided clear and complete information. They also coordinated directly with my other vendors throughout the planning process, which was a huge help for me. The staff that worked the night of our wedding was equally as amazing! They thought through every detail and the evening went off without a hitch. There were several instances throughout the evening in which members of the wait staff or coordinator team went out of their way and above and beyond to make sure we and/or our guests were happy and comfortable. I was so happy with our decision to choose The Depot for our wedding!

We went to quite a few different venues and The Depot fit our style from top to bottom. It was easy planning with them and the day of the wedding everything went so smoothly, we didn't have to worry about a thing.

Look NO further for the perfect wedding venue - The Depot is the ONE!! We had the most amazing experience working with Rachel and the crew at this amazing site. From the initial meetings until our big day, I felt confident that I was in great hands. Rachel was very professional, prompt, flexible, knowledgable and KIND as we worked together to bring our wedding reception dreams to reality. In addition to the amazing service and beautiful location, the food was remarkable as well! Trust me when I tell you...the Depot is the perfect spot to host an unforgettable reception!

We would absolutely book this vendor again! It was very convenient for out-of-town guests since they had space for our ceremony, reception, and hotel accommodations all-in-one! The staff was friendly and the food was very good!

Do not hesitate to book this venue. It is the best decision we made throughout our wedding planning process!

I would say go for it! I loved The Depot the second we walked in and knew it would be the perfect spot for our reception. We had a lot of out of town guests, so it was nice having the hotel connected to the venue. Our church was also near by, so it was the perfect location at a reasonable price. We have family and friends who still talk about how great the party and food was!

It was such a beautiful venue I loved having my wedding there!

We held our wedding reception here in August 2015. The staff was so wonderful and accommodating of some of our more unusual choices. We had a very small guest list and they helped us find a space and menu that fit our needs perfectly. The night of the wedding, the entire staff was helpful, kind, and professional. I can only imagine that their services for larger weddings are just as amazing.

My husband and I held our wedding reception at The Depot on July 19th, 2014 and we could not have been happier with our choice of venue. After scouring the Twin Cities for the perfect venue for our 230 guest wedding, we knew the Depot was right for us from the very first minute we walked in for our first visit. The location was perfect, the food was out of the this world exceptional (and we big foodies!!) Chef Sam Rose went above and beyond to help us customize our menu and Katie Kuelbs, our coordinator was so incredibly responsive and professional. The ballroom provides such a classic and regal ambiance, while the Wintergreen area is a very urban, industrial-chic space for a very fun and modern cocktail hour. We dressed that area up a bit with some rental lounge furniture and our guests loved hanging out in both spaces all night long. We used the Charles Frost Room to feature our dessert table. I loved the different spaces that we were able to play around with in terms of cocktail hour, dinner, and dessert hour. Our guests (who came from near and far) still rave about our wedding-the venue, the food, the service. The Depot truly made our wedding dreams come true…. If you're thinking about booking at the Depot..DO IT!!!! It will forever be a very special place for both me and my husband.

Food was incredible and the location was gorgeous! This is a great place for both a wedding and reception.

Hi, Megan and Tony Russell here,

Thank you again for the wondering evening! It is one that will never be forgotten.
Our guests from out of town still rave about the decor, building, food etc.

Thanks again!

Tony & Megan Russell

Fabulous venue with an accommodating staff!

A wow the crowd venue without being stuffy. Great acoustics match with a spectacular and historic venue.

Could not have asked for better service and staff to work with!

If you are looking for a charming venue with lots of character and impeccable planning professionals, look no further than The Depot! Just be sure to plan ahead and book early as they fill up fast with a variety of events. This was part of the appeal for me though; it's not solely a popular wedding venue, meaning you aren't just one of many couples that are getting plugged in to a set weekend routine. They truly recognize that you want to create an experience all your own and will work alongside you to ensure just that!

We had a wonderful time at the Depot for our wedding reception on 9/24/16. Everything turned out perfectly. It was the best day ever! All of our guests raved about the beautiful Great Hall and the convenience of having 2 hotels attached to the venue. We had 280 guests and a band. There was plenty of space. We worked with Rachel Johnson and she was great! We were full of questions and she answered them all gracefully. There was a fundraising event in the other space at the Depot, but it was well separated and we even forgot about the other group. Wish we could do it all over again :) We would definitely recommend this space!

When it came to choosing a venue, my fiancé and I wanted somewhere close to downtown since we had so many out of town guests and wanted them to experience everything Minneapolis has to offer. We narrowed it down to a handful and the Depot ultimately won out for a variety of reasons. 1. Katelyn, the Depot's coordinator, was by far the most responsive person we were in contact with. That immediately made me feel at ease. 2. The pricing is straightforward. A few other venues would give you base pricing but then you would realize that so many things were extra. Katelyn walks you through the cost of everything and works with you to make things work, offering suggestions on where it's smart to focus your budget. My faincé and I are doing a combo of vendors and DIY and having Katelyn on our team has been awesome so far. 3. The Great Hall is gorgeous. It's a lovely little slice of history and the architecture is so stunning you barely need any decor. We looked at places with a more modern/industrial feel, and while those places were cool, they just felt too trendy. This felt classic, vintage but definitely not stuffy. We're keeping our decor simple and bringing in modern touches and so far it all pairs together amazingly. 4. Having a hotel connected to the venue is awesome! Guests don't have to worry about driving. You don't have to worry about providing transportation. It's a win-win. ALSO. The Renaissance just remodeled the guest suites for a more modern feel and are in the process of remodeling the lobby (it'll be done by late spring 2017.) They have posters of what it will look like and it's great. That perfect mix of vintage and modern. We're excited to see it once it's complete. 5. The Depot is close to a lot of great Minneapolis landmarks and restaurants: Eastside, ZenBox, Red Cow, Bachelor Farmer, Stone Arch, Guthrie, Vikings Stadium. We've created a map of sights to see and there's just so much in walking distance. We can't wait for our friends and family to come.

We had a great week staying at The depot Renaissance Minneapolis. We had a wedding block of over 20 rooms for guest coming from abroad. Brittany (Sales Manager) was just wonderful. Super responsive and helpful.
The location of the hotel couldn't be better. Right on Washington Av. The rooms are really nice, all brand new. The bar, breakfast and restaurant are super cool. I strongly recommend it for wedding parties.

Working with Katelyn and her team has been an amazing experience. We would definitely recommend her and her team for any Event at The Depot.

Definitely go on a tour - the pictures are pretty, but seeing the venue, live, is really what sparked our interest. Katelyn is fabulous to work with; she is very honest & gracious about the many questions that we had in selecting our venue.

We had a slightly disappointing experience with the Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel. We used the hotel to house some of our guests and also used it for our own honeymoon suite the night of the wedding (so this review does not apply to hosting any events at this location, just using it for hotel services). The manager on duty was rude and unhelpful. They offered no special amenities for newlyweds (they even told my bridesmaids that they were not comfortable sending breakfast to our room for the morning after our wedding - even though room service was an available option - super confusing), and the night before our wedding, there was an alarm going off at 3AM in the room next to one of my bridesmaids and her room smelled like smoke, when she called down they told her they would move her to a different room (a little sketchy but...ok).
I will say, the suite we stayed in (we chose one of the Historic Suites) was beautiful and spacious and was not very expensive at all, which was nice. But we were really disappointed with the overall treatment and experience.

Extremely disappointed with our wedding room block experience. Will never recommend anyone stay at The Depot or plan an event in their facility.

We worked closely with the sales manager months in advance to ensure personal gift bags were delivered to guest’s rooms prior to check in. Unfortunately, there was a fee per bag, but we thought it was worth it to give our guests a nice surprise.

It was odd when we hadn’t heard from our guests about the bags, so we called the hotel to ensure they were delivered.

Bags were not delivered and staff’s response was that each guest would have to come to the front desk to ask for their bag.

You are hospitality professionals and you’re telling me that our guests have to ask for their surprise gift bags?

Eventually, the staff said they’d deliver the bags to the rooms.

On Sunday, we went to the hotel because a number of guests had checked in and checked out and never received their bags.

After we confronted the staff, they brought out the gift bags which had been sitting in the back office the whole time.

The following hotels delivered our bags without any problems and without a fee: Alma, Radisson Blu, The Crowne Plaza, Le Meridien Chambers. I delivered the bags, hotel staff put a note in their reservation system, and the bags were waiting in each room upon guest arrival.

Still waiting on an apology from The Depot for their poor customer service and their lack of effort to give our traveling guests a memorable experience during their stay in Minneapolis.