At home with Carlson in Minneapolis

Last week I visited Minneapolis to stay in a Country Inn & Suites by Carlson as a guest of the company. I cover the company as part of my job on Hotel & Motel Management, but this was my first time staying in a CIS. Minneapolis is Carlson's headquarters city so it was a pleasure to visit not only the Country Inn & Suites Bloomington at Mall of America , but two Radissons as well, including the company's first Radisson, the Radisson Plaza Hotel Minneapolis.

The trip was a nice chance to meet with Steve Mogck, executive VP of franchise operations for Carlson Hotels Worldwide's select-service hotels, and Nancy Johnson, executive VP of franchise operations for Carlson's full-service hotels.

The CIS Bloomington and Radisson Plaza Hotel Minneapolis are owned and managed by Carlson so the company often rolls out new projects and prototypes there. For example, the CIS had just completed an $8-million renovation that began at the end of March.

The entire hotel was gutted and all rooms and public spaces were refitted and redecorated. It's the largest CIS in the brand family, with 234 rooms, and much of the business is leisure, driven by the Mall of America just across the street. (On a marketing note, the mall provides the property with endless marketing package options, which are a big hit).

Two elements I noticed: Multimedia is important at this property. Families travel to the mall, kids bring iPods and video games. Every room is outfitted with a custom Phillips multimedia unit, installed right below the flat-screen TV, that allows for easy plug-and-play.

The other thing I noticed were the plastic cups, but they weren't ordinary plastic cups. As Steve Mogck explained, the brand does a lot of testing at that property and a new line of corn-derived coffee and drinking cups is part of the program.

Downtown at the Radisson Plaza Hotel Minneapolis, another Carlson-owned and -managed property, the focus was on the business traveler. With 350 guestrooms and 21,000 square feet of meeting space, this property is clearly special to the company's portfolio. Food and beverage is vital to this hotel's operations--on the Friday afternoon I visited, chefs were preparing homemade rose petal ice cream for a wedding that Saturday, and fileting fresh salmon.

What I notice most about hotels when I visit is the atmosphere. This trip was no exception. At CIS, the lobby was in constant motion, with kids racing up the staircase as their parents tried to grab a rest on the couches. The morning breakfast was controlled madness and clearly everyone was enjoying it as they prepped themselves for a marathon mall visit.

At the same time downtown, the Radisson was quieter, with power-lunchers enjoying a business meal in Fire Lake, the signature restaurant.