The Depot Minneapolis, a fantastic family hotel

While we were in Minnesota over the holidays visiting family and friends, we were able to stay and play at The Depot,Renaissance Minneapolis. Family travel is nothing new to us, but this hotel is not quite like any other hotel we have stayed at before. For two reasons 1) Indoor waterpark 2) Indoor Ice skating rink. I grew up in Minnesota so I know first hand that the winters are very cold and very long. What’s a Mom to do to keep the kids from climbing the walls and going totally insane during the winter in Minnesota? Hit up the indoor water parks! I am a huge fan of Marriott Hotels and when I heard that The Depot was apart of the Marriott family I knew we would be in good hands.

The Water Park was perfect for our children’s ages, 7 & 5. It is a smaller water park compared to the other gigantic ones with the huge slides and tunnels of terror but this one was perfect for toddlers and new swimmers. The main pool with the train is very shallow and the large train in the middle of this pool has 3 slides for the kids to go down. A loud train whistle blows every 15 minutes to let the kids know there is water about to spray from all angles. It was so fun to watch the kids scream in excitement and try to find a safe place to hide before the water sprayed them.

The other pool is about 4 feet deep and has a log in the middle for kids to climb up and sit on. There is also a net to swing from, basketball hoop and one main water slide. As I said this was a water park perfect for kids under 10 yrs old, if you have older kids this may not be the most exciting park for them. The hot tube is for adults only, which was nice. We were able to sit in the hot tube and have a perfect view of our kids running around in the main train pool.There is also a snack bar upstairs serving the typical pizza, hot dogs, sandwiches chips and sodas and the prices are totally fair. To my surprise there was even an Arcade and a TV room to relax in. This snack and game area is open so you can easily view the pools down below.

The Ice Skating Rink was impressive and actually quite warm inside. You do have to pay to skate and for your ice skate rental. For kids just learning to ice skate you can also rent “trainers” which are like walkers for the kids to balance and lean on while gliding around the rink. We went on a Friday night and it was super busy, but in a good way. Music was playing and people of all ages were having such a great time. My daughter LOVED ice skating and my son well he thought it was alright but by the end they were each going around the rink without any help from us or the trainers.

The Room was a typical double bed sized room. However, I immediately noticed the large power strip on top of the desk which was super savvy. Rather than searching the room trying to find all the outlets to plug in all of our electronics, they had an entire outlet station right on top of the desk! Love this, because then there is one general place for all the gadgets. The bathroom vanity area was a little on the small side, but there was a bath tub for the kids and a coffee maker for Mom.

Dining is available at Charley’s Grill & Stone Arch Bar. We had breakfast at Charley’s Grill and kids 12 and under eat free with one paid adult, music to a traveling Moms ears! We also grabbed some late night snacks at the Stone Arch Grill one night and the prices were very reasonable. This lounge area was a classy spot to hang out even with the kids, comfortable seating, a fireplace and a gorgeous Christmas tree.

Parking: $19.00 a night (just so yeah know)

Savvy Travel Tip: There is also a Dunn Bros Coffee right next door and a Subway across the street.

The Savvy Sassy Family loved staying at The Depot Renaissance Minneapolis and I would highly recommend it to other families that find themselves in Minnesota not just during the winter but anytime of year!

Disclosure: We were comped a media two nights stay to review the property and all it had to offer for family travel. All of my savvy thoughts and sassy opinions are my own.

Meet the Author | savvysassymoms

Andrea is a Mom who hasn't lost her style to motherhood. Andrea loves social media and works on a variety of social media campaigns with brands big and small. Connect with Savvy Sassy Moms on Instagram