The Westin Edina Galleria is one of the newest Westins in the system and remains one of my favorites. I stayed there over Memorial Day weekend with my family.

Location

The Westin Edina Galleria is located in, not surprisingly, Edina, about ten miles west of the airport and ten miles south of Minneapolis. It’s a particularly convenient location if you have business in the area or are a leisure traveler, although a car is probably necessary. It is located next to the Southdale Center, a typical suburban mall with a variety of restaurants (though none of those compare to the Original Pancake House, also located a few minutes walk from the hotel).

Arrival/Check-In

Very smooth. We’ve stayed there three times and I don’t remember there ever being a line at check-in. There always seem to be four or five employees hanging around in the large lobby, so it shouldn’t take long, even when it is busy. A few computers are also available and there is a bar at the back. They recognized my status, offered me my welcome gift and sent us on our way.

Rooms

The plus side to a hotel that is A) suburban and B) new is that the builder has the ability to tailor it toward modern conveniences. The Westin Edina Galleria is no exception. The rooms start at 400 square feet and the bathrooms are much larger than older hotels would have. There are large, glass-enclosed showers and a soaking tub in them, making the bathrooms almost a pleasant place to spend time. The beds are typical Westin beds (comfortable) and wireless access was decent, although I was surprised that there weren’t more outlets, with a power bar on each night table with a whopping two outlets in it.

Facilities

Another strong point for the hotel, as it pretty much covers the gamut in terms of what you could need. There is plenty of room for business meetings, ranging from small breakout rooms to meeting space and a Junior Ballroom. For individuals, there is a pool and hot tub next to the workout facilities. The exercise room is small, but I rarely saw anyone in it. If you don’t want to work out in the hotel room, the hotel participates in the “Westin Workout” program, so you can borrow New Balance workout gear.

Even without the mall across the street, you won’t go hungry. For something quick, there is the lobby café, while McCormick & Schmick’s is also on the first level, in case you want something more upscale. If you are on the club level, or have access to the lounge, there is a large breakfast and afternoon hors d’ouevres available. Healthy options are there, with steel-cut oatmeal and fruit, among other selections. The lounge is open all day in case you need something (non-alcoholic) to drink. The lounge was always busy during mealtime, so plan accordingly.

Service

The excellent service at the Westin Edina Galleria has always been one of my favorite aspects, although it did show some signs of slipping this time around. Everyone at the property was extremely friendly. Phones were answered quickly. They generally handled the little things right, whether it was having enough towels available by the pool or umbrellas waiting by the front door when it rained.

Still, they slipped in a few areas, with two incidents in particular coming to mind. First was a missed wake-up call. We have learned not to rely on a wake-up call without a back-up but, if a hotel is going to offer it, they should provide it. The front desk promised to look into it, but we never heard anything back. Second, employees should be aware of other guests in the area. I was downstairs sitting at the computers next to the front desk where I got to hear a pair of employees complaining about one of the customers. There’s probably a better place to do so than in front of other guests.

Value

We stayed over a holiday weekend and had a rate of $219. While that may seem a bit high for a suburban hotel, a quick look at the website didn’t show many rooms below $200 during the high season. I did manage to find some for $160 in February, but that’s probably not the ideal time to be in Minnesota. I thought the value for what I got, however, was quite good.