“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” The words of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s famous sonnet could be adapted by travelers to describe the conveniences of a stay at Country Inn & Suites at Minnesota’s Mall of America.

Located beside the Mall, the hotel is steps from the Metro Transit Center with direct bus and light rail access to the airport and downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul, less than a half-hour away. For those who drive, parking is free on the outdoor lot beside the entrance, which leads directly to the reception desk located to the right of the front door. Take-away gourmet coffee is provided all day on a table opposite a comfortable lobby seating area with a blazing fireplace. Quick elevators arrive instantly and whisk guests up as far as the sixth floor.

Each room is a mini-suite with a seating area including leatherette pullout couch, a desk with plenty of outlets and a lower table to pull out at an angle to hold the computer. Light switches are convenient and simple to operate. A nearby cupboard holds a Keurig coffee machine, microwave oven and mini-fridge. While the only food in the room is beverage packets, customary minibar snacks are sold in the lobby at an “Inn Case” booth and priced below customary in-room charges. Wide windows in the bedroom illuminate a wide, king-sized bed with four pillows facing a console with both drawers and shelves housing terrycloth robes, an exercise mat and an elastic stretch workout band, while ironing equipment is provided in the closet. Both the bedroom and living room have wide-screen television sets.

In the bathroom, the sink ledge is raised to avoid water running off onto the counter where there is plenty of room to set out personal toiletries. The plug for the 1875-watt hair dryer is conveniently located beside a lighted mirror. Within a few months, Pantene amenities will be replaced by bespoke White Water products developed for the company by Beekman 1802 Spa in Sharon Springs, N.Y. The top of the shower curtain is a translucent panel providing a view out into the room, with no threats of Psycho surprises!

There are exercise machines in the fitness center. Two compact indoor swimming pools and a Jacuzzi overlook an internal courtyard with a fire pit that blazes all evening. Packets of graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows are provided for toasting on the microwave or outdoors at the fire pit. WiFi is free of charge and augmented by three computers in the lobby business center. The lodge’s sophisticated décor — taupe and beige with a jolt of orange-red — carries through from one bright armchair in each room to the extra stripe on the hallway carpet.

Flagship of the Carlson chain developed with a “bed and breakfast” concept, the hotel’s morning fare is varied with a choice of omelets, cereals, breads and rolls and three types of fruit juices. The hotel connects to TGI Friday, with dozens of other restaurant options steps away in the Mall. A coupon book provides bargain offers at many of the Mall’s 500-odd outlets, where no sales tax is charged on clothing and shoes. The mall encloses a multiplex movie theater, a zipline and a flight simulator. For children and young-at-heart adults, there are outlets of Lego, Hard Rock Café, American Girl and a seven-acre Nickelodeon Universe amusement park with a merry-go-round, Ferris wheel and a roller coaster, where a ride through its swerves and loops can physically express head-over-heels satisfaction with your stay at the Country Inn next door.

Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, Bloomington At Mall of America

2221 Killebrew Drive
Bloomington, MN 55425
tel 952 854 5555