Reserve a Room at the Hilton!
This year, your over-night accommodation is something you must arrange for yourself. There are several options. But first, we are excited to announce a discount deal we have arranged for you.
TTC has reserved a block of rooms (10 as of this date) at the Hilton Hotel—MSP/Mall of America. There are several good reasons you should reserve your room here:
- You get a significant discount on a 4-star hotel. You won’t beat the value of this $99/night (single or double occupancy) room anywhere on the I-494 “strip.”
- Those of you staying here can take advantage of room sharing and carpooling.
- Free parking (for those renting cars).
- Free shuttle to and from MSP (for those not renting cars).
- Free shuttle to the Mall of America.
- It’s less than 15 minutes to DanceLife Ballroom where TTC is “camping out” this year.
- The Hilton sits on the edge of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge where you can take in a hike or visit the interpretive center. Really: it’s within walking distance from the hotel.
This link — Hilton-TTC Tango Camp — will take you to a special reservation website set up by the hotel just for TTC. All the information is there, and you can begin your booking from the site.
If you have special requests, or just want to make your reservation with a human, call Hilton Reservations (855-271-3621) and say that you want to reserve a room at the Hilton-MSP/Mall of America and that you are part of the group TTC-Tango Camp Minnesota. There are other Hilton hotels in the area, so make certain you specify the Mall of America/Airport hotel in Bloomington.
The hotel’s local phone number is 952-854-2100. Their website is hilton.com/en/hotels/minnesota
We only have 10 rooms reserved, so don’t delay. If we reach our 10-room capacity — and there are rooms available — the Hilton will open our block. But don’t rely on that possibility.
Just so you know: if you leave before your reservation is up, or if you leave after the check-out time (without permission), you will be charged an additional $50.
Other Options
For the more independent minded, there are, of course, other options to consider.
Note: DanceLife Ballroom (the TTC workshop location) is at 6015 Lyndale Ave. S., which is just north of Hwy. 62 and 5 mins. north of I-494.
This report was compiled by your “concierge” for past TTC events, Don Rowe. If you have questions, send an email to venue2016@tangoteachercoop.org.
Hotel Accommodations
There are several hotels along the eastern corridor of the I-494 “strip” between Lyndale Ave. and MSP airport (Best Western, Four Points Sheraton, Holiday Inn & Suites, Crowne Plaza to name a few) with rooms running around $120 to $150/night for the Labor Day weekend.
There are even more hotels along the I-494 “strip” west of Lyndale Ave., clustering around France Ave. and Hwy. 100 nodes. Several can be found for under $150/night for the Labor Day weekend.
None of these locations along the “strip” are further then 10-15 mins. from the studio. A car is necessary, though (rental or taxi or Uber).
The search tool I found easiest to use was either Google Maps or Hotel Guides (hotelguides.com). Both worked pretty much the same:
Google Maps: (this link will bring you to the results below, but if you want to get there by yourself, here’s how: search for “Lyndale ave. s.”, when it’s found, click on the “Nearby” button in the search results window (bottom list), then click on “Hotels nearby” in the list that pops up. Viola!) Red dots populate the I-494 strip and beyond. Click on any one of them and a window pops up stating the hotel name and a few details. Note: the starting price posted is not what you will pay over Labor Day weekend. I checked. But several can be had for under $150.
Hotel Guides: this link will bring you directly to a page “Find Hotels near Southdale Center”. Fill in the dates if you want, but you’ll find a map (thanks to Google) if you scroll down. Click on the red squares for hotel information.
Bonus
Hotels around France Ave. and Hwy 100 are near the historic Southdale Mall and many satellite shopping centers surrounding it. Southdale is historic because it was the first entirely enclosed shopping complex in the nation, designed by a famous architect.
Hotels nearer MSP airport are also nearby the Mall of America and Ikea. I need not say more.
Motels
There are a scattering of motels in the area, one being quite close to Dance Life. The latter is not recommend. You’re on your own with any motel stay.
Local Sharing
There are some local dancers that might be happy to share an extra bedroom. You might even know of some. So, give them a call. Or put in a request or query on our Facebook page.
Of course, there are room-sharing sites like AirBnB if you’re more inclined to live with the locals (that you don’t otherwise know).
Car Pooling
Car pooling is one of the advantages of having several TTC guests staying at the Hilton. But even if many others choose to stay at other hotels along the I-494 strip, car pooling is still a real possibility. If there is enough interest in coordinating carpooling requests, or sharing where you are staying, you could post something to that affect on the TTC Facebook page. We can even open a sharing document if demand is high to hook people up for rides, dinner, hotels, or local touring. Let us know on Facebook.
Downtown Minneapolis
I wouldn’t rule out Downtown. It’s only 15 mins. away from Dance Life down the I-35 corridor (it’s the holiday weekend, so you shouldn’t see rush-hour traffic). Many hotel opportunities open up of course, including a nice little B&B in historic St. Anthony (Leblanc House: leblanchouse.com). It goes without saying that Downtown offers many opportunities for shopping, eating, and exploring the old Mill District and historic St. Anthony across the River — all within walking distance or a 50¢ bus ride.
You might even skip renting a car if you stay downtown: taking the bus to Dance Life is a cinch (Route #4).
Metro Transit
Check the MTC website for the downtown (50¢) boundary limits and other information: metrotransit.org.
