Radisson Hotel Duluth-Harborview

I booked this hotel because of its location and the JJ Astor rotating restaurant at the top level. I saw the rating for this Radisson is only 6.4, so I did not expect the beautiful room to be so clean and the service so good! My whole family was totally astonished when we opened the doors to our amazing rooms on the 11^th, 6^th, and 3^rd floors. I believe this hotel got updated recently. The most convenient part is the USB plugs close to the beds. It makes you easy to charge your mobile device while you using it on the bed. The Grab and Go breakfast is a little too early, from 5:00am to 6:30am.

I think I paid only $ 49 for this hotel which is located right in downtown, and has a skyway to the rest of the nearby downtown areas. Apparently the skyway was not connected for the last couple of years, but is now connected. I thought this was a steal of a deal.
I had no issues at all during my 1 night here. Obviously the lobby and rooms are the nicest and most renovated areas of this older radisson hotel. Many of the bad reviews are from guests that stayed nearly a year ago or longer. It appears they have made many renovations and cleaned up their act. At least for the time I stayed and the room I was in (10^th floor). Everything was clean and worked and furnished with 3 star appointed items.
I would stay here again, if I was in town.

This review is about the rotating dining. I haven’t actually stayed at the Radisson hotel but certainly wanted to share our family’s experience at the restaurant. We made reservations on Easter Sunday for their brunch. What a great experience!
We arrived earlier than our reservation and thought we would check to see if we could get our table early. They were so gracious and put together a table within a few minutes. They have an updated décor and it was a very clean place.
We had a fabulous server. She was very attentive to our needs and somehow always kept track of us even though we were always moving! I am just super impressed. I would have such a hard time keeping track of people if that were me!!!
The food was great. There were 2 – 3 people always watching and exchanging out food. There was a great variety — eggs benedicts, waffles with various toppings, salad, turkey, ham, mash potatoes — more desserts than a person needs — but will definitely want! The food was fresh.
The views were really amazing and the speed is set just perfectly that a complete rotation will be perfect with your dining experience.
I would certainly recommend going there. It’s fun, great views, great service and wonderful food. As Unilocal says «Woo hoo, it doesn’t get much better!»

Way too much for what you get. $ 150+ and we had a tiny room that parts of the floor hadn’t seen a vacuum since they were invented. Rusty water came out of the pipes. Parking is terrible if you come on a busy weekend. Sleep number bed was broken. Tiny room with lakeview… Lake is blocks away obscured by city. Elevator takes forever, and stairs came out of the Bates Motel.
They didn’t send my business UPS as they lost it for six days. Refused to expedite ship it to rectify their error. Carlson Corporate and hotel’s owner agreed they should have expedited the documents, but Rhonda the GM obviously missed all the customer service classes in her rush to the top. $ 150 courier fee to fix it and she refused. Interesting to note I am a very vocal part of an annual convention that books a out 2500 rooms for 4 – 7 days. If we booked her entire hotel next year for this event… That is about $ 200,000+ worth of business. Seems like $ 150 courier fee is a small price to pay for $ 200,000 of guaranteed business annually.

We checked in at about 1am. The heat wasn’t on. I turned it on and went to bed. We woke up to a 45 degree room as the heater was broken. While leaving I stopped at the front desk to tell them the heat didn’t work in our room. They said ok and didn’t ask for the room number. Will never be back.

Our stay was only one night (and two meals), but the experience was as good as can be expected. We paid extra for a view of Lake Superior, but the check-​in clerk searched for the best deal for us, and found one! They know how to treat tourists!
Parking is free, and you’re close to downtown. Indeed, even on a cold January day we walked to the Depot/​Historic Train Museum and the Library. The view was, indeed, worth the extra $$, at least for one night. Hotel room was pleasant and warm, though a bit noisy even on the 10^th floor.
The revolving restaurant at the top was pretty good, too (see separate review). Breakfast was a better deal than the touristy prices for dinner, and I liked my selections better than my travel companion. But stay for the hour or so it takes for the restaurant to go all the way around!
We didn’t use any of the amenities like the Business Center, pool or Fitness Center, but the entire place reeked of class. Midrange between the cheaper hotels a bit farther out of town and the pricier places right on Canal Park, I would go back here if I was going to stay in Duluth for a few days.

Some of the bad reviews here truly perplex me. I really liked this hotel– it is a great value, in a prime location, has very friendly staff, and is a very interestingly designed building. We also enjoyed the pool and morning donuts.

I have been trying for over TWO MONTHS to book a hotel block for my wedding. My aunt is helping since I am in Chicago and she lives in Duluth. Sheraton. No problem. Sent my aunt the contract the next day, we signed, we booked. People in Duluth, my aunt included, warned me not to go for this hotel because of their reputation, but I insisted because it looked nice and I know that they are renovating. She could not get a hold of anyone for a few weeks so I volunteered to take over. Left Corey, their sales person, numerous messages with no call back. After a few weeks I spoke with a male «manager» who had Corey call me back. Corey informed me their phone system was not working and gave me his cell phone number. Tried that over and over, never heard back. Called the hotel and they informed me Corey quit. At this point my friend from my bridal party offered to help with this since it was becoming a daunting task. She got in touch with the manager Rhonda, but never heard back after multiple voicemails to actually book the hotel block. I finally left Rhona a voicemail. She called me back today, reprimanding me for having my friend call since I am the bride, raising her voice at me telling me that the male I spoke to was not a manager because they aren’t any there except her, and was completely rude. All she kept telling me and my friend is that since it’s August the prices will be high. Finally after trying to defend myself only to be stifled by her attitude, I simply asked if we could just do it now since we were on the phone and my friend was annoying her. She then proceeds to tell me that she doesn’t do that and the person who now does is off today. Are you kidding me? I am officially giving up. I don’t even want my wedding guests to stay at a hotel where customer service is non-​existent. I am definitely complaining to corporate about this and Rhonda specifically. Their reputation proceeds them and I hope that they can improve the way that they do things.

Friendly accommodating staff. Clean hotel & room. Those are my two positive two-​star comments. That was the best part of our experience and pretty much the only reason we stayed a second night (besides the hassle of going somewhere else) The man at the front desk checking us in was very friendly! On the second day, we caught the housekeeping woman to let her know that our room was not needing cleaned but we just needed a few more supplies, so she loaded us up… super nice!
My initial thought while booking the room was «At $ 184/​night, this must be a really nice room!» I’m SO glad I was able to get a federal employee discount ($ 109/​night) because the room itself was more like a «Super 8 price». Though the parking areas were insanely packed, by some miracle we managed to find the last parking spot in the whole parking lot. The hotel itself needs updating in general, however it WAS clean. Two elevators is not enough to accommodate a fully occupied 15 story hotel. (hockey tournament & tour buses)
Our room:
The room smelled musty.
The sleep number bed was broken with uneven baffles.
No microwave.
Not enough outlets.
Television was outdated.
The internet was slow.
The doors to each of the hotel rooms slam, which can be heard from inside my room.
I will emphasize that the staff was friendly and the hotel as a whole was clean. However, these two positives will keep us from staying here again… especially with the price being charged per night.

Nice restaurant on top of the hotel, otherwise not so great. Overpriced, not very courteous staff, so so bed, lukewarm shower on a cold night and a «whatever» response from the desk to low hot water issue. The bartender at the downstairs bar claimed he could not make a hot toddy and was somehow incapable of bringing us brandy, hot water, and a little butter in a hotel with two full bars and a bar food menu in the downstairs space.
Two stars only because they allow dogs, the views are nice, and as I said the restaurant at the top of the hotel is super nice.

Helpful staff, good location, got the job done. The sleep number bed was nice. But the physical plant needs some serious updating/​upgrading including room HVAC and the elevators. $ 192 after tax in offseason seems high for what it is.
Also, the appeal of a rotating rooftop restaurant is overrated — made me a bit queasy. ;-)

My husband and i stayed at the Radisson in Duluth this past weekend when we were in town for a wedding. After missing the booking deadline for wedding guest rooms at a different hotel, we started scoping out our options and found this hotel at a reasonable price (around $ 160, which seems to be pretty good for Duluth) on
. We booked, and then as the trip drew nearer, i started reading reviews and got really. REALLY. nervous. I saw all of the mangagement replies to negative reviews assuring guests that by next year, the hotel will be entirely different due to the remodeling — but that did not relieve my nerves surrounding our October visit.
Accurate things that I’d read about beforehand and why they get 4 stars instead of 5:
–Awkward parking. It’s all on a hill and wonky. We got there early (1:30ish in the afternoon) and fortunately found a spot — but it was clear that if we’d been even a little bit later, we would’ve been parking down the street at the bowling alley.
–Somewhat terrifying elevators. They’re painfully slow and often stop a bit unlevel with the floor. They get the job done but they’re not great and if you can help it, the stairs might be the way to go.
–Powerful toilet flushing! This one makes me laugh, but it’s true… if you’re staying with a light sleeper and get up to «go» in the middle of the night, be considerate.
–Really worn out blackout curtains. They were joke-​worthy, like a horror film… the question is, was whatever made those scratches and holes trying to get INTO the room or OUT?
–Minimal working electrical outlets. I wound up charging my phone in the bathroom.
The positives:
–Friendly and accommodating staff… we were able to check in an hour and a half early which was great since the wedding was at 4 and we needed time to get ready.
–Our room was clearly one of the already (at least partially) remodeled rooms… pillowtop beds and a Keurig, WiFi, and then the usual amenities… TV, toiletries, iron/​ironing board (which we used), hair dryer (also used), etc. I’m not going to see it was the most beautiful, top-​of-​the-​line room I’ve ever stayed in… far from it… but it was perfectly adequate and got the job done! It wasn’t the filthy nightmare that I read about far too often on here and I can tell that with the work they’re doing, they’ll likely become a lot more impressive by next year!
We didn’t eat at the hotel — neither the rotating restaurant upstairs nor the bar downstairs — but there are plenty of things in walking distance (we walked to a nearby bakery, the wedding ceremony, the wedding reception, and got late night pizza — all in walking distance of the hotel).

Made 3+ hour drive this weekend from South of Metro to Gooseberry/​Split Rock area for an impromptu fun family ROAD TRIP and this place pretty much ruined it. My fault for not booking something better ahead of time but again, impromptu and fun! County fair was going on + huge tourist attraction anyway = no rooms ANYWHERE. Somehow the Radisson in Duluth had a room. We had to take it. Pouring rain, we’re exhausted, IT’S $ 250??? Whatever, we need 2 beds. Parking is terrible, they don’t offer valet. Parked next door at a bowling alley under the clerk’s assurance that it was ok, despite signs stating otherwise. Lobby is tile, it was pouring, no mats, almost fell. Big stinky LOUD aggressive dog behind front desk counter (WHAT?!?), scared my kid. Ants in the elevator. Also tiled and wet in elevator. Took 10 minutes for elevator to come down, 10 people piled on elevator meant for maybe 4 people. Thing had to be 50 years old, doors opened 2 feet below the floor it was stopping at. Blood stain on sheet on one bed. A/​C unit blows BEHIND the curtains which can’t be opened or moved, so no air gets to room (had to use water bottles to rig them to stay behind the vents.) Your door is literally touching the door of the room next to you so you hear the coming and goings. Room itself was the same as something you would see at any $ 30/​night side of the road Motel. No mini fridge, and we had leftovers. Bathroom was standard crappy small old Motel bathroom. Kicker was when we complained in the morning at check out, the girl nodded at our complaints and said, «Yep, you’re right. We keep getting bad reviews online and stuff and maybe when they get enough they’ll finally remodel some things, we really need some remodeling done. REALLY? It’s so bad that the employees just agree (and offer no recourse, of course)? I guess Maybe I’ll help them get to their quota of bad reviews!
After posting this, I went to Tripadvisor and posted the same thing there as well, and they have dozens upon dozens of terrible reviews stating what garbage this place is, and «Rhonda — GM» has been responding to every single one by pimping the incredible renovations that started today and will end in December and will address every issue people are (rightfully) upset about. Well how about you charge $ 75-​$ 100 a night tops until your shit is together? I’m not paying $ 250 NOW because it’s going to be a nice place to stay in 6 months. That’s pure bullshit.

Kind of overpriced for average hotel. Parking SUCKS, do not leave after 6pm on a weekend you’ll never get a parking spot. People park you in, park areas that block the ramps to leave or enter… just becomes a crowded mess where people door ding you, hit you, etc… On a positive note, the Beds are comfy and the sheets weren’t stained, yay! Air conditioner worked great, wireless internet had no problems connecting, and was super fast. Great fitness facility, loved the red wall. And had a great view towards the harbor, Lake Superior.

Staff was very friendly and helpful. Beyond that nothing good to say about this hotel. The bed frame was broke, the air conditioner leaked a large pool of water, the towel bar was lying on the floor, the other bed did not have a sheet on it, more than half of the outlets did not work and incase I was hungry the maids left some french fries from previous guests on the floor.
The hotel seems to be in complete disrepair, I am surprised Radisson allows their name to be associated with these conditions.

Not worth the money– sleep number beds, thin walls, blood droplets on sheets, shower switches hot to cold, outdated décor, friendly staff, great location & views but look elsewhere to stay if you can.

Excellent value and courteous staff/​service. Hotel needs some TLC but I understand they will be renovating soon. Pool is spacious if a bit rough around the edges. Guest rooms are small but adequate. We had lovely views of the lake and lift bridge. Parking is very packed on weekends, but it’s free for guests. Altogether a great choice for a weekend getaway to Duluth.

Stayed here while in town for a hockey tournament. Checked in Friday, out on Sunday. Booked through Expedia.
Had a perfectly fine experience. Hotel décor is a little 80s-​tastic, but just fine. Everything in our room/​areas we were in were clean and up-​kept. Heating controls were intuitive, and VERY responsive, air filter was clean, possibly cleaner than our one at home. :) Housekeeping kept things neat and clean, no issues with trash/​etc. Had no issues with the outlets in our room, although one was on a wall switch that was somewhat confusing at first. (No power to the outlet if wall switch off) Had no issues with mold, or water staining.
Parking lot was right next door to hotel/​attached, and although it’s partially on a slope, didn’t have any issues with pot holes or being unable to find a spot.
Hotel had a pool/​hot tub, but didn’t get the chance to check it out. The restaurant on the roof (which turns, which is weird) is fancy, we went up once to check it out and didn’t stay there, as I felt quite out of place in my sweats. :) The bar next door that we got BOGO coupons to on check in had rather limited hours and we were on a schedule so we didn’t get to it.
It *was* rather expensive for what we got, quality-​wise, but it’s a tourist hotel in a tourist area with very few hotels. It was also very convenient to get to, being right off 35. It’s also walkablely close to Canal Park and the tourist stuff there.

Not sure where to start.
We’d requested a quiet room when we made the reservation. The walls were so thin that the conversation in the next room might as well have been in our room. The phone didn’t work, and after messing with it for ten minutes I realized that I had to push and hold the cable really hard into the wall jack or the connection would drop. When I got through to the front desk and asked for a new room, they told me that would not be possible, but that they would let the people in the next room know that they were too loud. I told him they weren’t loud, they were talking quietly but I could still hear every word. He just apologized and said he’d talk to them. Thanks for making me the most popular kid on the block. Geez.
When I checked in, they told me that i probably had to park a block away because their parking lot was probably full. I drove through the lot and found many open parking spots. I reminded them that we needed a pack-​n-​play for a baby in our room. The guy at the front desk was smokin’ silly greens or something, and here’s why. I asked for a pack-​n-​play when I checked in with him and and got the key, and he agreed. Thirty minutes later he showed up at our door with 3 other guys (only after I reminded another front desk staff member about our request when I called about the thin walls) and these guys just walked right in without knocking. He said that he was sorry for barging in, but that he didn’t think we had checked in yet. Same guy that I talked to! The staff at the Radisson is awful.
On to the hotel itself. The interior is disgusting. It was dirty, outdated and a little creepy. The sheets felt like they hadn’t been washed in some time, so I slept on too of the comforter and kept all my day clothes on because I didn’t really want to touch it. The walls had cracks, the vintage A/​C was all rusted, and there was a small ugly refrigerator that was so nasty looking and out of place that I almost unplugged it and put it in the hallway.
I could go on and on. Do yourself a favor and pay a little extra to get a nice room somewhere else if you visit Duluth. This place is an ashtray.

This is my first ever Unilocal review and it’s of course driven by a strong experience.
I’m a Priceline user and I win some and lose some with the «name your own price.» This wasn’t a winner.
This round hotel is tired and wreaks of the ‘80s with limited updates, the electric sockets are worn out & scarey. I’m laden with electronics that need power so that’s a challenge. If you stay on the 15 floor the revolving restaurant above sounds like a horror movie until it stops at 10:30ish. But the restaurant has a great view!
The staff try… however they probably could use customer service training to learn how to be more polished.