The Suites Hotel in Canal Park

We have stayed here before and will stay again (good location and prices) but this time we found a wine cork on the bedroom floor, small pieces of glass on the floor in the "kitchen" area and lipstick on nearly all the glasses in the cupboard. I let the front desk know and they were very apologetic. No offer to compensate us but they did vacuum. This hotel used to be called Hawthorn Suites and more reviews can be found under that name.

We made reservations at The Suites before we read any reviews. After reading the reviews I had some doubts as to whether or not we should stay there, but decided we would anyway since opinions can vary greatly, but we made sure to ask for a room with windows because we like to sleep with the windows open at night. We stayed in a 1-bdrm suite, which was of considerate size. We had two windows in the bedroom with a whirlpool in the corner. The suite was tastefully decorated. The 1st suite we stayed in for the first 2 nights of our trip could have been cleaner. We found bits of string on the carpet and pretzels under the sofa bed and surmised that they need to vacuum. When we returned later in the week we stayed in another sweet of the same size. There were some minor mechanical issues: one of the windows couldn’t be opened no matter how hard we tried, the toilet flushed on its own intermittently, and the deadbolt could only be locked if we pressed hard against it, but nothing that ruined our stay. Naturally, we submitted a maintenance request upon departure. We enjoyed the space this suite offered and the kitchenette with full size refrigerator. Be aware some rooms actually have no windows, so be sure to ask when in doubt and state what you want.

If you want to spoil yourself and be within walking distance of the shops and restaurants of Canal Park, we’d recommend giving this place a try. Be advised this building used to be a warehouse. The hotel is old and it does show its age, but it can be seen that they’re working at keeping it up. If you want quiet, ask to stay on the backside of the hotel facing the William Irwin ship. Otherwise, you’ll have to deal with the noise of the morning and evening traffic, garbage trucks, and the chatter of pedestrians.

They’re pet friendly, too, which is great news for pet lovers. It was perfect for our large dog, but you have to walk to the corner near Red Lobster to find any grass to walk your dog. Another caveat: parking is outside across the street the front of the hotel, but for us it meant we were able to check on our car at a glance and parking was free.

It was great!! We enjoyed all the rooms!! Full size 2 bedrooms, 2 full size bathrooms, a full size living room, full size dining room, full size kitchen with icemaker in the freezer!!

We were very lucky to get windows, which was great. We got to have our windows open at night, and during the day we could see the charter fishing boats, the old train and listen to the whistle!!!!!

We (10 women) parked in the back behind the hotel. It was a little difficult a couple of times to find a parking space but we did.

The front desk was nice(extra wine glasses and towels, pillows and blankets), the cleaning staff helped us out also, we didn't need them to clean our room each day. We just gave them our trash and our dirty towels, and we got all clean towels and more trash bags. There was no reason the have them come in our room to try and vaccuum around all our stuff for 10 women to even attempt to clean around. Also, the breakfasts were just fine, there was different options for everyone. Hot and cold. A couple of the ladies went across the street, but we mostly stayed at the hotel.

The only slight problem we had was there was only 4 luggage racks for this large property. But, then maybe that just means we need to bring less stuff!!

The location is great. Within walking distance to many restaurants, shops and the lake walk. We enjoyed it all.

I have stayed at The Suites many times and always have enjoyed it. There is ups and downs to every hotel. But staying at The Suites is always seemed to be a great stay for me. When my family checked we were greeted by this wonderful younger lady who was there every night that we were there and greeted us everytime she saw us which made my family feel like at home, she seemed liked she actually cared how my family was and always asked if we were enjoying our trip. We checked in on a monday night just because we like enjoying the hotel when its is a little more quiet. Monday through Thursdays they also have this wonderful social hour which is great. Free beer, soda and some snack type items. There is just a couple things to remember when booking a room at this hotel some rooms don't have any windows and if you are like me thats just kind of wierd. My family was upgraded from a average size one bedroom into a two bedroom suite with a huge whirlpool, new furniture, and full kitchen. I don't think we have ever had a nicer person check us in and upgrade us because they have had open rooms and they were just trying to be nice. Another perk is the suites club we have had 2 free stays so far. Housekeeping is really good on doing extra little things for you, we asked for extra towels and blankets and they left extra towels in both bathrooms and by the whirlpool for us which was really nice. The only part of the stay that was a little bit different was check out, the two lady's that were on in the morning looked like they both had a bad morning one didn't seem like she knew what she was doing and the other one i don't know if she was the boss or who she was but she was she was kind of rude and snippy. But overall, breakfast is good, location is great, pool is average, night staff is execelent, housekeeping is great, rooms are beautiful, assistance is amazing.

We stayed for 3 nights in one of the 2 Bedroom King Suites in March 2008. I was very impressed by the expansiveness of our Suite. We were with our 2 children, and my wife's 12 year old sister...so it was nice that the kids had their own room, and we had our own room with an ensuite bathroom. There was a large living room area, which also contained a kitchen area (stove top, microwave, full size fridge, dishwasher, sink, glassware, cutlery, tableware). Very convenient and the kitchenette and full sized fridge helped to keep restaurant costs to a minimum! There was another bathroom off of the 'foyer' area of the suite. Each bedroom had a TV, in addition to the TV in the living area, so there were no TV battles during our stay! It was not uncommon for my wife and I to be watching something in our room, her sister watching something in the living room, and our kids watching something else in their room.

The pool was a little chilly, and I had to request that the hot tub temperature be increased (I believe it must be turned off during the day??!!!); however it was quiet and the kids enjoyed themselves. I could not imagine trying to relax at one of the other Duluth hotel pool areas with hundreds of screaming kids running around!

The location of the hotel is excellent. There are restaurants attached to either end of the hotel... and all of Canal Park is easily within walking distance. Downtown Duluth is also very close. There is a fun centre for the kids only about a 2 minute walk from the hotel. In fact I spent an entire day there with the kids while Mom went shopping!

Parking is across the street, however I really did not mind that....I'm not sure why other people have registered complaints about this.....so you have to cross the street - no big deal. Plus, our room was on the side overlooking the parking lot so I was able to keep an eye on my vehicle. When we checked out, it took me an hour (no joke) to pack up the back of my truck with all of the purchases we had made over 3 days. I simply parked in front of the hotel doors and there was no hassle.

Prior to this stay, my wife and I had usually stayed at the Inn on Lake Superior. While we find that to be a nice hotel as well, I believe we will be staying at the Suites from now on. The extra room in the suite makes the stay so much more relaxing when you are travelling with children!

We stayed at "The Suites Hotel in Canal Park" over the 4th of July weekend, and it was very good. Service was very good, food was very good - and the maid service was also very good. For the price you really get a good sized room. We stayed at another hotel in Duluth for one night to use the waterpark and that hotel was not nearly as nice as this one. I'd recommend this hotel to anyone who is looking to go to Duluth for a weekend or just a night. If it's for a week I'm not so sure, as parking is kind of tough (across the street). Also - having so many food options nearby helps greatly!

My husband and I decided to stay in Duluth for a few nights following our wedding. We arrived, and the staff was friendly. Although they were not able to find our reservation ( it was there, original reservation was incorrectly spelled) they were quick to honor our original price and upgrade us to a two bedroom suite. The hotel looks uninviting from the outside, but felt like home inside. We had a two bedroom, two bathroom suite with fireplace and jacuzzi tub...it was wonderful! And there is a Timberlodge steak house inside the hotel! The pool was wonderful, and you are right down the road from the Lift bridge!

My family and I stayed here over the Fourth of July weekend. We had an excellent time at the hotel. It is close to the bridge and all of the shopping down Canal Park. On Thursday and Friday evening they had a happy hour free beer snacks and pizza from old Chicago.

The only thing that was unusual was there was not a window in our room. Otherwise the room was very nice large came with the refrigerator and stove. Space they also offer a continental breakfast every morning which included French toast, sausage, bacon, and other cereals. We will definitely stay there again next time we are visiting.

I actually was the manager of a hotel in Brooklyn Center at the time, and one of my co-workers was talking about this great hotel she had been to. I asked where, and when she said Duluth, I figured that I would book a room there, since I was going to go up there anyway.

When we got there, we pulled up, and the building is an old warehouse style building. I wasn't so sure that it was going to be as great as my co-worker thought, but once I got inside, I was definitely impressed.

Our room was close to the pool, and fantastic! We had a kitchen in the room, complete with a dishwasher, and a large king bed which was very comfortable. Being a hotel manager, I immediately inspected the room, and was very impressed. There were no water spots on the dishes, I couldn't find a speck of dust - it was very clean.

Breakfast was awesome, and we definitely were very pleased with our stay. I hooked up to the high speed internet, which was great, too. I really hope to spend a night of my honeymoon here, but I may be visiting much sooner than that! It was great!

We stayed at the Hawthorn suites April 27-29, 2007. We were amazed at the size of the room. We had a king whirlpool suite. To our surprize it was a two bedroom, two bathroom suite, with a full kitchen and gas fireplace. Check in and checkout were fast and friendly, and the maid service was good too. Always lots of fresh towels and very clean room.

The one thing I need to stress is to call the property for room availability. The internet showed they were booked for the entire year. When I decided to call, they had rooms available for us.

The location is fabulous! Within walking distance to so many bars and sights. We will absolutely stay here again.

A group of 6 girls, 25-30 yr old stayed in the Waterfront Suite section of Hawthorne. We stayed in a 2br condo that could have easily slept 10. The room must have been at least 1000 sq ft. One br had two double beds, and the other had a king bed with a separate bathroom. In ther living room, there was a small hot tub, fireplace, and a sleep sofa. We also had a full kitchen and dining room table. There was plenty of room, considering that we stayed for 3 days. It was $209 per night plus 13% tax...well worth it.

The reason that I give it such high marks is because they were very accomodating. The room was nicely decorated, but not the nicest place that I stayed. Parking was free and check in was easy. They tell you on the phone that you have to pay $10 per person per night extra if you have more than 4, but they didn't even ask us. The location is phenominal as we were connected to Red Lobster, Timberlodge, Old Chicago. We were a block away from Grandmas which was an absolute riot. We were on a Bachelorette Party, but the crowd was very mixed from 21-50 yr olds. A refreshing experience coming from DT minneapolis. We also went to Superior one night to Stargate. It is a very clubby bar. The cab ride was only $8.

Duluth is a beautiful city and it seemed like no matter what the age, you were there to have a great time. Everyone was so nice. I will definitely go there again.

Great re-use of a historic building. Large inviting lobby with fireplace.

The breakfast was the best I've had at a hotel and it was free. Eggs, hashbrowns, coffee, juice, cereal, fruit. The rooms were larger than I expected and the ceilings were over 12' tall.

The staff was very professional and friendly. Location was great. parking was a plentiful and free which probably explained why most of the spaces were full since the other hotels in the area were not.

Would definitely stay again.

Stayed at the Hawthorne Suites Canal Park this Past Saturday-Thurs.

The hotel has alot of ameneties such as free internet use in the lobby.. laundry facilities..and several restaurants nearby that you can sign for to be billed to your room.

The hotel is located in a fun area.

The suite was quite spacious and kept very clean. The staff were all most accomodating and friendly..aiming to please.

For those travelling with kids, there is a nice indoor pool and the pool area was clean and safe.

The daily complimentary full breakfast was served hot and was very plentiful.

There were snacks and cold drinks/beer in the evening and on Wednesday evenings there were hot horduerves served. A nice touch...

The hotel is located in walking distance to many shops and restaurants.

It was a great hotel stay and I'd highly recommend this hotel.

I am sure during the summer this is a very touristy area.

A definate 2 thumbs up for this hotel.

This hotel has a diverse range of room offerings and you need to understand what you are reserving so that you get what you want. There is an adjacent building that has Luxury units some of which are timeshare units. These are the ones referenced in earlier reviews having fireplaces, full kitchen etc. I stayed in one of these (no pets in this section) and loved the exposed wood beams and wood floors. Truly outstanding although this wing may overlook the street. The main hotel has interior rooms which are windowless but lower priced and fine for those who don't care about views. The regular suites can be dull but are spacious compared to a standard hotel room. The pool area is above average with a nice hot tub and big windows. The location and parking are great (free parking) - this area is very crowded in the summer. Nice walk to many restaurants and Lake Walk. Dogs are allowed in the main hotel - great for pet lovers but may impact cleanliless a bit. The hotel is not fancy, it is not intended to be. The kitchen in every suite I ever stayed in was well stocked and very clean. Overall, a great value.

Kids will love the pool area and more relaxed atmosphere.

A welcome sight after a long night of dancing and socializing at our wedding. We are from Duluth and live less than a mile from Hawthorn Suites, but I'd pick to stay here any night of the week versus my own home!We stayed in a Whirlpool Suite and it was a perfect end to a wonderful wedding day.

Our nonsmoking room was smelled smokey. We were put in one of the newer 2 bedroom suites, at no extra charge! It had a fireplace, jacuzzi, full kitchen, dining room, living room and 2 bathrooms. It was a beautiful 2 bedroom "home".

Stayed at the Hawthorn for 3 days. We had the 2 bedroom, two bathroom, fireplace, full kitchen, jacuzzi suite. It fit our family of five perfectly. The staff was great, the breakfast had something for everyone. The rooms are very clean, you cannot hear anyone else on the same floor no noise at all. We stay here every time we are in Duluth and have never been disappointed.

I arived in the midle of the night and the staff was efficient and very polite. In the morning the new staff knew my name (I had asked if I could stay latter than the reg. check out). I then wished to stay another night and they were able to accomidate me even with a busy weekend in Duluth. The rooms are unique, but nice, clean, comffortable and everything worked (tv, microwave, frig, etc.). I will stay there again and highly reccomend it if you are looking to stay on Canal Park in Duluth.

We recently spent a night at The Suites in Canal Park. Our suite was large, clean, comfortable and quiet. We did pay a little more a suite with a window, which was small, but provided a nice view.

The front desk staff were pleasant and efficient.

A wide array of cold and hot food was offered for breakfast. Although the eggs weren't great the pastries were delicious.

I have been staying here about once a year for the past 6 or 7 years. When I first stayed, it was a Hawthorne Suites. I have stayed in various types of rooms within the hotel. Some are better than others. If you are looking to book a room, try to ask some questions about when the room was last updated. By far, the best rooms which I have stayed in are the two bedroom whirlpool suites. They are some of the priciest, but they have the most modern kitchens and furnishings. They are HUGE! which is great for my family. When they say two bedrooms, they mean it too. Each bedroom has its own door, bed dresser, TV, etc and are very large in and of themselves. I have also stayed in the two bedroom king suites. These are also very large, but perhaps a bit smaller than the two bed whirlpool. These rooms are OK, but the kitchens and the furnishings are not as modern as the two bed whirlpools. Further, I have stayed in their regular one room suites and they were OK, and to be fair, it has been a few years so they could look different now. I have never had any issues with the staff. Actually, I had a really good experience with the girl working during the mid week hospitality hour. We have small children and they serve snacks/pizza/beer/soda,etc for free on some evenings. It is in tha same area as the morning breakfast, so there is a juice machine for the AM use. The machine is turned off when they are not serving breakfast. But, when my 3 year old daughter saw it, she wanted to have juice. I told her no, but the gal running the free bar said it was OK, she'd turn the machine on so my daughter could get a glass of juice. I thought this was fantastic service and beyond the call of duty. If you are from Minnesota, see if your company is a MERSC member. If you have never heard of MERSC, look it up and find out about it and look to see if your company is a member. It is free to empolyees of member companies. It offers discounts at all kinds of events, movies, sercives, hotels, etc. This hotel offers very significant discount to MERSC members and that is how I always book. The AM breakfast is just fine. The hotel is in a great location, but the parking is across the street. I think there is limited parking near the building, for handicapped, etc. It is a converted industrial building, so that's what it looks like from the outside and a lot of that is kept inside as well. Open pipes, etc in the ceilings. If you don't like that look, then don't stay here and don't complain about it if you do. That's just the way it is. My wife and kids always use the pool and have not had any complaints. Overall, good solid place to stay and is the best deal in town if you can get the MERSC discount.

I'm of two minds about this hotel, and I understand why not all the reviews have been exactly glowing. I think the truth is that if you've gotten used to the nicer suite hotels, this hotel will probably look a little less spiffy in comparison. Objectively, there are several reasons for this: the furniture is somewhat older, the amenities are less obviously luxurious, and the rooms are cavernous. Our suite (two bedrooms/two baths) was literally bigger than the first apartment that my husband and I lived in. It's very hard to furnish a suite of that size and create the same upscale feel that you typically find at, say, Homewood Suites. This hotel is a converted warehouse, and looks it (as others have pointed out).

In my opinion, however, the advantages of this hotel outweigh any disadvantages of "style." Our suite was quiet and very clean. Our little boy had his own bedroom, which was even better than having him sleep in the living room on a sofabed. We had a full kitchen. The hotel actually has a kiddie pool, something we hadn't found anywhere else. And best of all, we were on a fantastic street of shops and restaurants, within view of the famous lift bridge and easy walking distance to the Duluth Dock (where you can board a boat to tour the harbor).

We visited Duluth in the middle of the week. It is possible (though we can't confirm this) that this may be a noisy street on weekends--but it was mostly quiet when we were there. It is a little inconvenient to park your car across Lake Street from the hotel, but you can pull up in back of it to unload and load your car. We were less impressed with the breakfast bar here than at the other places we stayed on this vacation. The use of styrofoam plates and plastic utensils was especially disappointing. But on the whole, if you're looking for an all-suite hotel in the heart of Duluth, this seems to me a very good option.

We stayed at The Suites Hotel in Canal Park last week (August). We have stayed there before and just love the huge rooms. The staff is very friendly and always willing to answer all our questions. During the week they have a happy hour in the breakfast area. They had pop, water, and two different kinds of tap beer. They also had 4 different kinds of appetizers to eat. Also on Wednesdays they have a hot appetizer delivered. When we stayed it was from Green Mill. Some people thought that is was a free meal and made total pigs of themselves. They would take PLATES full of pizza. By the time we got up to the front of the line there wasn't much to chose form. They did bring in more pizza though. We love staying here, everything is within walking distance. We also like having the Timberlodge Steak House righ there. They have a good happy hour with great prices. The only thing I didn't care for was the pool was very cold. Also you can't get into the pool area until 8:00 a.m. I like to exercise in the pool and couldn't get in early. Other than that we have stayed there many time and will in the future.

We were supposed to get a normal room but my mom was mad because there was like no where to park so when she told the person at the desk she gave us a presidental suite!! It was so awesome...there was a huge jacuzzi and a kitchen,big bathroom,a living room and 2 king beds. The only thing I didn't like was when me and my friend were just watching t.v. the remote was in the middle,but anyways it kept on turning channels. That hotel is like haunted or something. But otherwise great stay, fun pool.

We stay at this hotel every time we go to Duluth. There are great rates (call them directly and ask if there are any specials---you often can't find these on the web). Yes the interior rooms are dark but they are big and interesting! It's an old warehouse building. Great hot breakfast in the am, free computer use in the lobby, great front staff help (especially Lyndsey.......or Lindsey---anyway, she was very efficient and very helpful). The rooms are fully stocked with fridge, micro, dishes/glassware, etc. Interesting stores and restaurants within easy walking distance.

We stayed at the Hawthorn Suites - Duluth just overnight on our way up to Grand Marais, but it was someplace that we would have been happy staying multiple nights. We have 5 year old twins, and the hotel was perfect for them: indoor pool, LOTS of space in our room, thick enough walls that they didn't disturb other guests, and a perfect location as part of Canal Park. We stayed in an interior suite - which means no windows - but it was no problem. We actually slept better because there was no sun streaming in at 5am. Granted the breakfast buffet wasn't haute cuisine, but it was good enough, and we didn't have any problems with their running out of food. And if you're a fan of old architecture, this hotel's location housed in an old dry goods warehouse is fantastic. Especially the 15 foot ceilings in all the rooms. We'll likely stay there again, and definitely recommend this hotel to anyone.

We had a very nice stay in the suites for the first get away together as a couple. It was an incredible romantic weekend for us. Weather was rainy and windy and we spent most of our time in doors relaxing and spending quality time together. Room was clean and spacious. There was plenty of kitchen tools to warm up dinner and enjoy a bottle of wine while watching TV and listening to music. The down side for me was the pool was closed down for some reason. We are actually checking to go back Memorial Wkend and just learned rooms are sold out.

For the price, location and amenities, I got more than I expected.

After reading all the TA reviews, I didn't get my hopes up. But I requested a king in the newer part of the hotel and was pleasantly surprised. It was humongous - living room, kitchenette, spacious bath and a huge window with view over the canal side of the lake. We were exhausted after supper, so we chose one of the many channels to veg and drank hot chocolate, compliments of the hotel.

We did have a loud vent in the room, but I sleep with earplugs so it wasn't an issue for me. The bed was a little hard for my partner... those were really the only downsides.

The staff was very accommodating, parking was free, complimentary internet was fast and convenient, free hot breakfast was actually pretty good, and the location could not be beat.

The hotel is in an old warehouse building and because of this the pipes are exposed. I beleive it adds to the decore of the hotel. The hotel was busy but was not distrubed by any loud noise. The staff are friendly and the hotel was clean. The breakfest was good.

Weirdly dark room, but clean and nice. Nice pool.

Nice hotel, great location but FREEZING COLD POOL. This pool is not heated as far as we could tell. I could only spend 1-2 minutes in it before I had to get out. Very dissapointing.

My family of 4 had an interior room. It was darker than I anticipated but spacious and well equipped. The staff was friendly. The pool area was nice with 2 pools. The breakfast was abundant, the pastries and bagels were good, the coffee, eggs and sausage were not very good. But who goes for the food! The location was great, walking distance to the sights, restaurants and attractions in Canal Park.

My family and I stayed for a weekend. The location was great - in the Canal Park area. The accomodations - the suites - were just ok. The bathroom was very small. The rooms were quite pricy for Duluth. The complementary breakfast and happy hour were a nice bonus. I will say that from my window I could see a Hampton Inn and the Inn. Both hotels looks quite nice and much newer. If we return to Duluth, our selection may be one of those hotels.

It's 7:30am on Friday morning, and we are awoken by...BANG BANG BANG!

There was construction of new suites taking place next to our room, and the hammering continued *non-stop* until we got up at 9a.

A sign in the lobby said to pardon any contruction noise that might take place between 9a - 4:30p. Well, obviously the construction crews weren't paying attention. There was no warning about this when we booked, and the hotel appeared rather empty so it's curious why they put us in a room next to the construction.

I'll only stay there again as a last resort.

I had occasion to stay in the Hawthorn suites this past weekend and thought I would write my review while the experience was still fresh in my mind.

I booked our suite online through hotels.com and but the Hawthorn improperly entered my reservation into their system. Instead of March 3 to the 5th, the entered March 30 to April 2. It was a good thing I called to confirm last Wednesday, but the staff were very helpful and apologized by upgrading our room to a two bedroom suite with a jacuzzi and fireplace. Most likely, because the two bedroom king suite I had booked was no longer available.

In any event, the check-in process went smoothly, they were very efficient. The lobby itself is nice, and the adjoining breakfast area and business center are nice touches. However, the devil is in the detail and if you notice things like the wood trim, age of carpets and furnishings, you won't be overly impressed. It's time for an overhaul Hawthorn, and the entrances should be swept and cleaned more often during the dirty salty winter months. Not very important, but the devil is in the detail.

I can't say that I agree with some of the other reviews who noted that the halls were small and dark. The hotel is in an old retro-fitted warehouse, so the tall ceilings may give the impression that the halls are narrow, but I didn't find them to be so, nor were they musty.

Our room however was musty, but after opening the windows in each bedroom, the suite was nice and fresh smelling. The suite was clean and tidy, but again the furniture was past its prime and should be replaced, the large dinner table, a nice touch, had dings and scratches all over it and was starting to cave in. The small portion of tiled floor near the sink and fridge was also dented and dinged. Our garberator also wasn't working, but the fridge, oven and microwave were all functional and very clean.

I didn't find the king sized bed uncomfortable, if anything it was too soft. But the bedding was clean and fresh smelling and the mints on the pillows was a nice touch. The three 27" TV’s advertised on their site, are in actuality three 20-25" Zenith TV’s, that should definitely be replaced, or their site should be updated accordingly.

The Jacuzzi is located in the living room behind a sofa, facing the TV. It was clean, and worked well, although give yourself a good half hour to fill it with warm water.

My only real complaint is that the housekeeping staff and yes there are a team of five of them who descend upon the suite and clean it in less than twenty minutes, have to clean the room by noon or 1 pm. Even when at ten o'clock I asked them to come back and hour later, they returned at ten thirty and told me they had to clean the room as mine was the last on their list. I can't even imagine what hour they start work, if they've cleaned all of the rooms by 10:30, and I know the hotel was booked for that Friday night. It was unfortunate, and the hotel should adjust their staffing timetables.

On the whole I was somewhat disappointed with the Hawthorn, I found the descriptions on their site a little misleading. From a far it looks like a three or four star hotel, that's what they portray themselves as, and that's how they bill. But after staying, I would say they're at best three stars, and realistically, a two star hotel.

I did not eat breakfast in the hotel, but they had a large selection of eggs, bacon, muffins, coffee, juices, etc...

If you're looking for a good meal in the area, go across the street to the Greenmill or better yet go down the street to Famous Dave's, great BBQ and fish.

My family and I stayed there Thanksgiving weekend, 2002. We had a problem with banging pipes, but we talked to the manager and the next day were put in a two bedroom, two bath suite with a fireplace, whirlpool and full kitchen -- at no extra cost!! They were very accomodating. We would stay here again -- even if there weren't any problems.

First the good, the location is prime. The hotel is located in the midst of Canal Park. You can walk to restaurants and shops, or to the lake front. The view from our room was of the iron ore ship that you can tour. The location is prime.

The hotel is a converted old warehouse. An interesting idea. The rooms are quite large, but oddly laid out. The room we had, we paid more for a window. So glad we did otherwise the room would have been very dark and prison like. There is nothing of "comfort" in the room. The small loveseat was not comfortable and later we learned it was broken. The bed is hard, the linens are worn. The furniture is rickety and scuffed, there are stains on lampshades etc.

The hotel, unlike the location, is not prime. Our first room we checked into was quite chilly. The air conditioning was running (it was March in Duluth). I turned the fan off. We went in to take a nap. In the room you could hear a loud droning hum. It was quite loud. When we laid on the bed, the bed vibrated with the hum. It sounded like the entire buildings heating system was on the other side of the wall. We called the front desk, a guy came up and looked and listened, walkie talkied someone and left. Soon the front desk called and offered us another room if we wanted to move. We did. Our next room was the same type of room, just a different floor.

That evening we went to open the sofa bed. When we pulled the bed, it only opened half way as the frame and subsequently the whole sofa was broken. We called the front desk because we didn't want to try to pull the bed out further. They offered to send someone up with a roll-away. We said yes. The same guy came back up, gave us the rollaway and never looked at the sofa. We had to struggle to get the bed back in to the couch. Looking inside it, you could tell the whole thing was broken. There were also 2 crushed keg cups inside of the couch.

In the night our room became chillier and chillier. I got up and played with the thermostat. Nothing ever clicked on. By morning our room was 59 degrees. We didn't even bother calling, we were on our way out.

I went down to get coffee and saw 2 different empty beer bottles laying in the hallway by the elevator. My husband went to go work out and quickly came back and told me the fitness center was a joke. There were 2 machines in there, both cheap and rickety. Nothing that would suffice for someone who wants a real fitness center.

The breakfast was basic, coffee, cereal etc. Skip it and go across the street to Hell's Kitchen. Not free but so much better.

I wouldn't stay here again.

We have stayed here before and will stay again (good location and prices) but this time we found a wine cork on the bedroom floor, small pieces of glass on the floor in the "kitchen" area and lipstick on nearly all the glasses in the cupboard. I let the front desk know and they were very apologetic. No offer to compensate us but they did vacuum. This hotel used to be called Hawthorn Suites and more reviews can be found under that name.

We stayed here for a wedding - the wedding was beautiful but our stay in this hotel was not great.

Good points - good location, lots of parking (go around back so you don't drive around aimlessly looking for parking), room was a good size, no noise problems, fast check-in when we got in at 10pm Friday.

Bad points - breakfast food not the greatest - go there early before they run out. Biggest issue: my fiance wiped his noise on a towel and put it on the ground. We left the room around 1pm that Saturday since our housekeeper knocked on our door and seemed irritated that we hadn't left yet. When we came back, our towels were neatly folded but we noticed the towel was dirty! So, either she put up my fiance's dirty towel or she blew her nose on the new towel. Disgusting. We mentioned this to the young male manager on duty and he just stated that he would write it down in "the book." No apology or anything. Needless to say, we inspected each towel closely before using it!

The park area of Duluth is very nice - we would love to come back but will stay at a different hotel, even if we have to pay for our own breakfast. Luckily, the wedding was so beautiful it made up for the hotel experience!

Just stayed at the canal part Hawthorn suites over the weekend for a family reunion. Several family memebers stayed there and all had similar responses. It has great location and our rooms were clean. The problems included: luke warm to cool showers, worn sheets and blankets with holes in them. The breakfast bar was great but the dining tables were dirty with the residue of the pizza party there the night before. The garbage containers were full and the pizza boxes stacked up. This was at 7:30 am.!!

I travel quite frequently for work and have been to Duluth twice now. This was the first stay at the Hawthorne. I had originally booked three nights but cancelled the other two after checking in and seeing my room. This hotel is very old and the furniture and rooms are very dark and not all that clean...it is in need of a major update. My room did not have windows which was not all that bad, but if there is not going to be a window they need to really work on the lighting. The "luxury" suite was spacious but did have a strange smell and as I said needed to be cleaned! Let's just say I felt very uncomfortable here and could barely last one night. I hear from other reviews that there is a "better side" to this hotel. I don't know if I would be willing to give it a shot. I will not ever stay here again and would never recommend to anyone!

WEB site looks great.............but don't ever get a room above the restaurant! Loud music played until around 2:30 A.M. It was apparently the cleaning crew (according to the desk). Totally not a good value if you are up half the night!!

The hotel is very nice but very old. Because of the age, pipes are exposed in the rooms, adding to extreme noise. I found the staff to be friendly but that doesn't make up for the lack of peace and quiet.

There were also quite a few dogs wandering throughout the hotel which was surprising. I actually witnessed one dog urinating on a pillar in the hallway. I realize that this is not the fault of the hotel but probably would not have stayed there had I known dogs were allowed. I would only return if I was desperate for a room and their rates were significantly cheaper.

Although the hotel is clean and comfortable, their ambiance needs work.

The web site gives the impression of a sophisticated choice on Canal Park. We found as many screaming kids wrapped in towels from the swimming pool like most other hotels in the area.

If you are bringing the kids for some fun, it's great. If you are looking for a smart, stylish alternative from the "Holidome" type hotels...Keep looking.

We stayed July 4th in a 1-bedroom luxury? suite. The lobby was inviting, and the staff appeared friendly and helpful as we checked in, but we were very disappointed in our room. The living/kitchen area was very small and sparse. The bedroom, although large, reminded me of military housing- the cement walls and exposed pipes were painted a pale yellow and the trim was done in dark brown. Not much for decorating. The room which I was told had a harbor view did in fact look out at the back parking lot and the William Irving ship. One can't see any view of water from the room because of the ship which is stationary. Our room was not quiet as we could hear everything going on in the hallway. In the morning there was an expanded continental breakfast which was very nice. The staff was unable to keep up with the line of hungary guests though. There wasn't enough clean plates or trays and although I and another person both brought this to the staff's attention, they didn't seem to move too quickly to remedy the situation. We talked with another guest in the elevator who was actually from Duluth and she said her family always stayed at Hawthorn Suites when they needed a hotel in town. I couldn't understand it! We had stayed in another hotel just across the street last year. It didn't call itself a "luxury" hotel but the accomadations were much more pleasing and at a more honest price.

Convenient for family reunions that we have had in the past. Unfortunately the hotel has not kept up the rooms. Bathroom floors and walls were visibly dirty. Cot was not clean and the mattress was warn. Room and hall carpets not cleaned. Some items on the breakfast bar were of poor quality. Front desk not that helpful.

We stayed at The Suites on Lake Ave. South in Duluth because of its proximity to the Duluth Entetainment and Convention Center (DECC). It's walking distance. However, the hotel itself leaves quite a bit to be desired - particularly for the prices they charge.

The Suites is converted warehouse turned into a hotel and condos. There are three floors of hotel rooms and three floors of condos. This place has a few pluses, like full kitchens. But, there are many down sides, like not windows in half of the rooms and no windows in hallways. It's like living in solitary confinement. To see what the weather is you have to go down to the lobby and look out the front door.

Housekeeping service leaves a lot to be desired. Several days we were left with toilet paper, fewer than normal towels, and no soap.

The carpet was never vacuumed in the nine days we were there. There were pieces of lint on the floor when we checked in and they were still there when we checked out.

There is a guest laundry, but no soap available at the front desk as advertised. You have to walk down the street to a convenient store/gas station to buy laundry supplies.

They offer a free breakfast buffet, but it is inedible unless you like powdered eggs, soggy waffles, sausage swimming in greese and orange juice that ranks about three notches lower than Tang instant.

For a good breakfast walk across the street to Hell's Kitchen. It's not free, but it's excellent food at a good price.

The bottom line is: if you absolutely need a location close to the DECC, stay here. Otherwise, avoid this place.

Dan

We stayed at the Suites on Canal Park in Dec 07 while we were in the duluth area for some last minute christmas shopping. Our plan was to spend the evening in the pool with our kids than get up early and shop until late morning before going back and swimming again quick before checkout. But instead we were up all night long!

We had just dozed off after settling our newborn in for the night when a loud knock woke us shortly after midnight. My husband ran to the door in a frenzy thinking something was seriously wrong. Upon opening the door, he was rudely greated by a night security guard who stated that he was checking all the rooms on the floor because there had been a report of a smell of marijuana. My husband moved aside to allow him entrance into our room and the security guard stuck his head in the door looked around and said "oh you were asleep!" My husband (standing in his boxers) responded "thats what most do this time of night." The guard then heard that the commotion had woke our newborn and our 2 yr old! he said "oh theirs kids in here!" and without even coming in the room to "check" he said have a good night and left our room. For the next half hour we were kept awake not only by our kids but by him continuing down the hallway and knocking on all the occupied doors.

As a result we were unable to get the kids to go back to sleep and were therefore unable to sleep ourselves. We tried to sleep in a little in the morning and were unable to do that as well because of the noise in the hallway from housekeeping and other guests.

Upon checking out that morning I spoke with the front desk about the problems we had, and a male manager who was very apologetic , gave me a business card for a Katy Draeger and said that I should contact her to get some compensation for our stay. I contacted her and was told that they were having a meeting about it that day and would get back to me right away. I never heard from them again. In April 2008 I was in the area for my newborn nephews emergency surgery and needed a place to stay and remembered that I had never heard back from them, I called and spoke with Katy again and she was very rude, and told me that the previous GM said she was going to call me and tell me that there was nothing out of the ordinary about what went on that night. I asked if I could even get a discount for being in town at the hospital and she very rudely told me that I would not recieve any discount and then hung up on me!! I was appalled at the way I was treated while staying there and even more at how I was treated later after being told I would recieve compensation and then being told to bug off! They are very disrespectful, when I am paying for a place to sleep I expect to be able to sleep and not to be awoken by sub par security guard who pretends to be a super cop! I would never recommend this hotel to anyone who was interested in sleeping! Feel free to contact me if you like I will be glad to elaborate!

We took this hotel by chance as no reviews were written then. When we came in, it was the worst. The room we were given said it has a window. It wasnt a window at all but a porthole! by size and stuck all the way to the far end of the room. The room looked clean but the hallway had seen far better days (maybe it was really a nice hotel in the 20s- 50s). It looked like the place where they shoot those horror movies. Then, the bed was an issue there were bedbugs! we could not sleep the whole night. It was a nightmare! We booked for two days but we cancelled right away. It was free buffet breakfast, alright. But it looked like a mess hall and it was dirty. The Comfort Inn suites/inn where we transfered by Lake Superior was by far better than this supposed to be grand hotel. It wasnt worth the price we paid ($150). It was a rundown hotel and needed serious major renovation.

Husband and I stayed in a Luxury Suite??!!! Halls and rooms smelled very musty. Mattress was very uncomfortable........

Staff very inattentive.......and not helpful........Will never stay there again...

Beds rock hard. No Windows in rooms. Loud banging pipes. Worn out sleeper sofa. I could not get out of the hotel fast enough.