100 day stay in Rochester, MN @ Mayo

Hi @wifeatbedside. My husband and I went through this exact scenario with relocating to Rochester for my BMT for AML several years ago. Our insurance would have paid a portion if we’d stayed in our home state. But Mayo was the preferred option so we paid out of pocket while staying at the Marriott Residence Inn on Center Street, for the same reasons you are discussing. (Including the bazillion points you get for earning Ambassador status at Marriott. 6+ years later and we’re still reaping the rewards LOL).
When securing lodging, because it’s longterm over over 30 days, most places give you the option of leasing. That way you don’t have to pay the county room tax so it chips off some $$$. The lodging, because it’s for medical reasons is also deductible on your taxes.

The convenience! Short walk to the clinic via the subway inside! No trying to find parking!! You park the car most economically right across the street at the West parking ramp. It’s $12 max per day. At the time we were there we parked indoor at the Marriott. The two bedroom/two bath suite is ideal. Pricey yes, but having the two bathrooms, the full kitchen-full sized fridge, range, microwave, dishwasher, garbage disposal was wonderful! There’s a laundry on-site 2nd floor, gym.
The first few weeks your husband may be too weak to walk that distance so there are wheel chairs available at Mayo! You can take one right back to the hotel with you! We kept one for quite a few weeks until I felt we didn’t need it anymore.

I’m the mentor for this Bone Marrow transplantation support group and here to help you, along with fellow members who have walked this walk. You’ll find our stories in the link below as well as numerous other discussions.

My Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT/SCT) story: Will you share yours?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/my-bone-marrow-transplant-bmt-story-will-you-share-yours/
I also have more information for you such as what to pack, timelines, etc., but don’t want to overload you right now. I know this can feel very daunting but it’s quite doable!
Has a donor been found for your husband?

My husband and I stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn nearly four years ago - thanks to the recommendation from Lori! I had an autologous stem cell transplant April 2022. The Residence Inn is not fancy, but it was quiet and comfortable. My SCT experience was entirely as an outpatient but I did have some unpleasant side effects so having separate bathrooms was better for us. The kitchen enabled us to do some simple cooking, and I could rest in bed while my husband watched TV in the living room. The kitchen was stocked with the essentials like plates, silverware, and pans so we didn't have to bring much from home. We borrowed a wheelchair and my husband wheeled me back and forth to my daily appointments through the well-lit and warm underground tunnel.

Parking is expensive at the hotel lots in Rochester but my husband found out something more reasonable after talking to the concierge at Gonda. (The hotel staff didn't tell us this.) They offered parking passes for the parking garages for people coming for long stays and he got one for 45 days @ $2.00 per day. Keep in mind this was in 2022 so things may have changed since then. It was also a bit of a walk for him from the Residence Inn ( a couple of blocks) to the parking garage but completely doable via the subway level. We were there for 5 weeks and all in all the Residence Inn was a great choice for us. Hope this helps and Good Luck to you!

@loribmt thank you so much! I’ve been skimming these pages and there’s so much good info that I haven’t gotten to! I will look forward to some of your additional resources as we get closer to transplant time.

I’m glad to hear you felt the two bedrooms were worth it! Selfishly, as the caregiver, I’m hoping to choose something that keeps me comfortable and rested and on my game as well so that was a big factor in. I’d been in contact with Broadway Plaza but their two bedroom - while gorgeous - is too far out of my budget to make work. They’d told me about the 30 days so I’m already considering that in. Savings is savings! LOL

I’m planning on calling Residence Inn directly to just get all the current information and assume there’s a sales office or something who can help. That’s another skill I’ve gotten to increase while caregiving…asking for help up front to just save time and frustration.

@loribmt I posted too soon! Hahaha Donor search just started after our Mayo visit on December 18-19, so no news yet. We are scheduled to return the last week of January for the pre-transplant testing and they were hopeful we’d have a match by that time. We will see! 1st consolidation starts on New Year’s Eve at our home hospital so a six day stint will be coming up shortly again.

@countrygirlusa this is great info! Thank you! I’m not opposed to walking a little to save some money on parking so I’ll look further into that! The only concern I’d have is a late night unscheduled health situation that would require us to quickly get somewhere because I *think* the subway closes at maybe 1am or something? But that’s just me trying to plan for everything in advance which isn’t always helpful. LOL

@wifeatbedside

The subways may close at a certain time (I don't know when) but there is a call button to call the security staff on duty, and they can open the gate for you to get in. They gave us a card with phone numbers to call if we had any questions 24/7 at one of the early appointments. If there is an emergency, you will get instructions on what to do. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Oh! Knowing security can come open things up is reassuring too! Thank you!

@wifeatbedside We had a couple of mid-night runs back to Methodist hospital 9-4 (station 94 as it’s affectionately called) it’s the BMT unit. As mentioned, we stayed at the Marriott Res Inn on Center street. You take the elevator to the S level, which is subway…turn left and head down the enclosed, well lighted, easy wheeling hallway (subway) to the clinic. It doesn’t close! You can get into the clinic to the elevators just fine.
You’ll also be given a card with phone numbers to call 24/7 for assistance. The team answers immediately to give direction. So you will never be left foundering as to what to do. ☺️.
* Oops…looks like @countrygirlusa beat me to that information! (🥰)

@wifeatbedside being the caregiver is draining. I watched my husband age that year while I was going through all the AML treatments and then the transplant. So it’s not selfish at all to want a 2 bedroom/2 bath lodging so that you can have a little retreat and your own decompression time! We were so happy that was an available option.
There were evenings when I wasn’t feeling well. So with the 2nd room, I could be sitting up in bed reading or using my own bathroom, whatever the time, without disturbing my husband. Another advantage was staying so close to the Clinic allowed my husband to quickly come and go if I had a longer appointment where he wasn’t needed. We made our hotel suite feel like our home away from home.
He set up a little office on the desk in his bedroom. Laptop, office supplies like stamps, envelopes, paper, tape, scissors, etc.
For my room, I bought one of those hanging, collapsible (12 sq) fabric shelving to put folded clothing in the closet. And another hanging shelf unit shoes and sundries. Took a flat, larger plastic tub to stick under the bed for some basic supplies, that type of thing…
Sanitation is paramount so we wiped down every surface of the hotel suite with sanitary wipes, bought a new toilet brush and cleaner so that my husband could clean my bathroom daily. We even called down to the desk to get a new shower curtain. Housekeeping brought it right up and changed it for us!
We brought some favorite things from home for the kitchen (my husband is the cook in our house) OH and most helpful was purchasing an inexpensive under cabinet light that you can stick up in the kitchen! Take it with you when you leave! But we loved having that extra light.
I brought along a sheet from home to toss over the sofa in the unit where I’d be sitting during the day.
We also had our mail forwarded to the Marriott. (If you don’t already, set up an account with USPS (postal service) to have Mail Preview. That way you can see what should be delivered to your mailbox on any given day)

To answer your question, yes, the Res Inn has great staff at the front desk. They’re used to long term patient stays and were very accommodating to both my husband and myself.
The rooms were all just recently updated. It’s not fancy but clean and serviceable…most of all close and parking right across the street in the ramp with a max of $12 daily. Or free a block away.