Rochester Hotel rooms/kitchenette/grocery suggestions

Hi @ginnycoleman Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Boy oh boy did you ever come to the right place! I spent 4 months at the Marriott Residence and a subsequent 3 more months with all the visits and such we’ve made back to Rochester over the past 2 years!

The Kahler Inn is closer but the parking is a challenge. The Marriott is connected via the subway system so you never have to walk outside. There is a parking lot outside or inside parking garage. The elevator takes you to the S level where you get out, turn left, and left again to the subway, which goes directly to Mayo. About a city block away…but underground and an easy walk in a carpeted walkway. You then go through a set of doors and are in the Gonda building! Easy peasy. I’ll post a picture at the bottom of my message of the subway system so you can see it.

The rooms at the Marriott are all suites. So they each have a kitchen with dishes and utensils, with a full sized fridge, stove top, some have ovens, all have a microwave and dishwasher. And garbage disposal. You have central A/C which you control. Some rooms have a fireplace. I bring a Brita pitcher because the water is heavily chlorinated.

There are one and two bath suites. We opted for 2 bedroom/2 bath simply because at the time I needed to have my own room for recovery. Having my own bathroom was priceless! But all the rooms are clean and pretty well stocked. Covid changed a lot of the housekeeping down to on demand only.

Wheel chairs are readily available everywhere at Mayo and you can take them back to the hotel to keep as long as you need it. Everything is wheelchair accessible. At the clinic there are a lot of volunteers in Blue Jackets who will help you with whatever you need. There are signs and directions everywhere! All the buildings are linked together and it’s so easy to navigate through the system. So try not to stress and just enjoy the gorgeous surroundings of the campus while you’re under their expert care.

Grocery stores deliver. There is a HY-Vee not too far.
1315 6th Street NW
Rochester, MN 55901
Store Phone Number
507-288-8233

Everything is geared around the clinic so you won’t have any difficulty finding restaurants who deliver too. And I know there are shuttles from the airport directly to the clinic.

Also, to get you started, Mayo has a wonderful Concierge service.
They provide free information about travel, lodging, things to do while you’re in Rochester… They can also help answer questions about what to expect when you visit Mayo Clinic.

Phone: 507-538-8438
https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide
Email: concierge@mayo.edu
Web form: https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/minnesota/becoming-a-patient/concierge-travel-services

I’m sure your schedule seems daunting. So many appointments…and once your initial exam is underway, you may have more added during the week. You’ll be amazed with how efficient and caring everyone is at the clinic! It is a place of hope… So I do hope you find answers to your health issues. You are in the very best care possible while at that Clinic. In fact I just returned from Rochester yesterday. It always feels like going home.

Have I missed anything? Any other questions? Don’t hesitate to ask.

The positive nature of your reply as well as the information you’ve provided gives me a measure of confidence as I move forward with the first steps of making my reservations, etc. Thank you! I have a feeling I will have more questions as the date draws near!

Hello @ginnycoleman, I would like to add my welcome to Connect along with @loribmt and others. Mayo Clinic in Rochester has Concierge Services to help make your trip go smoothly. They provide information about travel, lodging, Mayo Clinic and community resources to plan your visit. And it’s free. Concierge services: https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/minnesota/concierge-services. Wheelchairs are available throughout the Mayo Clinic Rochester.

Here are a few discussions you might find helpful while we wait for members to share their experience and answer your questions.

— Lodging in Rochester when visiting Mayo Clinic MN: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/lodging/
— Tips on What To Do while at Mayo Clinic Rochester: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/tips-for-upcoming-mayo-rochester-visit/
— Your Tips on How to Get Off to the Best Start with a New Specialist: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/your-tips-on-how-to-get-off-to-the-best-start-with-a-new-specialist/
— What to expect at Mayo Clinic, Rochester: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-to-expect-at-rochester/

The Rochester Airport does have shuttle services from the airport to Mayo Clinic and hotels - https://www.experiencerochestermn.com/planning-tools/getting-around/shuttle-service/

October is a nice time of year to travel to Rochester. The Residence Inn by Marriot is only a couple of blocks from the Gonda building here's their site with a map - https://www.marriott.com/hotels/maps/travel/rstri-residence-inn-rochester-mayo-clinic-area/. The Kahler is the closest hotel and the buildings are connected with a skyway -- https://www.thekahlerhotel.com/.

Are you traveling alone?

I will have a my daughter with me part of the stay, then my husband. Hopefully, depending on how long I am there, I won’t be alone for more than a day.

Thank you for this wealth of information! It will certainly help in my planning and making reservations which is my number 1 task for today!

I would like to add my two cents and say congratulations on choosing Mayo. We stayed at the economy version, called extended stay the first time we were there for 4 months. It was clean and comfortable but without the extra space and amenities. We still had a shuttle to Mayo almost every hour if we chose to use it, and a little kitchen for fixing food.
The second time we had a little more time to prepare financially and we stayed at Townplace suites for 6 months. This was a one bedroom, but the bedroom had a door, so one could rest and one could be awake. It also had a much better equipped kitchen. Mayo shuttle connects you to the clinic every hour during the day. Be sure to ask your driver for advice if you need it, relating to Rochester, they live there and drive patients all day long who often are in need of the very same things. If you stay in one of the hotels down close to the clinic there are winding subway and skyway tunnels that will get you there without even going out in the weather.
This is all secondary to the instant feeling of awe and calm when you first enter the Gonda building ( main clinic building). They will give you an agenda which could change but they print you new pages if it does. They will run all the tests they need to acquire the best information, the doctor you see will actually read those tests and answer all your questions and help you decide what is the best course of action for you.
I enjoyed the sense of knowing we were in good hands and feeling the first hope that my husband might have more than a few months left with me. Thankfully, we just passed 11 years since his diagnosis.

11 years! That is wonderful! Thank you for the information and for sharing your experiences! I am counting the days and more excited (despite the uncertainty) about this journey!

Previous responses covered most items I was going to mention.

Two things I do not think were mentioned:
1. create an account on Mayo's patient portal if you have not, you can look at all your appointments, check in ahead of time, see test results and provider notes.

Two way to access
1. from computer: https://onlineservices.mayoclinic.org/content/staticpatient/showpage/patientonline
2. If have smart phone, download Mayo app.

MN in Oct is beautiful, hope your visit goes well.

Laurie

Thank you for your reply! Setting up my patient portal account is one thing I have checked off my list, and now beginning to get records sent, etc.

I have not been in that part of our country, and I love fall, so will be a double blessing! 😊

Hi Ginny, It’s October and just checking in to see if you’ve had your appointments yet at Mayo-Rochester. You mentioned October but no dates.
How was your experience? Or if you haven’t gone yet, do you have any last minute questions?

Thank you for checking in on me! I continue to be amazed by Mayo Clinic and the support all the way around.

I arrived on Oct. 3, and ended up being there through this past Saturday, Oct. 16. I am headed back for another week on the 31st of Oct.

In terms of lodging, convenience, shuttle (even to Walmart!) and taxi service, it was exactly what I needed. The very short walk to the Clinic from Residence Inn was so easy. I even walked around outside a bit on the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed being outside and felt completely safe. I found that the cafeteria at the clinic had several items on the menu I could eat with my swallowing issues, and with a little planning in between appointments, got a few things to go for my supper. I spent a small amount of time walking through some of the shops along the subway, which gave a much needed break. I actually took a rolling cart for luggage and strapped my backpack to it and rolled it everywhere I went. I read a tip somewhere on here that a rolling cart/tote of some sort is helpful. I put small insulated lunch bag and two ice packs in it so it was easy to take my smoothies or food along with me on those long days that began at 6:00 am and lasted late into the afternoon. I had a delivery from Hy-Vee arrive on the evening I got to Rochester, and made a Walmart run on on the Walmart shuttle on a light appointment day. It did not take me long at all to know my way around the different floors and buildings.

I could not be more pleased with the care and attention I received while there. The doctor in Internal Medicine who is I guess acting as my “case manager” is truly not leaving any stone unturned to get to the bottom of what is going on. I’m a bit of a puzzle, but thankfully, some of the pieces are being put together and still waiting on a few more results and consults when I go back.

In terms of what I went in the first place: even though I do not have the antibodies for Myasthenia Gravis (seronegative) both the neurologist and neuro-ophthalmologist confirmed my diagnosis of general MG. My swallowing and gastro issues are still being looked into, and I was diagnosed with MGUS from extensive blood work. I had a pet scan, and the hematologist wants to repeat all the serum and urine testing in three months to see if I need to have a bone marrow biopsy. Also looking into how this new piece fits into the puzzle of some of my symptoms. The pet scan and a few other radiology images also showed extensive degenerative joint issues which I hope will be followed up on as well.

I think the aspect of the entire visit (and future ones) that I am so impressed and pleased with it that all the doctors work together and are on the same page in figuring out and ruling out what might be going on, instead of many different doctors in many different specialties diagnosing through their own lenses rather than looking at the greater picture together. If they have found something that could be problematic, they have jumped on it and put me with the right specialties and sub specialties to check it out.

I keep thinking of things to add! The patient portal was/is a wonderful tool and a time safer in filling out forms, etc prior to appointments. My husband was with me for part of the stay, but had to go back home (he’s an ophthalmologist and thought the entire clinic ran like a well oiled machine! Was very impressed!). We were pretty sure I was going to have to be sedated for a procedure or two, which did happen, but while he was not there. I was looking into how I could find a “responsible person” to be released to after sedation (not being put to sleep) but after asking at the desk of several of the departments found that if you are staying in a hotel on the subway and did not have to drive, you could be released on your own, which was a huge relief for me, and I did not have a problem at all.

I believe I was and am in the best possible hands, believe that I am getting/will get the best diagnosis and treatment plan in the world from the best (and kindest) doctors! I feel like an echo, but every single person I encountered was helpful, kind, and went above and beyond. And I felt like a person with real needs, not simply patient to check off and move on. And I didn’t even feel embarrassed when I had to lug around a 24 hour urine collection container 😉