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MSP: 5 Things We Love About Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

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Our ‘5 Things We Love About…” series celebrating features and amenities at airports around the country and the world lands today at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP).

MSP sits on land that, back in 1914, was home to Snelling Speedway.

Auto racing gave way to airmail service and Speedway Field. In 1923 the airport was renamed Wold-Chamberlain Field in honor of two local pilots who lost their lives in combat during World War 1.

The airport’s first passenger service was in 1929 and in 1948 the MSP acquired its current name: Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Please keep in mind that some of the amenities we feature here may be currently unavailable due to health concerns. We’re confident they’ll be back.

5 Things We Love About Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

1. Award-winning restrooms at MSP

Clean bathrooms are an important airport amenity. Add art and an airport’s bathrooms can become something people talk about and give awards to.

That’s what happened when several sets of MSP restrooms were remodeled to feature stunning artist-made mosaics and the latest in cleaning technology.

In 2016, MSP Airport won first place in an annual contest that crowns America’s best public restroom. That was the first time an airport loo won the award.

2. The arts program at MSP

In 2019, MSP airport presented more than 900 live music and dance performances.

MSP also has permanent public art installations and temporary art exhibits in both terminals. MSP also hosts an annual art show that features work by MSP employees and their families.

This summer, local authors began online readings from their books and Once the pandemic is over, the plan is to have monthly readings in the art gallery in the Airport Mall in Terminal 1.   

3. The Prince store at MSP


The late musician Prince is a beloved Minnesota-born icon.

In addition to a giant 16-foot-by 24-foot mural of Prince by artist Rock Martinez, MSP airport also has a Prince store in Terminal 1 where fans can buy all sorts of Prince-branded merchandise.

4. Minnesota’s Tallest Escalator is at MSP

MSP’s newest parking ramp partially opened in early August with a new attraction: Minnesota’s tallest escalator.

The escalator is 55 feet tall, travels about 100 feet per minute and is capable of transporting 9,000 people per hour.

The ride – up or down – takes 1 minute and 15 seconds.

All rental car services, off-airport parking shuttles and all bus services are in the new Silver Ramp.   

5. Animal ambassadors at MSP

98 therapy dogs – and a therapy cat named Stitches – serve as animal ambassadors at MSP airport, helping reduce travelers’ stress.

Bonus: The hotel at MSP Airport

MSP Airport has a hotel located between the inbound and outbound roadways at Terminal 1 with direct access to Concourse C via a skyway.

The 291-room, 12-story Intercontinental MSP Airport has two restaurants, a cocktail bar, a TSA checkpoint (currently closed due to COVID), a fitness center, a thermal pool, and a collection of work by local artists.

One thing MSP Airport does not have is an aircraft viewing area with an outdoor pool.

That was a great April Fools Day joke from 2018 that we’re still wishing might come true.

Did we miss one of the amenities you love at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)?

If so, please leave a note in the comments section below.

And be sure to take a look at the other airports in our “5 Things We Love About...” series.

“Runway Chalet” now at JFK’s TWA Hotel

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The 512-room TWA Hotel across the street from the JetBlue terminal at JFK Airport tempts travelers with a retro lobby complete with clacking flight board and the Sunken Lounge lobby bar.

Through February, the hotel has an ice-skating rink set up out back, right next to the 1958 Lockheed Constellation Connie airport-turned-cocktail lounge. (Skating fee: $15/adults; $10 kids under 12; skate rental: $10 adults/$8/kids; two free ice-skating shows each evening).

Now there’s another reason to stop by the hotel before or after a flight:

The Runway Chalet, a 1960s style ski lodged-themed bar, has landed at the hotel’s rooftop pool.

The tented and heated ‘chalet’ is decorated with vintage skiing gear and a retro ski lodge style fireplace.

The menu includes chocolate or cheese fondue, burgers and other items while the cocktail list includes concoctions such as the Idlewild Hot Toddy (Sailor Jerry rum and hot cider, with a cinnamon stick) and The Weather Delay (Belvedere vodka, hot chocolate and marshmallows).

Both the chalet and the rooftop infinity pool (heated to 95 degrees and referred to as a ‘pool-cuzzi’) offer views of JFK’s Runway 4 Left/22 right.

No need to be a checked-in guest to visit the Runway Chalet at the TWA Hotel’s Pool Bar, which is open from 11 am to 11 pm daily.

Doesn’t this sound more fun than waiting for an extra hour or two at the gate?

Grand Hyatt at SFO – a keeper!

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San Francisco Int’l Airport has a swank on-site hotel

Grand Hyatt at SFO

Fresh fly-in convenience at SFO Airport

With the recent opening of the 12-story, $237 million Grand Hyatt at SFO, San Francisco International Airport joins the ranks of major airports with a luxury hotel on property.

It’s at least a half-hour journey from the airport to downtown San Francisco, so the new at-the-airport hotel is ideal for fly-in meetings and conferences and those times when you’ve got an early flight.

Sarah Cain, We Will Walk Right Up To The Sun, courtesy City and County of San Francisco; photo by Randi Malkin Steinberger.

The 351-room hotel has its own stained glass-adorned stop on the SFO AirTrain and tech-loaded meeting rooms with aviation-inspired names such as Supersonic, Stratocruiser, and Astrojet.

For on-site dining, Twin Crafts Market & Bar offers casual dining and a 24-hour market, while the Quail & Crane restaurant has a menu blending Northern California and Asian cuisine.  

 Art at Grand Hyatt SFO

All rooms at the Grand Hyatt at SFO have soundproof, floor-to-ceiling windows.

Rooms on one side of the hotel face the airfield of the International Terminal and each of those rooms is equipped with a handy airplane spotting guide and a loaner pair of binoculars.

Many rooms also have large bathrooms with soaking tubs that offer views of the airfield as well.

Rates at the Grand Hyatt SFO start at $329/night. Day-use rooms: start at $125 for 6 hours between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.  

World’s Best Airport Hotel: Crowne Plaza Changi Airport

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Just like Singapore’s award-winning Changi Airport, there are plenty of reasons to love the award-winning Crowne Plaza Changi Airport.

For starters, it is attached to Changi Airport. That makes the hotel a convenient and very welcoming place to land after, or before, a very long flight.

Amenities such as superb service, deep soaking tubs, an outdoor pool and some rooms with bonus views overlooking the runways are truly delightful.

I’ve just checked in for my second stay at the property. The welcoming vibe after a 17-hour journey is another reason why it is easy to understand how the hotel snags the Skytrax Best Airport Hotel in the World year after year.

Even better, the hotel’s USB press kit comes in the shape of an airplane! That garners the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport another award: Stuck at the Airport’s occasional award for “USB Press Kit of the Week.”

Harriet’s hotel stay

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A big Stuck At the Airport thank-you to the Hilton Los Angeles Airport hotel, which hosted me for a night recently while I was in town to tour Los Angeles International Airport for a story about the best places to eat in each terminal and a visit to the brand new United Airlines Polaris lounge.

I hadn’t stayed at this property for quite some time and was pleased to find upgraded rooms, strong WiFi and live music in the lobby, which is evidently a regular Wednesday evening feaute.

This hotel has a variety of dining options, but I tried out Andiamo, the onsite northern Italian restaurant, where the staff made a solo diner feel welcome and which has a great scallop dish on the menu.

This hotel may also have the hardest-working shuttle bus driver. He was driving when I arrived in the evening and there again the next morning and he was super-pleasant to every single rider, even though few of them gave him a tip for lifting their super heavy suitcases on and off of the bus.

Have a favorite place to stay near Los Angeles International Airport? Please share your recommendations.