Oak Ridge Conference Center

In a word: NICE. Great staff. Beautiful grounds. Easy stay in a nice room with many amenities. Shout out to Sonja at the front desk who went far above and beyond for Lil Olé me!

My fiancé and I had an initial meeting to plan our wedding at oak ridge. We loved everything we heard – good food, ample space, and flexible menu.
We emailed the wedding planner for more details (price/​table sizes. etc) and didn’t hear back for THREE MONTHS despite several emails and phone calls.
We later learned that the wedding planner quit, and was replaced by someone else… who also quit and was replaced by someone else.
We met with the 3^rd wedding planner who told us the space wouldn’t hold all of our guests and we could not have the food that was initially promised.
We were so disappointed in oak ridge and their empty promises.
…fortunately, we did receive our entire security deposit back… but now we are back to square one in our planning.

One star is too much. My corporate office is based in the Minneapolis area, and all field based employees stayed here for a conference. It was appalling. I arrived at noon after a limo service dropped me from the airport. I walked in and asked if it was too early to check in. I was rudely told yes, that my room wasn’t ready. I asked if there was somewhere I could wait, and the desk clerk sighed and rolled her eyes. She found me another room but made it clear it was an imposition.
The food was gross. I only ate the soup. I’m not a fan of the vegan gluten free trendy diet.
The one bartender left the lounge regularly for over 20 minutes at a time. I almost hopped behind the bar to pour drinks.
The hotel room was one of the worst I’ve stayed in. The thermostat didn’t work. It was 80 degrees and the only way to cool it off was to open the window. The screen was broken — it appeared the room had been broken into (pushed in the screen) before and the screen was never fixed. There was also a dirty crusty washcloth thrown on the floor by the bed that wasn’t picked up by housekeeping prior to my arrival. Yuck. I was put in a disabled/​handicapped equipped room, and the shower head kept falling and tipping over, there was an adjustable handle, but it didn’t work.
I would not recommend for overnight stays, but the meeting rooms were fine.

I’ve stayed at Oak Ridge three separate times on business for a total of about four weeks. It’s a comfortable place with good amenities.
My favorite part of Oak Ridge is the walking path behind the facility. It’s a beautiful lake path to run or walk on.
The rooms at Oak Ridge are comfortable. The staff is friendly and the food is good in the restaurant and bar. My only complaint is that the restaurant is very expensive to eat at for what you get. The food is good but certainly overpriced.
Overall this is a solid stay for conferences and business. I’ve seen them host weddings and other events while I was staying there and they seemed to do a nice job.

Stayed first night of two on a personal trip. (Not conference)
Mixed feelings. I’d say it’d be a good place for a conference but would look elsewhere next time for personal stay.
The good:
— very clean
— the lake! Walking trail around lake is great
— outdoor fire pit and bar. Makes for great evening
The not so good:
— restaurant was $ 30 for what looked like an old country Buffett. We did not stay
— weird access to room. Parking is far and you can’t get into building except through main entrance.
— small rooms. Outdated bath and shower.
— no pool

The restaurant, lobby and public areas were all completely unusable because of noise from a wedding — then I went to my room and it was also unusable from the intense volume. Worse, family of my partner were there to «meet» me for a couple hours and there was no public space to remove them to from my small room. They overstayed their welcome by about 2 hours, leaving me with no place to even sit down. (there were only 2– see how small the rooms are?)
That was a Friday and a wedding will happen again Saturday so again– no restaurants or lobby. In their defense, the front desk moved us to a quiet room after I found out that the party was scheduled to midnight. Keep in mind though that there will be no restaurant when there’s a wedding.
Otherwise, yes, what I’ve seen is largely clean although devoid of touches like flowers or display art that make the space special or unique. I haven’t been around the sides but the seasonal plantings in the front are very sparse and cheap looking; more depressing than anything else.
Happily it’s not valet parking, which I appreciate since it’s so much smoother to come and go. It’s also free, which is reasonable. (I dislike arriving at a stand alone hotel w grounds and plenty of room and paying significant amounts to park my car.)

This place was a great find. We came across it on the Hotel Tonight app. The staff was so accommodating and sweet. Kylie was so helpful and kind. The room was clean and comfortable. The bed was very comfortable. The room has two sinks which was weirdly helpful when getting ready. A+

Very clean hotel; beautiful. Buffett options & food listed in guest directory/​inserts are expensive. Parking is a jaunt. Free shuttle service provided to us to Chaska which was very nice.

Our conference participants and I received extraordinary customer service from everyone at Oakridge — the restaurant staff, the maid staff, the conference staff, everyone. This conference center is definitely doing something right, as that kind of service doesn’t happen by accident. We’d come back in a heartbeat!

I enjoyed staying at Oak Ridge. It’s a nice, quaint hotel. Be aware that it’s kinda «off the beaten path» from a lot of things at Minneapolis and in that area (about a ¹⁵⁄₂₀ minute drive), but it’s nice that it feels like it’s in a safer part of town. Plus, one of the huge draws about the hotel is its nature-​based feel. It pretty much is positioned right next to the Arbortorium, so it has a beautiful «backyard», and it has a long, enjoyable trail that would make for some really romantic walks. (However, be aware that the trail is made from dirt/​gravel, so rain will make it pretty icky.)
Check-​in was simple enough. We happened to come RIGHT as a wedding was closing down the main lobby for usage, so we had to go to a secondary check-​in desk. Unfortunately, that guy said he wasn’t ready, so we had to go back into the main lobby again. It was annoying, but it was just bad timing when we showed up within the 5 minute timespan before the wedding started. Check-​in itself was uneventful and done very quickly.
I was a bit annoyed by parking. The parking lot sprawls away from the hotel’s main doors, and as far as I can tell, the hotel only has the main doors. So if the parking lot is full, you definitely have to expect a pretty long walk. It would have been nicer if they had made the parking «surround» the building — instead of sprawling away from it. More entrances would have helped too.
The room was smaller than expected, but it wasn’t bad. It also had some beautiful seating and lighting. There was an alcove seating area by the window (yay!!!) as well as a comfortable recliner and a standard desk and chair. There was enough room around the bed to get around easily, and the bathroom was small, but workable. Everything seemed perfectly clean. The room was equipped with Keurig coffee — which was awesome and something I haven’t had in a hotel before. (Maybe I need to stay at more hotels) Vending and bathrooms were easy to find along the way.
The hotel, along with the walking path, also comes equipped with a racketball court and a gym room. There’s no pool, though. I was saddened by that as I think a pool with glass walls looking out on the beautiful scenery would have really been beautiful.
Didn’t use their conference services. Was also sad they didn’t offer complimentary breakfast, so we didn’t use their food services either. They have free Wi-​Fi, though, and that was incredibly simple to use — and it worked great!
Check-​out was simple. They offer express check-​out, so you just call down and say you’re leaving and leave your keycards in your room. Billing was accurate, and honestly, pretty insanely fairly priced. They offered a Groupon, so we ended up staying there for about $ 50 for the night. INSANELY great value for the room and property. I’m just sad it had been snowing so the trail wasn’t really all that walkable as I’d be looking forward to that.
Final Thoughts: Definitely worth staying here. Rooms are a bit small, but they’re comfortable and clean, and you can expect high-​quality service. It’s especially great if you love a calm, peaceful atmosphere.

Love this place! My son lives in Chaska, so this place is very convenient. Everyone is really friendly and helpful. We had gotten a Groupon Deal this time for $ 79 for 2 nights plus a $ 30 food credit.
We had the Sunday brunch and it was fantastic! All local produce.
At check-​out the bill came to $ 59. We felt like we were stealing.
The view from the room is so peaceful and the window seat is a great touch.
Watching a wedding from the bar lounge was fun, and having the pool table was nice as well.
We will be staying here again!

Just got back from a retreat here this weekend. Everything was wonderful! The food is particularly delicious! The services they offer are fantastic! Everything is professional and they can host many events at once.
Note to those planning a wedding: AMAZING!

Just Awesome! Great people, tasty food, perfect setting for wedding. Very attentive service.

Oak Ridge won my husband and I over 6 years ago when wedding planning. We recently returned for an overnight thanks to a Living Social deal.
The staff are always incredibly helpful and friendly. The surroundings absolutely gorgeous. I wouldn’t recommend a stay in wedding season (unless for a wedding) at the center can be overwhelmed in reception noise, but it’s nice to get away for a weekend with a restaurant and small lounge on site.
The rooms are a little small with the basics (and CRT tv) but it’s a nice setting to have a reception or reunion on site with everything you need in one spot.

I was at Oak Ridge last weekend for a training and I would have to say that I was pretty impressed. I can’t believe something this well designed and eloquent looking is in set out in the middle of a wood/​farmland setting. Don’t let the hospital façade turn you away, it is the inside where the really beauty lies.
You walk into the hotel/​conference center and the first thing that your eye is drawn to is the gorgeous fireplace. I would love to come back just to enjoy sitting area by that fireplace. The rest of the lobby is spacious, bright and looks like it could pass the white glove test. It is probably the cleanest lobby of a hotel that I have ever seen.
The conference rooms were well equipped to support all the technology that was needed for the weekend. Those chairs were probably the most comfortable chairs that I have sat in which is extremely important when you have to listen to speakers for 4 hours.
Our group arranged for snacks and lunch to be served. The snacks included sodas, coffee, tea, trail mix and pretzels. Lunch was buffet style consisting of salad, spaghetti, various bars and cookies. I just have a minor issue with the servers at lunch. If you ask people if they would like something to drink, make sure you tell them their choices. I shouldn’t have to ask what my choices are for drinks.
Overall, I liked this venue and I would be okay with returning here
.

The staff is great here. Very friendly and helpful. Rooms are ok. Bathroom is tiny and sink was abnormally low. Also a sink in the room. There are window seats which is a nice touch. Walking path around the lake is paved and about 1.5 miles long. Food was fantastic. Snacks between our meetings were full of options both healthy and decadent.

I stayed at Oak Ridge while attending a formal corporate function with a friend. The staff was very friendly upon check-​in, and the lobby and receiving area was absolutely gorgeous. Looking out the windows you feel like you are in a secluded area in the woods somewhere. The majority of rooms are set up in a functional format, with plenty of room for your laptop to set up on a side table and in-​room high speed internet access. However, there are also a few executive suites available. There is a fitness facility and there are spa/​massage options and I think you can get in-​room service with those as well. The food was absolutely amazing, and there were elaborate set ups for both the hors d’oeuvres and the main courses. Hummus and vegetables, shrimp, goat cheese salad, baked duck slices, sea bass, roast beef, asparagas, etc. Glasses were diligently attended to and just an all around pleasurable and relaxing experience. I would love to attend another event there.