Local Hotels Aim to Cash In on Big Ten Tournaments

March Madness is here as fans descend upon the Twin Cities for Big Ten Tournament basketball.

Yet the excitement isn’t centered entirely around Target Center.

Roughly 18 miles away, staff at the Cambria Hotel in Maple Grove have Big Ten Tournament brackets and signage proudly on display.

“We have those sports fans that may not want to be in downtown but want to be here, and Maple Grove is the place to be,” said Diane Achterkirch, the regional director of sales and marketing for Cambria Hotels.

Achterkirch says the hotel is perfectly situated along I-94 near plenty of bars and restaurants.

“If you don’t want to stay downtown, we’ve got everything you need without being downtown,” she said.

The Cambria Hotel is located at 9655 Grove Circle North in Maple Grove.

Achterkirch can’t say for certain how many of the hotel’s guests are here for the Big Ten Tournament, but they’re doing their best to cater to the ones who are.

“We want to have the women’s games and the men’s games on the TV for them to watch and enjoy,” she said.

Hopes for the future

The hotel works closely with the local tourism organization Experience Maple Grove to promote the area.

Achterkirch’s hope is that as more major events come to downtown Minneapolis, folks will be willing to make the 20-minute drive to stay in one of the 129 rooms at the Cambria Hotel.

“Throughout the entire summer, you’ve got these large soccer tournaments, and then you’ve got USA Volleyball downtown, and don’t forget the USA Gymnastics Olympic trials,” she said. “So we’ll see some folks.

The next opportunity to see those folks will be next week when the Big Ten’s men’s basketball tournament comes to town.

“Folks who still want to come into town and catch all the action, we’ve got availability,” Achterkirch said.

Tens of thousands of people are descending upon the Target Center this weekend for the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament.

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Maple Grove