Other than the following problem, my stay was perfectly fine:
1. When I arrived at the airport and called for the free shuttle, I had to let the phone ring about 20 times before anyone picked up. Then I asked for the shuttle to pick my up and was told it would arrive shortly. I ended up waiting for nearly 30 minutes, but no shuttle bus. So I called again, but this time after letting the phone ring over 20 times I hung up and took a taxi, which cost $25 (I might have gotten ripped off on the fare, but I wasn't in the mood to argue at that point).
When I arrived at the hotel and explained to the person at the front desk, who was apparently the one I spoke to on the phone, she apologized, but I didn't feel she actually cared that much. She did wave my early check-in fee, but that did not compensate for the loss of time, frustration of standing out in the cold at the airport (Minneapolis in December) for 30 futile minutes, or the cost of the taxi.
I originally chose this hotel in large part because of the free shuttle. If I knew I'd be paying an extra $25 plus tip for a taxi from the airport to the hotel, I would have chosen a different hotel.
I should note that the woman in charge of the front desk the following morning was perfectly nice and efficient, as was the shuttle bus driver to the airport on my way back.