SpringHill Suites by Marriott Ames

The pool was clean and fun, though on the small side, and the whole stay was surprisingly comfortable. The rooms were spacious and laid out well, the beds were comfortable, and it was quiet even with our two-year-old along. The front desk staff were friendly and helpful, and breakfast was good. My wife is very OCD and a clean freak, and she still found a few things to pick at. She owns a cleaning business and notices everything, so she’d have liked the housekeepers to do a better job on the bathroom floors and around the trim. We really enjoyed our stay and would come back. Thanks!

The front desk placed me beside another guest in an otherwise empty corridor, even though I’d asked for a room farther from others and was assured that would be easy to arrange. The room wasn’t clean, and there was evidence of the previous guest. Neither the internet nor the TV worked. Breakfast was awful: the main option was prewrapped Jimmy Dean sandwiches, soggy and extremely hard on the bottom, as if they’d been microwaved too long. I could only manage an apple and yogurt. After I left, I discovered a fraudulent charge I hadn’t authorized. When I called to ask about it, the front desk accused me of something I’d never done and called me a liar. They said the manager wouldn’t speak with me until returning from holiday vacation six days later. I’ll never stay at this chain anywhere again, and I’m going to go out of my way to warn people I know about what I see as underhanded, frankly criminal behavior. I sincerely hope no one else is victimized by them.

There were Cheez-Its on the floor when we got to our room, and one of the beds had a stain. The pool was very small. Breakfast was pretty good, not the best, but definitely edible.

We spent one night in a double queen suite and found the layout comfortable and well planned. We had two dogs with us, the pet fee was reasonable, and the grounds were nice and easy to walk them around. There aren’t any doggy stations, so bring your own bags. We were towing a trailer and found plenty of parking, though it was a Wednesday night, so keep that in mind. I usually book through the Mariott app, but the pet fee there showed double the amount quoted when I called ahead. I always call since I’ve had hotels say online that they take pets when they actually don’t. At check-in, I got a slightly lower room rate and the correct pet fee. I’d definitely stay here again.