Best Western Holiday Lodge

Unsanitary: every part of the hotel smelled awful, the lobby, breakfast room, pool, and especially our bedroom. We couldn't figure out what the odor was, but it was so bad our kids kept commenting on it. The room also felt unsafe: its door opened onto a dark, secluded parking lot and would open without turning the handle or using a key. The front desk man was unfriendly, wouldn't let our family talk in any common room, and went around turning off lights and locking doors to keep us out. He said we could only sit and talk by the pool.

The elevator was out when we arrived, with no warning, so we had to haul our luggage up three flights of stairs, which was especially hard with small kids. The hotel was dirty, staff were generally rude and unhelpful, and our group felt like a nuisance despite spending a significant amount on food, drinks, and rooms over two days. We booked a private conference room and spent over $400 on pizzas from the hotel for our team. During dinner, a manager barged in screaming that we had five minutes to remove our “carry-in items,” meaning water bottles, soda, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and raw vegetables. Many of us had already spent a lot on drinks and appetizers at their on-site Bennigan’s, and the restaurant could not possibly have had the staff or capacity to serve drinks to everyone in our large group. His rage and unprofessional conduct visibly scared several children and brought our son to tears. No child should be treated that way by hotel staff. We ultimately left the room over these minor items, while a nearby conference room openly had outside food and homemade items with no problem. The inconsistent rules, lack of professionalism, and basic courtesy were shocking. Hallways also had carry-in food and drinks ordered by other guests. This place clearly doesn't value families or groups, and I wouldn't recommend staying here. If carry-in drinks were truly prohibited, why wasn't the restaurant properly staffed or a bar available for our group to buy them? The hotel plainly lacked the staffing and capacity for our group. If we'd been allowed to continue our pizza party with the very EXPENSIVE PIZZA we bought directly from you, the children would have remained together, supervised, and calm instead of facing an unnecessary confrontation. Another conference room was full of people eating only brought-in food and drinks. If you're going to enforce a policy, you need to apply it consistently. The General Manager's aggressive and inexcusable behavior was completely unacceptable. His hostility caused my son to have a panic attack. No policy wording justifies that level of unprofessional conduct, especially toward children. This was extremely disappointing, and I wouldn't return. If I could give zero stars, I would.

The place smells like mold and a stale basement, and the lady manager was nasty and rude. A fire detector was hanging off the wall, water was leaking from the hallway ceiling, and the hotel was a total dump. Beware. To be clear, I posted my original review before the incident management later chose to respond to. Their reply doesn't address the actual conditions, which are still unacceptable and misleadingly presented online. The rooms are outdated and unclean, with a strong mold or musty smell and serious cleanliness concerns, including frequent reports of bedbugs. The building is deteriorating, with leaking roofs, frequent fire alarms, and general disrepair that raises safety concerns. Hallways and common areas smell bad, and people were openly smoking substances outside rooms during our stay. Staff were consistently unfriendly and unprofessional, with behavior that felt uncomfortable and sometimes inappropriate. This isn't suitable for families or group events. The banquet room dispute wasn't really about policy enforcement. Other groups openly brought food, alcohol, and supplies into their banquet spaces. Our group bought around 30 pizzas from your establishment and had a few crock pots, cookies, and a small amount of beer. One staff member escalated things for no reason, lost control of his emotions, and caused a public scene in front of children. He showed no managerial composure or professionalism. The hotel's and owner's response avoids the property's actual problems and blames a single altercation, one caused by their own poor leadership and lack of emotional control. This hotel is misrepresented online, badly maintained, and unprofessionally run. I strongly advise travelers to stay elsewhere. Buyer beware. Stay Elsewhere.

The day had been awful, driving through a snow storm until we made it to Clear Lake IA, since I-35 was closed. We were lucky to find the BW, where a lovely woman named Isabel helped us check in. The room was very nice and reasonably priced. There was a covered walkway to Benagans restaurant, where we had a wonderful meal and got 10% off when we showed our BW room key. After a crappy travel day, we ended on a high note. Thanks, BW.