Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Des Moines West, IA

We got in late after booking online just three hours earlier. Finding the place was easy, just off the highway with clear signs, and there was plenty of parking. We could plug in our diesel truck in below-zero weather. I didn't see any EV chargers. The desk staff were friendly, and there was coffee and tea in the lobby all day and night. Our room was roomy, clean, and quiet, with no hallway or highway noise. The elevator was quick, and the shower had very hot water and great pressure. The pool and hot tub were clean and comfortable even late in the day, and the hot tub wasn't foamy. Some furnishings looked dated, but everything worked. The bed and pillows seemed new, and there were signs of updating in the decor, doors, and bathroom fixtures. Breakfast had more choices than I expected: hot items with salsa and cheese, oatmeal toppings, breads and bagels, fruit, cottage cheese, sugar-free options, waffles and cereal, with dairy and non-dairy milk. The lobby shop also had snacks, drinks, ice cream, frozen meals, and things like toiletries and cold medicine. El Rodeo, a Mexican restaurant with a full bar, shares the lot, and places like Cracker Barrel, Chilli's, Burger King, and Wendy's are close by. I had a different good experience with Country Inn and Suites last month in Seattle, where they gave us breakfast bags before an early flight and the shuttle driver helped with our rental car return and oversized luggage. Some properties may be aging, but from the West Coast to Iowa, it seems like they're trying to update and pay attention to service and small details. I'll look for Country Inn and Suites again.

After a long night in the emergency room, coming back to this room was awful. The AC started knocking around 2:45 a.m., then the room kept getting hotter until the thermostat read 82. I couldn't get it to cool down. The room phone had no cord, so I called the desk on my own phone. The employee sounded uninterested, came up, turned on the lights, unplugged the AC, said, “yeah it’s pretty hot in here,” and left without offering a fix or another room. The beds were hard as rocks, and I could only sleep in 20-minute stretches before waking up in a lot of pain. The hotel looked a little outdated but seemed okay at first. My family and I won't come back.

The man who checked us in on 10/31, at about a quarter to 5pm, gave me the best check-in I've ever had. I wish I'd caught his name. Usually the desk associate seems annoyed that I've arrived, but he was amazing. Our room was spacious and clean, the property was quiet, and the pool was lovely. We had a great time celebrating my fiancé’s birthday. Having a restaurant and convenience store more or less in the same lot was a big plus. Great place!

The employees are nice, but I've stayed here twice and the rooms have had a lot of problems. There was still trash in the living-room bin, the toilet needed a deep scrub, and the sink drained like it was partly clogged. The fridge smelled off and didn't feel cold enough, so I'm not sure my food was safe. Furniture looked worn, with oxidized handles, chips, and a nightstand drawer that wouldn't stay shut. The curtains had stains and mold, and there were signs of water damage on the walls and ceiling, apparently patched with tape and paint. The thermostat was the worst part. I set it to cool at 68° but its motion sensor changed it to 75 when nobody moved in the living room overnight, while I was sleeping in the bedroom behind another door. I woke up sweating. Why put the thermostat by the front door when the bedroom is separated from that room? I don't care about energy savings if it means being too hot at night. I'm not coming back to this location.