AmericInn by Wyndham Coralville

The water had a rusty taste, and the hallways and rooms looked dirty and hadn't been vacuumed. The TV offered very few channels. There are photos of a hot tub on the hotel's page, but there isn't one.

We were charged for both nights, and after a week of trying to reach a supervisor or manager, nobody ever called me back. I eventually spoke with someone who said the housekeeper hadn't seen any fleas in the room. I'm completely disgusted, and there was no refund. The flea problem started about 15 minutes after check-in. I caught and killed one in the bathroom, put it in a cup, and took it to the desk staff so they could be aware and treat the room. She said she'd pass it along. The next morning, the employee on duty said she didn't know whether there was a note, and pointed out that ours wasn't even a pet room, though we had checked in with our dog. I explained about the flea in the cup from the night before. She said she'd tell management, but wasn't sure anyone would be in on Friday or over the weekend. Back in the room, I saw two more fleas jump onto the black carpet from the bed. I couldn't catch or find them. I then asked the clerk to cancel our second night because of the infestation. She said she couldn't do it without a supervisor, didn't have anyone to call, and couldn't check us out early. She also couldn't say whether we'd be charged for night two. The sink faucet sprayed in every direction, and dog hair was caught in the fibers of the supposedly non-pet room. After everything else, those things barely registered.

We moved to Sleep Inn in North Liberty, which was ten times better, cheaper, cleaner, and didn't require a deposit. The difference was night and day. At American Inn – Coralville, Iowa, the manager was hard to reach and kept dodging questions, saying we had to talk to management. He only met when it suited him, and getting answers wasted our time. After more than 30 years of dealing with customer service, this was our worst experience by far. It felt completely unprofessional and dishonest, with no service, honesty, or accountability. We'd stayed longer than planned because our dog was missing in the area, extending our stay a few times. Each time, we were charged another deposit, and none was returned. I made the mistake of paying the first one in cash. They gave me a ticket, but when I brought it back to collect the money, the cash had supposedly “gone.” There was no record or accountability. They also claimed we had left the dog in the room, even though our reason for staying was that he was missing. They knew that, but still made the accusation. On Saturday, they charged us another $350, calling it the nightly rate. That's not true: the rate was $89 plus a pet fee, nowhere near $350.

We're still waiting for a refund after leaving the day after we arrived. The other guests seemed to be there for affairs, a quick work stop, or to drink themselves into depression. PLEASE DO NOT STAY HERE!!