Days Inn Council Bluffs-Lake Manawa

There’s no elevator, which made hauling our things up to the second floor a pain. I’m glad I’m not in a wheelchair. The hallway floor also shakes whenever someone walks down it, and the doors slam loudly since they have no buffers. Every so often there’s a train, so thank God for earplugs. Days Inns are usually pretty reliable. This one isn’t, and it’s about the crappiest place I’ve stayed.

Everyone on staff was polite, kind, and easy to talk to. The rate was very reasonable, and when no one-bed rooms were available, we got a two-bed room for the same price. There was a free continental breakfast each morning. Nothing special, but it was nice to have a glass of orange juice. Days Inn Council Bluffs-Lake Manawa is right off the highway, so it’s easy to find and get back on the road from.

For $700 for four nights, including during the College Word Series, this was a dirty, smelly hotel with no pool. Even at $49 a night it would be a crappy place. The room smelled like cat pee, and wearing white socks on the carpet turned them black. I get supply and demand, but this felt like highway robbery. I overheard desk clerks say the owner planned to keep rates high until the Olympic swim trials were over in Omaha. Trust me, try to find another option.

We got to town around midnight, and I wish we’d just kept driving. There were chicken nuggets and fries behind the nightstand, no outlet back there for the alarm clock, and ketchup on the sheets when I pulled them back. This place is awful!