Hyatt Place Des Moines/Downtown

We were charged $50 for towels after checkout, even though I’d piled them neatly in the corner after using them to clean up when a child threw up in the bathroom at 1:30 a.m. We didn’t want to wake the staff, so we did the best we could ourselves. I guess I should have called them and asked them to clean it, instead of handling it and getting charged. We’d already told them the hallway smelled strongly of marijuana. The pullout bed pad and both sheets were stained, too. We paid $30 for supposed valet parking across the street, but it wasn’t valet. The garage elevators wouldn’t let us select an upper level, so we had to walk six floors in the cold to reach our car.

The location is handy, right by the highway, and the staff were helpful. The room was just average and the bathroom was tidy. We only stayed one night, but the bed was uncomfortable and made a lot of noise, which took away from the stay. It was okay overall.

My suite was bare and musty, and the couch had rips in it. The room and hotel were in much worse shape than I’d expect, even compared with many two-star places I’ve stayed. It felt as if the property had been bought, given the Hyatt name, and otherwise left as it was. I feel like I wasted my money here. Don’t stay.

I couldn’t get a restful night. The room stayed hot despite the thermostat setting, and the marijuana smell had me coughing or sweating on and off all night. The shower door wouldn’t close by about two inches, so water soaked the floor and air flowed into the shower. I also spotted mold in the tile beside it. The ice machine was out of order, and there were no coffee options. When I came in, the hot water was only lukewarm. Parking was either street parking or a $30 garage, with just one small short-term check-in spot and no handicap spaces out front. At 9 a.m. I went to my car with some things, then found the main entrance locked when I tried to return. I also wanted to use a printer, but was told there wasn’t one. I had to delay leaving by an hour before I could finish getting ready and check out. I hope they can get things sorted out.