Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Dubuque, IA

I was a little worried after reading the poor reviews, but our stay turned out pretty good. The room was clean and quiet, and the AC cooled well without making much noise. The shower had good pressure, and the fridge and microwave both worked fine. Breakfast was hot, fresh, and had a good variety. The tall gentleman at check-in was friendly and professional, so I gave the stay a solid 5 stars. I didn't use the pool or care about it since we came for the area's history and nature.

The staff were friendly and helpful, and the breakfast was decent for the price. The lobby and room were clean, with fresh paint and fixtures. I'm not sure where the bad reviews came from, unless the place has been remodeled recently.

I wish I could give this zero stars. The room had no TV remote, and the fridge was so dirty it made us question how clean anything else was. The pool felt like a dungeon, with a fan so loud we couldn't hear each other. The hot tub looked extremely dirty, too. We gave up the nonrefundable payment and went to another hotel because the place felt that gross. We wanted a relaxing weekend, and this wasn't relaxing at all.

We were first met with several signs telling us to ring the bell for an attendant, then given room 306. It was dirty: carpet stains, black rings in the toilet, no bathroom fan, a large crack in the tub, dirty fixtures, mold on the grab bars, and black mold around the heating and AC unit. We have pictures of all of it. We saw a small cockroach on the bed and killed it, then found another on the bathroom wall after showering. We asked for a refund and were told no. They offered a room two doors away, which we absolutely wouldn't take, so we settled in room 322 at the end of the hall. That room had black mold around the fire sprinkler, stained carpet, lots of scum in the outside tub corners, dirty floors, and a long black hair in the tub. The place was a hot mess. At checkout, we had to ring the bell again because no one was available, and the attendant was rude. We won't stay again. The rooms clearly aren't being checked after cleaning. The outside door to the stairwell had no rubber stripping, so the -26 temperature came into the building. After I called corporate, they said they had no record in writing of the cockroaches in room 306. We also saw no one treating the room we left because of the roaches. This place needs a makeover and a deep clean.