Holiday Inn Dubuque/Galena by IHG

We had a really pleasant stay and didn’t run into any problems. Everyone was friendly and accommodating, and the hotel was close to the places we wanted to visit. I’ll be telling friends and family where to stay when they’re in Dubuque. I’m not sure the other reviewers were even at the same place.

The breakfast was decent, and the woman working there was friendly and attentive. She was easily the best employee we met. The rest of our stay was pretty mediocre, though, and we wouldn’t return. Our sheets seemed less than clean, and there was no mattress protector. We could feel the mattress’s unusual texture through the sheets, which was pretty unpleasant. Housekeeping also doesn’t happen automatically for stays of more than one night. You have to request it, and nobody mentioned that at check-in. When we asked about it later, staff said they’d told someone else in our group, but that hadn’t happened. The hotel mostly met the bare minimum. Cleanliness, clear communication, and basic guest expectations all fell short. Breakfast was acceptable for a 3-star hotel, but nothing special.

The conference room was a wreck, and most of its outlets didn’t work. Of the 11, only three worked, including the one for the TV we’d requested. I asked the front desk for help, but nobody came. The room itself was dated and didn’t seem clean. We also had a rough night in our guest rooms. The shower wouldn’t drain and dripped all night, the heater was loud enough to wake us, and street noise came through as if we were outside. Housekeeping knocked and came in at 8:30 a.m., even though checkout wasn’t until 11. I’d booked two rooms for a family Christmas and asked for them near each other. I was assured they would be, but one was on the fifth floor and the other on the first, at opposite ends of the building. They offered to move us closer only if we paid the current rate, which was $210 more than our original booking. We had no choice but to take the rooms we were given. I’d recommend finding another hotel.

We stayed over Valentine’s Day weekend and had a great time. The room was clean and ready when we arrived, and the hotel staff were helpful and very friendly. The attached restaurant and bar were also nice, with great food and excellent service.