Country Inn and Suites By Carlson Fort Dodge

Our one-year-old found a piece of candy in the room within half a minute, and I had to pull it from his mouth. It was disgusting and could have been a serious choking hazard. We left and stayed elsewhere. There were stains and dirt on both comforters, a filthy nightstand shelf with someone else's sock on it, and the floors had dirt, rocks, dog food, and who knows what else. My son's feet were dirty after five minutes. The bathroom was filthy too. I booked because the Google reviews seemed okay, but when I complained they wouldn't compensate us and only said they'd “implement new training protocols.”

We were in town for a funeral, and the staff gave our family a thoughtful sympathy card. The pool was great, the lobby cookies were very good, and the front desk staff were friendly and as helpful as they could be. Still, there were a lot of problems. The Wi-Fi was awful and nearly pushed us over our mobile data, and one room smelled odd. In the other, the air conditioner squeaked loudly after it got going and woke me in the night. The key for one room stopped working, and it took a while to fix. One shower had only lukewarm water both mornings, though the sink had hot water; when I mentioned it the first morning, I was told it might be due to the number of guests and to wait, but I didn't have time. Breakfast was okay, nothing special. After the rooms had been charged, I asked about a discount and was told the manager would be back in two days. I never called.

The staff were nice and helpful with accommodations, and there were no bugs. The room was okay for a last-minute stay, but the online pictures didn't match it. The air conditioner held around 75 degrees and wouldn't cool the room, which smelled musty. There was a fan in the hallway. One pool entrance had a caution tape sign, and the water looked gloomy.

The staff helped me with all my work luggage, and my room was clean and I was very happy with it. Breakfast was one of the better free ones I've had, and they put out cookies during the day, which is a nice touch. The pool and hot tub would've been a plus, but I didn't have time to try them. It was worth paying a couple dollars more than some of the other budget hotels in town.