Wyndham Garden Galena Hotel & Day Spa

We checked out Monday morning with only an apology about the fireplace. Across the weekend, I asked several times to change rooms and was repeatedly told the hotel was full. I also asked about compensation for the broken amenities and the hassle, but Becca said she couldn't offer anything because we had booked through Priceline.com. She said the manager would contact me by email, but no message came. When I brought it up again on Sunday, Becca said she'd follow up with the manager. The fireplace still wasn't working that evening, and we were leaving Monday, so there was no point asking again. We stayed at the Wyndham Garden Galena Hotel & Day Spa in Galena, Illinois, over Valentine's weekend, checking in Friday, February 13, 2026, after booking through Priceline.com. At first the room seemed clean and comfortable, and I had chosen it for the jacuzzi tub and fireplace. That first night I noticed the fireplace timer was crooked, with its top screw sticking out. Turning it just spun it around, and the fireplace wouldn't start. I called the front desk. The person there said no maintenance worker was on duty, but she would come look. About an hour later, she opened the panel beneath the fireplace, checked that things were on, and tried a few times. She eventually got it lit, saying a switch underneath had been off, adjusted the timer, and left. The fireplace was still burning when we fell asleep. Several hours later, we woke up to an extremely hot room. The fire was still going, and the broken timer wouldn't turn it off. After midnight, I opened the access panel myself and shut the gas valve. I truly believe that fire running for hours could have ended tragically. The next morning I told the same front desk worker what had happened overnight and asked again to move rooms. She said the hotel was full for the weekend and that maintenance would look at the fireplace while we were out. When we returned after our day away, it was still in the same condition. I then spoke with Becca at the front desk and explained the previous day's interactions. She checked the room notes and found nothing had been recorded. She said her manager would be in overnight and that they would contact me by email. There were other things that added to my frustration: the room had a coffee maker but no cups for coffee; the wall thermostat did nothing, so temperature changes had to be made on the wall unit; there was just one bathrobe, which seemed odd; and the carpet was damaged. Our room was near the front desk and laundry room, and the hotel was very loud. Voices carried, doors slammed, and housekeepers talked together for long stretches right outside our room. I'm disappointed that the room amenities didn't work, but even more by how unprofessionally the staff and management handled it.

Even with a few letdowns in the room, they made an adjustment and gave us a sincere apology, which you don't see much these days. It's a convenient, nice hotel, and the room was clean. The shower spray was lovely and the large bed was really comfortable. It was fairly quiet too, especially on Sunday night.

Dinner was easy to sort out, with Walmart and lots of food choices nearby. The hotel is also close to the bridge if you're heading downtown in Dubuque, though Sundown Mountain is about a 45-minute drive for skiing. We had a great time: everyone on staff was super nice, the place was clean, and the pool was large and clean. Breakfast was great too!

Breakfast was the weak spot. We went down at 9 even though it closed at 10, and there were only a couple scoops of eggs and some cold sausage among the hot foods. The muffins felt old and were hard, and when I picked up a bagel, the bottom had mold spots all over it. Our late check-in went smoothly, the staff were friendly, and the room was clean, quiet, and smelled clean. The bed was comfortable too.