Clarion Hotel Convention Center

The pool was in such bad shape that we overlooked floating bugs, peeling paint that stuck to the boys’ skin, and not being able to find a skimmer, mainly because my grandsons, ages 2 and 3, were the only kids in the children’s pool and had a great time. It looked nothing like the online photos. But the next morning it was meant to open at 9 a.m., and my grandsons were ready at 8:30. At 9:30 it was still closed. The GM said only maintenance could open it and that person wouldn’t arrive until 9:50. We waited until 10:30, and it still wasn’t open, so we left. They had a note at the desk saying the pool was closed and that guests checking in could ask for a refund. When I asked for some compensation, I was told the GM could only give 10% and would have to speak to the owner to approve more. Very disappointing, and honestly one of the grossest and most poorly managed hotels I’ve ever been to. We’d booked a night with our two grandsons. If you do stay, avoid the first floor. Boxelder bugs were crawling everywhere, in the bathtub, on the beds, and on the floor. When we asked about it, apparently there was nothing they could do. Given the choice of the Clarion in Minot, ND or your car, I’d pick the car.

The first room smelled like smoke. We also found two different kinds of bugs in one of the beds, so we asked the night desk staff for clean sheets. He said policy wouldn’t allow him to change them and couldn’t explain why. At first he said there were no rooms to move to, but around midnight one became available, so we switched. The next morning there was another bug in the bed in that room. There was also something sticky all over the bedstand and phone. We checked out right away after finding bugs in multiple rooms. When I spoke with morning staff, they said I could request a refund for the inconvenience by calling back when a manager was in. After calling for a couple of days, I finally reached a manager and got $30 back from the $250 room charge. I wouldn’t recommend the hotel because of the cleanliness and customer service. I was willing to pay $250 a night during the North Dakota State Fair. It was extremely hot, and being able to get back to the room quickly and easily was convenient. The front desk staff at check-in were great and very friendly.

The staff were accommodating, but management wouldn’t refund even part of my stay. They assigned me four rooms: the first had mold in the shower, the next had trash left by previous guests, and the third had bed bugs. Cleanliness was poor at best. I wouldn’t recommend this location.

The continental breakfast was really tasty, and I got a restful night. I enjoyed staying here with a group. The accommodations were great.