Element West Des Moines

We had a four-night stay at Element West Des Moines and would come back when we’re in the area. For the brand’s price bracket, the accommodations impressed me as a longtime Marriott customer. Our Standard King suite was clean and comfortable, with enough room to move around and enough hanging space for a multi-night visit. The bathroom and shower met our needs and were stocked appropriately. The kitchenette was handy for cold drinks and reheating restaurant leftovers. The location is easy to reach from I-35 via Mills Civic Parkway, but set far enough from both roads that traffic noise wasn’t much of an issue. Guest parking wraps around three sides of the building, and there are key access doors on the sides as well as automated front lobby doors. Across S. Prairie View Dr. is a retail complex with several places to eat or get refreshments, plus a Target. More fast food and sit-down restaurants are a short drive west. The staff we met were friendly and helpful. The front desk clerks, especially Alba, were professional, and the breakfast and housekeeping staff were polite and accommodating. Breakfast had enough fresh and prepared choices, and the made-to-order pancakes and Chobani yogurt station were pleasant surprises each day. The weekday evening reception in the lobby had limited offerings, but was a nice bonus before we went to a nearby junior hockey game. The public areas were clean, with modern furnishings and good lighting. There’s a large outdoor patio for gathering with other visitors, as well as an indoor pool. We’d recommend this hotel to others visiting the Des Moines metro.

The people on staff were very nice, from the front desk to breakfast and housekeeping, and the common areas and both rooms were clean. The buffet breakfast was average, with limited variety and lower quality products. The problems outweighed those positives. Both rooms lacked towels, toiletries, and kitchen supplies. In one room the water pressure was so weak that the shower was unusable, since rinsing was impossible. The bathroom and kitchen sinks had the same issue. Management offered only a very small credit. With half the value of renting a hotel room missing, I felt the credit should at least have reflected that. A place focused on customer satisfaction would have handled it more fairly and shown more concern. In my opinion, a good stay starts with good management, so I wouldn’t recommend this hotel.

The room felt sticky and unclean, as though basic housekeeping standards weren’t being met. The breakfast photos online are misleading too. We found maybe three disappointing options, nothing like what the pictures suggest. The hotel feels like false advertising. I’ve stayed 600 lifetime nights with Marriott and have been Platinum Elite or higher for over six years, so this was a shocking return after my recent Hilton stay. The hotel completely failed to honor Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite benefits. Front desk staff turned basic requests into long, frustrating interactions, either because they didn’t understand or didn’t care. Nobody made an effort to fix the issues, and there was no compensation for the missing promised benefits. The general manager seemed just as ineffective, and there’s a clear problem with how the place is run at every level. Absolutely do not stay here. Save yourself the money and frustration and book somewhere else. The Renaissance Savery downtown or even a Fairfield Inn by the highway would be much better.

We booked through the hotel website and check-in went smoothly. After dinner across the street, we found the TV in the living area of our king suite wasn’t working, and the phone couldn’t call the front desk. I went down and asked the young woman there to have someone fix the connection. She was sweet, but said no maintenance person was available until morning. There were three adults in our room, including someone sleeping on the pullout who couldn’t sleep without a TV on. I asked to move rooms, but the option was a king room without a pullout. Three adults couldn’t share one bed, and a discount wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted a good night’s sleep in a comfortable bed. I asked if the guest who needed the TV could use another available room. We were told all of us had to move or none of us could. In the end, the couple who paid for the room had to sleep on the pullout. They could have let us leave the already dirty room as it was and moved our guest to the other room. The front desk worker went to the back room to talk with the manager and stayed there so long that a man waiting to buy drinks became frustrated too. It felt rude to leave the desk like that. I asked to speak with the manager myself and wasn’t allowed to. The hotel was clean and beautiful, but we won’t return because of the poor management and how our problem was handled.