Embassy Suites by Hilton Des Moines Downtown

"Noisy, worn out, disappointing. Was probably spectacular in the mid-2000's, but now needs a complete overhaul. Lots of problems. Front desk staff gives poor customer service, I felt like they'd rather be talking amongst themselves and I was simply an inconvenience to them. Food service staff were polite, and the breakfast was decent. It gave me worn-out-casino vibes and made me sad and embarrassed FOR them. The security lock on my door was broken, some of my lights never worked, 1/3 of the elevators were out of service, there were holes, peeling wallpaper, chipped paint and finishes, DIRTY carpet, and broken and rusty light fixtures throughout the entire hotel. I was there with a work group of 20 and they all corroborated these details in their rooms as well as the meeting room we used. My bathroom sink literally had a part fall off while I was using it. There were LOUD persistent clanking sounds, and an insane rhythmic mechanical pounding in the ceiling one morning at 7am that woke me from a dead sleep WHILE I WAS WEARING EARPLUGS, that lasted for 30 minutes. I didn't bother to complain while i was there, as I'd already been treated as a nuisance and i didn't feel like wasting my time waiting for more sub par service or to be told these are longstanding issues that nobody there could fix within the timeframe of my stay. This place needs to be GUTTED, as well as mostly re-staffed."

"I had a great stay at the Embassy Suites- Downtown Des Moines. It has a nice atrium in the center of the building, which is the main gathering point to branch off to the conference rooms, tavern, eating area, exercise room, etc. The staff was awesome. Cameron was on duty when I checked in and he was over the top to share information about downtown Des Moines."

"This place is kind of a dump. Immediately upon entering, we found the doors under construction. One of the three elevators was also out of order. Two elevators was not enough to keep up with demand so there was often a line for the elevator. Overall the facilities left much to be desired. The bathroom in the rooms smelled disgusting from just being musty and wet for too long. The two beds in the room were visibly worn and both sagged considerably in the middle. The pull out couch was as about as comfortable as sleeping on a park bench. The noise level at night was pretty frustrating as well. It sounded like we were on the other side of a jungle gym. The hotel gym was unavailable. It was under construction and a complete mess. The pool area was disgusting. It smelled of must and mold. The doors were rusted from years of wear. The bathrooms were unusable. The doors were so warped from the humidity that they didn’t even come close to closing. The pool itself was pretty disgusting as well. Water was very murky. If you’re looking for a place to stay in the heart of downtown Des Moines, this is it… as long as you don’t mind waiting 20 minutes for the elevator, using a gross bathroom, sleeping in a 25 year old, worn, uncomfortable bed, and gagging when you enter the pool area."

"I am trying to find something good to say about this stay here but I am really struggling. To start off they have a broken elevator and 3 events taking place in the hotel so trying to use the elevator was terrible. Then trying to use the stairs, they only lead outside you can’t use them to get in between floors( it also took us forever to find them as well)! The gym was also closed and tore apart. The room had a smell to it and then upon looking further into it the bathroom towel rack was broken, the corners in the bathroom were filled with dirt etc. the shower has mold in it and there was stuff on the ceiling and mirror. The bedroom had a chicken bone by the bed and everything was so so dirty. Broken lamp was visible as soon as you walked into the room and the pillows on the bed were the size of a throw pillow for a couch. The lobby at first look pretty until you look closer…. The seats, all plants and all rails were covered in dust that could be easily cleaned but isn’t clearly. The fountain was only half working as well. This hotel could be so great and beautiful if they would put money back into it. It needs a lot of TLC for sure."