Embassy Suites Hotel Des Moines Downtown

Dingy and smelled like mildew. The air conditioning was leaking water from the ceiling upon our arrival. 2 calls and going down to the front desk and no one ever came up to our room although they said they would send someone right away. They gave us a $50 voucher to their restaurant. Upon waking up the next morning we realized the air conditioning wasn’t even working. Another call to the front desk and still no one came. We decided we were going to check out a day early and they didn’t care to try to fix anything. On top of all of this… the room was not clean or updated in probably more than 20 years. Everything was damp. Spider webs in all of the windows. No towels at the pool. We paid for a 2 bedroom and it was far from worth what we spent. We were there with our 3 small children and this was a less than ideal situation.

We had 3 kids and 3 adults. We particularily enjoyed the pool, breakfast and the location.

I stay here every year when I visit family for the holidays. It may be my last stay. First of all, the room was unbelievably HOT. We slept with no blankets on in the middle of winter. You cannot control the temp from your individual room. We contacted the front desk our first night and they said they could move us rooms or send someone in the morning. Many others were complaining it was way too hot, and our kids were asleep (we got there late) and so we stayed in our original room. The next day, a lady from engineering came and "fixed" our room. The second and final night was no different. Thankfully, we were gone almost all day, so it only mattered when we needed to sleep. In addition, on the second night, there was a dog barking in the room next to us for hours. It stopped for a while and we were able to go to sleep. We were awakened by the barking again at 3 am. We called the front desk and they did send someone up and the dog stopped barking after that. I told the front desk about both of these situations and told them I stay here every year, and that I believed the situation (most especially the ridiculous temperature) warranted some type of discount. She said she'd talk to the manager and they'd deal with it through Expedia since I booked through them. I asked for the manager to call, but they never did. And there was no discount given. I believe that's unacceptable, and as much as I like Embassy Suites overall, I may never stay at this one again.

Our room was clearly not cleaned before we arrived. They changed blankets and sheets and that was it. Bathroom was filthy. The bar top had not been wiped down. Candy on the floor. Additionally, we asked for a bassinet for our infant and it was DISGUSTING. Very disappointed. Only positive was the breakfast.

We love staying at this hotel. But was disappointed in a few things in not just our room but some families as well. In our room 1. The room themostat only goes down to 65 but never felt cool during the day. 2. Our air unit had a rattle/clunk the entire time. Not very nice for the person sleeping on the pull out. 3. Caulking coming off in the shower. All room that we had family in. 1. We were all very disappointed in our fridges. The would not keep anything cold. I had to put stuff back in our cooler with ice to keep from spoiling. Also, parking is an extra expense. I feel like for the coat of the room it should be included or cheaper. Again we love staying at this particular hotel but it’s time for some updates!

Front desk staff not that friendly. Although it was very busy. Air conditioning in room sounded like a train all day and night. It was awful. Bathtub surround needed some extensive recaulking. Humidity in room was oppressive. We pulled our kids out of the pool. The stench was awful and they found garbage at the bottom of the pool. The breakfast was excellent and the breakfast staff so helpful. Won’t stay here again unfortunately.

Staff was nice. The pool was so gross I wouldn’t let my kids go in. Pretty sure there was. A nozzle stain on the floor of our room. The surrounding area was NOT family friendly.

Check in went smoothly, and we easily found a place to park for free. All staff members we encountered initially were friendly and helpful. However that is where the positive feelings stopped. First impressions included trash littered in the hallways and throughout the pool area, a broken toilet paper holder, dirty sheets left on the pullout sofa (clean ones were in the cupboard, but no pillows), only two towels for a room which holds 6 people, and no towels left in the pool area. These were all minor nuisances, but set the tone for the evening. A lot of money was spent on this room, and I felt like a better environment would’ve been had at a much less expensive place. We pressed on. As my children were already asleep, my husband and I realized the air conditioning simply wouldn’t turn on. It was 80 degrees out, and the room continued to get hotter throughout the night. Not wanting to wake my children, we suffered through, expecting a call to the front desk would mean a visit from an employee or moving to a different room. After a restless night, I woke up to find one of the sinks had no running water. Maybe a couple drops, but that was it. At that point I realized our pop-up camper would’ve had both air conditioning and a working sink. Why did we stay here?? I politely mentioned my concerns to the employee working the front desk in the morning. I realize it was busy, but his response to me was “I will make a note of it.” NO apology was given for our miserable experience!

Our family of four stayed for one night. I originally booked a fancier hotel but switched to Embassy Suites for a few reasons: it was significantly less expensive than the fancy hotel a few blocks away; the separate bedroom and living area is great with teenagers who need space from each other; we love the breakfast because of the omelets and cooked to order eggs. The room was clean but a little dated. The only issue was that the beds were full size, not queen. It definitely said this in the description but I missed it. I think I would choose to stay here again if the price is better than other downtown hotels. If they would change to queen beds it would be my top choice!

Older hotel, but great property for a family. Great pool. Easy parking. Great location. Always love the free breakfast 😁