Iowa State hotels & places to stay

We booked expecting a fun indoor water park, it didn't exist! They only had a pool. The water temperature was so cold my grandsons lips & mouth turned blue. Complained to the front desk, was told the temperature couldn't be changed. The WIFI did not work at all, no signal & poor signal was all we could get. Positives: rooms were clean. (Except for the dirty old body smell). Staff was nice and freindly. Breakfast was good. The kids really enjoyed making & eating the waffles.

This hotel was excellent for the money. That being said, I will state that the rooms all face the pool atrium and while we were there, there was a family reunion happening, so the pool area was very noisy and busy with splashing children. I didn't lose any sleep, but I would hesitate to enthusiastically recommend this property if you are simply a couple traveling without children. The room was comfortable and the facilities were clean.

Seemed like a newer hotel that was well appointed. The hot tub and pool were great, and I enjoyed the fitness center(very small- but had what I needed). The morning breakfasts were tasty, the rooms were comfortable, and the linens were clean/pretty good quality. I also appreciated the cookies and coffee that were available in the lobby. The only cons: 1.) While it was mostly a very quiet hotel (we never heard anyone in the neighboring rooms), we did hear people stumbling around and talking in the middle of the first night. It's possible that they were just loud/ the problem has nothing to do with door insulation 2.) While I'm very pleased that this is an animal free hotel (probably why it "felt" clean), there was a large pet dog at breakfast one morning. I know this was a pet because it wore a muzzle and slept on the floor of the dining room by it's special snowflake (inconsiderate idiot) owner's table. They need to train the staff to recognize fake service animals/ADA requirements.

Yes, this property could use some updates - new drapes, more outlets for electronics, etc., but overall this is a great hotel. It is very clean, the room was spacious, the bed was comfy, the staff is simply amazing, and the location is ideal. (The coffee in the lobby area is also very good for those who are coffee-lovers like myself.) This is truly a bargain and the location is close to everything you would need ... dining options, shopping, casinos, and the freeway. It is a safe location as well. I would definitely recommend this property.

We were pleasantly surprised by this Hotel, doesn’t look much upon arrival, but once you step inside it’s fantastic Super close to the airport, less than 5 minute drive, heaps of parking Awesome pool area Large breakfast area, food was ok, struggled to get hot water and hot food, maybe just unlucky with times we went Laundry was great and easy to use the machines Best bed I have ever slept in!!! Loved it Room was a great size, very clean & presented nicely Casey’s general store across the road We went for the Knoxville Nationals and would definitely stay here again

Travelodge Iowa City is an old hotel. When I lived in Iowa City in the 60's, 70's and early 80's it was the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge. Since then it has undergone several rounds of renovations. The current status is "comfortably worn", though the rooms have been updated. I stayed for 5 days in October, 2017. My room was very comfortable, with a flat screen HDTV, a good bed, coffee/tea maker, and a bathroom with good water pressure and HOT water. My only complaint is the old heater/air conditioner. It's the huge type that sits along the windows, and it was fairly noisy. It was somewhat difficult to get the heat set to my preferred temperature with the old-style mechanical dials. Another issue is that despite the addition of plexiglass guards, the output from the blower would catch the curtains and blow them up into the air, removing any semblance of privacy. I used my shoes to keep the curtains away from the air flow. The complimentary breakfast was nothing special. They served pre-made cheese omelets, and had a waffle maker. The "blueberry" mix didn't have any blueberries, but it was slightly blue in color, with some blue flecks. The standard mix was much better. The best thing about the breakfast was the coffee. They have a constant brew coffee machine that is never empty, and it's on 24-hours a day. As a certified and proud coffeeholic I was well impressed. I filled my trusty Trucker's Thermos many times over the five days. WiFi - they have it. If you get a room near the front desk it should work fine. I was, alas, near the far end of the building, and the WiFi was unusable. I ended up tethering my cell phone and spending money on data. Workable, but how hard would it be for Travelodge to install a cheap WiFi range extender or access point? The location is somewhat remote. You will have excellent access to Interstate 80, and Coralville and Cedar Rapids are just a quick drive away. If you need to be close to downtown or the college areas, think twice

We came with three other families, all of them staying in another hotel. We were the only ones with small kids (ages 1 and 4) so we were concerned with the depth of the pool. This was the only one not over their heads so we chose to stay here and meet up with the others for our activities. I would stay here again next time. The pool was a very good size and perfect for our girls. The hotel was clean and looked nice. The breakfast was very good for a free breakfast. Our room was a nice size. All the staff we talked to were helpful and friendly. They even folded the girls' blankies when they made the bed! It wasn't a 5 star resort, but we weren't expecting that. For the type of hotel it was, we were very happy! Our nephew goes to school here, so we will probably be back again, and I would stay here again.

We spent the night as our girl had an doctor appointment the next day at Iowa City, Children's Hospital. First off we booked online, which was a great rate! Motel with pool/waterpark, great for teens. Only when we got there I discovered why the rate was great, if the girls wanted to swim, I had to pay another $20! Fine I payed it. Our room was clean enough, but nothing worked! Was supposed to have free wifi, didn't. No internet at all, front desk said we could come to lobby and use it. Excuse me, it was included in my room. TV Remote didn't work, we could get tv, front desk told me how to fix it. Not my job, but I did what they told me and it worked. Phone in room didn't work, was told if I needed anything to just use my cell phone and call the front desk. Then handed a business card with phone number on it. Just shocked at this, so the only way we could get extra towels was to use our cell phones. Water park not worth the Hasle! Won't be back.

The Apple Tree Inn is true to the pictures. The Inn is old, and it shows, but it is clean and tastefully decorated. We stayed one night in Indianola on our way to Minneapolis, enjoying the beautiful town square and a great dinner at Winn's. I definitely recommend this hotel, because the price is right, and it did not disappoint. We did not have the free breakfast, so I cannot speak to that. My one caveat is that the bed is quite hard.