Hampton Inn & Suites des Moines Downtown

We booked a two queen bed hotel room with river view, but got a room with a king bed and couch with the view of the HVAC units at check-in. Perhaps that would have been an acceptable change, but we needed two beds. We were told by the front desk that because of a water issue, 20 queen rooms were not available. The only extra bedding in the room for the couch was one pillow in the closet. This hotel jacked up their rates for the weekend we were there due to the events at the ballpark, so I spent $500 to sleep on a couch for two nights at this hotel. Save your money and book a different hotel. Downtown Des Moines is safe and walkable, so you don't need the closest hotel to the ballpark.

Great location in downtown Des Moines. Lots of great food very close by and their rates were reasonable. We had one of the balcony rooms which was very large. It was clean and comfortable as we expect from this chain. It was great sitting out on the balcony at night, Des Moines was pretty quiet on those nights and the weather was perfect. Across the street are walking/bike paths that run along the Des Moines river too. They offer a parking garage and it is attached directly to the hotel, no walking outside is necessary. There is street parking there too but the garage is cheaper for long stays. Enjoyed our stay here and would come back again.

It's a nice hotel in a great location. But when you splurge for a balcony suite, you don't expect any negatives...and there were a couple of big ones. First, the window in the bedroom area did not have curtains you could close. Meaning, they want the sun to shine through the sheers and wake you up early so you get out of the room sooner. Second, the balcony had an incredibly bright light on it that could not be turned off. It had a light sensor and when it came on, it was on, period. We got back from the ballgame and wanted to sit out on the balcony and enjoy the beautiful night and view. The very bright light ruined it for us. They put the appearance of their building ahead of their customers.

We were moving our daughter to Des Moines, booked a room online through a 3rd party, and called earlier in the day to inform them that we would be arriving late as we were driving from Milwaukee. The front desk staff was unable to check us in due to a computer issue. We ended up walking the street at 1:30 am looking for a place to stay. The neighboring hotel had a nice front desk worker who called around and found us a place for the night. I went back to the Hampton the next day, and was told it was a computer glitch, no apologies. The online booking agency contacted the Hampton Inn, and was told that we were a "no show" and could not get a refund. We have to pay over $300 for a room we did not step foot in. I tried contacting the Hampton general manager, left a message and she did not return my phone call.

The front desk staff was very friendly, the parking garage had plenty of space and was easy to get in and out of. Our balcony room was OK, The door to the balcony, however, would not lock and we had a storm so it kept blowing the door open, the rooms are decently clean however, the bed and the pillows were extremely uncomfortable. I was surprised there was no housekeeping when you stay multiple nights.

This location left a lot to be desired. I’ll start with the good. The location is pretty good. Right next to the river and while not in downtown proper, the downtown area is walking distance away. Parking is validated by the hotel. Ashley at the front desk was professional. Now the bad. The bedsheets is what really gave this review a low score. The comforter had a large bloodstain. I called Ashley about the situation and thankfully she sent up housekeeping to get the sheets changed. As I noticed the housekeepers changing sheets, I noticed the mattress was stained up good as well. Overall cleanliness needs improvement in the hotel. The hallways were quite beat up and aging with sagging carpets, scuffed up walls and smelled musty. The hotel was busy with a lot of kids and it seems like there was a school trip. Kids shouting and running down the halls all night. The breakfast was very sorry excuse especially for Hampton/Hilton. I got there at 8 and they already ran out of hot food only having waffles, very stale bread, cereal, yogurt and rotting fruit. Again with there being a school trip, there was no where to sit and had to eat in my room. For being a downtown Hilton location, I expected better. While not the worst experience, it was far from good.

Very clean and tidy, staff friendly and helpful. Breakfast included, had a good choice to help yourself to. Great location, recommend room with a view of river and Capitol building. Rooms are well equipped. Noise from adjacent rooms heard but not disturbing.

We were in town with friends for three nights. This hotel is right next to the ballpark so it was perfect for us. The room with a king bed was clean but smaller than we expected. A nice big bathroom and a good shower. Decent breakfast. Strong wifi. A $15 per night fee to park your car seemed a bit pricey. Front desk staff hit or miss on attention to detail, for instance we asked to have housekeeping clean our room and the guy just stared at his monitor and said nothing. Turns out he never told housekeeping.

We stayed here for one night when we traveled into town for an Iowa Cubs game. The hotel's location makes walking to the stadium, local bars afterwards, and the Des Moines Farmer's Market super convenient. In fact, that's the biggest reason we ended up staying here. Getting to the hotel was a little bit tricky with all of the road construction surrounding it. Another great reason to be able to just park your car and walk. Parking is in a connected parking garage, but it's not run by the hotel, so you'll need to pony up $15/day to park there. Check-in was a breeze, no issues there. The hotel and the room itself looked and smelled clean. We were in a king room on the first floor, walk-in shower only (no tub). The room was very quiet, and we did not hear the hallway nor any other guests at all. Check-out was also quick and easy. The pool and hot tub looked nice, but we didn't get back in time to try it out before it closed (10 PM). We also slept too late to try the breakfast. Folks who have read my reviews know that I have a couple of "hot buttons" when staying at a hotel. The first is constant on HVAC for white noise. The unit in our room did provide that setting, although it wasn't really needed (because the room was pretty quiet). And, the unit itself was really quiet, so even when the unit IS running, you couldn't hear it. The other is hot water for the shower. To be honest, we didn't use the shower during our short stay. We stayed out pretty late, slept late, and checked out a short time before the deadline. I will say that the shower did look clean and well maintained, but I never got to try it out. All that said, there are a couple of nits to pick.... Pillows on the bed. The bed itself was comfy, but the pillows... all 4 of them were very soft with little support. Some folks like that, some don't. I prefer a firmer pillow. Perhaps doing 2 and 2 instead of all 4 the same would have been a nice touch. The door was very heavy, and that wouldn't have been a big deal - except it also stuck a little bit in the frame. My wife had to struggle to get it open. Simple maintenance issue that would be easy to address. Bedside device charging... be aware, if you book this style room, you will NOT have charging abilities on both sides of the bed. We had one nightstand, one lamp, one place to charge devices next to the bed. Perfect for someone travelling alone. Not overly convenient for a couple. Furthermore, there were no USB ports, so you'll need to provide your own power brick / wall wart. 23 years into the 21st century, USB ports should be the rule, not the exception by now. Overall, this was a pleasant stay. If you're looking for someplace close to downtown, this is a place to consider. We'd stay here again anytime.