Holiday Inn Express Des Moines-At Drake University

Chose this HIE for location, and well, because you always know what to expect with a Holiday Inn Express, right? Damn wrong. Damn.
I knew when I walked in. The entry looked like the foyer of a dorm. I fully expected a drunk frat boy to slide down the bannister in a toga. I decided to give it a chance, however, since surely the rooms would be typical of the brand — updated and clean. NOT so bro!
The smell of mildew hit me like a brick house when I opened the door to my room. Returned immediately to the front desk where a very nice college student deskie agreed to give me another room — exactly 3 rooms down. Same story but, last room, ma’am (always nice when they acknowledge that you are old enough to be their mother.)
Deskie boy opened the new room for me and, really, said «Oh yeah that’s an awful stench.» He retreated to get some «stones» which he put in the air vent to «mask the stench.» I told him that I needed a moment in the room to fire up my laptop and book another room, and that I would not be staying.
The WIFI went the speed of dial up. Still suffering from buffering. So I gave up and attempted to call other properties, but the ONE BAR I had in this property resulted in a failed call every time! Fine reception in the parking lot, on the street, in the diner next door — ONE BAR and horrible WIFI in hotel hell.
I had no choice but to stay one night, I had booked it for 6. Deskie was great and let me behind the desk to use his land line and Ethernet to book the Marriott downtown starting for the next five nights. I retired to my room, now smelling of mildew and Deskie’s stones and popped three sleep aids to numb the pain.
I escaped early the next morning. Some questions remain. WTF was the spot on my sheets? Is the grout in the bathroom intended to be black? What is Deskie’s name so I can compliment his good service? And how long will this property escape the mold police? (Hello, health department …).
Praise God for my room at the Downtown Marriott… for $ 22 per day more than I would have spent at the HIE near Drake.

The room itself was certainly not brand new (peeling walls, etc) but was very clean and I felt comfortable. The wifi was great and I was able to do work in a timely manner. The walls did seem a bit thin; I could hear television on one side and a personal conversation on the other quite clearly. I had quite a bit of trouble checking out in the morning and eventually had to put the charge on my personal credit card, but I suspect this was due to errors by my business’ travel specialist and not the fault of the hotel staff. The breakfast was good and what I have come to expect from Holiday Inn Express (I have a soft spot for those cinnamon rolls). A great moment in my stay was realizing that I had forgotten my phone charger at home. They did not have a compatible charger for me to use at the front desk, but the staff member offered me the use of her personal phone charger for as long as I needed it. She certainly went above and beyond, which I very much appreciated. Thank you!

Booking for a work trip during college move in week left me with few options, still, I though maybe a HIE wouldn’t be too bad. I was there more than 3 weeks ago and I am still regretting not leaving.
I should start with the positives. Location isn’t bad, parking is free, and, again, not too bad, but does fill up pretty quick in the evening if the hotel is busy. Walking distance to Drake, and a great BBQ place, as well as next to Drake Diner if you don’t want to go far. Breakfast wasn’t too bad in the morning! I was actually pretty happy with the selection of yogurts (Chobani!). Don’t bet on the coffee though.
What made me give this place 2 stars is the rest of the experience. I was placed on the ground floor, and the windows open. As a female traveling alone, I was not super comfortable with this, but I made sure the locks were good and did my best. I was also right next to the lobby and breakfast room. Talk about loud in the morning. If you’re in one of those rooms, I recommend asking to move.
When I first entered the room, after waiting for the nice housekeeping ladies to clean it, I noticed a VERY strong mildew smell. Upon further inspection, I could see HEAVY mold in the AC vents. I immediately turned it off and went to the front desk. I explained that I have bad allergies, and asked if someone could come clean it. Now, as someone who has worked as a professional in the industry, I can’t bring myself to be a demanding guest, or I would have asked to change rooms. I hoped they’d offer. They didn’t. They sent housekeeping in to «wipe it off.» Something like that needs to be seriously cleaned. Though, the housekeeping ladies did their best.
Mold prevailed. I tried opening the shady windows, kept the AC off (in August!) and wiping it down myself, but to no avail. So I purchased some fabreeze and tried to live with it.
Then, that night, when trying to get work done for, ya know, my WORK TRIP, the internet wouldn’t work. I tried several times, gave up and went to dinner. Came back and it still wasn’t working. So, I asked at the front desk if I was doing something wrong and was told, it doesn’t work and word for word that «yeah…we kind of suck at being a hotel.»
Seriously.
So I put off my work for the morning, tried to get on the LOBBY computers, and they didn’t work as well.
Not worth my time, and I’m have a serious cold which I developed from the mold.
Don’t chose here unless they choose to finally clean the mold from these rooms.

A part of the building was under construction, but it didn’t affect our stay at all. Clean, friendly, organized, comfortable, decent price. We’ll stay there again if we need to be near campus.

Bed was comfy. Room was clean. Staff was nice. But breakfast was lame! Hotwire got us the room for $ 87

Very clean room and best of all the amount of amenities that they offered in the bathroom. Swimming pool and hot tub are always a bonus but so is the shopping that is walking distance from here.

Desperately in need of updating, but otherwise fine. The other drawback is that Drake is an oasis surrounded by quasi-​ghetto… at least as ghetto as Des Moines gets. lol You are in no danger, but I certainly took my portfolio and GPS out of my car for the night.
Staff is friendly and the main things… bed, shower, and WiFi are all just fine.

Typical of any other holiday inn express. Ok breakfast buffet. Rooms are decently sized and if you’re on the first floor they also open up into the courtyard. The only ice machine is on the first floor. Free internet access and lots of parking available. Very close to drake university about a 5 to 10 minute walk. The only thing that distinguishes this place from other holiday inns is that they have free popcorn in the lobby.