Staybridge Suites DES MOINES DOWNTOWN

I would give it three and a half stars if I could.
I have always enjoyed staying in Embassy Suites hotels so decided to splurge a bit on my college reunion trip to Des Moines and stay here.
Unfortunately this experience was not quite up to par with other Embassy Suites I have stayed in. (Including this one, several years ago.)
The Pros:
–Every staff member we encountered was very friendly and helpful.
–The evening happy hour and morning included breakfast were both wonderful
–The room was spacious and very clean
–The location was perfect– walking distance to downtown things we wanted to do.
The Cons:
–The housekeeping service never came to clean our room.
We were there for two nights. There was no information about having to request to get your room cleaned, and we never put our «do not disturb» sign on our door. We left for the day in the morning, came back mid afternoon and it hadn’t been cleaned. We thought maybe they just didn’t get to us yet. Came back late and night, and it still hadn’t been touched. I would expect at least the beds to be made, even at much less expensive hotels than this…
–The sliding door between the two rooms of the suite was bolted open.
This kind of defeats the purpose of having two rooms… I like staying here because I often have trouble sleeping, and usually I can go read/​watch TV in the other room without disturbing my sleeping friends… I don’t know if this was because we were given an «acesssible room» (which we didn’t need), but the door didn’t close. I couldn’t even turn on a light without disturbing the bedroom. The shower was also extremely short, hitting me (a 5×7″ woman) in the shoulder.
–The hot tub was out of order.
I understand that things break/​need work, but I was just looking forward to using it. wah wah…

Very nice hotel. The staff is nice with the exception of one very angry valet/​shuttle driver who honked his horn at me repeatedly and told me to move my car «HEY GIRL!!» But didn’t tell me where I could move it so it could be parked by the valet. Luckily, I didn’t have to deal with him personally or that would not have gone well.
Happy hour was nice, you have to wear a green wristband to get drinks or food. They no longer do tickets for drinks.
East village is a quick walk away, Court avenue is is about 5 blocks away and easy to access.
Breakfast is pretty good as well. I’ll definitely be returning but hopefully the gentleman valet will be nicer. Also, the rooms are very dry. Made sleeping a bit uncomfortable.

Your standard Embassy Suites with a lovely view of downtown Des Moines.
I really enjoy hitting up an Embassy Suites when I can afford to. My husband and I were traveling from KC to MN with our two month old baby and we stopped in Des Moines on the way up and the way back in order to break up the drive. The two room suite set-​up was perfect for having a fussy little guy who wakes up at night. The free drinks (5:30−7:30pm) were fantastic. I loved that they had a local Des Moines beer on tap. I also loved the heck out of breakfast. Made to order pancakes (optional chocolate chips), made to order omelets, oatmeal bar, etc… It was fantastic. Next time, I will have to try the swimming pool. We were also on the 8^th floor for our return trip and that floor had free vending machines for guests on that level. We’re talking free chips, candy, soda and bottled water. It was crazy! Our view on one visit was a stunning one of the river and our view on the other visit was a lovely view of the capital building. I will definitely return to this hotel the next time I’m in Des Moines.
Side note, it’s a short walk to Zombie Burger. My husband even ran into another guy who had a to-​go order from Zombie Burger in the hotel elevator as he was on his way out to get us some food from there.

This is one of the best-​located hotels in downtown Des Moines. While I am not terribly familiar with the city, it is a short walk to the East Village area (two blocks) and quite close to the downtown bar areas. My wife and I have stayed at this Embassy location twice now, and I highly enjoy both the swimming pool and the view of the river. They even have a fully-​stocked bar! The staff are all quite friendly and helpful, and they even have a van service.
I would give this hotel 5 stars, but I must subtract a star very expensive and also requires lodgers to pay for parking across the street as well. However, I will continue to come to this Embassy Suites location due to the friendly service and the wonderful location.

This is a great Embassy Suites! The staff is super friendly, the hotel is clean, and the rooms are large & lovely. The Liberty restaurant was a great experience. The server was knowledgeable and very nice. Also, the food was extremely good. I’m impressed!

Decent hotel, all staff that we encountered were very helpful and personable. The free breakfast in the morning is decent for a free got breakfast, can’t really complain, the happy hour at night is great, they had a local beer on tap which was really good. Room was clean and had plenty of room. Only thing we didn’t like is the shower, wish it was a tub shower combo, we have a little baby that was hard to give her a bath, water was hot, no complaints there, location is perfect walking distance to shops and restaurants, what more could you ask for?

I’m a Marriot Platinum member for life, but I often choose to stay here. Great property, staff is awesome. Love that happy hour!!!

This is the best Embassy I have stayed at. We stayed here when we got married 2 years ago for a week and stayed here this week when we came back for our anniversary.
Everyone here is so friendly. I was able to see Cameron again on the front desk and Kory the bartender during happy hour. Kory even went out of her way to give us an anniversary card handwritten.
They have some great teamembers here and they handle groups great. The rooms are clean and the breakfast is great.

I love that you walk into the freshest of air smells from the waterfalls and the atrium! ! Was highly efficient and quick to gets my room! Very personable. I do love there pool area. I also loved the bar area, some pretty fancy drinks are available. The restaurant has delicous food an the wait time is qickly handle with top market food u will love!!! I had a wonderful time, and liked that I could still get a smoking room! In the morning there cook to order eggs an breakfast buffet is to totally die for! A must go to if you want total relaxation and wonderfully fun times.

I have been travelling to Des Moines for almost 1 year and a half on a bi-​weekly basis. This is my go to hotel after a few short stays at the Hilton Garden Inn in West Des Moines (also a nice place).
The reason I moved to this property is primarily it’s walking proximity to various restaurants, bars, walking/​running trails. Just all around more stuff to get to close by without driving. The hotel also offers an excellent shuttle service (to 10PM) within 2 miles of the hotel.
The staff here have constantly bent over backwards to take care of me and to show me continued appreciation of my business. Some of them I feel like friends that I could hang out with if there was any opportunity to do that.
I definitely have to say the front desk staff specifically Jessica and Cameron pretty much know exactly what I want and when. Every week I don’t even have to ask they already have it taken care of (LOVE THAT)!!!
From a general perspective here are some key highlights of this property:
— On the River (Great Views)
— Quiet (No train noise/​road noise)
— Great bar/​restaurant/​room service
— Excellent Staff all the way around
— Morning Breakfast is fantastic and has lots of options
— Parking across the street (for a fee)
— Parking in basement (also for a fee)
— Shuttle service
— Indoor Pool/​Spa/​Gym
All in all this is one of my favorite properties and even when they have large groups in town (frequently) their service levels don’t change to other guests.
This is a primary reason that I keep coming back here and I’m a Diamond member of the Hilton Honors program.

Actually 4−½ stars. Great location near lots of restaurant choices within walking distance (which is a good thing, see my comment about in house Liberty Grill) and pretty views. Staff from breakfast crew, to housekeeping and front desk was exceptional, helpful and friendly. Why do I deduct ½ a star? Two reasons: 1) While the room was clean and comfortable, the furnishings and décor felt dated and dark. 2) The Liberty Grill. Again service was great but the food we had was AWFUL! Not just bad, but awful. We had the BBQ wings and panzanella salad. The wings had a strange and yucky sweet flavor and we could only eat one each they were so bad. The panzanella salad was terrible. Seemed like they threw in whatever old bread they had, maybe 6 halves of cherry tomatoes and the worst dressing which seemed to be pure Dijon mustard. So sad because typically embassy suites have decent in house food, not this one. I would stay here again if I passed through town but would definitely eat somewhere else.

Great room. Clean with a huge comfy bed and soft linens. However, there was no hair dryer in the room. Went to the front desk to ask for one. The staff was not friendly. She said she would send one up. None ever showed. Got an apology from the door man but had to leave for early morning biz meeting with wet hair. So much for customer service.

Nicely updated Embassy. I like all the water falls throughout the place.

5 star stay, service, and room.
I had the chance to stay here for a work function, so I can’t comment on price or the reservation process since it was made for me. Parking was also paid for. As a note, the employer paid for the parking lot across the street, but as it was full, the Embassy Hotel upgraded my parking to the underground lot for no extra charge. That was nice.
The room itself was really nice. No Keurig (which I found odd for a hotel of this caliber considering how many «budget» hotels have upgraded to them), but it did have an ice bucket and coffee items. It was a «two room» layout with a door separating the bedroom from the living room. The living room had a couch, flat-​screen TV, and a table with four chairs. The bedroom also had a desk, flat screen TV, and bed. (Note: Bed was SUPER FLUFFY and awesome. Loved the bed)
Bathroom had half a roll of toilet paper with an extra roll as well as a hair dryer. The water pressure in the sink faucet was a bit under what I’d like, but it worked fine. The shower had one of those «glass panel» walls with no way to close the shower. Very little water made it outside the shower. Water in the sink and shower were adaquetely hot though I would have loved a bit more. Room temperature was easy to control and pretty accurate. One side of the room overlooked the river while the opposing side of the room that had windows (with curtains that could close) that looked into the hotel. The hotel has 8 floors, and it has a design that means all rooms are situated around a giant empty area that looks down into the lobby. So if you’re afraid of heights, do be aware of this.
The hotel offers free breakfast as well as a free «happy hour» (which was two hours) with alcohol. The happy hour coincided with the hours of the work event, so the line for the free alcohol took at least a half an hour. It got better towards when the work party was focused on dinner instead of socializing. They offered a wide variety of drinks including mixed drinks, bottled beers, and others. They did not have any sort of sodas or non-​alcoholic drinks (for those that don’t drink).
The staff for the hotel was pretty prompt and attentive. They were great about checking us in, and when I needed a safety pin for my dress, they had one available as well. Front desk was extremely friendly. Bar staff was friendly enough — but I must admit they were probably feeling pretty overworked, so I don’t hold it against them.
I had the chance to use the fitness center. They have three treadmills and an elliptical — all equipped with televisions. There’s a weight bench, free weights, a Bosu trainer ball, and a weighted gym. There are yoga mats as well and enough space to do your own yoga routine. They also offer complimentary bottles of water in the gym as well as towels. I had the chance to use it when it was empty, but it isn’t the largest room, so as a business hotel, I could imagine this starts to feel a bit crowded during the mornings. The elliptical worked amazingly and was very feature-​filled.
Breakfast in the morning was very thorough. I can’t eat a lot of it, but they offered a lot of options. They were making omelettes to order, had cereal with milk, hot cocoa, coffee options, packaged yogurts, cream cheese treats, waffles, fruits, and other things. For being free-​of-​charge, it was very thorough and fresh and offered lots of options. Lots of seating too — even for busy, «hotel sold out» mornings like I was there.
I did not use the internet nor the hotel pool during my stay. The hotel pool did look a bit small, but it’d get the job done for a workout swim.
Other notes:
–Hilton Rewards Silver status will get you two free bottles of water. Otherwise water is $ 4 a bottle if you drink the bottled water in the room (it’s clearly labeled).
–Hotel is a ²⁄₃ block walk down to the bar district of downtown Des Moines.
–Housekeeping came by at 9 and knocked on the door causing us to scramble to wake up and get dressed to answer the door. Once I answered it they said «sorry, we’ll come back later». This has happened to my partner before when he has stayed in other Embassy hotels. Considering that check-​out time is noon, I have absolutely no idea why they were bothering us at 9. This was possibly the biggest annoyance of my entire stay.
Final Thoughts: It’s definitely a nice place to stay. The room was very clean, and the facilities were nice. It felt very professional and clean, and I feel like some of their offerings (free drinks, free breakfast) went above and beyond. I’d stay here again.

Location, Location, Location! This is a perfect spot for friends and family to stay while visiting Des Moines!
The hotel over looks the Des Moines River and downtown Des Moines! Located in the East Village you are walking distance to great eats, good drinking holes and you can walk up to the capital which is only a few blocks away!
My parents have stayed here numerous times while visiting and the rooms are spacious and well kept!
The bar has a nice happy hour with a free drink for the guest! Naturally living a few blocks away we joined my parents for this!
We have walked over on a nice day grabbed a brew from the bar and sat on the beautiful patio that they have! Since our Apartment has no patio, we have to use others to get our outdoor drinking in the sun fix sometimes!
The drinks are a bit pricey in the bar, but standard for a hotel bar! Again decently prized, amazing location, and good staff! This is a good choice if you are coming to Des Moines!

Everything seemed to go right for me as I stayed here on a house hunting trip then when I was finally HERE!
I asked for a higher level and I got it —
Happy Hour is a blast and very walkable to all of downtown Des Moines!
Feel very VIP at Embassy Suites! The Front desk was very helpful and knowledgeable!
Great FREE Wifi in the lobby area. Wonderful Breakfast waiting for you each morning to enjoy!
Managers Reception is alright too — «Happy Hour» * You need topay for parking across the street.

The single star is for the nice interior design. The rest was bad enough that I will never be back. Beds are in poor condition. The seem quite old and springy. Terrible on my back the room was missing items like the ice bucket and TV remote. The TV didn’t work but much worse was the fact the thermostat did not work. The rooms are dated.
Eddie, the desk clerk seemed rushed even though I was the only one in line and quite rude, arrogant and a bit pompous. I will not be back.
I have raised my rating from a one star to a three since my room was clean and quiet. But the staff rating remains very low. I walked around the central lobby taking photos when I was «apprehended» by hotel security because I was taking photos, he seemed to think I was up to something sinister.
I will still probably avoid the hotel due to my experience with staff.

Quality hotel with clean rooms and facilities. Team members stay here on a regular basis with no complaints. Breakfast suffices for the morning and close to downtown. Rates are comparable.

I checked in here after I moved out of my apartment in Des Moines. Parking is $ 15 underground but $ 6 – 8 at the lot across the hotel. I had my car packed with luggage and things and didn’t want to risk getting robbed. Well, the front lobby is gorgeous with the fountain from the top floor all the way to the lobby level. I was immediately greeted and given 2 bottles of water and a snack. Nice touch:) I did get moved from a handicapped room to a regular king room with river view. The hotel was completely sold out so this was nice.
EVENING HAPPY HOUR **
Complimentary drinks and snacks after 5PM. I didn’t know and sat in the restaurant for dinner. I had the grilled salmon salad and a beer. Afterwards, I tried the sangria at the open bar. Not exactly the best but glad to at least try it. Food was generous and also full salad and not heavy on dressing.
FITNESS CENTER AND POOL ***
Nobody was in the pool early before dinner so I got to do some laps and dip in the hot tub. I tried the fitness center the next day and no luck with the earplugs. I turned up the TV in the room to watch the news.
BREAKFAST BUFFET ****
The buffet here was the best I had at any Embassy Suites. The omelet bar was huge with 6+ stove tops so that everyone got their omelet within 5 minutes. Last place in Minneapolis, there were only 3 so it took a while. Also, the chef also could do chocolate chip pancakes in the center grill so try out one which was amazing. Fruit selection was a little sparse with only pineapple and watermelon. Would have liked some honeydew and cantalope. Coffee was superb and also great machine to make whatever you like– café latte, café mocha, etc.
KING ROOM ****
A bit noisy in the living room when you entered since it faces the inside of hotel atrium. However, if you move into the bedroom facing the river, then it is peaceful. Alot of space inside to spread out your things. The bathroom only has a shower and no sliding door so get the towel rug ready. Only 1 panel glass near the shower head so you can see yourself in the mirror while you shower. Depending on how comfortable you feel seeing yourself naked this could be a good or bad thing. 2 TVs– one in living room and one in bedroom. Fridge is larger size so made it nice. Also, there is a microwave to heat up your food just in case.

We were in town for a wedding which the reception was held at the hotel. We arrived and there was huge convention being held at the hotel. There was no where to park in the surface self parking lot. Thankfully the meters are free post 6pm on Friday. However, if that was not the case we would been forced to do valet. Overall the check in process was efficient. They had one elevator down and the convention had let out for the day. It was a bit of a wait to get to the room. As we were only one of 20 rooms not associated withe the convention they gave us paper coupons to use in the restaurant/​bar for the managers reception. The food was chips and salsa for the reception. Wine, beer on draft and wells drinks.
Room was extremely clean and modern. Bed were comfortable. Shower had plenty of hot water and pressure. I love the lamps with power outlets in them so you don’t have to rearrange furniture to plug in your cell phone. Coffee maker and a small assortment of teas in the room.
Breakfast was wonderful in the morning. Wide selection. Even a bar for omelet making. At the bar they also make pancakes and French toast. The chef was making Mickey Mouse pancakes for the kids.
Check out was as pain less as check in. They do need to get that extra elevator fixed quickly. That was the worst part of our stay; waiting for the elevator. We wouldn’t mind taking the stairs but they dump you outside on floor 1. Understand they are for fires but as the elevators were such a mess would have been better to take stairs to lobby.
The wedding reception in the hotel was ok. The staff appeared a bit confused about who was eating what. They brought out all the pork dishes and then there was a five minute wait for the chicken and veggie options. It is Des Moise so I don’t expect service to be a strength but it was a bit too unorganized.
Again the service in the restaurant/​bar was also hit or miss. First night we sat there for 10 minutes until my husband walked up to a lady and asked what do we need to do to get service? On another night the bartender was spot on. Our drinks were barely finished when she asked if we wanted another one. On another night the bartender didn’t know what or how to make an Old Fashion. I think service would be this hotels weakness.
Overall a nice location and clean hotel. Hit or miss service and if full slow elevators. Felt price was a bit high for Des Moise.