there are bed bugs on the couch and beds becoause my friend and i both woke up with them and now im itchy and look bad with out a shirt horrible! experience.

Rarely do I find a property where I have nothing (but great feedback) to say. Clean as a whistle (ok there were fingerprints on the bedroom window). Great service. Room was spotless. Carpeting didn't need vacuming. Bathroom was spotless. Bedspread was clean. Etc. Only negatives: one half ounce shampoo and conditioner sizes.

I was looking for a place downtown where I wouldn't need a car. The Marriott and Renaissance were closer but over my budget. The Embassy Suites was $139/night in comparison to over $200 for the Marriott and (closer to $300) the Renaissance, and Embassy Suites includes breakfast. Breakfast includes made to order omlettes - a real bonus at this price range. And the guy making them was very friendly. The room was dated (sort of 80s style) but nothing too serious - everything was functional and clean. Bed was comfortable. I had a view from the 5th floor over the river and the river park area, which was beautiful even in early April when its still a bit cold/clowdy (it snowed.) I can't say that I usually interact that much with the hotel staff, but the girl who checked me in and I saw a few other times went out of her way to be friendly, as did the guy making omlettes in the morning. I ate at the onsite restaurant the first night and wasn't thrilled - not horrible, just not very good. I found a Thai restaurant about a block away on walnut that was quite good and they do take out. I walked across the river to downtown with no problem. I also never felt unsafe walking around downtown, even at night (although its pretty deserted at night.) There is a whole system of skywalks around downtown Des Moines, so if you are there in the winter or when its cold/raining, check it out. Almost everything in the skywalk area closes after 5pm though. If you are going in the summer, I would definitely pick the Embassy Suites - they have a nice outdoor patio on the river side and right on a park-like spot on the river. Not much use in early April, but when its warm, this would be a great spot to relax.

Excellent Customer Service, OVER-Sized Rooms, Clean and very nice hoteI. I have stayed at 5 star resorts and I was pleasantly surpised to see the attention of the staff here, upon my late arrival. I was hungry and tired after being delayed at airports all day & the staff went above and beyond to accomodate my requests. I would recommend this hotel in a second-to anyone traveling to Des Moines! In fact, I do not recommend that you stay anywhere else! The price is very reasonable and the pictures on the site reflect the condition of the hotel.

We stayed here 4 nights as part of a class reunion, and were pleasantly surprised. It's convenient to downtown but simple to reach with a car as well. We have stayed at Embassy Suites elsewhere, and these rooms seemed larger. The double beds were clean and fresh looking. The bedroom was a bit sparse, but had a second sink area which helped while we were both getting ready in the a.m., etc. The kitchenette had a small refrigerator and a microwave. The sitting area was generous. A "front" window onto the huge 8-story atrium avoided the claustrophic quality sometimes found in such layouts. A full breakfast is available, incl. cooked to order eggs and some mornings waffles. There was also a free happy hour from 5-7, with generous drinks and cheese type snacks. The bar-restaurant was OK, with decent food at expected prices. Nothing special, but it didn't seem to get much use. The dinner at the final evening's event was good hotel fare (steak & salmon). We had a rental car so didn't use the provided limos to local restaurants, etc. It is down the street from the State Capitol and a recently redevolped section of artsy shops. As others have noted, it is a bit dated, esp. in the rooms, with dingy colors, though well-maintained.