Holiday Inn Express and Suites Des Moines Downtown by IHG

Hotels
•
Holiday Inn Express
8.3 (195 reviews)
333 Southwest 11th Street , Des Moines , US
+1 515-657-8181

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Free
Children allowed

Facilities

Fitness facilities
WiFi available
Free WiFi
Parking
Free Parking
Non-smoking rooms
Air conditioning
Fitness center
Swimming pool
24-hour front desk
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Friendly, helpful staff (named staff praised)
Excellent shuttle service
Good/very good breakfast
Great, convenient location
Clean rooms noted by multiple guests
Comfortable beds
Cons:
Reports of bugs/infestation and poor handling by staff
Building maintenance issues (falling stone, loose sockets, brick panels coming off)
Room maintenance problems (weak shower, misaligned bathroom door, door hinges)
Pool closed unexpectedly / construction during stay
Isolated rude front-desk interaction
Coffee cart lacked real cream/milk

Categories

Cleanliness
6
Mixed reports: several guests praised clean rooms but there is a serious complaint about bugs and visible maintenance issues (falling stone, loose sockets), lowering overall cleanliness sentiment.
Service
10
Consistently praised: multiple mentions of friendly, helpful staff (Taylor, shuttle drivers) and early check-in; isolated incident of a rude/front-desk denial noted but overall service sentiment is very strong.
Location
9.7
Repeatedly noted as a major positive: convenient to Civic Center/Drake College/Casey Centre and town, easy access and desirable for events.
Room Quality
7
Mixed: comfortable beds and pleasant rooms reported, but issues include weak showers, misaligned bathroom doors, and signs of wear or need for updates.
Amenities
8
Breakfast and shuttle service were strong positives; however the pool was unexpectedly closed for some guests and there was reported exterior construction, creating a mixed amenities impression.
Value for Money
8.3
Standard quality for this hotel tier.
Food and Beverage
9.3
Breakfast repeatedly described as very good/delicious; minor negative noted about the coffee cart lacking real cream/milk.
Overall Experience
8.1
Generally positive stays with helpful staff, good breakfast and location, but some guests had severely negative experiences due to maintenance and cleanliness issues, resulting in a mixed overall impression.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2026-11-05 14:41

Property Description

Luxurious Spa and Wellness Centre
Indulge in relaxation at Holiday Inn Express and Suites Des Moines Downtown with its luxurious spa and wellness centre, perfect for unwinding after a long day of exploring the city.

Modern Amenities and Comfort
Experience comfort at its best with well-equipped rooms featuring flat-screen TVs, cozy bedding, and convenient amenities like a fridge. The 24-hour front desk and free WiFi ensure a hassle-free stay for all guests.

Recreation and Business Facilities
From the indoor pool and hot tub to the fitness centre, there's something for everyone to enjoy. Business travelers can take advantage of the business centre, while the snack bar offers a casual spot to unwind.

Book your stay now at Holiday Inn Express and Suites Des Moines Downtown, an IHG Hotel, and elevate your travel experience!

Important information:

Guests are required to show a photo ID and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all Special Requests are subject to availability and additional charges may apply.
A deposit may be required at the property.

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Airport code: DSM

Location

Guest Reviews

8.3
Based on 195 reviews
Cleanliness: 6
Service: 10
Location: 9.7
Room Quality: 7
Amenities: 8
Value for Money: 8.3
Food and Beverage: 9.3
Overall Experience: 8.1
J
Jake • family_with_children • au
9
Awesome customer experience.
Pros:

Awesome customer service, Taylor welcomed us in after a long flight and checked us in early which was a massive help.
The shuttle service was unreal honestly best we have experienced being in the USA.
Breakfast was really good as well !
Happy to stay again and location was great for the Casey Centre.

Cons:

The door slamming world championships must have been in town this week as everyone closing doors at all manner of hours were slamming them.

2026-10-30 • via Nuitee
D
Deborah • couple • us
9
2026-10-12 • via Nuitee
P
Peter • couple • us
6
Nice stay, good breakfast and friendly staff were bright spots during our one night stay.
Pros:

Staff were very friendly. Our room was clean.

Cons:

Hotel was having construction being done outside and pool was closed without advance notice when room was booked. Some areas inside need updating. King bed had a topper on it but bed was still pretty hard.

2026-09-09 • via Nuitee
M
Maggie • solo_traveller • us
10
Friendly staff, delicious breakfast
Pros:

Very convenient to Civic Center. Also very clean and pretty rooms. I loved the walk-in shower. Bill the shuttle driver was awesome. He was so friendly and made us feel very safe.

2026-09-07 • via Nuitee
C
Carla • solo_traveller • us
10
2026-09-03 • via Nuitee
D
Dawn • extended_group • us
7
Location
Pros:

Location, location, location. Room was nice a big- even fit our bicycles with room to walk around. Staff very nice.

Cons:

Shower was weak and it looks a little run down needs a little update.

2026-09-01 • via Nuitee
C
christopherwF4206BE • Business • Detroit, Michigan
10
AAU Jr Olympics
Pros:

Every thing was great and in a great location from Drake College

2026-08-19 • via Tripadvisor
N
Nancy • extended_group • us
8
Taylor was very helpful with great customer service!
2026-08-19 • via Nuitee
C
Crystal • couple • us
8
2026-08-09 • via Nuitee
S
Stephen • couple • us
8
2026-08-07 • via Nuitee
S
Shawn • solo_traveller • us
10
Pros:

Great location, staff was very friendly and helpful.

2026-08-02 • via Nuitee
M
Michelle • family_with_children • us
8
Pros:

Beds comfortable, location

Cons:

Bathroom door was to big for frame and did not close

2026-07-24 • via Nuitee
R
Rosa • family_with_children • us
6
2026-07-23 • via Nuitee
Z
Zondra • couple • us
8
2026-07-04 • via Nuitee
A
Adventure25151679897 • Family
2
Terrible stay
Pros:

This was absolutely a horrific stay.

There are so many problems with this place one mainly being the building itself, the brick panels on the outside of the building is coming off, door hinges in rooms are falling out, lights aren’t properly connected, furniture seems flimsy and put together with no care, and in the lobby their is a loose socket

The second big problem is that it the staff and the fact that their are bugs, place has a lot of bugs and when brought up to the front desk they completely denied it which is insane, and based off their poorly written responses to other reviews that look ai generated and basically say well think about it, I see where the bug problem is the staff. When I made the reservation, they told me I could get two rooms near the pool on the first floor I get there and they said they didn’t have any and would give me a discount for the inconvenience to go to the second floor when I asked about it when we were checking out the next day the lady was very rude and said that she didn’t know anything about it and I told her about the bugs everywhere and everything else and she just was very rude and denied everything. We do have a video of the bugs. I just think this is horrible Customer Service into to tell the customer that they are lying and that they don’t believe me horrible horrible horrible

2026-06-10 • via Tripadvisor
C
Charlotte • solo_traveller • us
10
2026-06-07 • via Nuitee
E
Elizabeth • solo_traveller • us
9
Better than home.
Pros:

Clean, attractive and friendly staff! Breakfast was great and so was the bed. Taylor on the front desk was especially helpful and nice and both Richards were the airport shuttle drivers who made the trip pleasant.

Cons:

Coffee cart did not have the option of real cream or milk. The artificial and high sugar coffee creamers are terrible!

2026-06-03 • via Nuitee
B
Bryce • couple • us
10
Perfect spot for the DAM to DSM Half Marathon
2026-06-02 • via Nuitee
A
Andrew • extended_group • us
8
Okay stay.
Pros:

Location

Cons:

Room was a little smelly and the stone on the exterior of the building was all falling off.

2026-06-01 • via Nuitee
C
Carol • family_with_children • us
8
2026-05-31 • via Nuitee