Surety Hotel, Autograph Collection

The location of the hotel is terrific.

Rude staff. Old hotel. Poor amenities. There are plenty of better options in the Des Moines area. Choose another option. Don't waste your money.

Let me start by saying that we have stayed at this hotel multiple times over the last 4 years. And this is still, and will continue to be, our preferred stopover when we pass through Des Moines twice a year on our bi-annual west coast road trips.
However.....
Ever since Marriot acquired the property (about 2-3 years ago) there has been a very gradual, but very noticeable decline in the overall experience. It just doesn't quite have the high-end feel that it did when it was privately owned.
The rooms are the same as always. Pretty large, overall very quiet, especially if you pay extra and get a high floor room (7 and above), which we always do as the hotel is on the corner of two very busy streets. They've just sort of lost their luster over the years. Again, subtle but to us, noticeable.
Also, the towel quality seems to have gone down over the years. Not major but still, this hotel is expensive! Get better towels! And the toiletries not as plentiful or nice.

And oddly, when Marriot took over, they took coffee makers out of the individual rooms. I definitely remember a nespresso in our room when we first stayed 4 years ago. But now that it's a Marriot property, that seems to have gone away. I understand not putting nespresso makers back in but we've stayed a Best Westerns and Hampton Inns with Kuerigs in the room! Come on, Marriot. Put coffee makers in the rooms.
They do serve coffee in the lobby however. So not the hugest deal. Just weird to take that away.
I will say that the front desk/check in staff are stellar. As always. And the attached restaurant/bar is still a very nice experience. And the lobby area, while showing some age, is still a pleasant place to stay.
Valet parking is a nice feature. Expensive, but for us worth the price as it's a crowded downtown area and the hotel has a parking garage underneath. However....
the check in Valet was either new, or this just isn't the right fit for them. They seemed overwhelmed and it took nearly 30 minutes for our car to finally be moved from out front. And that's only because another valet showed up out of nowhere to help out.

Overall, it still has all the bells and whistles of a high end hotel, but it's most definitely lost some of it's initial charm over the years. This will still be our stopover when coming through Des Moines. We just overall feel sad and a bit disappointed in the subtle but noticeable changes since Marriot acquired the property.

Beautiful hotel!! I've stayed many places and this was honestly the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in. The bathroom was lovely and toiletries smelled wonderful. All of the staff were also very friendly.

Love the interior, great gym for a quick workout, yummy breakfast, and super sweet staff.

Decor and staff

Stay here often and it is a great hotel and has a wonderful and welcoming staff!
Brooklyn at the front desk is such a cheerful and thoughtful host and Shanna makes great coffee drinks at the lounge coffee shop.
Highly recommend when staying in Des Moines!

I love the ambiance of the hotel. Great staff and the restaurant has really good food! Try the smash burger and avocado toast for breakfast. Nice bar to have a few drinks and mingle and an in-room mini bar and snacks. Oh and it's pet friendly!

SO LOUD!!! The DJ in the outdoor seating area plays until 11pm and we could clearly hear everything even staying on the 12th floor.

What a gorgeous space - both downstairs in the lobby and the rooms. The staff was super helpful - especially Brooklyn at the front desk and Jonathan who answered many questions via emails before we arrived. Highly recommend staying here when you’re in the area!

Nice hotel. Staff was pleasant and helpful. Room amenities did not include coffee in room. But they had cash bar for alcohol and snacks. Shower was average but dangerously slick. Biggest complaint is that Valet parking is $45 plus taxes! That is rate for high end large city accommodations.

Great experience. Nice restaurant. Conner in the Mulberry Restaurant was extremely pleasant!

We had breakfast every morning with Connor serving us, he was fantastic and the food was delicious!

The staff were so kind and helpful. We had our dog and they made recommendations where we could go out to eat with as well as parks.

Everything! It’s our second stay and we really enjoy the facility, it’s great for our dogs, the staff is wonderful and the restaurant is amazing!

Adorable little boutique hotel with outstanding service, a wonderful restaurant, and a great value. Johnathan at the front desk was both professional and extremely friendly.

It was the early hours of the morning when I arrived at the Surety Hotel in Des Moines on a snowy February night. My flights from San Francisco had been delayed, but I managed to catch an early connection—although it, too, was delayed in Denver. After renting a car from airport, I barely made it to the Surety Hotel.

To my surprise, at 1:30 a.m. the front desk staff were awake and cheerful. I was promptly given my room, and even though the hotel’s restaurants had long closed for the night, the staff gave me helpful advice on how to order food through Uber Eats, along with some good recommendations. That was a great help at the time.
The room was a good size and comfortable, with windows facing the road, offering a nice view as the snow continued to pile up outside. My Uber Eats order arrived quickly, and the room featured a well-stocked mini-bar with a decent selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, as well as a good array of snacks—a welcome luxury at the time.

I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful French Nouveau and Beaux-Arts style features throughout the hotel, including mosaic tiles, vault doors, a grand staircase, and more. The rooms themselves incorporated more modern styles, and the amenities were of high quality.

I chose a room rate that included breakfast, which was served at the Mulberry Street Tavern—the hotel’s downstairs restaurant. I enjoyed an Americano coffee with avocado toast, which was sumptuous. For dinner, I had a delicious rib eye pappardelle there in the evening.

The gym was spacious and equipped with modern equipment.

The only thing I found expensive was the valet parking, which was $40 net per day—a bit pricey for the Midwest, in my opinion. Otherwise, my three-night stay was very pleasant and enjoyable.

It is a fitting addition to the autograph collection.

We love coming here after a show. Fantastic late night menus. Connor is one of our favorite bartenders. Always has great menu recommendations and conversation. Highly recommended.