Hyatt Place Altoona / Des Moines — Hotel in Altoona

Upon arriving, I was not asked for any identification to confirm my reservation or identity. The gentleman at the front desk appeared disengaged, seemingly unhappy with his job, and provided minimal interaction. He simply asked for my name, updated my card information, and vaguely directed me toward the elevator without offering details regarding amenities such as breakfast, pool, fitness center, hot tub, laundry, or any other facilities. It made for an awkward check-in experience, as there was no small talk or effort to inquire about the reason for my visit or to offer any local recommendations.||||When we entered our room (314), we immediately noticed a strong sewage odor emanating from the bathroom. Despite running water to alleviate any potential gas buildup in the pipes, the smell persisted and worsened when we turned on the bathroom light and exhaust fan. Additionally, the mirror in our room was missing a coat hook, and we had difficulty locating the ironing board, as it was awkwardly positioned deep under the bathroom sink, making it inconvenient to access.||||Aside from these two issues, our room was exceptionally clean, comfortable, and otherwise perfect.||||However, the "Spa" hot tub was disappointingly lukewarm, with jets that were barely noticeable, making the shower water a more pleasant experience than soaking in the hot tub. The pool area also appeared poorly maintained, with a noticeable brownish discoloration on the pool floor, including visible footprints.||||We opted not to visit the breakfast area. Checking out, the front desk attendant exhibited the same indifferent demeanor as the individual who checked us in and didn't even ask how my stay was, which felt impersonal and showed a lack of interest in guest satisfaction.||||As the General Manager of a smaller hotel, I have clear expectations for hospitality and professionalism, which were not met during my stay at Hyatt Place...

Based on our experience tonight, I recommend avoiding hotels owned by H O A Hotels, LLC of Moline, Illinois.

Parking is shared between two hotels and a busy restaurant. There is only a strip of parking with stalls on either side (you WILL be walking quite a way if the hotels are busy).

The first room's air conditioner was non-functional. The room was 75°, hallways were 78° and reeked of sewer gas. The second room was cooler (73°) but also had a non-functional air conditioner. A guy at the front desk dismissed the stench as no big deal and tried to tell us the extreme heat of the day (53° F) meant the air conditioning wouldn't work well.

Staff from the Hyatt moved us to the Marriott next door and apparently were trying to move several guests because of the smell. Found out the neighboring Marriott uses the same air conditioning system (and owners), and the owners don't run the air conditioning during the winter, even if the hotel is nearly 80°F and full.

The young woman at the front desk tried everything in her power to make our stay comfortable, but in the end I can't justify spending the kind of money these hotels charge to be miserably warm and dealing with the smell; we left and decided a 4 hour drive home (after 8 hours to get to Des Moines) was preferable to...

First, the front desk staff were very nice! They let us check in early and were very helpful.

I feel very torn about this stay. The hotel was well designed with nice quality materials. However, it has a lowest bidder vibe… nice materials, poor craftsmanship. Some mold in the shower and funky areas on walls and trim. The toilet was broken so it kept running and wouldn’t flush. So we had to take off the lid and adjust it every time we wanted to flush. However the beds were comfortable and clean. There was a nice view out the window and it was a pretty quiet AC.

Breakfast was advertised as potatoes and eggs, wraps etc. It was really just the standard continental minus any of the pancake/waffle options. The cut fruit tasted very sour like it had been cut for a long time. The scrambled and hard boiled eggs were both inedible (I don’t mean just tasted bad.. I mean rubber). And the whole breakfast area (seats, tables and buffet) were a huge mess by 8 am.

The pool room was nice and hat a nice hot tub, but!! The pool floor was sooo dirty looking. You could see footprints on the pool floor and large brown colored areas. The water itself didn’t feel dirty and was clear. But the bottom… 😬

Overall, not a terrible stay. Good people and nice rooms. Just...