AmericInn by Wyndham Ames — Hotel in Ames

I will happily return to this hotel. It was exceptionally clean, quiet and the staff was impressively kind. I know this is a long review, but having worked customer service and the fact they were so great I want to be sure I give them credit. I believe those details matter. For starters, I'd messed up our reservation. I'd booked it for the following night. (Nothing like feeling dumb, learning of my mistake at the counter upon our arrival.) So my daughter and I basically showed up a day early, again completely my fault. Thankfully they were able and willing to accommodate us then and there. Kamini and the manager handled the logistics and communication with Expedia and I ended up with no additional fees. I only met and saw Kamini as the manager was in a meeting in a backroom. She popped in on him and she came back to me saying they'd be able to help. Phew! After having been on the road for several hours getting to Ames I decided to try out the hot tub. It was good sized and just what I needed. There is also a pool table in the pool room. Obviously there's an actual pool as well. Very nice space. There were many teen/parent(s) there as it was "Admittance Day" at Iowa State. (Which meant roughly 1,100 potential freshmen and their families invading the campus and nearby area.) In the morning there were many options for breakfast. Even with about half the tables in use when we got downstairs there was still hot coffee, hot eggs, biscuits and gravy, and much more - and it was all well stocked. When we checked out I didn't even have the chance to double check with the gentleman at the counter that everything regarding my brain-fart-wrong-date-reservation was handled. I'd intended to check to be sure they didn't need anything else from me before leaving. He kindly assured me it had all already been handled. I was impressed by this because it was the first time I'd encountered him. I suspect he was the manager. That told me not only had they handled it, but he remembered our room number and assured me it was addressed off the top of his head. There were MANY people checking out at the same time as us as we were likely heading to the same place at the same time and he STILL had me top of mind. There must have been 8 keys on the counter of people who had already left, and a few more leaving more keys, so there was a lot happening for him mentally at the moment. If I HAD to admit/find one con, and I don't really consider it a con because not all hotels have them, the room didn't have any USB ports for chargers. Just bring your wall adapter and you'll be set. This hotel is back a ways off the road and about 10 mins from campus. We'll definitely be back. Don't hesitate to give this...

Not up to other AmericInns I’ve stayed at. Just to be clear, I don’t stay at AmercInns expecting the Hilton. Clearly they are mid renovations, my rating has nothing to do with that. The ownership has to be the tightest penny pinchers I have ever seen. They are reusing the little paperboard room key holders from guest to guest. They have them filed away in room order so they don’t have to use new ones. The breakfast options were sparse and appeared to be yesterday’s leftovers. Biscuits and gravy are always great, but the gravy looked a day or two old and the biscuits were sitting in a cold, covered kettle with no tongs or utensil. The milk for the little bit of cereal was a partial gallon of WalMart milk. Homestyle is fine with me for friends and family, but not random people at a hotel.

The beds were terrible. I had to look under the sheets to verify it was a mattress and not a box spring. Zero cushion, all spring and stiff as a board. The laundry products used in the bedding made for a stiff and woolen feel. The lighting in our room was 2/3 operational and the tissues were empty upon arrival.

With many handwritten or computer paper printed signs taped up everywhere, this was more of an amateur mom and pop B&B than a franchisee owned chain. Wouldn’t recommend.

Edit to add comments addressing owner’s reply to review; yes, the hot tub was nice. The pool area is also fairly nice. The no pool towels isn’t. You have to go to the front desk and retrieve them. The pool table (billiards) in the pool area was interesting. The paper note taped over the hours of the area reducing the hours you can use the area was also less than desirable. Also found it quite ticky tacky that you could bring a guest to the pool with you that wasn’t staying in your room for $7/hour. As for the 24 hour front desk; sort of. You can get help if you call the lobby, from the lobby. Someone watching TV in back might come out and help. If that fails, you call the number on the paper taped to the front door and they come from home 15 minutes later.

As for the renovations, yikes. That’s what the renovated rooms look like? And you still have rolls of carpet and tile piled in the lobby? While yes, it’s a sub $100/night stay, it’s not comfortable.

Final add; there are LOTS of cameras. Everywhere. While it’s a fine line of making sure everyone is safe, the volume of them feels intrusive.

Sort of feels like a 2/5 might...

AmericInn is the only hotel that I know of that still does 'open swim', meaning they allow you to pay four dollars and swim in the pool and/or relax in the hot tub. We booked a standard King room, and checked in extremely fast, with very friendly staff. The staff not only made us feel like we were equals, but they also explained everything with a smile on their face, and never once made us feel out of place if we had a question, or concern. The room was out OUTSTANDING!! It had more than enough open space than we needed, and it felt moreso like a 'home away from home' , rather than a hotel. We nestled in right away without any issues. The staff greeted us at breakfast, and ensured our stay was at least up to expectation, if not better. At the last minute before checkout, we had decided to book the room for a second night, and upon calling down and asking the front desk if that was okay with them, they seemed very thrilled and excited to have us for another night. They matched the price we found on the third party booking site, and checked us out for another night in no time! :)

The management that AmericInn is now under is very impressive, personable, and caring. Definitely is something that more places need to take note of. Our living situation is unfortunate, as we are between places to live and have our service animals with us, and when asked what brought us to Ames, we told the management the truth. Instead of being judged, and getting weird vibes like we usually do, this management talked to us on a personal level, about our personal lives, showing extreme worry/care/sympathy for the trials and tribulations that life is throwing at us right now. They expressed that we are always welcome there, and that really meant a lot to us.

Thank you for the wonderful stay, the reasonable prices, and the beautiful hospitality, AmericInn. Will definitely...