WoodSpring Suites Ankeny Des Moines — Hotel in Ankeny

Whenever there is some sort of major event in Des Moines, prepare yourself for sticker shock as the prices for hotels double, and even then most are sold out. Somehow I cannot justify paying $200/night for a hotel room that was under $100 the day before so I did a little checking online and was delighted to find this hotel in nearby Ankeny. I have never stayed at a WoodSpring Suites before but the price was right & the reviews were decent so I made my reservation, sight unseen. Tina at the front desk was friendly, efficient & welcoming, with a kind word for everyone that came through the lobby. Room had kind of a Motel 6 vibe, minimalistic & basic, perhaps a bit austere but clean. Kitchenette unit w/apartment size 3/4 fridge & freezer, microwave & 2 burner elec stove but be prepared to bring your own utensils, dishes & cookware, paper towels, dish soap, etc if you plan to do any cooking en suite. Not much counter space in the bathroom but it was clean. Towels & bed linens decent, bed & pillows fairly comfortable. Easily accessible bedside & table/desk outlets for charging electronics. I would have appreciated a table or floor lamp as the overhead lights were a bit harsh but happily the stovetop hood light sufficed. Limited DirecTV programming but I travel with a Roku Firestick & was able to stream Netflix, Prime, YouTube etc & watch my faves via free wifi w/strong signal. Pet friendly. No in-room coffee or continental but you could take yourself out for a proper sit down breakfast with the money you saved by staying here and still come out ahead. Nothing fancy but entirely adequate. I chuckled to myself as I realized how spoiled I had become, accustomed to more upscale lodging. Under the circumstances, I was grateful. | I wouldn't hesitate to stay here again but if you have any doubts, ask to see your room beforehand to make sure it will...

Thought I would try WoodSprings suites, and what a shock. Upon entry of the facility, I had the blast of Marijuana smell hit me, so I proceeded to the front desk and inquired if it would be possible to check in early, now I know housekeeping has alot to do but I was given a direct NO! check-in is at three, explained I wasn't feeling well and hope that I could get some kind of help, such as check and maybe a room was ready...but again a hard NO. So my wife and I patiently waited in the parking lot for over an hour. So check in time came and we proceeded to our room only to pass animals not on leashes, cigarette buttes on the floor and a pile of dirt as someone swept it up and failed to pick it up. We settled down in a plain room with nothing but a bed on a metal frame. My wife left to attend an event, so I elected to stay behind and tried to rest and feel better. Now, the comfort of the bed was if I was laying on a park bench, I'm not kidding. The smell was making me nauseous. So after a time of 4.5 hours or so, my wife returns from her event and looks at me and state's are you o?" I replied NO. This is an outrage, and told her to pack up and we are leaving. Now it's 21, 0 and I go down to return my key and check out, I explained the situation and got no response or concerns from front desk attendant. I strongly advise not to stay here. They do have an attractive price, but don't be fooled. Oh, also, this is an extended stay where you have a kitchenette. However, there is No pots pans, glasses or cutlery. What...

I was booked in here for a business trip in Feb 2019. The desk help was doing laundry in an adjacent room and we had to "phone for help". After 5 minutes of hanging on the phone while it rang a loudspeaker across the hall, the desk staff showed up. We were not greeted, everything felt very unprofessional right from the start. We were informed that we were responsible for taking out our own trash in the AM and if not, they charge you a $45 or $50 trash removal fee. The beds were uncomfortable and we only had two hand towels and bath towels in the room. No extra face towels, no shampoo or conditioner. 1 bar of generic hand/body soap that smelled horrible. The TV was OFF and would randomly play sounds from a channel that it had been set on, throughout the night. The water saver shower heads were like trying to bathe with a squirt gun, not joking, it took forever to rinse soap from our body and hair. Overall this was a bad experience and had this room not been provided to us as a courtesy for a business trip, we would have checked out and found another hotel, but we had already been travel all day and just wanted a bath and get some sleep. It was everything but hospitality. I will not use this...