Bridges Bay Resort — Hotel in Arnolds Park

The only reason I’m giving 2 stars is because my kiddos did enjoy the pool. I have traveled often in my life and I have never experienced a hotel staff so unfriendly and unwilling to help with anything. My family of 5 stayed in one of the 6 person rooms. Ran out of toilet paper on day two. Went to the desk and it took them 10 minutes to bring toilet paper…and they acted like I was bothering them. Day 3 I asked for more towels. The staff asked my room number and told me housekeeping would be there around 9AM. I had left dirty towels outside the room in the hallway as requested but was not given any fresh ones. At 5 pm, went to the front desk and asked for additional towels. Worker gave me 2. I advised I had 5 people in our room and needed additional towels (at least one per person.) Staff left to get additional towels. 15 minutes later she came back with 6 towels but only gave me 2, telling me we could only have 4. I’m not sure why they are so weird about towels at this place?! I was excited on day 3 about fishing in the “private stocked pond” with the family. I’m not convinced there was even fish in there. 5 lines in the water and not even one nibble. We were using night crawlers for the supposed bluegill and crappie that are stocked in there. The only signs of life were frogs. There are 1-2 feet of green sludge around the perimeter. The side with picnic tables (where we had our gear) had a cable under the water that my kiddos kept getting snagged on. In the pool area there are no lockers for patrons. This made it tricky as a family because we naturally want to take pictures of everyone having fun but was almost impossible for all of us to get in the water at once as someone had to guard our things. They made it very clear they are not responsible for stolen items. This also wasted time as we had to go back to our room (not attached to main hotel) before going to the arcade or going to the gym. When we went to the zip line they told us we needed to go to the hotel front desk to get tickets. 5 minutes to get to the front desk from the zip line while family is waiting. Get to front desk of hotel and they tell me I need to go to the pool desk (again acting as if I was interrupting them), go to pool front desk, another 5 minutes while family is waiting. They have a permanent sign outside the pool door (above and to the right) that says individual tickets for $5/piece and unlimited day pass for $20! Great! When I got to the pool desk they told me they no longer sold the unlimited passes. Ok, and they sold tickets at the zip line desk and they’re not sure why I’m there. Ugh, so 25 minutes my family has been waiting for me when I could have gotten the tickets from them…right away. No clue why they sent me away in the first place. Last gripe, you are farther than you think from the water and they have the docks roped off. It seemed very I inviting and there was no beach at all. Also, with the pool, can we not have to sign a waiver every time we walk in? Once should be fine people! Final verdict: the pool is fun. It’s located close to Arnold’s park, which is nice if you’re going to check that out. The end. The restaurants are meh and spendy on site so plan to pack food or travel to eat. We will not be staying here again. Ever. If you’re looking for an affordable vacation for the whole family, this is probably not the place for you. Unless all you’re looking to do is go to a nice pool. Do not expect anything out of the...

I stayed here Aug 19-23 2023 with my family. We arrived at the hotel and checked into our room. We stayed in a 3 bed room. 1 king 1 queen and 1 full. I have stayed in many hotels and I definitely don't expect to be waited on. When we got to our room, it was obviously not cleaned. There was chunks of soap in the shower. Hair on the back of the toilet. There was no toilet paper but the empty rolls were left on both racks. The sheets were definitely not washed the beds were just remade (with little effort) from the last guests. The room wasnt vacuumed.The hallways weren't even vacuumed the whole time we stayed there. If they were they need new vacuums. Our room also slept 6 adults and they only loaded it with 3 towels and 1 shampoo and conditioner. The shampoo and conditioner weren't that big of a deal but if it sleeps 6, put the correct amount of towels and toiletries in the room. When I called the front desk and told them our room wasn't cleaned and we needed more towels they said housekeeping will be there at 9am to bring us towels. I told them I wanted towels at that moment so I went to get them and some toilet paper so we could use the restroom. The second day housekeeping came. We left our dirty towels in the hall as directed by the front desk. Housekeeping did not leave us any more towels so now we had none. They told us they were out. So i called the front desk and asked if I could have more towels. The first thing they asked me was did I leave my dirty ones out in the hall, instead of saying okay here is some towels and then asking the question. One of the main reasons I booked the hotel was for the Waterpark. It was closed from the 21st to the 23rd due to the weather being too hot. I totally understand the outdoor section being closed. I wouldn't want my employees being left out in the heat during 100+ degrees weather, but they could've left the indoor section open. There is also no lockable lockers or towels available in the waterpark. Anytime we walked by any staff(including people at the front desk) they looked like they didn't want anything to do with the guests. I know this isn't a 4 or 5 star hotel and I definitely didn't expect anything like that out of it, but come on I have stayed in regular holiday inns and had way better service. I have been coming to okoboji sometimes multiple times a year for the last 20 years. I would NOT recommend this hotel to anyone. Quite honestly it put a damper on the vacation. All we were expecting was some towels in the room and a clean bed to sleep in. I was also told by the lady at the front desk that I had to wait again for towels from housekeeping. I don't want to have to wait on someone else to start my day while I'm on vacation. If I wanted to do that I would've stayed at work and made money instead of spent it on this. I was contemplating on getting an Airbnb that was the same price but I made the choice of booking bridges bay. Now I feel bad the people who own the Airbnb didn't get my money. I will be booking them next year. If I owned this hotel I would fire my property manager or general manager and find someone who can manage staff better. I would be upset if I ran a buisness like this and my staff worked this way. If the staff doesn't like this line of work get a...

1 Star – A Complete Disappointment (Would Give 0 if I Could We had high hopes for a great family getaway at Bridges Bay Resort in Okoboji, Iowa—but what we got was disappointment after disappointment.

To start, our rooms weren’t ready at check-in time. By the time we finally got settled in, the pool—the main reason we booked here—was already closed. Considering how much we spent on these rooms, we expected at least the basic amenities we were promised.

The issues didn’t stop there. The next morning, housekeeping barged into our room at least an hour before checkout, clearly eager to rush us out. We decided to leave early and try to make the most of it by hitting the pool, only to find the outdoor pool (advertised to open at 10:00 AM) unexpectedly closed until after noon. Again, another letdown—especially for kids who were promised water fun and instead got a morning of wailing disappointment.

What’s even more frustrating is that this seems to be the norm here. After speaking with multiple staff members, it became clear they’ve been trained to say “tough luck” when things fall apart. I honestly feel bad for the employees—it seems they’re working under management that simply doesn’t care whether guests leave happy or not.

If you’re planning a trip here with young children, do yourself a favor: skip it. This resort seems to thrive on broken promises and unmet expectations. Unless you enjoy gambling on your family’s experience and flushing money down the drain, avoid Bridges Bay Resort at all costs.

Save your time, your money, and your sanity—go somewhere else. What an absolute letdown - waiting until 10:00 AM to announce that the pool would be closed “due to the storm” overnight— which, let’s be honest, was an over dramatized excuse for brief rain and a few leaves. This isn’t about weather. It’s about mismanagement and a complete lack of regard for guest experience.

From the moment we arrived, it was obvious the place is understaffed, underpaid, and overhyped. The staff seem beat down and defeated—not because they don’t care, but because leadership clearly doesn’t support them. No one is focused on real customer service. Promises mean nothing here.

After talking with staff- I realized this isn’t a one-time issue—it’s a pattern. Over promise and under deliver! From delayed check in times, lack of communication on hours, dirty room, and unmet promises. Guests are left to deal with the disappointment while management shrugs it off and moves on to the next family willing to gamble their hard-earned money on what should be a fun getaway. As long as people keep booking, the quality will stay rock-bottom.

If you’re considering Bridges Bay for your family trip, ask yourself: Do I really want to risk wasting my money and my kids’ excitement on an experience that’s just not delivered?

Do better, Bridges Bay. (And whomever "John Gravel" is...time to take pride in your job! And if the responsibility lies on those above you-might be time to think about a career change! You should be treated better. Owners- get John some darn support! The service...