The Black Hawk Hotel — Hotel in Cedar Falls

Gorgeous Historic Hotel with Amazing Service!! The location alone is amazing, nestled into the historic Main Street District of Cedar Falls. Plenty of shops, restaurants, and bars withing walking distance. The Stuffed Olive is connected to the hotel and we went there one evening for drinks. They have an extensive martini menu, highly recommend! There is a private parking lot in the back of the hotel, so no need to worry about finding street parking. It requires a code to get into. The main hotel itself is stunning. Beautiful antique furniture and decor, high ceilings, gorgeous hardwood and tile. Elevator is provided if needed for rooms on floor 2 or 3. The guestrooms are roomy with plenty of storage for clothing; sitting areas, desks, etc. Bed was extremely comfortable and extra blankets were provided. There was a small kitchenette with sink, mini fridge, and coffee maker. Our room temp was perfect for the majority of the time and had it's own unit, which we used briefly when it got a bit chilly. Worked wonderfully and the room heated up quickly. The bathroom is smaller, but sufficient for what it is needed for. Counter space and an above-toilet storage unit for your toiletries and towels. The tub is jetted and was simply relaxing. Bath crystals and a rubber ducky are provided for guest use. They also provide shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and lotion for guests. Breakfast is offered, but we were not up early enough to make it either morning. The room was quiet (besides hearing the maid service one morning) and stayed dark due to the blinds, so we slept very soundly. My main compliment would be the customer service. It was our anniversary and I had emailed the management prior to arrival asking for restaurant recommendations so that we could make a dinner reservation. They replied promptly with some helpful suggestions and offered to make a reservation for us. Upon check-in, the receptionist acknowledged that her manager had notified her of my email and wanted to offer us a room upgrade at no charge. I had booked the room online and didn't know exactly where we would be. Our initial room was in the motor lodge in the back and we got moved into the main hotel for our anniversary into a beautiful room. Not only was it unexpected, but the staff even wrote us a note and put it on our bed wishing us a happy anniversary along with some chocolates. It is those kind of small touches that will make us come back to the Black Hawk again and again. Cannot express our gratitude enough to Kari and her staff for being so lovely...

People, if you're looking for a nice place to stay... the 'infamous' Blackhawk Hotel is not the place. I was under the impression that this was beautiful, and i guess it is, if you like old, smelly, and rundown. When we arrived and checked-in, we were told the 'main' hotel was full, but they'd put us in their newest expansion (an old, enter from the outside, type) that was across the street. I was disappointed, but figured it must be nice, right? Nope. We walked into the second floor balcony room and stopped in our tracks. No exaggerating here, it was like walking into a military barracks! Concrete walls, a bed, sink, shower, and an echo with every word spoken as our voices reverberated off the cold concrete walls. We both said, "NO, not paying $120.00 per night for this." We walked out and closed the door. I approached the desk attendant and shared my concern. She expressed no surprise, as if it seemed to be routine for her. She then said, "well, we do have 'one' room left in the main hotel and we can give that to you." I accepted the offer, the key, and thanked her for accommodating. We walked into the musty smelling old room and just started laughing. It was like staying in my great grandma's old home that had never been refurbished since 1890! We were there and laughed off the experience, until checkout time when they tried to charge an ADDITIONAL $75.00 for the room! Long story short and a lot of arguing via the manager, they eventually took the $75.00 back off our bill. Truly disappointing.. stay at a hotel 6 for a better experience... or a Hilton...

PROS:

Great location to a number of food/beverage establishments, including 2 brewpubs and a great coffee shop along with numerous restaurants -- all within walking or stumbling distance.

Personnel are friendly.

Bed is comfortable and room was clean and relatively quiet.

Price is fair.

Check out was quick and painless.

CONS:

While I overhead that there were numerous room configurations, my room had an embarrassingly small bathroom. I could literally touch all 4 walls while standing in the shower. There was no counter of any sort - no where to put your shower kit, etc.

The water temp in the shower fluctuated wildly at one point (think...toilet flush next door?) which doesn't happen at newer/better hotels.

It's a historical place -- so take this for what it's worth -- but everything is very dated. It definitely feels historical, but for someone who travels reguarly and stays in 10-20 hotels per year, "dated" isn't necessarily a good thing. I would think that upgrades could be made while honoring the historic look and feel.

Check-in was quick...once I made it to the front of the line, but I happened to walk in immediately after 4 other patrons -- and the hotel only had 1 person helping at the front desk. 15 minutes later - I was handed my key and several apologies. After driving 3 hours, it would have been nice to receive help a bit quicker...but that may have been an exception.

And, yes, I would go back - despite all of this. The location outweighs the rest and the quaint little downtown area is...