River Inn Resort — Hotel in Peru

What a remarkable place--a sparkling gem on the "wide Missouri"! After learning about Brownville's interesting history during an earlier discovery of the town, I wanted to stay at the River Inn Resort, and to check out the town further. I combined a Friday night rodeo performance in Sidney, Iowa with a trip to Brownville for the remainder of the weekend in early August. I made the reservations online for a two-day stayover at the River Inn Resort, and they sent a confirmation email. When my husband and I arrived in Brownville for our stayover, we parked in the lot in front of the Inn and walked across the gangway, which is a wee bit bumpy in places. (Note: if your equilibrium is unstable, you might consider a helper.) They do have an elevator onboard, though. Once inside, we looked for the check-in desk thinking it was on that level; a young lady, working in the kitchen, was sweet to stop her work and point us in the right direction to the desk downstairs. We arrived at 3:00 pm--check-in time; the nice lady behind the counter was ready with our key and tickets for a dinner cruise the next evening on the Spirit of Brownville. We decided to check out the room before bringing in our things and were very thankful they have a pull-behind luggage cart! The room was spacious and included a wet bar, mini fridge, and small coffee maker. We had a river-view room, and I was anxious to see the view; I stepped outside and shut the door behind me, not thinking about the automatic lock---oops! I'm thankful my husband was still inside. We had time to get ready before our evening out on the town: dinner at the Lyceum Cafe, (usually only open until 2:00pm, but that Saturday evening they offered a prime rib dinner buffet from 5--8pm) and the Brownville Village Theatre, for a live theatrical performance. (Note: The Inn supplies a few toiletries--shampoo, etc., but---this is "small town" America, and there's no place close-by to shop for anything you might have forgotten--food and/or beverages, etc.) The Inn is stationary, hooked up to electricity and such, but it floats on an inlet of the Missouri River, so it rises and falls with the river's flow. There's an opening in the rock dike which allows water to flow into the inlet, so the water spools and laps underneath the structure, (it's not too annoying, and my husband slept well, but for me--foam earplugs were a blessing.) Breakfast guests are asked to be at the dining room at 8:30am, as they plate and serve each person individually. The 8-person round tables are set up for as many guests who are registered for that particular morning, so you walk into the dining room and choose a place setting. You might end up sitting with someone you don't know. You never know who you're going to meet---and how wonderful to meet someone new! The second evening, my husband and I had tickets for the dinner cruise on the Spirit of Brownville (another enjoyable experience!) The second morning of our stay, Monday, there weren't as many people for breakfast, so we had a chance to talk with Lisa, the co-owner, who not only takes care of almost every aspect of the Inn--she, her husband, and their son, serve the food as well--it's a family affair! We had a conversation earlier with Lisa's husband James, who oversees the Inn as well as captains the paddlewheel boat; he explained a little of the "Inns and Outs" of running a floating Inn. They're a lovely couple who seem to truly care about their customers' experiences, as well as the well-being of their hard-working employees. You can tell these folks take a lot of pride in what they do. The River Inn Resort may not be a 5-star hotel nor is it Michelin rated cuisine, but to my husband and I, it was a 5-star experience, and one of the most enjoyably awesome and fun times we've had in a long time! Congratulations James, Lisa, and family, Addie, and Ryan, for a wonderful experience and a job well done!! We'd love to come back for a little getaway---hopefully,...

Abysmal customer serviceand support. Our children purchased a gift certificate to the Inn in hopes we could have a relaxing getaway. Unfortunately, in the wake of an auto accident, I have been left disabled with very limited mobility. We put off the request for refund as long as possible in hopes that the physical therapy would return some mobility, but that was not the case.

After repeated calls to speak with management, our calls were left unreturned. Coincidentally, it was not until after my son called from his work phone and left a message with no reference to our situation that we received a call back.

At this point, we were told that a refund was not an option since "taxes were paid on that gift certificate last year and cannot provude a refund only extend its use by a year. Even after explaining the accident and mobility issues, they remained inflexible citing the tax issue. This was stated when he returned my son's call on thanksgiving day. Since we were provided no other option, my son asked for a confirmation emailon the extension. My son attempted to provide his email information and was told to email them since he was sitting down to dinner and had nothing to write with. This really left me wondering who makes a business call wholly unprepared to conduct business.

Given the unreturned calls, inflexibility to work with us and our situation with the car accident, and unprofessional demeanor; it is with willful intent I break Thumper the rabbit's cardinal rule, " If you can't say somethin' nice, don't say nothin' at all" in hopes that no one else has to suffer the same...

The inn looks like a 19th Century riverboat moored on the Missouri River. When I crossed the gangway over a sliver of river to walk into the inn, I felt I was clearly in the 21st Century, not the 19th.||My room was spotlessly clean, bright, and (thankfully on a 90-degree-plus day) air conditioned. I found a waterfall faucet in the bathroom sink, just opposite a walk-in shower (no tub). The room had light switches with LEDs that glowed green so I could find them in the dark. I found a microwave, refrigerator, hair dryer, and coffee machine. Just outside my room on the river side of the inn, I found a row of tables and Adirondack chairs, an excellent setting for just watching the river.||Brownville’s historic structures include many with small artisans’ shops, like that of a glass artist I visited. The inn is next to Spirit of Brownville, a paddle wheel boat that makes dinner cruises. Dinner on my cruise was a buffet with roast beef, ham, potatoes, green beans, rolls, a spinach salad with strawberries, and a lemon bar. The bar’s offerings include a special Paddle Wheel Punch.||For breakfast, staff brought out plates already loaded with scrambled eggs, diced potatoes, and sausage and gravy on English muffins. Jam and butter were on the table, but toast was not available. Outside the breakfast area, a popcorn machine had popped a plentiful supply. Nearby was a treadmill and stationery bicycle.||Staff were friendly and helpful. Check in and check out were rapid...