SpringHill Suites by Marriott Des Moines West — Hotel in West Des Moines

I booked our room via the Marriott website. My husband is a veteran and therefore we are able to use a military discount with his ID. When I was booking the rooms I selected to see AAA and Military/Government discount. When the rates come up, there was only one because of state wrestling tournament they apparently were not offering AAA (which i was unaware of why it did not come up with a AAA rate until we checked in and the front desk person told me). The rate populated as $65/night so I proceeded to book the room and it stated that you must show your ID when you check in which we always have to do anyway.

When we got there to check in, we were told we could not take advantage of that rate as that rate is specifically for state employees that are staying that the hotel. This is VERY misleading and its upsetting that only this rate populates when you select government/military,however, yoy truly CANT use it for military.

When I talked to the "manager" Jennifer the next day she simply sat there, listened and said well we don't control the website and I cannot honor that rate. When I asked if I could have corporates phone number she said she does not have a number for them for me to contact them at. She only offered a number for website technical help.

When we returned to the hotel after being gone all day at a basketball tournament there was prob 12 people standing around in the lobby and we were all wondering where Jennifer was. She was nowhere to be found. Finally she came out of a door in the hallway. No apologies for the waiting for anyone.

We left for supper and returned to the hotel about 2 hours later and my niece and I were standing in the lobby waiting for the rest of our family to return. She said with a very off-putting attitude "umm can I help you" I explained we were waiting for our family to return.

My brother also heard her on the phone with someone calling in about a room and she was very rude to them.

For being a manager, she certainly lacks any type of customer service skills and certainly no smiles.

We will not return to this hotel in the future. We will find a hotel that appreciates their customers and treats them as such.

Now for the room review:

If you need an alarm clock, don't count on the ones provided by the hotel there was no cord to plug it in as you will see in the photo.

There was hair and stuff in the bathtub that was there when we checked in. I rinsed it out and cleaned it so we could use it.

There was a smell of mildew in the bathroom and upon looking as you will see in the photos I am guessing it is because of the ceiling above and outside of the shower.

Unless you are a child or short in stature, you will prob need assistance off of the toilet as the toilets are very, very short.

There was white stuff on the sofa which looked like food to me but should have been wiped off prior to the room being rented.

Its nice that the tvs offer HBO go and other apps, however, none of them would stay streaming for more than a few minutes at a time without stopping and buffering.

All in all, the hotel facilities were not terrie but the staff leaves alot to be desired.

(I can assure you that I am not a novice hotel guest. My husband and I travel alot and we have stayed at every type of hotel. Typically even if our room is less than desirable, the staff makes the stay by their attitudes, kindness and...

I want to start off by saying the front desk staff was excellent. The General Manager, Paul Lovermi, should honor the commitments his staff makes to rectify bad situations.

During our stay, we had a loud neighbor (booked into an adjoining suite), no hot water, no water at all at one point and then we were contacted on my personal cell twice by the night shift staff at 2:30am to ask if our car was parked out front and to move it before it was towed. They also left a voicemail and sent an email. Never identified themselves or gave any details about the car. The incoming call was from a spam risk number (all 1’s and not the hotel number). At 6:30am they called our room as well, waking us. When I called down at 7am, Judy had just come on shift and was a genuine delight. Apologized, let us know that should not have happened, immediately offered us points for the inconvenience and, since we had the water issues the night before, promised to speak to her manager about possibly comping our stay.

When we checked out an hour later, Judy confirmed on the phone in front of me with her front desk manager on the phone that our stay was comped. We left happy customers bc of her immaculate customer service and the quick action of her front desk manager on her day off. Thank you to both of these ladies!

However, after checkout I had a new pending charge to my card and then received a rebate email from the hotel for one night stay. Not what I was promised and heard verbally confirmed by the front desk manager at check out.

When I called back to see what happened, the General Manager, Paul, said it was his decision to comp one night and not the stay since the issue only happened on one night. He spoke over me multiple times and when I tried to ask what the policy was he cut me off to say, “you can say whatever you want at this point because I’m not changing my mind. You can contest the charge with your bank if you want.” He let me know he only gave other guests a percentage off, too, and that he even covered the tax on my room..as if that would make me feel special? Not once did he acknowledge the many phone calls about the rogue car out front overnight (which was not ours, by the way). He was absolutely firm that it was his staff’s error to say I’d be compensated for my stay.

I used to work at a Marriott so I know this is not the standard for the brand. I called customer service and they agreed.

Caution to travelers, things happen. Hot water fails. Life continues. It is the responsibility of the hotel to make sure you are cared for as the customer. You are paying them to provide the essentials of home and amenities of the hotel. I felt cared for in every instance except by management and ultimately that has ruined Marriott for me. We have stayed at this hotel MANY times as a family and I will honestly never go back under this management.

Thank you to Judy and Ashley and the man our first night. I hope you all find front desk positions at nicer and more supportive hotels...

Opening in 2011, this hotel is from what I like to call Springhill’s weaker period, this hotel has since been renovated to match the current brand standard, and while they pulled it off better than most, there were still a couple of things they missed, but nothing too bad.||Exterior/Parking/Curb Appeal/Location:|The outside of the hotel was not really changed from the renovation, but it still looks quite nice and is well kept, even from a distance. The parking lot is in good shape and well lit, though while plenty of doors are present, the key reader on one is broken. The location is also convenient with several restaurants and convenience stores nearby, as well as easy interstate access. The wonderful Jordan Creek is only a couple of minutes away too.||Interior Common Areas:|The lobby was nice, as were the business and fitness centers, I did not check out the pool. The free breakfast was pretty solid, though the lack of waffles was somewhat disappointing. The hallways and elevator were kept clean throughout my stay.||Staff:|Everyone I interacted with was very nice, no complaints here. ||The Room:|-Security: They weirdly didn’t upgrade to RFID, but the magnetic lock and deadbolt, as well as the latch lock all worked. The biggest issue here was the lack of a fire map in the room. ||-Cleanliness: Everything was about as clean as the housekeepers could’ve gotten it, but the carpet was in need of a deep cleaning. Also, the bathroom floor had some set in stains on it that looked like footprints. ||-Overall Layout: Upon entering the room, you’ll find a spacious living room with a comfy sofa, a large desk, a chest of drawers, a TV, and a wet bar area. It housed a mini fridge, microwave, ice bucket, coffee supplies, and cups. This part of the room was well lit and lacked issues. Moving on is a sink with good space and a well lit mirror, and the rest of the bathroom right across from it. It was spacious for how it was laid out and had a nice tub shower and toilet, though the lack of lotion was disappointing. Beyond this were two queen beds, more drawers, outlets, USB ports, a TV, and closet. Again, this was clean, but a little bit more worn than the rest of the room. The HVAC and view was fine. ||Summary:|This is a nice hotel, though the minor maintenance, security, and cleanliness issues are concerning enough for me to take a...