Sonesta Essential Ames

hotel was clean and comfortable. Decent breakfast. only problem we had was when we got to hotel they were redoing parking lot and the work crew swore at us because we wanted to get into parking lot so we could check in through the front door as I am disabled and didnt want to walk through the entire building from the back.

Front desk person was helpful. Cleaning ladies were nice.

This was one of the only hotels with availability for three nights due to an event nearby. Location was great (close to ISU) and the staff was very friendly. I appreciated the breakfast options, though it was your basic breakfast with cereal, oatmeal, bagels, muffins, bananas, oranges, a waffle maker, and egg patties and sausage. The issue for us was the condition of the room. When we arrived, the A/C was off so the room was stuffy and had a strong smoke smell. Once I turned on the A/C and it cooled down, the smell improved but it was still faint throughout our stay. There was a used towel hanging on the back of the bathroom door and a hair on the toilet seat. I left the towel hoping they'd take it the next day, but it was still there when we got back (they took other towels, but missed that one again). I put it on the floor and they finally took it the next day. Also, on one of the bedsheets there was what I'd describe as a "scuff" mark from someone's shoe. The wood floors are nicer than carpet, but they weren't clean and felt dirty (so I wore sandals when walking around). There is daily maid service, but it didn't seem very thorough. None of the ice machines were working, but the front desk was happy to provide ice upon request. There also isn't an easy option to fill water bottles (just a water fountain with a small spigot). It was affordable & an "ok" stay, but next time I think I would pay more to stay somewhere else.

The beds were terrible, really springy and hard to sleep on. The hallway was super noisy with people yelling and running down the hallways. The staff were super kind.

Cheapest place in town

Location was ideal. The rate was way too high for what we got.

Cost was crazy high for what we ended up with. There was a hole in the sink and it leaked all over the towels and floor. There was no hair dryer, no ice bucket, none of the ice machines worked, no coffee in rooms, no tissues, no TV, not even a cup in the room to use for brushing teeth. Towels were tiny and thin. Absolutely terrible lighting in bathroom. Weeds growing up all over the outside landscaping. Bare minimum for $134.00

Everything was just okay

Very nice for the price. Safe and quiet. Easy to get around town.

For the price, this is a good hotel. My issue is that they checked a guest into our room and gave the guest a key. At midnight or so, we were awoken by someone coming into our room--obviously scared both parties. Management did very little to address this.