Sonesta Essential Ames

Clean, nice staff, newly updated

Could have had eggs and sausage added to breakfast

Towels were fluffy and not “burnt” in the dryer. Breakfast was nice.

The location was ok, easy to get to off the exit in an area that has several motel/ hotels. The gentleman at the front desk was very professional and friendly when I checked in late at night due to traveling from out of town. It felt safe enough due to cameras in the hallway in you are traveling alone.

My first impression was the parking lot were it had deep potholes, and the front entrance sliding door broken where you had to pry it to open. I don't think this would be up to code for fire safety as well as for those with disabilities. This motel feels like it was renovated quickly and without care, as there were paint splatters on the toilet tank, random nail holes in closet doors, old colors showing through, shavings from where something was drilled, etc. The maintenance and housekeeping are not what I expected of the Sonesta brand.The hotel rooms were very loud in the hallway/rooms due to the large cracks under the room doors and the hard floor echos. While the floor is pretty in theory, my hotel floor was dirty were you could tell that there was a quick sweep in between checkouts, but wasn't mopped even where it was sorely needed. The bathroom light switch plate was visibly dirty, the air vents thick with dirt. I had a king size bed to myself yet stayed to a small area after rolling over to see there was short hair on the pillows on the far side. The microwave and desk were gross. I booked this hotel because our school group had chosen it and I wanted to be near, but chose not to spend our 2nd night in town there after our experiences. I heard from others in the group that their TV didn't work, and their room unit wouldn't heat up for several hours. Some just put their feet in the pool, but said there wasn't any smell of chlorine. That could be a good thing or bad thing, depending on who you are. They offer a hot breakfast, but I only had two bites of the biscuits and gravy due to an aftertaste of chemicals. I chose not to eat the cereal as an alternative as the milk was a gallon sitting out on the counter.

budget friendly. Pet friendly. Clean rooms. Comfortable bed. Nice staff.

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