Comfort Inn & Suites Grinnell near I-80

Our 2nd visit - - won't be our last! After a long day on the road, it was so nice to be greeted by super-friendly Larry at the front desk! This was our 2nd visit to this property. It is a basic, one-night stay, type of hotel as you travel along I-80. The room was clean and met our needs.

A Place to Sleep, but Don't Expect Anything More Than That Well, this was disappointing. We realize there's not a lot to choose from in Grinnell. I've previously stayed (twice) at the Best Western, which I noticed is now an AmericInn; it was very shabby, though maybe AmericInn has spent some money to upgrade it (the OUTside looked better anyway). I'd heard that the Comfort Inn was better than the Country Inn/Suites, the (former) Best Western, the Quality Inn, or the Super 8 (in that order), but that may not be saying much. So, here's our stay... (1) No luggage rack. We asked for one. She told us she'd get one for us. Never showed up. We checked again at the front desk. Were told "she didn't leave one & I don't know where they are." Stayed 3 nights & one never appeared.; (2) There was absolutely no attempt at housekeeping of any sort for 3 days, even though we told the front desk when we returned on our 2nd day.; (3) Toilet seat was cracked & completely broke the first time we used it. Fortunately, they DID come & replace it, but managed to leave a screwdriver, a dirty towel, and muddy footprints in the bathroom.; (4) There wasn't enough parking. We came back at 11 p.m. two nights and had to "create our own" parking spot on the grass.; (5) Air conditioning had trouble keeping up with Iowa summer, so sleep was difficult to come by.; (6) A 7:00 a.m. fire alarm went off on our last day there. Clearly, they had installed an "OUTside volume" alarm on the INside of our room 'cause the thing was so incredibly loud that we had to stuff Kleenex in our ears just to get dressed and go outside. It took over a week for my hearing to return to anything close to normal and it may still be damaged.; and (7) The breakfast was cold, stale, and pretty unappetizing. Don't plan on eating at the hotel. I'll try the Country Inn next time I'm in Grinnell. The Hotel Grinnell in town may be the better bet nearby; too bad it's ridiculously overpriced for small-town Iowa. Otherwise, have a nice stay in Newton or Ankeny!

Needs updating We stayed in room 224, a room with 2 queen beds and a kitchenette. The kitchen was the size of a 2nd bedroom. The space was excellent. The entire hotel and the rooms need a serious updating and cleaning. Our kitchen was not clean. The back splash on the wall behind the stove was filthy, as was the garbage bin top. The window in this room had been broken and was taped shut with plastic and tape. The bathroom faucet has some white debris if you lift the handle for water. The gentleman who checked us in was very nice. The location is very convenient. But we will not stay here again unless it is updated.

Great place to stay off the interstate.... Going between two festivals (Tama Pow Wow and Iowa State Fair) and this was in the middle. Easy check in - great service at front desk - clean, spacious room, comfortable bed, great morning breakfast. could hear the vehicles out on the highway - but other than that - it was quiet and we slept well.

OK for a Night Easy access right off I-80, and less than 5 miles into town for restaurants. Reasonable rates, so we gave it a shot. At check in, clerk pointed out the handy map showing all of the restaurants downtown, and she gave us 3-4 recommendations and explanations of each - very nice. After dinner, when we arrived back at the hotel she also mentioned that severe storms were forecast, and there may be a need to 'muster' in the hallway, to avoid any storm damage (flying glass from broken windows). Fortunately, it was only your 'standard' big midwestern thunderstorm/rain storm - rain did come in our window, since if was wind driven from that direction, but aside from that, no damage. Breakfast was crowded - it's a big place, and the poor guy trying to keep all the various breakfast foods stocked wasn't keeping up. Then the coffee machine broke. He coulda used more help (as many places can, as we travel cross country these days!). Bed was comfy, and all in all, not a bad stop for an overnight while traveling through Iowa.