Surety Hotel

Rude staff. Old hotel. Poor amenities. There are plenty of better options in the Des Moines area. Choose another option. Don't waste your money.

Let me start by saying that we have stayed at this hotel multiple times over the last 4 years. And this is still, and will continue to be, our preferred stopover when we pass through Des Moines twice a year on our bi-annual west coast road trips. However..... Ever since Marriot acquired the property (about 2-3 years ago) there has been a very gradual, but very noticeable decline in the overall experience. It just doesn't quite have the high-end feel that it did when it was privately owned. The rooms are the same as always. Pretty large, overall very quiet, especially if you pay extra and get a high floor room (7 and above), which we always do as the hotel is on the corner of two very busy streets. They've just sort of lost their luster over the years. Again, subtle but to us, noticeable. Also, the towel quality seems to have gone down over the years. Not major but still, this hotel is expensive! Get better towels! And the toiletries not as plentiful or nice. And oddly, when Marriot took over, they took coffee makers out of the individual rooms. I definitely remember a nespresso in our room when we first stayed 4 years ago. But now that it's a Marriot property, that seems to have gone away. I understand not putting nespresso makers back in but we've stayed a Best Westerns and Hampton Inns with Kuerigs in the room! Come on, Marriot. Put coffee makers in the rooms. They do serve coffee in the lobby however. So not the hugest deal. Just weird to take that away. I will say that the front desk/check in staff are stellar. As always. And the attached restaurant/bar is still a very nice experience. And the lobby area, while showing some age, is still a pleasant place to stay. Valet parking is a nice feature. Expensive, but for us worth the price as it's a crowded downtown area and the hotel has a parking garage underneath. However.... the check in Valet was either new, or this just isn't the right fit for them. They seemed overwhelmed and it took nearly 30 minutes for our car to finally be moved from out front. And that's only because another valet showed up out of nowhere to help out. Overall, it still has all the bells and whistles of a high end hotel, but it's most definitely lost some of it's initial charm over the years. This will still be our stopover when coming through Des Moines. We just overall feel sad and a bit disappointed in the subtle but noticeable changes since Marriot acquired the property.

Beautiful hotel!! I've stayed many places and this was honestly the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in. The bathroom was lovely and toiletries smelled wonderful. All of the staff were also very friendly.

Stay here often and it is a great hotel and has a wonderful and welcoming staff! Brooklyn at the front desk is such a cheerful and thoughtful host and Shanna makes great coffee drinks at the lounge coffee shop. Highly recommend when staying in Des Moines!

SO LOUD!!! The DJ in the outdoor seating area plays until 11pm and we could clearly hear everything even staying on the 12th floor.