Hotels near Blank Park Zoo, Des Moines

Shuttle was right there as I came out of the airport from my late flight & hotel is super close to airport. So it was a quick trip, quick check in and quick to bed. The bed was hard to me but I’m one of those people that loves a soft bed. The breakfast the next morning was great and was able to enjoy it before getting picked up by Enterprise for my car.

We stayed here for 2 nights over a weekend, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. It seemed to be a newer hotel, and everything was clean and modern. The rooms were bigger than I realized, and we had a good experience all around. The pool was closed, and breakfast was limited due to Covid, but that’s understandable. The hotel staff we interacted with were great. Anna at the front desk went of our way to solve a minor problem for us. A couple of small negatives were I felt the walls were “thin”, and the parking situation wasn’t ideal with having to pay for the garage (didn’t wish to use a meter on the street). If you’re a light sleeper, I’d ask for a room on the back side of the hotel. There’s no view, but for me, I’d much prefer quiet. But overall I’ll definitely stay here again if we are ever in town.

Chose this hotel due to convenient location to State Capitol and activities. Read reviews that said it was quiet but that depends on the room you get. We were in a 'special' corner (larger, tall windows and great view of capitol) on the Northeast corner off of Grand Avenue. Unfortunately, the traffic was LOUD for a Sunday night with people drag racing up and down Grand Avenue. AND, there is a restaurant/bar next door (COA) that was playing very loud music/bass. At 11:30pm it was still going and we called the front desk. Apparently they keep the music going until 2am and sometimes later, even though the noise ordinance is much earlier. The front desk staff seemed frustrated by this as well so we weren't the first to complain and they've asked them to stop the music and they refuse. Luckily, the awesome guy working the front desk was able to move us to a smaller but MUCH quieter southwest room that was higher up and the difference was shocking. So if you want to sleep, do not choose a room on the road/east side near the COA bar. Also, underground parking is $30/day, but there is a parking garage across the street that was only $10/day and still convenient. The onsite breakfast was ok, but at $14/person, we only ate there once. This all aside, the staff was AMAZING and accommodated our request for an late checkout, very friendly and the rooms were clean and comfortable. The onsite restaurant/bar The Republic had great drinks, a nice relaxing atmosphere and very good food. The hotel was walkable to many spots we wanted to visit and the river front was fun to explore. We walked to the Iowa Taproom, RoCa, State Capitol ad there is great coffee just around the corner. Being from Des Moines, it was nice to get to know a different part of the city.

When picking up the plane, the hotel asked me to take a taxi from the airport, the hotel paid the money, when the plane was delivered, the hotel staff drove it by themselves and the service was very good. The hotel is in the city, but because it is a big winter, it is cold outside, the river is frozen, the road is frozen, so there is almost no outdoor activity, just walked down SKYWALK, an indoor passage connecting many buildings in the city. There is also heating inside, and the city is small.

I’m assuming this is a chain hotel but it really stands out from most I’ve stayed in at this price point; great interior design, colours, amenities. Huge comfortable bed in a large room with a great bathroom. Fridge, coffee machine, full length mirrors, comfy chair…super friendly check in staff. Free easy parking. Excellent place. Highly recommend for a good stop over on a long road trip.

Our visit was for a girls shopping trip. We absolutely loved the Clive LaQuinta hotel. Hotel was lovely, beds and pillows comfortable, breakfast was great and staff were friendly! We had a problem with our TV and the front desk came right up and fixed it. The room darkening curtains didn’t work the best- our room stayed pretty light all night so that would be the only problem we had but it really wasn’t a problem. Loved it!