TL;DR

Historic downtown Des Moines location: with plush, ornate interiors
51 rooms: blending classical luxury with quirky modern touches
Wellness and fitness facilities: including gym, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, and massage
Onsite martini bar: for cocktails and socializing
Check prices here

This lovely old downtown Des Moines building houses a hotel designed to make you feel rich. The plush is well done in many places, though a bit gaudy in others.

There’s a certain flirtation with gauche, with copies of marble sculptures and curtains of shining brass.

There’s also a heaviness to the furnishings that definitely gives the ‘I have money and I hope you know it’ vibe.

The exterior is stately, ornate, and solid, though. And on the whole the space stays on the side of good design, the rooms especially striking a nice balance between weighty old elegance and modern luxury lightness.

Overall, if you like a little bit of velvety pamper and some brassy glitz, this is the spot.

What are the rooms like?

Variety of rooms: including King Singles, Queen Doubles, Corner Suites
Luxurious touches: velvety headboards, fireplaces, exposed brick, whirlpool tubs in some suites
Practical amenities: seating areas, workspaces, coffee machines, mini fridges, TVs
Idiosyncratic details: like compass rose wallpaper and quirky furniture
See all the rooms in detail here

Rooms are more or less a hybrid of a typical hotel room and an AU version of Versailles, where posh aliens get nostalgic for the 18th century.

There’s dark, carved wood throughout, soothing blue walls and blankets, and often quirky little furnishing details that give some personality.

The compass rose wallpaper in the bathrooms is one of these. It’s a bit too modern for the sumptuous luxury vibe, but quite charming in its idiosyncrasy.

And there are many options. The most basic is a King Single, followed by Queen Doubles and smaller Corner Suites.

The larger Suites have even more glamour, like velvety headboards and walls of exposed brick. Many rooms have fireplaces and a few have whirlpool tubs.

Whatever you choose, you’ll enjoy some sort of seating, working areas, coffee machines, honor bars, televisions and mini fridges.

What are prices like?

Check prices here

And what’s the food like? Any facilities we should know about?

Complimentary breakfast: included with stay
Wellness facilities: gym with cardio and weights, jacuzzi, steam room, sauna, massage parlor
Onsite martini bar: for cocktails and light socializing

The only food you’ll get here is the complimentary breakfast, which may not blow your mind, but will give you enough to get out of the hotel and into the city.

The fitness and wellness area is definitely above par. Many hotels stick the workout area in a small cellar, and you’ll get a cup of cucumber water if you’re lucky.

Here, you get a small yet nicely organized workout area with cardio machines and weights.

There’s a jacuzzi tub, steam room and sauna too, and massages in the two-bed parlor are available.

Finally, we’ve got the onsite bar, a martini-heavy situation with a nice selection of tasty cocktails.

How is the neighborhood? Anything interesting nearby?

Central Downtown location: near banks, historical areas, and East Village
Parks & leisure: Waterworks, Grays Lake Park, Sherman Hill, Woodland Heights
Art & culture: Des Moines Art Center 10 minutes away
Nightlife: Wooly’s music venue, bars on Court Street
Architecture & landmarks: Capitol Center and surrounding memorials

The location is very central. It’s the very center of Downtown, though more near the banks than near all the cool bars.

Regardless, it’s easy to get around, and you’ll find a lot of the main attractions either in walking distance or within a very quick ride-share.

Head west, and you’ll move towards the historical area of Sherman Hill or the relatively relaxed residential area of Woodland Heights.

South of this is Waterworks and Grays Lake Park, where you’ll find plenty of space to wander. A full 10-minute drive away, you’ll find the Des Moines Art Center.

If you head East instead, you can check out the East Village for some upscale cool.

There’s also Court Street, where you can have a fun party or two.

Between the two is the Capitol Center, around which you’ll find the state capitol and a sculpture garden of memorials.

Both these and the architecture nearby make for an interesting, if not super upbeat, visit.

If you’d rather keep the party going, Wooly’s, one of the city’s top music venues, is also nearby. It’s just a 5-minute drive or a 20-minute walk from the hotel.

And what about the reviews? What did other guests think?

Some things guests liked:

“Very unique hotel. Room was very nice. Hotel bar was hopping Saturday night. Awesome bar manager. Breakfast very good with a lot of options….”

“We had a quick couples trip in downtown Des Moines and this hotel was perfect! It was romantic and swanky, comfortable bed, nice big bathroom. Great service and a fun hotel bar! Overall 10/10!…”

Some things guests didn’t like:

”Both nights I was there I had to ask that my room be cleaned. The first time they cleaned it up belatedly. The second time they did not. I told staff about this. They apologized. Otherwise, the hotel is a nice facility….”

”Room had an odd adhesive material on the ceiling….”

Read all the reviews right here