The Econo Lodge in Des Moines by the Fairgrounds is a fairly new building with a large car park, about 10 minutes from downtown Des Moines and right across the trade fairgrounds. The Econo Lodge chain belongs to the Choice Hotels Group, a large US hotel chain.
I stayed at the Econo Lodge Fairgrounds for two nights while I visited the World Pork Expo in Des Moines in Iowa. The room for two nights came in at USD172.05, including breakfast and free parking.
A More Upmarket Econo Lodge
The Econo Lodge was sold out for the other three nights I was in Des Moines, so for the rest of the week I had to check into a Sleep Inn across town, 20 minutes driving from the Fairgrounds.
This Econo Lodge seemed a bit more up-market than the others I’ve stayed in, with a swimming pool and a hot tub plus breakfast in the morning.
Checking In To The Econo Lodge
The Econo Lodge Fairgrounds reception area was clean when I walked in at around 1030PM on Sunday night, and check in took about 10 minutes copying my passport and drivers license.
The lift was just behind the reception desk and it took a while for it to arrive and then go up to the room.
I noticed that in these economy hotels the lifts are pretty slow – it is probably to save money on electricity. Anyhow, it does not really bother me and when I don’t have any huge luggage I take the stairs anyway.
The room itself was clean with the aircon under the window, a large flat screen TV and two double beds, a fridge and a microwave. The bathroom had a bathtub and the toilet with a separate area for the sink and a large mirror.
Amenities At The Econo Lodge Fairgrounds Des Moines
There was also a safe in the Econo Lodge Fairgrounds room as well as a coat hanger and a laundry bag.
The bedside cabinets were large enough and they even had USB charging points which came in very handy as I did not need to look for my converter.
My room at this Econo Lodge also had a large desk and a swivel chair which I used to work on during my stay here.
The bed was comfortable and the sheets were clean, so I slept well both nights. The window in the room was average size, just above the aircon and I could open it easily at night to let some fresh air in.
Complete Darkness In The Room
It was dark in the room as the curtains closed tight so I did not wake up until like 6AM when I had to leave for some meetings.
The car park at the Econo Lodge Fairgrounds in Des Moines was free and I would say there was a parking space for each room. I parked up just under my room, so I could see the car from my second floor room.
The only thing I did not like was when some guys with their huge pick-up trucks parked up in front of the reception desk and did not turn the engine off for like 20-25 minutes!
This was absolutely driving me crazy and most US semi-trucks are so loud it is impossible to sleep when one is running downstairs.
Overall Impressions
Otherwise all was fine – I even had breakfast at the hotel the second morning which was fruits, waffles, coffee, tea and some pastries plus cereals and milk or yogurt.
For the price I paid I would say it was a bargain and it offered pretty much the same amenities as a Holiday Inn Express or other economy range hotels plus the swimming pool which came in as an added bonus although I ended up not having time to use it.
