Hotel Grinnell - Grinnell, Iowa

Kim J.

Atendi la graduacion de mi mejor amiga y pasamos por una copa de vino. Tenian musica en vivo y juegos de familia. Definitibamente regresare.

Bernardo M.

Exelente lugar muy cómodo

Rick A.

Our Daughter had her wedding reception there, We decorated & I felt staff really helped by getting it ready. We had a sit down dinner of steak and shrimp which was amazing & very filling. We had such a great time & will definitely stay there when we return to visit our daughter again. Staff was very friendly. Dodge the bartender rocked it. Thank you all for a night to remember.

Holly F.

I would not recommend this hotel to literally anyone. I booked for a 7-night stay and only ended up staying one (very uncomfortable) night.

1) I made my reservation over the phone, and they quoted me a nightly rate of $245, despite it being listed as $158 on Expedia (which is why I was calling...I was there for a work trip & am not allowed to book through a third-party company), and $173 on their own, actual website. They also weren't transparent about the fact they were going to charge me that much...I had to explicitly ask for the nightly rate. They ended up matching the Expedia rate in the end, but I still thought it was strange. (But it seemed like the nicest hotel in Grinnell, so it kind of felt like I had no choice.)

2) After arriving at the hotel and settling in, I headed down to the hotel restaurant, The Periodic Table. The person at the front desk had mentioned that it was open until 10pm when they checked me in. It was completely empty when I walked in. I asked the guy at the bar if he was still serving food. He went to the kitchen to "check" and then came back out and told me they weren't. This was at 8pm, 2 hours before they were meant to close. I was starving at this point, so I decided to just go out for food. As I was passing the front desk, I asked the guy there when the restaurant stopped serving food. (Not to be a Karen...I just wanted to double check the time for the next night.) He said they closed at 10pm, so they should serve food until 10pm. I informed him that the person working at the restaurant had told me something different. The front desk person was super nice about it, and offered to comp some of my meals.

3) My bed in my original room was covered in black hair. At first, I thought it was my dog's fur from my sweatshirt or something...until I lifted up the covers and noticed there was black hair all over the sheets...and the pillow....and the underside of the comforter. I called the front desk and asked for new bedding, and they upgraded me to the "penthouse."

4) The "penthouse" was a fresh set of horrors. Pretty immediately it was apparent that the room didn't have heat. I went to turn on the thermostat, and the remote was working, but the heating certainly wasn't. That's when I noticed there was a space heater running in the corner of the room. I debated for about a half hour whether to call the front desk again because I didn't want them to think I was being difficult, but I'm cold at the best of times, so I caved. The guy at the front desk said that the heat WAS definitely on, as long as the remote was on. I knew I was high key being gaslit about this, but I had had such a rough day that I decided to just spend the night with the space heater on and pointing directly at my face the whole night. (Allegedly, the heat does not work at all, at least in the "penthouse"...though I did see one of the staff carrying a space heater to another guest's room as I was moving to the "penthouse"...I think it's pretty weird that the owner makes the staff lie to their guests about the lack of heat...in the middle of winter...in Iowa....allegedly.) The next morning, it was still cold. Even though I turned the thermostat up to 85 degrees before I left, by the time I arrived later to move hotels, it was still just as freezing cold.

5) The shower sprayed water all over the bathroom (the faucet was clogged), & you need an engineering degree to figure out how to turn on the hot water. The bathroom showed clear signs of wear and tear, with the floor tiles coming up from the floor.

6) The hotel is in an old school, and it's not cute. In fact, it's depressing as heck. The hallways are dark, and frankly creepy, and the design elements are weird. I know the owner will probably say something about the awards that they've won, but I'm not seeing it. It felt like they bought all the art from the discount section at TJMaxx and tried to pass it off as "modern" and "you just wouldn't get it" chic.

Staff is amazing though

Stay at the Cobblestone Inn. You'll be much happier. And warmer.

Nathan B.

Overall, a big disappointment. We were in Grinnell for a reunion and decided to stay downtown for convenience and the novelty. Arrived and there was no one at the front desk. Called the number provided twice before someone arrived. Checked-in and was told the Periodic Table was open until Midnight with a kitchen and Live Music. Our room had wires hanging from our window. I noticed it was for the blinds. I walked down to the desk to let them know our blinds were not functioning because of disconnected wires. I was the manager would be in 30 minutes and she would repair it. I said great and we left for our event. They were never fixed and the street light from across the street shone into our room all night.

At our event and invited people back to the lounge because of the music. There was no music!! A couple people ordered the personal pizzas from the bar. It took 40 minutes for their order and the pizzas were under cooked; very doughy. We were laughing and apologizing. No music and Bad Food and Bad Service. We all left to find a better vibe.

The rooms were spartan by not really in a cool way. The bathroom was a very low end finish. The amenities were locked. As we thought we might play some pickleball as we saw the nets set-up in the Ballroom. No one at the front desk to open the doors.

We were charged over $350/night for the room. The room, service and amenities just didn't warrant anything close to that fee. The concept is good but the execution is poor. The Periodic Table, the lounge, is such a lost opportunity.

Checked out the next day. Not surprising no one at the front desk. That is kind of the theme no service. We joked that you can't complain about the service because there isn't any.

Hannah E.

I had a really bad experience at this hotel during the “off” season. I got locked out of my room because the battery in the fob mechanism died. The one staff person didn’t know how to fix it. The drain in the shower was completely clogged. Someone sent a plumber who didn’t unclog the drain and left dark sludge from
the drain in the tub. The off-site manager I communicated with offered long-winded excuses but no discount on my stay. It was depressing to be in an abandoned hotel and I would have expected better treatment for the cost. Only book here for Grinnell College graduation or parents weekend when there are more staff around.

kurt K.

Hotel Grinnell is right off the downtown square and near the college campus, which is quite quaint. The hotel is an old city middle school that has been recently repurposed and the result is quite a nice and comfortable and very unique hotel. ||We brought our dog Finn with us and he had a wonderful time, especially in the large former gymnasium turned “ballroom” where guests can play pickleball. Also, the attached small bar/restaurant , “the periodic table” is a nice retreat and is where your inclusive breakfast is served. ||Passing thru Grinnell? Consider an overnight at Hotel Grinnell. It will be memorable!

Renee G.

Had a superb stay! Beds are very comfortable! Service was outstanding! This place is so cool! A must stay when you are in the area.