We attended the Iowa-Iowa State game and the Ames hotels were charging outrageous rates. We opted to stay in Ankeny and the location was perfect. Ankeny gets you out of the downtown Des Moines traffic and Ames is a straight shot north. We had our choice of restaurants within a short distance.
Our room (on the 3rd floor) was very clean and the beds very comfortable. Breakfast was good (biscuits and gravy, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, donuts, etc.) and the staff were extremely helpful and friendly.
The only negatives I can remember....the pool area is like a sauna. I know many are that way, but this is exceptionally hot and humid. We had to prop the outside door open and sit next to it while the kids swam. Also, some of the hallways seemed very dark. Neither is a deal breaker....would stay again in a minute.

We visited Ankeny for a family reunion, and were looking for the best deal in a hotel for 2 nights. First driving up, we could tell the hotel was an older building, looked plain. The garbage cans at each entrance were always overflowing every time I walked in. Walking inside it looks as though they've done quite a bit of work to upgrade. The staff was quite friendly at the front desk. The continental breakfast looked good, and our family liked it (we never ate breakfast there). Our room looked like it had been refurbished recently with new furniture, fixtures, etc. However the shower head was terrible with low flow, and the selector for different sprays was stuck. The beds were comfortable. We were sleeping when the cleaning folks came by and so I called around 11am to ask for someone to come by and clean up for us, and the desk said no problem. When we came back at 9pm no one had been by. The pool was very small and really humid. They had some extra machine in there to try to dehumidify the room, but it wasn't working. We didn't spend much time at the hotel, and it got the job done as far as a comfortable bed. However we won't be going back there, as there are many other hotels in the vicinity.

I stayed here with one of my golf buddies for one night. Rooms are nice size. Beds are very comfortable. I didn't notice any freeway noise. The room was clean other than I think the maids are too short :) There was a lot of dust on top of the armoire which would be difficult for someone under 6’ to reach. The only other issue was the wall paper in the lobby/breakfast area. It was falling down in a few places. Looked like a bad installation. Good help is sometimes hard to find I guess. All that being said, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again.

Room was clean and comfortable. I didn't use the indoor pool but it looked clean. Staff was friendly and helpful and there was a good breakfast with waffles, biscuits and gravy as well as all the regular items. Even got a couple of warm cookies when checking in.