The hotel is easy to find and it's conveniently located next to Walmart and a gas station. But the hotel is seriously understaffed. The breakfast was a disaster both mornings we were at the hotel. ONE poor young lady was responsible for watching the check out and check in desk while at the same time monitoring the breakfast bar. She ran out of coffee and nearly everything else. There was nothing but gravy at the "make your own" egg and sausage biscuit bar. She kept running from the desk to customers waiting to check out while simultaneously refilling breakfast items that had run out. She couldn't possibly keep up. What is the management of this hotel thinking??? It's this kind of poor service will keep customers away.
The first room we were assigned was cooled to somewhere in the area of 78 degrees. That beat the 95 degree temps outside to be sure, but still it was a little stuffy. The room's AC unit was set on "high cool" and that was as low as it would go. So we called the desk to ask if the problem could be remedied. The maintenance person happened to be in the building so he was dispatched to inform us, "Yep, it's hot in here and there nothing we can do about it." So we were moved to another room where the AC actually worked. The desk clerk said she had lots of open rooms we could choose from. Hmmmmmmm.................I wouldn't think that would be music to the ears of management.
Anyway, in addition to the hot room, the lobby was cooled to around 80 degrees--much warmer Sunday morning than the great out of doors. Evidently heat also rises at the AmericInn as the upper hallway adjacent to the two-story lobby was HOT. Graced by a HUGE industrial-grade blower that not only blocked the hallway (fire regulations anyone??), but also packed the kind of punch a farmer might welcome in the hog confinement on one of those hot Iowa summer days. If any guests were unfortunate enough to be assigned a room up wind from this contraption, they would do well to hang on to all personal belongings and small children. if when exiting the elevator, you happen to be wearing jewelry, loose-fitting clothing, or head gear of any kind beware! This baby MOVES AIR. I'm guessing more than one guest was relieved of a wig or toupee as the elevator doors opened.
The service people who cleaned the rooms were very pleasant as was the over-worked and under-staffed desk attendants. It appears that the hotel suffers from lack of managerial insight. One person can't simultaneously work the check out desk in the morning and maintain any kind of service in the breakfasts area.
P.S. If you are just looking for a good cup of coffee in the morning, the gas station next door has it quick, cheap and easily available.
- Americinn Hotel Muscatine
