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Sonesta Essential Des Moines

2.0 star property

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Suite, Multiple Beds | Desk, iron/ironing board, rollaway beds, free WiFi
Property amenity
Restaurant
Exterior
Restaurant

Reviews

7.4 out of 10
Good

Popular amenities

  • Pet-friendly
  • Laundry
  • 24/7 front desk
  • Air conditioning
  • Parking included

Explore the area

View in a map
4755 Merle Hay Road, Des Moines, IA, 50322
  • Place, Merle Hay Mall
    ‪3 min drive‬
  • Place, Drake University
    ‪8 min drive‬
  • Place, Casey's Center
    ‪13 min drive‬
  • Airport, Des Moines, IA (DSM-Des Moines Intl.)
    ‪21 min drive‬

Room options

View all photos for Room, 1 King Bed

Room, 1 King Bed | Desk, iron/ironing board, rollaway beds, free WiFi

Room, 1 King Bed

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for Room, 1 King Bed, Jetted Tub

Room, 1 King Bed, Jetted Tub | Desk, iron/ironing board, rollaway beds, free WiFi

Room, 1 King Bed, Jetted Tub

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for Room, 1 Queen Bed

Desk, iron/ironing board, rollaway beds, free WiFi

Room, 1 Queen Bed

7.4 out of 10
Good
(19 reviews)
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Room, 1 Queen Bed

Desk, iron/ironing board, rollaway beds, free WiFi

Room, 1 Queen Bed

8.6 out of 10
Excellent
(7 reviews)
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Room, 2 Queen Beds

Room, 2 Queen Beds | Desk, iron/ironing board, rollaway beds, free WiFi

Room, 2 Queen Beds

7.0 out of 10
Good
(16 reviews)
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Queen Beds

View all photos for Suite, 1 King Bed

Suite, 1 King Bed | Desk, iron/ironing board, rollaway beds, free WiFi

Suite, 1 King Bed

  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for Suite, Multiple Beds

Suite, Multiple Beds | Desk, iron/ironing board, rollaway beds, free WiFi

Suite, Multiple Beds

  • Sleeps 6
  • 3 Queen Beds

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  • Pet-friendly
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The price is €51
includes taxes & fees
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About this property

Sonesta Essential Des Moines

Hotel in Des Moines with free breakfast and 24-hour front desk
Along with coffee/tea in a common area, this hotel has a meeting room and laundry facilities. Free continental breakfast, free WiFi in public areas and free self parking are also provided. Additionally, a 24-hour front desk, ATM/banking services and a banquet hall are on-site. Housekeeping is available on request.
Sonesta Essential Des Moines offers 150 air-conditioned accommodations with complimentary bottles of water and an iron/ironing board. Televisions come with premium satellite channels and Netflix. Guests can make use of the in-room fridges and microwaves. Bathrooms include a combined bath/shower unit.

Guests can surf the web using complimentary wireless Internet access. Business-friendly amenities include desks and telephones; free local calls are provided (restrictions may apply). Housekeeping is offered on request and hairdryers can be requested.

During your stay at Sonesta Essential Des Moines, you'll be within walking distance of Merle Hay Mall. Free breakfast, free WiFi in public areas and free self-parking are available. Some of the pet-friendly amenities that this property offers include food and water bowls and litter trays.
  • Free continental breakfast served daily
  • Free WiFi
  • Free self-parking and Motorhome/coach/lorry parking
  • Amenities include a meeting room, laundry facilities and a lift
  • 8 minutes by car from Drake University and 11 minutes from Casey's Center
  • Cats and dogs welcome for a fee (restrictions apply)
  • Pet-friendly amenities are available, including food and water bowls and litter trays
Free breakfast is available daily. WiFi is free in public spaces. The business-friendly Sonesta Essential Des Moines also features a vending machine, coffee/tea in common area, and laundry facilities. Free self parking is available.

Smoking is allowed in designated areas at this Des Moines hotel.

Guests are served a free continental breakfast on weekdays from 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM and at the weekend from 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM.

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transport

  • Free self parking on site
  • Free RV/bus/lorry parking on site
  • Wheelchair-accessible parking available

Food and drink

  • Free continental breakfast available 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM on weekdays and 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM on weekends
  • Coffee and tea in common areas

Family friendly

  • In-room microwave
  • In-room refrigerator
  • Laundry facilities
  • Rollaway/extra bed (surcharge)

Conveniences

  • 24-hour front desk
  • ATM
  • Laundry facilities
  • Vending machine

Guest services

  • Housekeeping (on request)

Business services

  • Meeting room

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • Assistive listening devices
  • Braille/raised signage
  • Lift
  • Wheelchair-accessible parking
  • Wheelchair-accessible path of travel

More

  • 3 floors
  • Banquet hall
  • Designated smoking areas (fines apply)

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided
  • Rollaway/extra bed (surcharge)

Bathroom

  • Hair dryer (on request)
  • Private bathroom
  • Shower/bathtub combination
  • Towels provided

Entertainment

  • 43-inch TV with premium satellite channels
  • Netflix
  • Streaming services

Food and drink

  • Free bottled water
  • Microwave
  • Refrigerator

More

  • Air conditioning
  • Connecting rooms available
  • Desk
  • Free local calls
  • Iron/ironing board
  • Phone

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 3:00 PM; check-in end time: anytime
Contactless check-in and check-out are available
Minimum check-in age - 21

Check-out

Check-out before 11 AM
Contactless check-out

Special check-in instructions

Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property

Access methods

Staffed front desk

Pets

  • Pets: USD 50 per pet, per night
  • Only dogs and cats are allowed
  • Maximum 2 pets
  • Pets cannot be left unattended
  • Food and water bowls and litter trays are available
  • Certain rooms only
  • You can request a pet-friendly room by reaching out to the property at the number on the booking confirmation
    • Service animals are exempt from fees.

Children and extra beds

  • Children are welcome.
  • Kids stay free! Children 18 years old and younger stay free when using existing bedding.
  • Rollaway/extra beds are available for USD 20.0 per night.
  • Cots (infant beds) are not available.

Payment types at the property

Important information

Fees

Guests will be asked to pay the following charges at the property:

  • Deposit: USD 50 per accommodation, per stay
  • Administrative fee: USD 3.00 per accommodation, per night

We've listed all charges provided to us by the property.

Optional extras

The fees and deposits listed below will be charged at the time of service, check-in, or check-out.

  • Pet fee: USD 50 per pet, per night
  • Service animals are exempt from fees
  • Rollaway bed fee: USD 20.0 per night

This may not be a comprehensive list. Fees and deposits are subject to change and might not include tax.

You need to know

This property is managed by a professional host. The provision of housing is linked to their trade, business or profession.
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards and cash
Safety features at this property include a carbon monoxide detector, a fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, a security system and a first aid kit
This property affirms that it follows the cleaning and disinfection practices of Commitment to Clean (Choice)
Please note that cultural norms and guest policies may differ by country and by property; the policies listed are provided by the property
Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property.
If you cancel your booking, you'll be subject to the host's cancellation policy. In accordance with EU regulations about consumer rights, property booking services are not subject to the right of withdrawal.

We should mention

  • Children aged 18 years old and younger stay free in the same room as the parent or guardian when using existing bedding.
  • Connecting/adjoining rooms are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property at the number on your booking confirmation.
  • Pets are welcome in specific rooms only, which can be requested by contacting the property directly at the number on your booking confirmation (please see the Fees section for related charges).

Property is also known as

Econo Lodge Inn Moines/Merle Hays Road Des Moines
Econo Lodge Moines/Merle Hays Road
Econo Lodge Moines/Merle Hays Road Des Moines
Econo Lodge Inn Moines/Merle Hays Road Des Moines
Econo Lodge Inn Moines/Merle Hays Road
Econo Lodge Moines/Merle Hays Road Des Moines
Econo Lodge Moines/Merle Hays Road
Hotel Econo Lodge Inn & Suites - Des Moines/Merle Hays Road
Econo Lodge Inn & Suites - Des Moines/Merle Hays Road Des Moines
Econo Lodge Inn Suites Des Moines/Merle Hays Road
Econo Moines Merle Hays Road
Sonesta Essential Des Moines Hotel
Sonesta Essential Des Moines Des Moines
Sonesta Essential Des Moines Hotel Des Moines
Econo Lodge Inn Suites Des Moines/Merle Hays Road

Reviews

Sonesta Essential Des Moines Reviews

7.4

Good

7.4/10

Cleanliness

7.6/10

Staff & service

6.8/10

Amenities

7.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.2/10

Eco-friendliness
Rating 10 - Excellent. 354 out of 1010 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 262 out of 1010 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 178 out of 1010 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 97 out of 1010 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 119 out of 1010 reviews

Reviews

4/10 Poor

Dwayne

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Don't believe the pictures. Or withernour room was never remodeled. Room was dirty and smelled. People from outside would come In for breakfast to eat that weren't staying at the hotel. Picking through the food with bare hands. Learned later they were people who lived on streets. Toilet didn't work however maintanxe came fast to fix onced called I would not recommend this hotel. This is not a normal Sonesta.
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2025

6/10 Okay

Teri

Travelled with family
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025

8/10 Good

Madonna

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

8/10 Good

Jennifer

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Booked as pet friendly and then they charged a fee on arrival for the pet. Otherwise great stay. They do give you a dog bowl and treats for your pet
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

8/10 Good

Julie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Big room for 1 night

I was with my 2 dogs in a suite. It was more than enough room for all of us. There were a few minor maintenance issues. A door was off the cupboard
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

2/10 Terrible

Sharyah

Disliked: Staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Trinity

Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

8/10 Good

William

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Judy

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service

Would stay again

Check in took a while as no one was around for 5-7 minutes when I arrived. The room was well equipped and comfortable. Bed was comfortable but an extra blanket would have been nice. Room was clean and had microwave and huge refrigerator.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

6/10 Okay

joe

Disliked: Room comfort

Too small for the $$

For the price, the room was very small, and the bathroom was so small it was difficult to shut the door. There was lotion by the sink, but no soap was provided for handwashing without reaching into the shower. Hotel staff was present, but not very attentive after check-in.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

6/10 Okay

angela

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities

our Des Moines expewrience

we were in room 303 in des moines. We had NO hand soap.We had no ice bucket . There was pubic hair on the toilet seat . I suspect whoever cleaned the toilet used the bowl brush to clean the seat area. So we asked the front desk girl (who was wonderful but I suspect she was new) she tracked them down by the time we were back from dinner she only found a ice bucket and could'nt find any soap for us to wash our hands with. She found a small tube of shampoo which we used. They are using thoase large refillable bottles attached to the wall. the was on in the shower but not at sink. they did have a door seperating them. At the sink was a bottle of LOTION not soap! could not remove it. What hotel doesn't have bars of soap or liquid soaps at the front desk in case you need them? Also there was NO hand towel hanger by sink for hand washi ng??????who does that? And the whipped cream and the cherry was at 3:00 am we had NOOOOOO toilet paper AND NO ONE ANSWERED THE FRONT DESK PHONE. We had to use paper towels till thenext morning when my Husband coincidently ran into a cleaner. Now I don't know about you BUT have you EVER been to a hotel that didn't have 2 spare rolls in your room?????
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2025

8/10 Good

Daneth

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
There was no exhaust fan in the bathroom and there was mold forming on the ceiling
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

6/10 Okay

Maureen

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

Fine. Maybe better if not on first floor.

Discrepancy at check in about number of beds booked was handled friendly and efficiently. Accepted first floor room for our convenience, turned out to be a little high traffic in the hall. Also the entire first floor smelled of something like cigarettes.Could use larger softer pillows and hand soap at the sink- we were too tired to bother anyone about issues. We decided never to travel on July 4th again-fireworks all around past midnight. Morning coffee was pretty good.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

8/10 Good

Louie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

4/10 Poor

WhatsAMattaU

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service

Smelly hotel

Hallways have overpowering smell of curry which is quite unpleasant.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Kristine

Travelled with pets
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It was just a nice place to stay. The room was nice.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

6/10 Okay

Matthew

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

8/10 Good

Tasha

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Satisfaction

Nice staff. Clean room. Very small bathroom. Breakfast was ok. Waffle maker, sausage, eggs, breads, coffee, juice. Eggs were not great, coffee was good. Area was not concerning - location was easy off the highway.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

6/10 Okay

Wayne

Travelled with family
Disliked: Amenities
poor breakfast
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025

8/10 Good

Mlumbulwa

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Alejandra

Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Frank

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

2/10 Terrible

Katie

Business traveller
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities

Not at all clean

We checked into a room and when arrived at the room the door was open. We I approached the front desk about it, he said “what’s the problem it’s clean isn’t it” he reluctantly gave us a new room as we felt uncomfortable with it just being open. When arriving to the new room the hallway was filled with the fragrance “pot”. When entered room it smelled of food not cleanliness. Also we had to kill three crawling bugs. There was hair on the fave towel and the faucet to our tub broke and the water could not be adjusted or turned off. We were offered no apologize or anything. We left and didn’t turn back. The idea of sleeping in the bed was not appealing it felt gross
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

8/10 Good

Rachel

Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

4/10 Poor

Mark

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Lame breakfast. Dirty property. Sticky floor in room. Even stickier floor at breakfast with syrup all over floor and a table
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025