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Sonesta Essential Des Moines

2.0 star property

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Photo gallery for Sonesta Essential Des Moines

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
$74
includes taxes & fees
Oct 18 - Oct 19

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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Lobby

Quality Inn & Suites Des Moines - Merle Hay Road

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  • Pet friendly
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3.8 out of 5, Good, 1,007 reviews
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About this property

Sonesta Essential Des Moines

Hotel in Merle Hay
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 onsite. Housekeeping is available on request.
Sonesta Essential Des Moines offers 150 air-conditioned accommodations with complimentary bottled water and irons/ironing boards. Televisions come with premium satellite channels and Netflix. Guests can make use of the in-room refrigerators and microwaves. Bathrooms include shower/tub combinations.

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

Guests can enjoy a complimentary breakfast each morning. Wireless Internet access is complimentary. This business-friendly hotel also offers a vending machine, coffee/tea in a common area, and laundry facilities. Complimentary self parking is available on site.

Sonesta Essential Des Moines has designated areas for smoking.

A complimentary continental breakfast is served on weekdays between 6:00 AM and 9:00 AM and on weekends between 6:30 AM and 9:30 AM.

Property amenities

Internet

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

Parking and transportation

  • Free self parking on site
  • Free RV/bus/truck 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
  • Elevator
  • 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 available
Minimum check-in age: 21

Check-out

Check-out before 11 AM
Contactless check-out available

Special check-in instructions

Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property

Access methods

Staffed front desk

Pets

Pets allowed for an extra charge of USD 50 per pet, per night
Service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees
Welcoming dogs and cats only
2 total pets
Pets cannot be left unattended
Specific rooms only; pet-friendly rooms can be requested by contacting the property at the number on the booking confirmation
Food and water bowls and litter boxes are available

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Children up to the age of 18 years can stay for free if using existing beds when occupying the parent or guardian's room
Rollaway/extra beds are available for USD 20.0 per night
Cribs (infant beds) are not available

Property payment types

Important information

Fees

You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property. Fees may include applicable taxes:

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

We have included all charges provided to us by the property.

Optional extras

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

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

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

We should mention

The property has connecting/adjoining rooms, which are subject to availability and can be requested by contacting the property using the number on the booking confirmation

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. 352 out of 1005 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 260 out of 1005 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 177 out of 1005 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 97 out of 1005 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 119 out of 1005 reviews

Reviews

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

Traveled 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

Traveled 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

Traveled 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

Traveled 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

Traveled 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

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

2/10 Terrible

Katie

Business traveler
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

2/10 Terrible

Sue

Business traveler
I booked this room specifically for the jacuzzi tub, shown in the king bed room pictured on hotels.com. Feels like a real bait n switch that I was just provided a king bed only. After 10 hours driving an no one answering the front desk phone to discuss, I needed to just take the disappointing lump and get some sleep.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Mona

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Good place to stay
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025