I went to the Clarion for a social event; it went pretty well. The ball room was large, about the size of a basketball court and a half width wise; perfect given only about a hundred or so people came. From the inside, you would not be mistaken to overlook the poor state of the hotel from the outside. The hotel has paint peeling off from several walls. Additionally, the walls and rafters were discolored in several places to the point that at some places it was looking at a mosaic. Overall, a great place to hold an evwnt if the external shortcomings can be overlooked.
Start collecting reviews today
Claim your business to immediately update business information, respond to reviews, and more!
Staff is friendly and there is a decent restaurant but, that is about all thats good about this place. Beds are rock solid, pillows are soft as can be, in a double room there is only one accessible outlet unless you unplug something, there is no microwave, no fridge, there is a coffee maker but you have to go to the front desk to get the coffee pot, for some reason the towels are hung INSIDE the shower because thats convenient.
Definitely not a good hotel unless its for a quick stop. NOT good for more than one nights stay.
While the room we stayed in was clean comfortable enough much of the rest of the facilities were badly in need of maintenance. The exterior had cracked windows, poorly maintained landscaping and a parking lot badly in need of repair. The entrance closest to our room had no seal on the lower door, meaning the whole vesibule and staircase was sweltering and humid, I can only imagine what it's like in the winter. In the pool area, the hot tub had a fence around it, and one of the post caps was missing with screws sticking out of it. The single saving grace, and why this review is 2 stars instead of one, is that the continental breakfast was quite good. With hot options including scrambled eggs and biscuits with gravy. Not sure if I would stay here again, but would definately not recomend it to anyone I didn't have a grudge against.
We had a bad experience with the Clarion. My husband and I blocked rooms a year before our wedding. A big reason we chose the Clarion was location & shuttle service. The Clarion bus broke down 3 weeks pre-wedding, but that was not communicated to us.. Our guests came up to us at the wedding to let us know that they did not have a bus but instead were sent in taxis. The driver went to the wrong barn, causing our guests to be rushed. We called the Clarion and spoke to Ben who argued with me several times about our guests "not signing up" for a shuttle back to the hotel. I tried explaining to him that most of the guests who needed the shuttle home were in our wedding party and weren't checked in yet due to the 3PM check-in time. This was not communicated to us about any type of sign up and also was not in the contract we signed. When guests from the 10PM shuttle (who had signed up) called Ben to let him know that shuttle did not arrive he hung up on them, claiming his "connection was lost." I spent nearly 45 minutes of my wedding night trying to get ahold of him. When my mother reached him on the phone and tried explaining to him that she thought the taxi he sent was going to the wrong barn, he argued with her again saying it was there but we didn't see it. We had guests waiting outside...no taxi ever arrived. He then hung up on her as well offering her a solution of calling a cab herself. This should not have been considered an option considering this service was supposed to have been provided to us. When the last taxi didn't show up we called family members to come back and transport all of the guests who were stranded at our event. Sunday morning when I came down to leave the hotel, Ben was in the lobby complaining about our party and digging through our leftover hotel bags. We spent 200$ on our own room, it was absolutely uncomfortable, outdated, and not clean. The GM never had the respect or decency to even call us back regarding this issue.
The Clarion Hotel Highlander was comfortable, quiet and convenient with some nice amenities as well. Check in was quick and friendly and the rooms were very clean and comfortable. The hotel has an on site restaurant and served complimentary breakfast. The hotel also has a large indoor pool and spa tub! Very convenient to the highway so great for a quick stop over or a longer stay.
2nd year in a row that the restaurant and bar was under staffed. Some folks waited an hour for their food. Some never even got their food. Rooms were nice, modern, great air conditioning.
Old and run down rooms. Security doors not working and desk attendant said they had been broken for a few years. Paint chipping off doors in room and tiles glued on poorly with gross calk. Water stains on many of the ceiling tiles made me glad we arrived when it wasn't raining. Other than a pool the place was pretty run down. I won't go there again and my family all said the same thing.
Very disappointed in the reservations desk. Two weeks ago I reserved a room from a block in connection with an event there this weekend. Today I called to extend the reservation another day, and was told I had a smoking room. Not acceptable. I cancelled the reservation and booked a room away from the event.
Everything was clean enough but the place was in moderate disrepair. Cracks in the ceiling in wall, broken window in the pool room, and an odd smell. They did give us a free room upgrade though.
The Clarion Highlander in Iowa City was loaded with spacious, quality rooms. Even with the hotel full of people there for a conference it was easy to get some piece and quiet in my room.
The staff at this hotel were very nice and accommodating. At one point my keys de-magnetized and the gentleman at the front desk was very quick to help me out and get me back in my room. The cleaning staff was also extremely courteous and made sure all my needs were taken care of. The common areas are well-appointed and not a bad place to spend a little time.
The room itself was very comfortable and the hotel is in a great location. It's very close to the interstate - a quick jaunt to anywhere in the Corridor you need to be - but offset enough that there's no traffic noise.
Very friendly gentleman when I checked it. It went downhill from there. Three rooms late, I finally got a decent room, mold and dirt free. Alex at the front desk was very put out by all this. Never ever again! I'd rather sleep in my car!
Very friendly staff! The location was incredibly quiet.The beds were super comfy, and the amenities are fantastic. I was kind of disappointed, however, at the black hair that I found on a "clean" towel. There were copious amounts of hair on the ceiling above our shower. Other than that, I was pleased with my stay.
This hotel is not well kept. Our room overlooked the courtyard. I appreciate the ease of letting out the dogs via the sliders on ground floor. But the courtyard was full of weeds, the back wall of the pool has peeling paint and I can see shredded curtains across the way in a few rooms. I walked the dogs around the building and saw garbage everywhere on the property and in the lot. The lot has weeds sticking up through the cracks and the gardens are not kept at all. Weeds everywhere. The room furniture is very dated, mis-matched and scratched up. It's a very old hotel that may have once had it's day, but is in desperate need of a face lift and new furniture. The handle to the slider was barely hanging on the door (room 119) and the windows and window tracks are in desperate need of being cleaned. The carpet in the room felt damp and when I walked with bare feet, made my feet dirty. It's a grimy place that needs an overhaul. The staff were helpful and pleasant. But there were several times when I went to the front desk (for toilet paper, to ask a question and for a corkscrew) and the staff had a sign that said "we will be back in a few minutes." I waited 5 minutes each time and came back 10 minutes later. Nope - still not there. I will not stay there again.
The Clarion Hotel Highlander Conference Center is a large, comfortable and well appointed hotel. It s right off the highway and easy to find, which was nice after a long day on the road.
I arrived late in the evening and had no problem checking in. The woman at the desk was pleasant and welcoming. She informed me of the various amenities and directed me to my room.
The room was pleasant and clean. The shower had great water pressure and was hot. Exhausted, I drifted to sleep and set out to explore the remaining offerings the following morning.
Rise and shine the next morning, I immediately checked out the awesome indoor pool. I was pleased to discover a massive hot tub, large enough to comfortably share with strangers, but I felt nearly regal in there all alone.
Clarion offers a free breakfast and once sated I packed up and headed out. Once again, it s right off the highway so getting back on the road was a breeze. This place is great!
Room smells like cigarette smoke, cob webs on walls. No hot water which seems to be an issue they're aware of. Noisy. Its a motel 6 at holiday in prices. However they do have a large parking lot
This place sinks of rat feces. The bed was falling apart, there were dogs barking all over, and the "breakfast" was just cardboard with advertising. 0/10. Would not stay here.
We went for out companies safety summit. They did not have WiFi. Every thing looked old but well kept. We had ceasar salad while there that sucked lasagna was water. Not good.
Service was amazing, when I walked into the room, my senses were filled with lovely smells and aromas. The location is perfect, right off the highway for a quick overnight stay.
It's ok. Rooms are dated. Bathroom has old shower, industrial toilet, bad layout. Rooms are clean though. Upstairs hallway smells like smoke since they have some smoking rooms. Needs an overhaul. Only stayed here because family chose it. Room keys stop working after one night.
The rooms were spacious and clean. They had cable, breakfast, pool, and hot tub as amenities. My stay was pleasant without any inconvenience and the employees were all very friendly at all times.
The hotel and pool area were extremely dirty. In our group, someone had to check out at midnight because the room was so dirty, chips in a fold out couch. Another family talked to one of the clerks that was extremely rude, defensive, and ineffective. A window broken last year was still taped up. The carpet in the pool room is dirty, stained, and should have been replaced many years ago. Will not be back.
It was talked up higher then what we actually got. Big pool but paint is chipping and floating in the water. "Hot tub" is a warm swimming pool -.- dressers are chipping.also I got shocked. By my table lamp. Do NNOT reccomend
Images were very deceiving. Pulling up I was very sceptical staying here but we did since it was for one night. It has a very old feel and very outdated. I did like that our room had pool side access but the pool and hot tub needs a lot of maintenance. The hot tub was not working and I didn't sit in it to long after realising how dirty it was. The pools floor was peeling but still fun. I did like the appearance of the pool area though. There was no refrigerator in our room. Not going to lie, I thought the hotel was haunted when I pulled up lol.
Single non smoking king bed. Bed was comfortable enough, maybe a little old. The hotel is showing it's age a bit, but we don't have anything to complain about. Everyone was really nice! It was very clean. Pool area is pretty great too!
Horrible, atrocious place. We had money stolen out of our wallets from the room, which the hotel staff ignored - "you didn't rent the safe, so this is your problem" and a watch stolen from the whirlpool, which the staff ignored as "this is a whirlpool, you should have known." Further, the water tap did not have hot water, the remote control had no batteries, and the internet did not work. This is by far the worst hotel I've ever stayed at and the price far exceeds other places available in Iowa city which provide very acceptable service.
The hotel is pretty nice, huge pool, two floors of nice updated rooms, and nice little breakfast. There is no elevator, which was a pain because I have a broken foot right now, but there were many entrances and was to get upstairs. There were a few odd things, not bad, just odd. The towel rack was in the shower, which ended up being very convenient. The door got kind of stuck a few times while entering the room, was annoying but not to bad. Our favorite odd thing was the hole in the wall. There was a hole where it looked like an outlet should have gone, but it was just a hole. We thought it was funny and gave the place character. The only bad thing I encountered was one very underdressed, and lazy employee. I stood at the counter for a solid two minutes before the bartender happened to walk by and go grab someone. The man who came out of the back was dressed in sweats and a graphic t-shirt. He asked what I wanted then proceeded to do something behind the wall, looked like texting. Then came to help me. It just lacked professionalism and looked lazy. Almost seemed like he was off the clock visiting someone rather than working. Otherwise was a good time and we were very happy with our stay!!
The Clarion hotel really gave you bang for your buck. It was extremely cheap and 10x better than what we expected. The setup was unique and beautiful and the complimentary breakfast was outstanding!! Totally coming back if I need to visit Iowa again !!! 10/10
My husband and I decided to book a wedding block for this hotel for our guests following our wedding. I have heard nothing but horrible complaints from family and friends including; mice in one room, pet urine in the carpets, hair in the shower upon arrival, and a destroyed mattress. It's disappointing to hear that my guests had such a negative experience following our wedding!
Came for the hot tub and pool while family was staying. Hot tub was the same temp as the pool and when we asked the workers to help fix it they turned since knobs that made the hot tub colder than the pool. It kept getting cooler rather than hotter and the workers were of no help when we pointed that out. 'maybe in a half hour' was the response we got when we asked if it would get warm. It never did. We saw in the pump room when they opened it and the pulls were spraying water everywhere. I doubt that hot tub even works properly on a good day. There were less than ten people parked in the lot staying when this happened, which makes me think that on a busy day it would be even worse.
The people were wonderful and helpful. The a/c didn't work very well it was very humid in the room. The a/c fan bearings were out so every so often when I was asleep it would start squealing loud. The bed was not very comfortable.
Against the Grain restaurant has an incredible new Head Chef! The new menu is not to be missed. Make sure this place is on your list of must try places.
If I could give this place negative stars I would. Easily the worst hotel I've ever stayed at and it's not even close. The woman that greeted us was incredibly unprofessional and didn't know what she was doing, our room had a musty smell and bathroom door wouldn't close, the patio door handle was broken, the floor was wierdly damp the whole time and had stains all over, the pool and hot tub was filled with hair and filth and the hot tub was crazy hot, there was a hornets nest's just outside of our padio and one stung my niece, the towel rack was wierdly located within the shower and the soap sucked, and the front desk gave another person a room key to our room and a random man walked in hammered and broke our locking mechanism. This hotel is probably the worst decision you could make in Iowa and that's saying a lot.
The worst hotel experience EVER! The first room they put me in had fleas, and I found a piece of sausage on my comforter that someone had dropped from a pizza! They moved me to another room that wasn't much better! So gross!
This place has seen better days. The staff was nice enough and the room was clean except for the lingering odor. I haven't stayed anywhere else in iowa city to compare it to so take heed.
No usable internet! The front desk staff was very friendly and accommodating. My room on the second floor wasn't within range of their wifi so the front desk clerk graciously moved me to a closer room on the first floor. However, I was still unable to make a reliable connection. My guess is that they have one access point set up in the lobby so they can technically say there is free wifi.
The entire second floor smelled smoky and the rooms seemed very outdated. the carpet looked old and was ripped up in some places. This is a 3 star hotel, but I stayed at a MUCH nicer 2.5 star in Nebraska the night before.
Dirty, terrible WiFi service, everything is outdated and falling apart. Worst part is the noise and light coming from people partying in the pool area well after midnight even though the area is supposed to be closed at 11. Called the front desk to ask them to send people back to thier rooms, but they don't want to do that because it's a 'family group'. Well my family was trying to sleep.
I had a wonderful stay at the Clarion Hotel Highlander Conference Center in Iowa City, IA. The hotel is conveniently located right off Interstate 80 that made it easy for my early departure time. The staff was welcoming and accommodating. The hotel had a very large parking lot that allowed us to park near the closest entrance to our room. The room was large and clean with a comfortable king size bed. There was also a recliner that made for some enjoyable television watching just like at home. Continental breakfast was provided and delicious. The conference centre seemed to host wonderful events and had a bar in the lobby, however our room was silent and provided a quiet nights sleep. There was also a pool in the hotel which was clean and refreshing. Next time I am in Iowa City I will be sure to stay at the Clarion Hotel Highlander Conference Center.
"Choice Hotels" was going to charge me almost $200 and did not book the room I needed. When I called the hotel the manager gave me a rate of $120 plus saved my reservation.
We stayed here for a family reunion. There were rooms blocked off so the family could stay together. We needed a pet friendly room so when I called to make the initial reservation I was told that we would not be able to stay in the block because there weren't any pet friendly rooms. Totally fine! I was offered king or queen beds; I picked King. I confirmed three times that we had a pet friendly room with the lady and every time I asked she was the room was pet friendly. I called today to see if we would be able to check in early.... I thought maybe there might be a pet friendly room ready to go. I spoke with the manager and he said that they had no notes stating we needed a pet friendly room. He told me that I did not speak with the hotel when booking this room; I spoke with "Choice Hotels".... A third party, commission based "agency". I told him that had to be wrong because I just googled and pushed the call button to make the reservation. He told me again that there was no way I spoke with the hotel directly because they do not even have pet friendly king rooms. Choice Hotels told me what I wanted to here just to get the commission.... apparently!
Tucked just outside the downtown, this is a perfect stay for quiet business people. I was really tired after a long week and it was great to be able to effortlessly check in and rest in a quiet place. My room had tones of towels, a good kitchen space, in room coffee and lots of hot water. The bed was brand new and was very comfortable, the heat and AC we re on point and I got plenty of quietness. It s close by to lots of good restaurants and coffee shops. It s a short drive to The city center, I highly recommend! S
Decent hotel with indoor pool and Jacuzzi. Jacuzzi could use a better filter though. Dead skin and hair floating in it. Normal free hotel breakfast. There is a decent restaurant and bar in the hotel also. Rooms were alright.
One of the best hotels in the Iowa City area. Service was top notch upon checking in, especially since it was so late at night. I found the rooms super clean, cozy and quiet which was delightful especially after a long haul from Tennessee. I was happy I got to stay two nights as their breakfast buffet was fulfilling and was surprised by how good the coffee was! They have a nice pool and play area just off the lobby entrance (indoors) that offers ample seating as well as a small gym facing the pool area. The hotel was super convenient to the main hub of Iowa City and under a $7 UBER/LYFT fair to the center of the city. All staff were kind and courteous went well above and beyond with their customer service. A must stay especially if you're passing through Iowa City. I will most certainly be back!!
Rooms were nice. Pool was nice. Fitness center was awful. It is small, hot, no weights and machine didn't work. Not vert strong Wi-Fi and same breakfast everyday.
