The Hotel Ottumwa

Stepping back in time Excellent stay. Great location, reasonable price, great breakfast, friendly staff. It was like stepping back in time 70 years. I highly recommend this hotel.

I would like to start out that the front desk staff and kitchen manager were very friendly and professional. From there, the stay was not so great. My first room had some sort of roaches in it. I first saw one when the first night, but I can overlook one bug considering I had just come in off the road on a hot summer night. I saw another one later in my stay. I requested housekeeping to be safe, but housekeeping never came. I had a huge work schedule, so I was not able to move hotels, and the room was otherwise clean, so I stayed but decided not to eat at the hotel, despite free breakfast as part of the amenities. The third roach and I asked the housekeeper I saw in the hall if they could send maintenance to my room and told her of the bugs. She kind of stared at me and said maintenance was off that day. I went downstairs for a new room. Again, the staff at the desk was very nice, and said they would get my things moved to the new room, since I had to work a long day in the heat. I returned at 10:30pm, and nope. I had to move all my things myself. I was on the top floor, so I had to wait for the very slow elevator, go get a key card, and move everything myself from a bug-infested room late at night. My new room had a very off-putting smell, and there were stains on the furniture. The fixtures were clean, but the AC filter had not been changed in some time. Combuned with the filthy carpets in the halls and grimy tiles in the lobby, it is clear maintenance is a joke.

Kay does it all. Wonderful stay, no problems, Kay does it all. Love supporting her historic hotel.