Rachel W.
Yelp
We had a cozy one-night stay at this historic hotel. My husband and I stayed here on a Friday night as we were in town for a show at the Civic Center across the street. If you're wondering, I he Civic Center is a 3 minute walk away, and the Farmers Market is within walking distance, too.
We checked in a little before 4pm with no problem. Check-in is normally at 4, but I requested an earlier arrival through the Marriott Bonvoy app. The lovely and stylish employee (Miya?) who checked us in gave us a quick run down on where things were located on the main floor and then we headed to elevator and to our room on the 7th floor.
Upon entering the room it felt a little humid. Noticing the thermostat was on 72, I just turned it down a little. We weren't in the room long enough to notice any issues. Those came when we were going to bed.
The room was cute and the perfect size for two people. I love the bedding and pillows and the lamps on the nightstands. There was a mini fridge, Keurig and overall I liked the decor. The nightstands were a little tired. The bathroom was the size of a closet - tiny. Our sink took at least 5 minutes to drain every time we used it. I didn't like how the light switch for the bathroom was on the outside of the bathroom. We moved the toilet paper to a more accessible spot.
By the time we went to bed our room was warm and we couldn't turn down the thermostat below 65. Other reviews stated that the west side of the hotel has ongoing and known a/c issues and that was the side we were on. While the view was great (we could see the Civic Center and giant see saw art installation from our window), we slept horribly. I started to resent having paid $220 for a sweaty night sleep. In addition to the hot room, we could hear our neighbor cough, talk, etc. at different points. The walls are super thin. It could have been worse, for sure. We turned on our white noise machine.
The 7th floor hallway did have some popcorn on the floor on Friday night. By the time we left on Saturday it was still there. Kind of surprised me given that housekeeping had to have seen it.
I requested a 12pm check-out (also through the Marriott Bonvoy app), and at about 11:30am housekeeping came to the room, knocked, and let themselves in. He quickly apologized and said he hadn't gotten the message about our late check-out. No biggie, but it might have been awkward for others. Check-out is 11am, but the signage on the interior door of the bathroom says 12pm. See photo.
I'm still giving The Savery 4/5 stars because I had a nice time and love vibe and history of the hotel. All staff we encountered were very friendly. Next time though, I'd request a room on the other side of the hotel, especially during the summer months when you want to run the a/c.
Also, there is a parking garage across the street for $1/hour. We opted for the parking garage and somehow got out for free on Saturday without having to redeem our ticket. Not sure if the ramps are free on Saturdays, but they were this day. The hotel offers valet parking for $35.
I recommend The Savery because of the location, overall vibe, amenities (they have a restaurant/bar for dinner, separate restaurant for breakfast, and offer Starbucks drinks in the mornings all for additional $$). This is not the cheapest hotel option, but we couldn't beat the convenience from the Civic Center. It's fairly close to the Iowa Event Center, too.
Recommend. Just request a room that's on the east side of the building if you're staying during the summer and bring your white noise machine or earplugs.