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    The Highlander Hotel

    3.0 (50 reviews)
    Open Open 24 hours

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    Cindy Y.

    Our first time visiting Iowa for our teen's sports competition at Xtreme Arena. We stayed four days at this hipster vibe hotel, along with two other families from our training center. Appreciated all the fun and retro decor throughout the hotel and room. Loved supporting the community revival and a non-chain hotel. The Supper Club was great! The teens loved the arcade with LOTS of fun game options and a throwback for us adults: a Zoltar Fortune Teller machine! I was bummed that the online hotel menu with unique dishes like asian street tacos and buddha curry bowls was no longer offered due to a kitchen change. But appreciated the daily hot breakfast & yogurt parfait bar offered to guests and 24/7 coffee & tea self-serve. We received excellent service from every staff member we encountered, including manager Kaitlyn, Dylan with reservations, Joe with check-in, Quinn overnight, Susan for local recs, and Hope!! A BIG shout to manager Kaitlyn! Our initial 2nd floor room was on the freeway side and louder at night, so she immediately helped us switch the next morning into 2nd floor double queen courtyard room with a beautiful view (see pics) of the indoor pool and the outdoor giant chess set. Our kids enjoyed playing with that, too. Kaitlyn helped with our late check-out request due to the competition running longer and offered to have our starving teen's lunch delivered to our room so we could finish packing and catch our flight home. Kaitlyn and Susan personally came to bring up the delicious pizza and a milkshake to my happy teen! Our friend needed a hair straightener, my teen forgot her ear plugs, and I also forgot a toiletry - the staff provided all of these. Thank you for our memorable stay and going out of your way to be kind & provide above & beyond 5-star customer service. You can tell the staff took pride in their jobs and did them with a positive attitude. You don't see that too much these days. Our competitive athetes (and parents) needed to chillax before the meet, and this was the perfect place. Thank you!

    Easter Brunch
    Constance M.

    Easter Sunday. We made reservations at the "new" location for the brunch we have loved for years at IRPC. The Highlander hotel did a great job at transferring the brunch to their location. Everything was delicious and the atmosphere is modern.

    Room key
    Laura M.

    This hotel is quirky and fun. A great value if going on a football weekend. Rather than door key cards, you're given a wristband similar to what festival's do nowadays - great for kids so they always have their key. There is a pool and hot tub. Free breakfast was pretty decent! They have 24 hour coffee available, but if you're a coffee snob like me it's just mediocre. There are a couple bars and a video gaming area that we enjoyed. They even had some live music and the bar chairs are on wheels which is a riot. Rooms are modest, but get the job done - there not anything special about the 2 room suite, it's just adjoining rooms and can be more of an inconvenience since you have to all check in/out at the same time. Some rooms had fridges, ours didn't. Rooms do not have dressers. Walls are pretty thin, you will hear your neighbors. Parking is free. We had some trouble with billing and were double- charged. I'd recommend booking directly rather than via a 3rd party site. All in all, we found this to be a good value and we enjoyed the uniqueness of the hotel. Staff is lovely! Plan extra time for ubers to Iowa City.

    Lots of good...but this hotel has fallen into disrepair externally and in various ways internally. It felt strangely vacant and rather than attracting the claimed hip modern crowd, it seems to attract a crowd that wants to stay at a place that is called hip...but are more bargain hunters than hip. The exterior is needing tons of TLC, with lots of weeds, broken pavement with grass coming through, unmaintained surfaces, etc (see pictures). When you walk in, it is a cool but strange vibe, with the check-in area feeling like it is setup on temporary tables. The pool ceiling has missing and damaged tiles, the bathroom floors were painted black and are now peeling with white showing, the hotel clearly is old and has had a newish veneer added. There is much to love, but the execution is all strange. It feels like it was excitedly created a few years ago, then forgotten by ownership and run with well meaning employees that lack the original vision and care and drive for excellence. The arcade area is a nice treat with a couple pool tables and games that we enjoyed. The EV charger in front was very handy.

    Bar & opening seating area - so cool!

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    1 year ago

    The food was really good there, the service was great. The pool area and ping pong table were a blast! Would definitely recommend.

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    2 years ago

    The restaurant was a huge let down. Overpriced and honestly not good. I left feeling frustrated.

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    3 years ago

    Great Hotel and family spot! Great location and fun atmosphere. Highly recommend for anyone in the area.

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    5 years ago

    Great front desk staff! Great pool! Even greater sheets and the most comfortable bed!!

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    Hilton Garden Inn Iowa City Downtown University - BarLounge

    Hilton Garden Inn Iowa City Downtown University

    (30 reviews)

    I came to Iowa City in order to give a talk on campus at the University of Iowa. The organizers put…read moreme in this hotel. When you are in a preselected hotel you never know what you are going to get. Sometimes universities really want to wow you and will put you in extravagant hotels. Other times departments are on a budget crunch and put you in the cheapest option. This hotel hit the exact sweet spot for me. It was right by campus as well as the downtown. That meant it was easy for me to meet with colleagues but also walk around town and go to dinner. The rooms were spacious, the hotel was clean, and there was amble parking. The parking is a bit odd in that it uses a city owned parking garage and you have to get vouchers from the front desk. I didn't drive at all while in town, so this didn't impact me but it is something to be aware of. The amenities at the hotel were good. There was a typical hotel gym and pool that I checked out. There is also a rooftop bar/restaurant. I went up one night for a drink and enjoyed it. There is a large open space and then an outdoor patio. It was a mixture of college kids and people visiting the city. It is one of the taller buildings in Iowa City so the view was great. Now the most important question . . . how was the breakfast? There was pretty standard hotel fare, and most importantly a waffle maker. It made my morning.

    Arrived very late and, luckily, an employee was outside for me to ask where parking is (there is a…read moreparking garage behind the property). That part was a little tricky, and apparently, guests pay for parking... or at least I had to. Other than that, the room was great! Beds are very comfortable and clean. Downtown Iowa City is really cool, too. I will definitely stay here again.

    The Brown Street Inn - Inside of home and porch

    The Brown Street Inn

    (60 reviews)

    $$

    Loved this bed & breakfast! Chris(tine) and Doug provided a welcoming, hospitable environment that…read moreis as social or private and quiet as you wish. You'll be greeted by a heaping pile of home-baked oatmeal cookies AND an adorable & friendly pug-beagle named Jemma. The Blue Room on the second floor has a private shower and toilet, all very clean, and a comfy bed with armchair + mini-fridge. Self-service tea is right outside the door. Our weekday breakfast included lemon blueberry scones baked from scratch, oatmeal apple muffins (zucchini muffins the next day), and a giant, sizzling cheese-mushroom-onion-tomato frittata with coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice, and gourmet teas. Oats and flax also available. Organic berries and cantaloupe. Will definitely stay here again if ever back in town... HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

    I had three stays at The Brown Street Inn over the past month or so, and each was amazing--two in…read morethe Blue Room and one in the Yellow Room. I liked the rooms equally. The Blue Room has less natural light for great sleep, and the Yellow Room is bright and sunny. Christine and Doug were amazingly helpful with small things like printing off a page or two for the class I was taking in Iowa City. The frittata that appears on days when Christine isn't overwhelmed with her other work is amazing! They were extremely accommodating of my varying schedule, leaving coffee out beyond the typical clean-up time. I'll stay here again when I'm overnighting in Iowa City. Highly recommended, especially if you're in Iowa City for a short-term class.

    Graduate by Hilton Iowa City - Meeting Room

    Graduate by Hilton Iowa City

    (91 reviews)

    $$

    We came to Iowa City for the STOP/TIME music festival. A lot of artists in the festival were also…read morestaying here. The venues are all near - within easy walking distance - to this hotel. Our only problem here was that there was an extremely loud party across/in the hall by our room our first night there. We did get a different room for the second night and had no problems. I like that there is an outlet and shelf by "my" side of the bed. That seems like a small thing but it is a very uncommon amenity and it REALLY makes my life easier and is much appreciated. Decor is whimsical and interesting. Room has a fridge, I always like that. There is a cafe here with fantastic coffee drinks. Also, I got a hug from Branford Marsalis here but I can't guarantee that others would be so fortunate. If we come to the Stop/Time festival in the future - and we probably will - we absolutely will stay here again.

    Location is a strong point--convenient and easy to access. Pricing was fair overall, especially for…read morea work stay, and the on-site shop and coffee/restaurant options were reasonably priced. That said, there are better dining options nearby, which I'd recommend over eating at the hotel. Parking is overpriced for what this property is. $20/day feels excessive given the overall quality and location. Service was the biggest concern. The bathroom wasn't properly cleaned, and issues others have mentioned in reviews--like the pumps--are real and still not addressed. That's a red flag. While the older design didn't bother me personally, it's clear the property isn't being maintained at a level that matches expectations. The bigger issue is execution: outdated equipment (the AC unit is loud enough to wake you up), visible dust, and inconsistent upkeep all point to broader operational problems. Some light modernization and tighter attention to cleanliness and maintenance would go a long way. Overall, this doesn't align with what I'd expect from a four-star experience.

    hotelVetro Iowa City, Tapestry Collection by Hilton - Lobby

    hotelVetro Iowa City, Tapestry Collection by Hilton

    (6 reviews)

    If you enjoy consistency in cleanliness, professionalism, spacious and secure rooms, as well as…read moreeasy access then this is the place for your dollar that takes pride in uplifting the Hilton Brand. As a frequent quest due to the easy access to University of Iowa and the walkability to other amenities this is a superb hotel. A place that will afford you the comfort of home.

    The great things about this place are: the people who work here and check you in, who are super…read morenice; the location, right on the ped mall in downtown IC, convenient for doing everything; and the balcony and kitchenette rooms, which are spacious. I've stayed there a few times this fall and the one thing they need to work on is keeping things in good repair. Last week my double queen with balcony had a shade that would only rise halfway leaving the room dark most of the time. It also had a leak in the tub that caused tons of water to saturate the bathroom rug and go all over the floor that we had to clean up with a few washcloths since they only give you two towels. On the way back we had a king with balcony and there was a weird scratchy thing in the tub that was either covering up damage or there to prevent people from slipping although it was such a weird narrow strip I can't imagine it was for the latter really. A piece of it was bent up so if you tried to use the tub it would scratch your back and perhaps break the skin so I didn't try that for long since it was so uncomfortable. Also there was a tiny amount of toilet paper on the roll in the bathroom and no extra roll like usual. Things like that probably mean next time I will try one of the other places in town, which makes me sad, because I would always stay here if I had not had two rooms in a row in one week that were both in disrepair. It's too bad renting a place for the tub and then having the tub be weird and too scratchy and sharp to actually use. Hopefully this is something they will work on and maybe I will try it again next summer to see if anything is broken this time.

    The Highlander Hotel - hotels - Updated July 2026

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