Iowa House-Ames

Very quaint, cozy, and comfortable. We enjoyed our stay and will consider going again in the future.

My husband and I made a quick trip out to Iowa State to visit our freshman daughter who was having a difficult time with the transition from home. After our stay at the Iowa House with the friendly staff, home baked cookies, and comfortable rooms she returned to her dorm refreshed and ready to take on the challenge. For my husband and myself? We will never stay anywhere else - everything from the moment we walked through the door - it wasn't a problem to check in early as our room was ready - to the fabulous breakfast the next morning made us feel truly pampered. Our stay was outstanding.

We discovered this gem of a b&b a couple of years ago when our son was moving to Ames. The location was perfect as he was moving into Friley which is just down the street. However, we love the place so much that we still stay there even though our son is no longer living in Friley. Other than staying at the Memorial Union, there is no where else you can stay and walk to campus. As Alumni we absolutely adore walking around campus. But even if you aren't Alumni, we think you will love the gorgeous campus. We have stayed in 4 or 5 different rooms. The beds are super comfy, and especially like the rooms with the whirlpool baths. We have stayed in both rooms with the lofts. One time our daughter and a friend stayed in the room with the twin beds. All of them super cute and cozy - bordering on luxurious. The renovation of the main floor living/dining area, and the Chapter room are stunning. Beautiful, yet very comfortable. The hosts, Monte and Tana, are charming, warm and welcoming. I would recommend this b&b to anyone visiting Ames or the ISU campus.

I stayed here for two nights. Very comfortable bed. Very nice breakfast. Cordial, accommodating staff. The residential setting a few blocks south of campus is convenient and quiet. Our third floor room had a king-size bed on the main floor, and a queen-size bed in a loft up a spiral staircase (in the room), and each had its own TV. One full bath. We signed up for the 1st floor rooms initially, and I'm glad the innkeepers suggested we move to the 3rd floor. Those two rooms literally are inches from the dining room and kitchen, separated only by doors. Sound would travel readily both ways... I gave 4 stars on "Value" and "Dining" only because the rate exceeded my expectations, but is not "WOW!" good. The breakfast also was quite good, but was not a five-star meal. Nice common area on the ground floor, next to the dining room, to pause, read the papers (provided), etc. They also have a data projector and screen in the dining room for meetings, parties, etc. Plenty of parking, too. This is what a B&B should be!

Quick trip to Ames. This was a great bed and breakfast. The rooms were awesome and clean. I felt welcomed and enjoyed the conversation with the owners.

Our son and daughter-in-law are on the faculty of Iowa State University and this is our base of operations when we come to visit. The rooms are always immaculate. The location is very convenient. The service is extra special and very positive. We enjoy our well-prepared breakfasts, and the chats we have with fellow guests. We always stay at the Iowa House when in Ames.

We enjoy regular visits to our Son and family in Ames and there are times it doesn't work for us to stay with them. The Iowa House B&B has become our first choice. It provides 1st class accommodations. It is so welcoming and comfortable and beautiful! I love having this option available when we need it.

We combined our 50th college reunion with a reunion of sorority sisters. The visit was wondeful! We had space to meet and catch up; we awoke to the smell of coffee and an excellent breakfast; and the staff made us feel at home and welcome. I've never stayed in a B&B with nicer rooms. This place would be perfect for a wedding party, a family reunion, or any small to medium sized group. That's not to say that an individual or couple would feel out of place, because they wouldn't!

What a delightful surprise! This was our first Bed and Breakfast experience and we were absolutely floored with the design and renovation that was done to a former fraternity house. The rooms are impeccably clean and the breakfast:Eggs Benedict delicious and freshly made. I also have to commend the friendliness of the staff. You can't go wrong by staying here. It is also conveniently located near to the campus of Iowa State.

I always encourage visitors to Ames to consider the Iowa House. They offer wonderful meals, nice staff and easy walking distance to campus. I have scheduled many, many visitors at this location and I've never had anyone complain or any mistakes on my reservation. Give them a try! You won't be sorry!

Wonderful place, lovely and clean. I enjoyed being on campus and in a neighborhood setting. The breakfast and coffee were tops.

We stayed 2 days, and both mornings the breakfast was wonderful. The house itself is very nice, with a lovely art display by one of the employees.

We stayed here when we came for a campus visit with our daughter. It was so convenient to campus and so relaxing. Monte offered us the loft room with the king bed even though we had booked a different room. Our daughter chose the loft room and it was beautiful. It was our own little retreat on the third floor. Breakfast was delicious too. We are hoping our daughter chooses Iowa State so we can come back!

First, a full disclosure - this house was previously the Delta Chi Fraternity and I lived there more than 25 years ago as a student at ISU. While the external structure is the same, the inside bears no resemblance to a fraternity (except for the bench seating in the chapter room - very nostalgic for me). The atmosphere created by the remodel and beautiful decorating is extremely comfortable and relaxing (thanks Monte!) I've stayed here 3 times now for recruiting trips to Iowa State and a couple additional times with my family during vacations. The staff is great and the breakfasts are wonderful. There is a lot of old house charm, yet still equipped to get some work done (when I'm there on business). The convenient walking distance to campus is just as good as it was 25 years ago. If you stay here you will be pleasantly surprised.

I am a journalist and booked rooms at the Iowa House for myself and a couple of sources. We were doing some rather personal interviews. The location, atmosphere and service were perfect! One lady remarked that it was like being in someone's welcoming home. Clean, nicely appointed and good food.

This was our first visit to Ames, and we had a choice of Iowa House or a chain hotel. I'm so glad we stayed here! The rooms were comfortable and attractive, the lobby was lovely, and the breakfasts were delicious. We would definitely come back!

This was my third visit to Iowa House. I'll be disappointed when my granddaughter graduates and ends the reason for my 600 mile trips to Ames.

We stayed for just one night to celebrate my husbands 30th birthday and it was a great place to stay. We are both ISU grads and the Iowa House is located within easy walking distance of everywhere we wanted to go. This house has been very nicely updated. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a place to stay in Ames. We will be back!

This was an extremely well-run B&B. Lucy, who swerved as receptionist, went out of her way to accommodate my every need. The rooms were clean, comfortable and well-maintained. Breakfast service was outstanding. I would not hesitate to recommend this property to anyone wishing to find a great B&B in Ames.

Iowa House is a lovely, clean, inviting Inn just outside the Iowa State campus. The staff are friendly and helpful, the rooms are tastefully done and quiet, and it would be a great place for a family reunion or wedding. It was easy to find and the parking can accomodate RV sized vehicles. This really is one of our top 10 B&Bs in the Mid-West.

I stayed for two weeks just recently and this was a great place to stay while attending a conference at Iowa State. The whole house is decorated to make you feel right at home and it even smells like home- with cookies int he oven! The rooms are very comfortable - so much better than a standard hotel. The breakfast is really good - they will prepare as much or as little as you want. The proprietors and staff are so friendly, that you feel like you've known them for years. I just can't say enough about the Iowa House - I will be back if I am ever in Ames again!

Wanted to take a couple of days to check out some areas of Iowa and decided that Ames would be one of them. So happy we decided to stay at the Iowa House instead of your run of the mill chain hotel/motels. Iowa House is beautifully decorated, very homey feeling. We got to pick which room we would like and all that we saw we like, they all had beautiful quilts. Our room was large, clean & comfortable. Breakfast was good. Would stay here again if we get back to the Ames area.

Had business in Ames for a few days and stayed at the Iowa House. Great little B&B just a few blocks from the University. I will definitely be staying here when I return on business. One nice thing is that the B&B is very close to the cross country course, so if you like to run it's just a short jog to a great running spot. Will definitely recommend to my colleagues.

Very comfy, clean place to get away. High quality linens, and spacious common areas.

This is probably the best B&B that we have ever stayed in! The room was decorated beautifully and the breakfast was wonderful. The innkeepers have done a great job in decorating this old fraternity house. As my husband said"this sure doesn't look like any fraternity house that I have ever been in"!

Thought I was back at college staying at the Iowa-House in Ames, Iowa close to the Iowa State University campus. The rooms were fantastic, very clean, roomy, and home like feeling. It was an unique way to take a college fraternity house and make it into a B&B. I loved to be able to walk to campus town and the ISU campus from the B&B. The breakfasts were nourishing and very tasty! We had our own bath which was great and the family room with the 3-D TV was a great use of space. I would recommend this B&B to any one and hope to stay there again - if we can find a week-end when they have an available room.

We loved the accommodations at Iowa House Bed and Breakfast. Located in a former fraternity house, it is close to the Iowa State University campus on a tree-lined street. The rooms have their own bathrooms with whirlpool tubs, a mini-fridge, and a flat screen TV. Antique furniture mixed with the updated rooms makes for a delightful atmosphere. Breakfast was a feast!

My wife and I stayed at the Iowa House in April and again in June. We couldn't have been more pleased with the hospitality, comfort, and convenience to campus. New owners Monte & Tana Parrish excel at running what we think is the nicest place to stay in Ames. Breakfast was exceptional, to include homemade bread and freshly ground coffee. The neighborhood is quiet, yet a convenient walking distance to campus. My wife is an Iowa State grad and she just loves it here. One of the fellow guests, who was travelling on business, was so impressed he commented to me that he wanted to return with his wife just so she could enjoy the place. My wife has several siblings who are ISU grads; we have planned a fall family reunion at the Iowa House. Two thumbs up....way up!

Service was excellent . The rooms and all areas were very clean and well kept. Will definitely stay there again. We loved it.

The Iowa House is a very comfortable place to stay--the rooms have lovely quilts and Tiffany-style lamps, heaps of downy bedding, individual climate control units with remote controls, tasteful furniture, and lots of amenities, including a refrig/microwave in the room, wifi service, and large-screen tv's. The staff is very pleasant, and the common areas are large and inviting. The breakfast was delicious. We hope to stay at Iowa House again. It is within walking distance of the ISU campus, on a quiet, tree-lined street, with ample off-street parking.

These folks did a terrific job of accommodating not necessarily desirable traits of our group (a team of 13 y/o girls and some of their parents) while maintaining high expectations of adult groups on succeeding nights. Common space permitted not only 7 girls watching a movie to lack of notice of others (basement 'chapter room') but 4 couples seemingly quite dedicated to solving world's problems, one bottle of wine at a time on main floor. The stay at Iowa house made the trip to Ames a memorable experience (very positively) rather than an ordeal to be endured (see, Hotel with Kids, nite 245). Stay there! We will again. Kevin visser