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The Bluffs Inn – reviews, photos

1101 Highway 9 West, Decorah, IA 52101
Hotel amenities
The Bluffs Inn
The Bluffs Inn
The Bluffs Inn
The Bluffs Inn
The Bluffs Inn
The Bluffs Inn
Ranked #5 of 5 hotels in Decorah
2.5 of 5 stars 19 Reviews
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19 reviews from our community

    Trip type
Traveller rating
    3
    2
    2
    8
    4
Date Rating
Des Moines, IA
Senior Contributor
32 reviews 32 reviews
Reviews in 20 cities Reviews in 20 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
“Has fallen on hard times”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 August 2011
1
person found this review helpful

We stayed at this hotel about 10 years ago and remembered it as a very pleasant hotel in a great little town. Sadly, it has clearly fallen on hard times. The paint was peeling in the halls and exterior of the building. Many of the rooms smelled musty. There was no hair dryer or tissue in our room, but the front desk provided them quickly.
The room keys were difficult to work and unexplainably, one key of the pair fit in the door lock, but wouldn't unlock the door. The back of the hotel was very ramshackle. The hot tub was not working.
On the other hand, the restaurant and meeting room food was quite good. The bar was pleasant with good local brew on tap. This hotel is a good place to eat, but not a good overnight choice.

  • Stayed August 2011, travelled with friends
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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Ask DSMtravel about The Bluffs Inn
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
1 review
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Creepiest night of my life!”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 11 January 2011
3
people found this review helpful

So I am a student who stayed at the bluffs in for the Dorian Music Festival at Luther College and it sucked! Their were like splotches of goo on walls and their looked like theirs was blood in the carpets and on this one wall drooling down... Then I kept getting creeper phone calls in the middle of the night and I go to the front desk to see if they can track it and the dude can hardly speack English! But all he did was lock everydoor and made his "rounds" and looked in random places but not every place to ensure the place is secure. Otherwise on top of that the hotel had horrible musky smell, only an assortment of cereal for breakfast, and the heaters hardly worked... I would NEVER recommend this hotel unless Mary, who is the nicest staff person, is working!

  • Stayed January 2011
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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Ask AndRMar about The Bluffs Inn
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC

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1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“as a new ownership, really i was so impressed with neat clean and silence good slip hotel.”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 21 December 2010
1
person found this review helpful

i travel a lot and i stayed before here in this hotel..i suddenly surprise to see a new and remodelling rooms.because of the new owner i saw a lots of changes that was so clean and neat ..its worth to stay..i thought the breakfsast was very very good--bunch of varieties to fit the needs of guests, i never had a this type of beakfast in big hotel ever. it was nice to have free and very fast internet to use..only thing that would have been nice was a hair dryer in the room..it feel europien style..so impres with this hotel..though pool and hot tub is currently under renovation but might this summer they reopen with remodelling...but now i will sure suggest my friends and family to stay here...

  • Stayed December 2010, travelled on business
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
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Ask dineshmeenap about The Bluffs Inn
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Rochester, Minnesota
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“Family enters Twilight Zone at The Bluffs Inn...”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 October 2010
1
person found this review helpful

We stayed at the Bluffs Inn during a visit to our daughter at Luther College. It was the only hotel in town that had a room - now I know why. When we arrived we were told that our room would cost $10 more than the price which was quoted on the phone. Since there was no place else to stay - we had no choice but to take the room. We were also asked, upon check in, if we had been told that the room we would be using had no window. I have never been asked this before. And, indeed, it had no window - at least not one to the outside. It did have a window that looked upon a blackened, abandoned staircase. It was the weirdest thing any of us had ever seen.

As for the shower or other amenities - we did not use them. The cleanliness was in question and none of us dared to attempt a shower. In fact, our high school age daughter opted to sleep on the floor of her sister's dorm room instead of staying at the Bluffs Inn with us.

The "enhanced continental" breakfast was absolutely not what we would call enhanced. We didn't take part in it either.

We were told that the hotel had "free wireless" - we struggled to use it. As we were checking out, we discovered that it was in a small 20 foot area with two student school desks near the lobby.

Suffice to say - that if we ever find ourselves staying overnight in Decorah again - we will not be patronizing the Bluffs Inn.

  • Stayed December 2009, travelled with family
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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Ask FlyingWoman about The Bluffs Inn
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Decorah Bluffs Inn Needs an Update”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 October 2010
1
person found this review helpful

This very old hotel is awaiting renovation. Healthclub closed. Lots of permanent residents mean that like me you may meet a senior resident in her nightgown at the breakfast bar. Front desk pleasant but indifferent. A report of a room that was not cleaned (glass of wine on the table with a bug in it, ironing board still up, dusty) brought little interest from front desk. So I would pass it by – there are many other Decorah options.

  • Stayed September 2010, travelled on business
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
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Ask expectafairdeal about The Bluffs Inn
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Additional Information about The Bluffs Inn

1101 Highway 9 West, Decorah, IA 52101
Price range (per night):* INR2,184

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