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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
Wisconsin
1 review
“What is this place?!?!?!?”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 January 2012

We are students visiting for the Dorian festival at Luther college. This was the only hotel with open rooms because of it. There is a reason for that. The hotel is very outdated, the pool has apparently been under renovation since September 2010, there are several stains in every place you could think of (coffee stains over our door for instance), visible mold in quite a few place, bathroom floor is cracked and linoleum was applied incorrectly, paint is chipping everywhere, there are debris from the ceiling on the floor and fallen plaster on the floor of our room, decor is very unappealing, even the wallpaper was shoddily done. If you have a wheelchair, don't come as the ramp they have installed is too steep and too narrow to go up, and if you go down you'll surely have fun when you pitch over the uneven floor. We saw a health inspection notice posted in this hotel, which expired Jan 2010. Don't come with small children, as they'll shriek during the descent down the unlit stairwell. Spare yourself a night in the twilight zone and sleep in your car or on campus.

  • Stayed January 2012, travelled on business
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 1 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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Ask kevster0522 about The Bluffs Inn
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
Iowa City, IA
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
“Maybe just bad timing on our part.”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 September 2011
1
person found this review helpful

We stayed while in the area for a family reunion and although i wouldn't say it was awful, it was pretty dated. The bad timing on our part was 1) no restaurant (reserved by a wedding reception), 2) no lounge (also wedding reception), 3) no pool (remodel), 4) no hot tub, and 5) no game room (unless an old foosball table you might have in your basement counts). Also, the floor key was very hard to get to work.

On a positive note, the staff was very friendly and do appear to be working on things, so maybe the place will be spruced up a bit. Also, there was a small fridge in the room which was nice.

I really wish we could have tried the steakhouse.

Room Tip: I was surprised to find Decorah has a 24 hour taxi service. I got a ride downtown to a fun night of...
See more room tips
  • Stayed September 2011, travelled with family
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
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Ask NightEmber about The Bluffs Inn
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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

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“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
texas
1 review
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

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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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