We were driving from De Smet, SD (home of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie) ton the Herbert Hoover Library in West Branch, Iowa and were looking forna place in the middle. The AAA rate was awesome and since the reviews were good we chose it. We made the right choice. Room was clean, front desk helpful, water hot. We had not stayed at this chain before and generally stay at Hilton or Marriott. If, however we see another one of these hotels we would likely stay again. This particular hotel, however, was great value for the money, clean, and well kept.

In 40 years of travel and over 400 overnight stays, this is the first chain hotel we stayed in that had no canopy or structure at the entrance to shelter arriving/departing guests and their luggage from inclement weather. Also, the entrance walkway and landscaping prevented an approach closer than 25 feet. [What were the architects thinking?] Fortunately for us, it was a clear day.
Around 11 PM I noted that one of the light bulbs in my room was burned out. When I asked the desk staff for a replacement, was told that the maintenance man had left for the day and he locked them in his office. Trying to be helpful, she unscrewed a bulb from a lamp in the lobby and handed it to me. Finally, the coin laundry room had no instructions posted or indication of approximate cycle time. The place was clean and attractive and the room was fine, but because of the absence of an entrance canopy, it only gets an "average" rating and I would hesitate to recommend this facility.

Business took me to Mason City, IA in April. After doing some looking online, I decided that the Country Inn and Suites looked like the best bet in a town with pretty limited hotel/motel options.

And it was a good bet. Although it is absolutely nothing fancy, the hotel was "as advertised" (it doesn't bill itself as anything fancy!) -- it looked like the pictures on its website and had all of the promised amenities. I had no problems during my stay.

My room was spacious and clean. It had a large desk and good lighting. There was a refrigerator. The bed was of average comfort -- standard mattress with clean sheets (if low thread count) and a fuzzy blanket and old-style bedspread. I've certainly had nicer beds, but I didn't expect anything too grand for a budget property and this bed had no problems with cleanliness.

The service at the hotel was polite and welcoming; the free breakfast had all of the staples. Overall, I thought the property lived up to expectations. I had a colleague who stayed at one of the other national chains in town and regretted he hadn't made a reservation at the Country Inn.

As for location, it was off the main drag in Mason City and had several stores and restaurants nearby.

Great Breakfast--many options
Excellent front desk help
Polite Housekeepers
Clean Rooms--
All the staff said hello and asked how things were....Which was wonderful..