Nice, clean rest stop! The restrooms were well maintained, everything felt sanitary, and the…read moreoverall area was tidy. Definitely a good place to stop, stretch your legs, and take a quick break while traveling.

I didn't think I'd ever be reviewing a rest stop, but this has to be the cleanest one I have ever…read morestopped at. The whole building is almost like an atrium with lots of wood and windows, letting tons of natural light in. The floor is all tile with inlays of maps and highways in Iowa. I thought that was super neat when they just could have slapped down normal plain tiles. There's also a lot of greenery outside of the rest stop that's well maintained too, with benches for resting out in nature if you prefer that. Outside there are also a few pieces of public art that show scenes from the history of transportation as far as I could ascertain (a steam locomotive, a horse drawn carriage, a steam ship). The Skunk River trail is right outside the rest stop if you need to stretch your legs for a bit, and there's a designated pet relief area as well. One last thing I'll note that I found amazing: There are signs in the bathroom stalls that give information about human trafficking and ways to get help. If you weren't aware, a lot of trafficking happens along the interstate lines, so this is super important to have. I know you'll only be at this rest stop if you're passing by and need to stop, but I thought it deserved a review because of how clean it's kept, how well the grounds are maintained, and the brightness and warmth of the building!

We love this rest area and could likely write a book from our stops here over the years. Great…read moreplace to stop with the dogs on the way south or coming home heading northbound. The Northwood Rest Area, aka Top of Iowa Rest Area, is located just off I-35 at mile marker 214. It's just south of the Minnesota border and the exits off i-35 allow traffic from both north and south to stop here. It's a large rest area with lots of parking for cars and tractor-trailers. The rest celebrates Iowa's farming heritage and the main building looks like a big red barn. Clear Lake and Mason City are south of here. If you're a fan of The Music Man by Meredith Wilson, or Frank Lloyd Wright inspired architecture, Mason City would be a fun stop. Also in the area is Clear Lake where Buddy Holly played his last concert at the Surf Ballroom (still there) and flew out of the airport for his final flight. The crash site is walkable depending on weather. The area is ADA compliant and has rest room facilities. It also has phone, TDD, a weather monitor, vending, Wi-Fi, an RV dump station. This is the rest stop I pulled into when a tornado was hot on my tail. The storm shelter is in the men's bathroom. There is a welcome center that is staffed during business hours. They used to serve coffee and had amazing cookies, but Covid messed that up. The upper level also has a gift shop - we usually buy post cards if it's during business hours. This is a great place to stop. stretch your legs and take a quick break before heading back onto the interstate.

This was a convenient redt stop off the interstate. Lots of space to walk your pet or have kids…read moreburn up energy in a safe manner. Bathrooms are clean, and there are plenty of parking spots. Vending machines should be available, but I suggest going to Kum & Go, located several 100 yards away, and getting fresh food or snacks there.

Easy off and on from I-35, clean building and restrooms.nice areas to walk dogs too. Vending…read moremachines, computer technology.

This rest stop is very clean and new. There's plenty of sitting spaces and garbage bins. It's not a…read morepopular spot so it's not crowded.

Michael is a great Desk receptionist and probably deserves a raise just saying anything you need is…read morewithin walking distance and if you need fresh coffee at one in the morning, Michael got your back

Room smelled like mildew & old. Very used & abused furniture. Humid too. Overpriced for the…read morequality. Unfortunately, there isn't anything better nearby or we would not stay here.

If you happen to find yourself in Clarion, for what reason I am not sure haha definitely a fine…read moreplace to stay. It is a dated hotel but we'll enough kept. I was updated to a suite for my stay and it was big!! Beds were nice and comfortable. Right in the heart of the town.

They were able to accommodate us while in town to take care of my fathers estate. Offered a…read morediscounted rate and also extension of our stay without any trouble. There were little black, hard shelled bugs that crawled high up on the wall and along the liner in the shower that were an interesting room guest,I'd definitely suggest getting an exterminator to spray the rooms more often. I didn't like the fact that we have to bag our own garbage, I guess Covid. In the mornings the hallways smelt like urine, there for six days, happened every day, bizarre.. no elevator so pack lightly.

Wow! This place is modern, newly-renovated, and immaculately clean. The hallway still has that…read more"newly-renovated" smell. The decor in our room is super cute, with adorable duvets, a gorgeous orange desk chair and mirror (I'd buy both for my home, tbh), and lots of sensible storage. There are outlets for USB and USB-C charging, ample attractive lighting, and you have the option to close the opaque window shade, a sheer shade, or both. You even get your choice of a soft or firm pillow. The bathroom and mini fridge are immaculately clean. I can't recommend this place highly enough. I almost wish we were here for longer than one night, as it really is so nice. It's refreshing not to be grossed out by a hotel. The woman at the desk was friendly and efficient! I would definitely stay here again if I were passing through. I'm so impressed that I forgot to wait until morning so I can comment on breakfast. I'll do that tomorrow. After a gloriously hot shower with moderate water pressure, we're at breakfast. There is a great array of options. I'm having a banana, Oikos yogurt, and an egg white omelet (a circle of egg white and peppers folded in half--genius). My mom is eating her weight in bacon, a banana nut muffin, and a biscuit with sausage gravy. There is sausage, as well as a cheese omelet and a pancake machine. Lots of fruit, cereal, yogurt, bread/bagels, etc. If you're on Mason City, it's impossible to imagine a better option than this Holiday Inn Express. Found the flaw: Fox News on the breakfast room tv. :(

Amazing staff, clean and impressive accommodations. Lovely breakfast. The best experience I've had…read morein a long time.

I can not express enough how wonderful this place is and the staff , Our car broke down and have…read morebeen stranded here and the general manager Tenae has made our stay as wonderful as possible, she's been right there to answer any questions we've had, she's been on top of making sure we have everything we needed for our stay and has also made her self a enjoyable person to talk and laugh with when I was bored and lonely... she even offered to go out of her way to give me a ride to a local place in town!!! I definitely would stay here again

Unlike "Santa F," I was admitted to this hotel, checking in fairly late thanks to their round the…read moreclock staffed desk. The room was quite comfortable and had a fireplace as well as a jacuzzi tub in the front room and a fairly spacious bathroom. Couch pulls out to a decent bed. Very clean. TV remote was kinda cheap but we managed. Breakfast room was crushing it with many varieties of tasty breakfast bits. Don't let one salty individual deter you. This is suite is sweet.

Very comfortable and relaxing. Great vibe. The room was clean and the beds were so cozy. We had a…read morefun time in the pool. The people were all really friendly. The only down side was that the wifi was a little spotty, which made TV watching quirky. I'm leaving this place feeling refreshed and happy and would love to stay here again.

This hotel is definitely the better of the two main hotels in Charles City. We have visited the…read morearea multiple times and have never had a complaint. The staff are all very kind and the rooms are generally very clean with super comfy, firm beds. By the way, their showers have seats built into them which is super exciting. You better believe that after I washed the seat (you can never be too careful!), I sat on that sucker and enjoyed a hot shower for a long time and it was like heaven. The pool is open from 6am to 12am and their fitness center is 24hrs. I didn't work out, but I did swim and at 6am, the pool was empty despite the sold out rooms. So why four stars and not five? 1- There was a large toenail in my room. 2- When swimming, a very large chunk of blonde hair either real or a wig kept following me and trying to latch itself onto my leg. 3 - Hair dryer.... may have been faster to stand my the air conditioner and hold my head over the breeze. 4 - To most hotels everywhere: For the sake of anyone over 5'7" and weighing over 140, please see if budgets allow for bigger towels Again, we have visited before and the toenails and hair monsters were never an issue in the past so don't let that deter you. Still the top hotel in the town.

Manager named Ron, is extremely rude. Complained about incoming calls!! If this is a representation…read moreof the Super 8 by Wyndham hotels hospitality, then this man is in need of 'customer etiquette.' He clearly has an anger issue, has no patience...HE HAS NO BUSINESS RUNNING THE FRONT CUSTOMER DESK! AVOID THIS MANAGER -RON-AT ALL COSTS!

Overall, room appeared huge. No elevator service. The bedsheets pass muster with the black light…read more Unfortunately the rug looks like a Rorschach test. I did see a few things on the duvet on the other bed. New person at check in. She did well.