Name: Hilton Garden Inn Iowa City Downtown University
Address: 328 S Clinton St, Downtown, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America, Iowa City, Johnson County, US
Price range: $135–$762 per night
Rating: 9.1

What guests think

At Hilton Garden Inn Iowa City Downtown University, travelers praise the clean rooms, friendly service, and walkable, central location near the university, while some report hassles with paid parking and occasional problems like room-type mix ups, noise, or HVAC.

Guests frequently praise the Vue rooftop for skyline views and note breakfast as tasty with good variety, though it is typically not included. Rooms come across as modern and comfortable, with some spacious layouts; a few reviews mention TV or Wi‑Fi glitches. Overall, expect a straightforward, comfortable stay with urban conveniences.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

The Vue rooftop is popular for views, and the pool and gym are appreciated though the pool is small. Parking uses a paid ramp, and several guests reported expired or invalid passes and awkward access.

Related guest reviews

8

jeremy

Jul 26, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Pool , workout area good

10

Aaron

Mar 29, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Very nice hotel. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Morning breakfast buffet was terrific! Pool is small but one can still enjoy it along with gym and hot tub.

10

Kathryn

May 20, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Excellent facility that’s close to everything in downtown Iowa City. Had a private event in The Vue Rooftop and the staff and food were top notch!

10

Dawn

May 16, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Easy in and out. Plenty of parking. Rooftop restaurant is great. East walking to campus.

10

Jon

Feb 23, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Our stay was to include $15 parking but front desk gave us expired ticket so we paid $15 + $40. Ridiculous. Will not stay there again because of that. Such a scam. Btw we were in Iowa city not Chicago, Atlanta or NY.

10

Steven

Jul 18, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Awesome truly heated indoor pool

10

David

Jun 24, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Absolutely love the rooftop restaurant. My 10 year old granddaughter thought she was in heaven. Great view of the college campus. So far it’s been the best part of our trip.

10

Rafael

Feb 26, 2023

·

Stayed 5 nights

Great property. Vue restaurant was really underwhelming. Small portions, subpar flavor.

2

Lya

Mar 23, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The hotel room was spacious, clean and accommodating. However, we had to pay FULL price for the parking garage because the hotel staff gave us a parking garage discount pass that had EXPIRED. So, they we are, leaving the parking garage on checkout and we can’t exit because the hotel parking pass we were given was INVALID. Flustered and angry, we called the Help phone button but we were told we had to pay the $76 or we couldn’t exit. So, please explain this to me - how is it our fault that the hotel gave us an expired parking garage pass?? Beware, if you stay here, make SURE when you check in that you have a parking pass that actually WORKS before you’re stranded in the parking garage!!

10

Barbara

Jun 25, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Hotel rooftop was beautiful and the meal was very good. The location was perfect for walking to the campus/town/rec center

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Cleanliness

Cleanliness is a strong point across reviews, with rooms and common areas frequently described as very clean or spotless.

Related guest reviews

10

Richie

Aug 10, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The hotel was well appointed, well decorated, clean, staff were friendly and helpful. Our room was spacious, clean and quiet. The walk-in shower was welcomed after a long day. Parking was free and convenient.

10

Lisa

Jun 23, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Had a wonderful stay. Very clean property!

10

Christine

Mar 17, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Very impressed with the cleanliness of this hotel - the room all the way down to the pool and fitness area was very well maintained. The front desk staff was very friendly and answeres all of our questions. Well within walking distance to anything you hope to do around the downtown area - two blocks to the ped mall was perfect!

10

Jori

Aug 24, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Clean, quiet, and close to everything!

10

Katherine

Jul 30, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Room was clean, great

10

Outtum

Aug 16, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Proximity Promptness in providing my room Cleanliness Good staff Willingness to assist

10

Jean

Jun 21, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great location, clean, spacious room!

10

Timothy

Nov 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The room was spotless. Staff very friendl.

10

Enida

Mar 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

It was very nice. The most important was clean!

10

Marietta

Sep 8, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Nice and clean with very friendly and helpful staff.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Rooms

Rooms are modern and comfortable, sometimes spacious. Recurring drawbacks include street or elevator noise, loud HVAC, occasional room-type mismatches, and a few TV or Wi‑Fi issues.

Related guest reviews

10

Richie

Aug 10, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The hotel was well appointed, well decorated, clean, staff were friendly and helpful. Our room was spacious, clean and quiet. The walk-in shower was welcomed after a long day. Parking was free and convenient.

6

Stephanie

Mar 3, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Where I was in the hotel, it was very nosy. the trash trucks would come every night multiple times, waking me up at 2:00am, 4:00am, 5;00pm and 6:00am. I couldn’t believe how often and loud it was. As a result my sleep was greatly disrupted, but the hotel was good other than that.

8

Francis

Nov 18, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Overall property and room were nice and clean. The beds are fairly comfortable. The staff are friendly and helpful. The parking ramp is conveniently tied to the hotel, and within walking distance to restaurants making driving unnecessary. The few drawbacks were noise related: the air conditioners are fairly loud when they kick in, but may be used to help drown out the second noise related issue: noise from other rooms which seem to be carried through shared vents. So whether it’s a constant droning noise, or sounds that you can tap your feet to, the Hilton Garden Inn’s got you covered.

10

Brant

Nov 28, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Had a beautiful view from the 10th floor down Burlington street. Stay was because of a medical procedure at the U of I Hospital, and the staff was very accommodating to the minor needs I needed afterwards. The Vue had excellent cheese curds.

6

Martina

Nov 10, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

We booked a double queen room for 4 people and when we arrived we had 1 king and a rollaway twin had been added to the room prior to our arrival. This was not disclosed to us when we checked in, but something we discovered when we got to the room. They claimed they couldn’t give us the correct room and then offered breakfast vouchers and free parking. We had to have one of our family members stay with friends in their room to make it work. When we requested a late checkout we were treated rudely by the front desk staff. We had several friends staying here as well and all of them had issues with their rooms, too.

10

Christine

Dec 4, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Only complaint was that our room was next to the elevators and it was very noisy. Woken up at 5AM due to the noise in the elevator bank.

10

Jean

Jun 21, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great location, clean, spacious room!

10

VIRGINIA

Dec 18, 2024

·

HVAC unit very loud. A great stay.

6

Robert

Jun 7, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Cellphone service was terrible. Also the tv service kept cutting in and out. Also the wifi wouldn’t connect.

6

Erika

Jul 1, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

We reserved a two queen size bed room and received a king sized bed with a rollout cot. It was uncomfortable for three of us to stay in the room. The room was not prepared with pillows and blankets. We had to call down for those. I'm disappointed.

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Service

Staff are widely praised as friendly, helpful, and accommodating, with standout acts of assistance. However, some guests experienced booking or communication problems, such as overbooking/cancellations, wrong room assignments, and difficulty resolving billing or parking pass errors.

Related guest reviews

10

Lisa

Jul 10, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Staff was great

2

John

Aug 1, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Double charged for this stay and the hotel is claiming they didn’t double charge me.

10

Margaret

Mar 4, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The staff were super friendly and helpful. Olivia at the front desk helped us navigate around town and provided great information regarding local events and transportation. Nice place for sure.

6

Robert

Aug 17, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We weren't able to check-in until 9:30 PM. When we did, we were informed they had over-booked, and they had booked us a room at another facility. When a manager got involved in the conversation, she said they had a water leakage issue that prevented the room to be sold. We were too tired to argue and drove the 15 minutes to the other facility. Apparently, we are going to be reimbursed for the initial room, and they covered the cost of the new room. If that holds true, we will be happy, but we are still disappointed we weren't informed earlier before check-in.

10

Kevin

Oct 2, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Great customer service by the staff members

2

Jeanne

Oct 28, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

We booked our stay months ago. We arrived at check in to discover the hotel canceled our reservation- did not contact hotels .com about this- or us. The manager and general Manager blamed using a third party as part of problem. This was parents weekend which we drove 3.5 hours to get to. This caused us to spend way more for two separate hotels and miss going out with our son. The entire reason for going to parents weekend. The manager never apologized and even lied to us saying they called us and left us a message several times. He was incredibly rude to my wife and I. He should be fired. We know what happen, they wanted to sell our room for more than we paid. Our reservation stated we would pay when we arrived. We had stay at this hotel a couple of times and they had never tried to charge our credit card. The credit card had an updated exploration and that is why it didn't work. No one called us, not the hotel or hotels.com. We are extremely upset and feel the hotel should fire the general manager and compensate us for hotel rooms. We booked with the choice of pay at the property- something we have never had a problem with before. We will

2

Lya

Mar 23, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The hotel room was spacious, clean and accommodating. However, we had to pay FULL price for the parking garage because the hotel staff gave us a parking garage discount pass that had EXPIRED. So, they we are, leaving the parking garage on checkout and we can’t exit because the hotel parking pass we were given was INVALID. Flustered and angry, we called the Help phone button but we were told we had to pay the $76 or we couldn’t exit. So, please explain this to me - how is it our fault that the hotel gave us an expired parking garage pass?? Beware, if you stay here, make SURE when you check in that you have a parking pass that actually WORKS before you’re stranded in the parking garage!!

10

Dee

Dec 13, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Staff was absolutely incredible. Very helpful and really did everything possible for a great stay.

10

Denise S

Sep 8, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

The staff was very friendly and helpful. The rooms are very clean. Breakfast downstairs was very good and had a great variety. We were in a bind to get to our tour quickly because we running late and the manager kindly took us his own car. That goes above and beyond. I know this is not normal practice, but it was kindness that we appreciated.

6

Heather

Jul 14, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Booked this hotel based on specific room type. When I checked in and got to my room it was a different room type. Went back downstairs to front desk and attendant explained that my purchased/prepaid room type was unavailable and they knew this when they gave me the key but didn’t bother explaining or letting me know (I guess they wanted to surprise me). I requested a refund so that I could go to another hotel with the room I needed. They explained that they could not do this. I explained that the room type given to me would not work. They apologized and agreed that it was a bummer I had a room I could not sleep in. I then asked for rollaway bed, which they agreed to. Very frustrating that I needed to troubleshoot and solve the issue to a disinterested attendant after a long drive with 2 kids. Next morning was charged for breakfast although we had prepaid for breakfast. Hotel was in good condition, will try somewhere else next time I am in Iowa City.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Location

Central downtown location near the University of Iowa and the hospital, with easy walkability to the Ped Mall, restaurants, and shops.

Related guest reviews

10

JOHN

Apr 29, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The property was very close to the hospital where I had an appointment.

10

Linda

Jul 24, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Love staying at this property. Close to campus and all the activity.

10

Aaron

Feb 11, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Comfortable room. Close parking. Walkable location. Wished I had more time to explore Iowa City

10

Pedro

May 21, 2024

·

Stayed 5 nights

Great stay. Good breakfast available on site or at a short walk. Downtown hotel on walkable university campus.

10

Meghan

Mar 7, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Good location with easy walkability to a lot of Iowa City attractions.

10

Dawn

Feb 23, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Staff was friendly and welcoming. A great location right across from the Voxman and 5-10 minute walk through town to restaurants, shops and bars. Great stay!

10

Beth

Sep 2, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great location

10

Debra

Apr 10, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Is in the downtown area

10

Amy

Jul 26, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Location was super close to Ped mall, great rooms

10

Becky

Apr 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Perfect spot for visiting University of Iowa

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Dining

Vue Rooftop is frequently highlighted for its views and many guests enjoy the breakfast options. Others found the restaurant food underwhelming or too spicy, and breakfast typically is not included, with occasional billing mix ups.

Related guest reviews

10

David

Nov 9, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

This is a great property located next to the downtown area and The University of Iowa. They have an excellent restaurant on the 12th floor. Great food and a wonderful view.

10

Jennifer

Nov 14, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Great breakfast bar!

10

Aaron

Mar 29, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Very nice hotel. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Morning breakfast buffet was terrific! Pool is small but one can still enjoy it along with gym and hot tub.

10

Diane

Oct 5, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Would be nice to have breakfast included

10

Gregg

Nov 25, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Nice location, walkable to ped mall, clean and modern. Friendly staff. Pet friendly. Parking costs $15 and is a little inconvenient (you have to drive around the block to enter the ramp). No free breakfast. Overall, this is a favorite of ours in Iowa City when we visit family in the area, since we can bring our cat and also are close to the downtown area.

10

Dawn

May 16, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Easy in and out. Plenty of parking. Rooftop restaurant is great. East walking to campus.

10

Rafael

Feb 26, 2023

·

Stayed 5 nights

Great property. Vue restaurant was really underwhelming. Small portions, subpar flavor.

10

Quentin

Nov 26, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

One of the best Hilton Garden Inn’s I’ve stayed at: Newly-built in 2017, the rooms are modern, clean and very comfortable. I especially love the spacious suites. Front desk staff are attentive and knowledgeable about the area, always willing to gibe local shopping and dining recommendations. Vue Rooftop (rooftop restaurant on the top floor has nice views of downtown and the area), but doesn’t hold a candle to many other restaurants downtown in terms of food quality, drinks and service.

10

Denise S

Sep 8, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

The staff was very friendly and helpful. The rooms are very clean. Breakfast downstairs was very good and had a great variety. We were in a bind to get to our tour quickly because we running late and the manager kindly took us his own car. That goes above and beyond. I know this is not normal practice, but it was kindness that we appreciated.

6

Heather

Jul 14, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Booked this hotel based on specific room type. When I checked in and got to my room it was a different room type. Went back downstairs to front desk and attendant explained that my purchased/prepaid room type was unavailable and they knew this when they gave me the key but didn’t bother explaining or letting me know (I guess they wanted to surprise me). I requested a refund so that I could go to another hotel with the room I needed. They explained that they could not do this. I explained that the room type given to me would not work. They apologized and agreed that it was a bummer I had a room I could not sleep in. I then asked for rollaway bed, which they agreed to. Very frustrating that I needed to troubleshoot and solve the issue to a disinterested attendant after a long drive with 2 kids. Next morning was charged for breakfast although we had prepaid for breakfast. Hotel was in good condition, will try somewhere else next time I am in Iowa City.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Month	Average price
January	$118
February	$157
March	$164
April	$168
May	$162
June	$179
July	$184
August	$179
September	$204
October	$175
November	$175
December	$112

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17 $174	18 $762	19
20 $149	21 $173	22 $174	23 $173	24 $143	25 $170	26 $184
27 $161	28 $152	29 $159	30 $153

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $215	2	3
4 $136	5 $153	6 $153	7 $156	8 $193	9 $375	10 $375
11 $135	12 $153	13 $154	14 $278	15 $238	16 $327	17 $239
18 $135	19 $153	20 $153	21 $191	22 $311	23	24 $375
25 $135	26 $153	27 $159	28 $164	29 $254	30	31

Select dates to see prices and availability

Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Room options

Junior Suite, 1 King Bed

Room, 2 Queen Beds

Room, 1 King Bed, Accessible (Hearing)

Room, 1 Bedroom, Accessible, Bathtub (Mobility & Hearing)

Room, 2 Queen Beds, Accessible, Bathtub

Junior Suite, 1 King Bed, Accessible (Hearing)

Room, 1 King Bed, Accessible (Roll-In Shower)

Room, 1 King Bed

Room, 2 Queen Beds, Accessible (Hearing)

Room, 1 King Bed with Sofa Bed

Guest reviews

Superb

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property Policies

Check-in instructions

Good to know

Optional extras

FAQs about Hilton Garden Inn Iowa City Downtown University

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Prices for upcoming dates