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The Highlander Hotel

4 star hotel
Kids stay free
8.8/10 Excellent
(780 verified Hotels.com guest reviews)
See verified family reviews (46)

generated by AI based on family reviews

Overview

The Highlander Hotel provides a fantastic family-friendly experience. Families consistently praise the hotel's excellent amenities, including a large, warm pool, a fun arcade, and a restaurant. The complimentary breakfast is also a major plus, with mentions of delicious banana bread oatmeal and breakfast potatoes. The retro design and spacious outdoor areas add to the appeal. While some minor issues have been noted regarding room cleaning and breakfast variety, the overwhelmingly positive feedback points to a memorable stay for families.

Guest highlights

The large, warm pool with pool toys provided
The fun arcade and other family activities
The delicious complimentary breakfast, particularly the banana bread oatmeal and breakfast potatoes
The retro design and spacious outdoor areas

About the hotel

Along with an indoor pool, this smoke-free hotel has a restaurant and a 24-hour fitness center. Free continental breakfast, free WiFi in public areas, and free self parking are also provided. Additionally, a bar/lounge, a poolside bar, and a snack bar/deli are onsite. Housekeeping is available on request.

Nearby attractions

Located in Iowa City, The Highlander Hotel is in the business district and near the airport. Looking to enjoy an event or a game? See what's going on at Xtream Arena & GreenState Family Fieldhouse or Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Guests appreciate the hotel's quiet location.

Popular amenities

Family friendly

Children's books
Children's games
Indoor pool
Snack bar/deli

Wifi

Available in all rooms: free wifi
Available in some public areas: free wifi

Food and drink

1 poolside bar and 1 bar
1 restaurant and 1 coffee shop/cafe
Coffee/tea in common area(s)
Free continental breakfast available daily 7:00 am–10:00 am
Room service available

Guest services

24-hour front desk
Concierge services
Dry cleaning service
Housekeeping (on request)
Luggage storage
Multilingual staff
Tour/ticket assistance
Wedding services

Accessibility

Braille signage
Handrails in stairways
If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
Stair-free path to entrance
This property does not have elevators
Upper floors accessible by stairs only
Valet for wheelchair-equipped vehicle
Visual alarms in hallways
Well-lit path to entrance
Wheelchair-accessible business center
Wheelchair-accessible concierge desk
Wheelchair-accessible fitness center
Wheelchair-accessible lounge
Wheelchair-accessible parking
Wheelchair-accessible path of travel
Wheelchair-accessible public washroom
Wheelchair-accessible registration desk
Wheelchair-accessible van parking

Things to do

24-hour fitness center
Free bicycle rentals
Indoor pool
Spa tub
Table tennis

Outdoor

Pool sun loungers
Terrace

Conveniences

Atm/banking services
Ballroom
Free newspapers in lobby
Reception hall

More

Books
Games
Music library
Renovated entire property - july 2020
Romance packages available
Shared microwave
Smoke-free property
Stereo

Nearest Airports

Airplane
The Eastern Iowa Airport
28 km from this hotel
Quad City International Airport
86 km from this hotel
map

Reviews that mention...

Family Reviews

for The Highlander Hotel
star-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-fullstar-empty

4.5 out of 5 stars

46 reviews

Review data

5 star reviews

65%

4 star reviews

20%

3 star reviews

2%

2 star reviews

9%

1 star reviews

4%

We have selected a sample of reviews which reflect what families have said about The Highlander Hotel

Showing 1 - 10 of 46 reviews

Latest reviews (46)

C

Candace

7 Jul 2024 - 8 Jul 2024
reviewed on expedia

5 out of 5 stars

this was a very comfortable stay - friendly and professional staff, our room was large and bright - great handicap accessible bathroom- we did not take advantage of all the fun amenities- pool, outdoor chess, many arcade games... our grandchildren would have LOVED! food from the restaurant was very good (huge portions) and delivered to the room!! i love the Highlander and look forward to returning
K

Karen

9 Jun 2024 - 10 Jun 2024
reviewed on hcom

4 out of 5 stars

We have stayed several times. Changes have been made in the food area. Breakfast was coffee and granola bars. What would children have. Restaurant is pricier and milkshakes went from free to $10. Fewer perks. Staff is excellent. It is a lovely hotel
M

Matthew

13 Apr 2024 - 14 Apr 2024
reviewed on hcom

5 out of 5 stars

The staff are so nice and helpful, it has a ton of stuff for the family to do and the brunch was awesome!!!
M

Melanie

13 Apr 2024 - 14 Apr 2024
reviewed on hcom

5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely great stay. I would recommend staying here for family events. Staff was friendly and helpfull
w

windy

12 Apr 2024 - 14 Apr 2024
reviewed on expedia

5 out of 5 stars

Many different things to do with the family. Food was good. However pool closing at 9 for the kids was a bit early. Also age limit for the hot tub. But overall it was fun
K

Kara

12 Apr 2024 - 13 Apr 2024
reviewed on expedia

5 out of 5 stars

My family truly enjoyed staying here. The retro fun feel of hotel was so much fun, the pool and hot tub were fantastic, and the breakfast in the morning put every other hotel breakfast to shame. Seriously, the banana bread oatmeal and the breakfast potatoes were amazing. Also there is a lot of outdoor space to hang out on a beautiful day and the staff were all great.
P

Paige

27 Mar 2024 - 30 Mar 2024
reviewed on expedia

4 out of 5 stars

Such a great place to stay with kids. Pool, arcade, breakfast, everything we needed for multiple nights.
N

Nathan

16 Mar 2024 - 17 Mar 2024
reviewed on hcom

5 out of 5 stars

Kind of a cool approach...this is an older hotel and the management kind of rolled with it and re-did it with a retro vibe. So in some sense, the original architecture plays into the new theme. The rooms have great big windows and kinda funky furniture. There's a large indoor plaza with a big pool, hot tub, and poolside rooms. The attached restaurant has a fairly small menu of food with pizza, sandwiches, and pasta. The food here was very good. Coplimentary breakfast was also quite good. The service staff was on top of their game here too. Food was kept stocked, dishes cleared quickly, everyone was friendly. Great place to go for large groups, family reunions, etc. But there are rooms away from the pool if you want to avoid the noise.
J

Jenalee

10 Mar 2024 - 12 Mar 2024
reviewed on hcom

4 out of 5 stars

Some really grat things about this hotel: Tons of amenities for families: pool, arcade, restaurant, outdoor games, continential breakfast Some amazing callouts: - The renovations are awesome, everything is really nice and clean and the decor was well thought through to keep the retro vibes - The pool (and hotel in general) offered all the tuings we forgot..like pool floaties and toys! - They offered cribs, baby monitors, etc so we didnt have to being those things -The tub/drain actually worked (and yes I feel like this is so rare its worth calling out!) - Continental breakfast - Amazing, huge pool- and it was warm! Just a few things I wish were different (and this is just being picky): -There are no clocks in the rooms or pool area (or really any public area) -No one cleaned our room and we were gone from about 10:30-7 pm. I had to ask for fresh towels twice - Theres no way to get to the outdoor space without walking around the building. -No variety in beeakfast/not a lot of selection
S

Shelley

10 Feb 2024 - 11 Feb 2024
reviewed on hcom

5 out of 5 stars

Fun place to stay and hang with family or friends. My one complaint was the gap in the bathroom door when closed. It was a barn door style and still left a solid inch for people to peek in. Will ask for a different room next time.
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