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Proud Members of:

Iowa Bed & Breakfast Guild

Iowa City Convention & Visitor's Bureau

See our new property in Port Aransas, Texas, the "Harbor Inn on Mustang Island":  www.HarborInnPortA.com

Here is a list of the most commonly asked questions about our hotel. (Got others?  Please email them to us!)

1. What's with the Aviation Theme?

Mary and I are both pilots and aircraft owners, and the hotel is located just 300 yards from the main runway at the Iowa City Airport.  It is perfectly situated for both fly-in and drive-in guests, and the gigantic one, two, and three-bedroom suites have presented a perfect palette for our artistic brush.

As a result, ours may be the only hotel you ever stay in where you *will* remember the artwork in your bedroom!

2. How far is the hotel from campus?

The University of Iowa "campus" is a VERY large thing, so it really depends on what building you're looking for on campus.  It's an easy 15-minute walk from here to Kinnick Stadium, for example --  we are located less than one mile south of the southern edge of campus -- but if you're looking for a university building on the NORTHERN edge of campus, it might be three miles away.  Check your campus map to be sure.

3. Why do you have a 72-hour cancellation policy?  (7-days, for special events)

With just 29 suites, we are simply too small to absorb the loss of last-minute cancellations.  Big-box "McHotels" can afford a 6 PM same-day cancellation policy because they've got 200 identical rooms, and almost never sell them all.  We sell out often, and if you cancel your reservation for the "Wright Brothers Suite" we have probably turned away several people who wanted THAT particular suite. 

A "reservation" means that we will turn away everyone else in line, because you promised you were coming.  In return, we expect you to honor that commitment.

4. Why are your prices so cheap?

Actually, we're usually asked "How is it possible for you to provide so many free services at such a low price?"

The short answer is: Because we're not a chain.  The big-box "McHotels" must send 30 - 40% of their gross income back to a home office -- we don't.   That's why our wireless internet is FREE, our delivered breakfast is FREE, our movies are FREE, our parking is FREE, and usage of our business center computers are FREE.

Mary and I believe that everything should be free after you check in.  And it is.

5. What year was the hotel built?

The hotel is made up of two 3-story buildings.  The "Airport Building" was built in 1979.  The "Tower Building" was built in 1982.   It's always been a hotel, although it had sunk to residence hotel status by the time we came along in 2002..   We've been remodeling it continuously since 2002, so much of it is now new.

4. Why is it called "Alexis Park Inn & Suites"?

Nope, it's not because of a woman.  Harry Hinckley and Dave Steckling, the original builders of the hotel, were early investors in the Alexis Park Resort in Las Vegas, NV.  The resort ran into financial difficulties -- it apparently wasn't successful, at first -- and many investors lost their money -- including Harry and Dave.  They were so upset that they "borrowed" the name for their next project -- our hotel.

5. Why aren't more of your suites pet-friendly?

When we opened in 2002, we wanted the entire hotel to be pet friendly. We are pet lovers, and think that traveling with your pet is the way to go!  As time went on, however, and we invested more and more money into new carpeting and decor, we became increasingly nervous about allowing pets into our new aviation themes suites.

Sure enough, in 2003, we had a guest (with both cats and ferrets as pets) who allowed their pets to defecate and urinate everywhere and anywhere, causing over $2000 in damage to the suite.  From that point on, all of our new suites became "no-pets/no-smoking".

All our long-term (30-day or longer stay) corporate suites are still pet-friendly . We have two "pet-friendly" short-term (nightly stays) suites available -- one 1-bedroom jacuzzi suite (Suite 101) and one 2-bedroom Jacuzzi suite (Suite 434, the "Oshkosh Suite").  

While these are very nice suites, they do NOT have new carpeting in them.  We're crazy, not stupid! 

6. Why don't you have elevators?

The hotel was built long before the Americans With Disabilities Act, and is grandfathered in under the old rules.  We have looked into adding elevators, but the cheapest quote we received (in 2002) was $90K --  and we would need two of them! 

Needless to say, we've decided to simply put people who can't deal with stairs on the first floor.

7. Do you have a meeting room?

Yes, we have a small meeting room called "The Jack Knight Meeting Room".  It will seat 25 people at tables, or 40 people theater-style.  It has every modern audio/visual tool, from a DLP-projector, a 104" screen, stereo surround-sound, a computer with internet access, overhead projectors, dry erase boards, DVD and VCR players -- you name it, we've got it, or we'll get it for you.

8. When is the pool open?

Our beautiful outdoor pool is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  We often push beyond those dates, if we have an early Spring or late Fall, but you can count on it being open between those two holidays.

9. What's with the 2-night minimum stay for special events?

We learned early on that renting our suites for just one night on (for example) Hawkeye Football weekends was like taking several $100 dollar bills out of our cash register, and flushing them down the toilet. 

Why?  Because by game-day we always have a waiting list with 30 people on it, all desperately hoping to find lodging for the entire weekend.  These people are not interested in coming to town for just one night, and we therefore found ourselves stuck with a bunch of non-saleable single-nights.   Thus, the 2-night minimum eliminates this problem, and keeps everyone happy.

10. Where do you get all that aviation stuff?

EVERYWHERE.  Decorating this hotel has been like being on an eternal scavenger hunt, and we never know where we're going to find the next piece.

Example: We were walking through the shops on Mackinac Island in '03, my eyes glazed over into that "1000-yard-stare" after being dragged into dozens of stores.  Suddenly, there on the wall (of yet another women's clothing store) was a beautiful plaque depicting one of Louis Bleriot's earliest aircraft.  I asked the hapless clerk "How much for the wall art?" -- which, of course, she didn't know -- it was a clothing store..  She called the owner at home, who instantly made up a price of fifty bucks, and I bought it.  It's now proudly hanging in our lobby -- and the hotel is full of hundreds of items just like it.

We don't have roll-aways because we don't have elevators.  (Ever try moving one of those up a flight of stairs?)  Instead, we have lots of suites with pull-out hide-a-beds.

With regard to our hide-a-beds, we do NOT recommend them for anyone over age 25.   Pull-out couches are, by definition, a compromise, and they are NOT comfortable for anyone who has reached the "age of maturity" -- whenever *that* is. 

If you are over the age of 25, and want a second bed, rent one of our 2-bedroom suites for just $25 more.  You will thank me in the morning.