Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack, & Hotel

1 Prairie Meadows Dr, Altoona, IA 50009, USA

Address:	1 Prairie Meadows Dr, Altoona, IA 50009, USA
Phone:	+1 515-967-1000
Site:	prairiemeadows.com
Rating:	3.9

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 5

Rachel P

My family stayed at Prairie Meadows for 2 nights during a 3 day trip to Adventureland. We chose Prairie Meadows based on the great reviews. The room was nice and everything looked clean. We spent most of the second day at Adventureland and were gone from our room (we left for the park at 10am and didn’t get back until almost 9pm). During that time someone came into our room and took my wedding ring. I had left my ring on the soap ledge in the shower because I did not want to take it to the park. It was the only thing missing from the room. Because of where I had left it, I believe either the cleaning service took it or they tipped off someone else that had room access. By the time we got back to the hotel, we were all so exhausted that we went right to bed. I didn’t realize it was missing until the next morning and called the front desk immediately. The woman at the front desk assured me that security would start looking through tapes right away and find out exactly who had accessed the room while we were gone. I waited hours after that, panicking, searching, pacing, crying… I had to call the front desk several times for updates. Most times I was told to keep waiting. At one point, they sent a security guard and housekeeping staff up to search the room (which I had done 10 times over). Finally I asked to be connected directly to security. They admitted “several things had come up” that morning and they had not looked at the tapes or done much in terms of investigating. The lady from security acted annoyed when I asked what they planned to do as we were supposed to be leaving that day. She replied that they had our information. At that point I gave up on hotel security and asked if they would call the police. After more waiting the police finally arrived and I filed a police report. The police said they would work with hotel security to recover the ring. At that point there was nothing else that could be done so we finished packing up our bags and left the hotel room. As we loaded the family into the car, we noticed several police cruisers and police officers searching a car in the parking lot. I walked up to the officers hoping they knew about or had some new information on my ring. As I was explaining who I was and my situation, a hotel staff member standing nearby quickly interrupted the officers (who acted very interested in what I was sharing) and firmly told me that they had my information and would call if anything came up. I was completely heartbroken to have to leave without my ring and utterly disgusted by the overall response of hotel security and management. Staying at a casino hotel obviously there are cameras everywhere. Security would easily be able to see and identify everyone who accessed our room the day my wedding ring was taken. It seemed they were more concerned about protecting their own employees rather than trying to identify who took my ring. Ultimately I felt as though there was little to no concern that my wedding ring had been stolen and most likely by one of the hotel employees. Based on this incident and the hotel response I would have to assume this type of behavior is reflective of the entire corporate culture at Prairie Meadows. To knowingly hire and employ individuals who engage in criminal behavior and then support the staff with a “security” service who does a better job protecting employees’ criminal activity rather than protecting patrons is completely unacceptable. I realize at this point that my ring is probably gone and is not coming back, but I feel compelled to share this experience with anyone who will hear it. I truly believe that if more consideration had been given at the time this was reported, there may have been some chance that it could have been recovered. I am beyond saddened by this experience. If you decide to stay at Prairie Meadows please realize the type of individuals you have surrounded yourself with and take precaution.

Beau Johansen

I preferred poker at Prairie Meadows when it was its own great universe on the 3rd floor, absent of excess noise and smoking; it provided an excellent, unique, competitive atmosphere at that time. BUT now the "new poker room" seems to be an unloved child, shoved into a random corner of floor 2, surrounded by a cacophony of slots and blackjack and commotion. I would give a 5-star rating if PM would show more love & dedication to the poker room/players (poker, for me personally, is the only reason I go). Give your poker clientele the same love & innovation as horse racing, and great things can happen. The previous setup was close to 5/5... spacious and private-ish. This new setup is lackluster in comparison. The poker room location, size, and tournament schedule, if tweaked for the players, could make PM the best/most-popular poker room around (more tournaments on weekends!!, varied structures, maybe even add SNG opportunities if possible). PM has the potential for the best poker in Iowa, but not the willingness at this time. Please spoil the players a little more & draw more folks into the game!

Tracy Gryp

Casino is nice. A huge variety of slots but its not crowded. Cigarettes are $11.00 a pack, which is quite ridiculous. Players club comps seem to be about standard. However i was impressed when i approached a gentlman at the front counter and asked him what i had for points on my card and he immediately told me how much additional he could add for me. I didnt even ask for it. My experience with other casinos is like pulling teeth for anything additional. But Prairie Meadows was willing and happy to automatically show their appreciation for my patronage and comp me appropriately at their first opportunity. The staff members are friendly and personable but leave you to your play and dont walk around yelling, "DRINKS!" as they pass by within inches of your ears. Ive never won a jackpot here yet but its still a clean, spacious and fun place to spend time.

Frank Smario

So you think you cant have a great poker experience without huge crowds and stuck up people? WRONG!!! This place is awesome! I had the best poker experience of my life! These people know how to make you feel at home. After just a few hours of play I went to bed and when I went into the poker room the next day EVERYONE called me by name. I felt like a long time customer, friend... a true local. The play was relaxing and fun. The people I played with were easy to talk to and the staff, absolute perfection! This place is amazing. I will be back and with lots of friends and next time someone says, "lets go to Vegas", Im going to say, "Lets go to Iowa!" Special thanks to Eric Morley, youre top notch kid!

Kathleen Curtis

Rented five rooms for three nights for a girlfriend get together recently Friends came from different parts of the US and couldnt believe small-town Iowa had such a great facility The rooms were very clean and all of the hotel staff was very friendly and accommodating Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the casino and racetrack and several of the eateries It is also really easy to get anywhere you need to go One of my friends used the shuttle from the airport and was really impressed that the driver called to let her know they had arrived and it was on time With all of the nice hotels in Des Moines everyone hopes to come back to Prairie Meadows again soon !