Independent · Full-service
Near Campus / West Ames
Every hotel in Ames, Iowa.
One honest local guide: all 16 hotels near Iowa State University and Jack Trice Stadium, compared by location and price.
One honest local guide: all 16 hotels near Iowa State University and Jack Trice Stadium, compared by location and price.
Almost everyone visiting Ames is here for Iowa State. The town is small, so the real choice is which cluster you sleep in.
Closest to Iowa State University, Hilton Coliseum, Stephens Auditorium and the Iowa State Center. Best pick for game-day weekends, campus visits and parent drop-offs.
The newer hotel cluster off Interstate 35 and US Highway 30 along SE 16th and East 13th Street. Easy highway access, chain reliability and typically the best value for the money.
Closest-to-campus first. "Check rates" opens a live price search for your dates.
The closest cluster to Iowa State, Hilton Coliseum and Jack Trice Stadium. First to sell out on football weekends.
A few minutes further by car, usually cheaper, and home to the newest hotels in town.
We keep the addresses, areas and live rates in one place so you don't have to dig through booking sites.
Four short guides that answer the questions everyone asks before a weekend in Ames.
For Jack Trice Stadium, the closest hotels are in the near-campus / west cluster, Gateway Hotel & Conference Center, Best Western Plus University Park, Hilton Garden Inn and Sleep Inn on Dickinson Ave. They book up fast on home-game weekends, so reserve early. The east highway cluster off I-35 (Hampton Inn, SpringHill Suites, Holiday Inn Express) is only a short drive away and often has better rates.
The most budget-friendly chain hotels in Ames are Microtel Inn & Suites, Sleep Inn & Suites, AmericInn and Quality Inn, most in the $-$$ range. Rates rise sharply on Iowa State football weekends, graduation and move-in weekend, so dates matter more than the hotel.
Ames sits about 30 miles north of Des Moines on Interstate 35, roughly a 35-minute drive. Des Moines International Airport (DSM) is about 40 minutes south of most Ames hotels.
Gateway Hotel & Conference Center is on the south edge of campus next to the Iowa State Center. Best Western Plus University Park, Hilton Garden Inn and Sleep Inn (both on Dickinson Ave) are all within about a mile of campus.
Iowa State home football Saturdays (fall), graduation (May and December), student move-in (August) and big events at Hilton Coliseum or Stephens Auditorium are the busiest. On those dates hotels across Ames sell out and prices peak, book several weeks ahead.