I have absolutely nothing against this hotel. But this was one scene of a serial murder spree in the Des Moines area during the 1990s.

A young (36 years old) single woman, (my wife's college roommate) was staying temporarily at the original Holiday Inn before moving into an apartment in the Des Moines area. The second night she was there, she answered the door because a man claiming to be a maintenance worker needed to gain entrance. She was murdered.

The man HAD previously worked at this hotel as a maintenance supervisor and was fired (he had pass keys). He killed four young women at various hotels in the Des Moines area. Most were maids, this one was not.

Finally captured late 1990s because of DNA testing improvements. He is in prison in Iowa (no capital punishment).

There are lawsuits pending against hotel management regarding the key situation etc to this day.