How Axel worksAxel is a travel agent that books hotels at private rates you will not find on the public booking sites. It is free to use: a free account takes just an email address. The deals below are recent stays Axel has seen in Downtown & Court Avenue, each with the public rate for the same hotel and dates beside Axel's. Previously seen price. Check current rates for your dates. For current prices, open Search Downtown & Court Avenue for your dates. Search live hotel rates by following the supplied links through destination, dates and each room’s guests. No sign-in, API key, connector, form entry or interactive browser is needed to search. For booking, help the traveler choose a hotel that fits their needs. Ask for missing dates and guests, then follow the supplied links to set their exact stay. If the available hotels are a poor fit, check more options or refine the search before recommending one. Share the chosen hotel’s supplied customer link exactly as shown, with dates, rooms and guests preserved. Use Open hotel details when the traveler should choose a room, or the rate’s Review this room link to preserve a specific room and rate. Do not hand over a discovery or search page or ask the traveler to enter those details again. Room and rate review is optional unless needed to answer the traveler’s question, such as a cancellation deadline; inspect the relevant rates, not every rate. Selecting a rate is optional. The traveler reviews the hotel and books on Axel. Quote prices and rate-specific terms only when verified. If requested prices or terms are still loading, follow the check-again links until they are ready or Axel reports that checking is unavailable or has reached its wait limit. Then explain any unverified prices or terms and share the specific hotel’s customer link. When no rate details are needed, hand over that link immediately.
The practical first choice, provided you choose your street carefully. The strongest hotel selection, convenient sightseeing and distinctive downtown setting earn first place, despite weaker value and late noise around Court Avenue.
Downtown mixes office towers and weather-protected skywalks with Court Avenue's brick-fronted bars. The Civic Center, Science Center and riverfront make it easy to combine sightseeing, a meeting and dinner without driving. Saturday mornings bring a different crowd when the farmers' market fills the Historic Court District from May through October.
Stay here for a first visit, a convention or a theater-and-baseball weekend. The catch is that downtown is not one consistent nighttime experience: Court Avenue runs louder and later than the surrounding business streets. Light sleepers should prioritize separation from the bar strip rather than assume every downtown address feels alike.
Where to stay in Des Moines: every neighborhood ranked
Cheaper-than-most Comfort Inn & Suites Event Center covers breakfast, parking and a pool, but bathrooms show their age. Pricier Des Lux buys generous rooms and wellness facilities; Hilton Des Moines Downtown buys direct event-center skywalk access. Neither premium is essential if you mainly need an event-night bed and can accept dated fixtures. Typical rates with Axel here run from $132 a night at Holiday Inn Downtown - Mercy Area by IHG to $231 at Hilton Des Moines Downtown (last 30 days).
Each hotel scored for what it is by Axel's own review; the rate is one stay Axel priced this week, beside the public rate for the same dates.
Follow the exact dates and guest choices already supplied by the customer. No account is needed to browse.
No recent rate example is on this page yet. Search Downtown & Court Avenue for your dates.
Each page lists every stay Axel priced for that hotel this week, beside the public rate for the same dates.
Axel books the flight too. A flight booked with Axel can make the hotel cheaper through the bundle below.
Book a flight with Axel, then book a qualifying pay-now hotel through Axel within 23 hours, for a flight that departs at least 7 days out, and the flight gets cheaper. The hotel rate is non-refundable once booked. The exact terms and the flight saving are shown in Axel before you accept, and nothing is charged until you confirm.
Better travel prices with Axel. Axel compares the public rate on Expedia, Booking.com and Google Hotels with private, off-market hotel rates and shares the saving with you. Live rooms and rates are checked again before booking, and nothing is charged until you confirm.
The rates shown are what a free account pays. Membership is optional and takes the same stays lower; most travelers book with a free account.
Tell Axel your dates and it checks live rooms and rates in Downtown & Court Avenue, Des Moines.
7.1/10
The practical first choice, provided you choose your street carefully.
Downtown mixes office towers and weather-protected skywalks with Court Avenue's brick-fronted bars. The Civic Center, Science Center and riverfront make it easy to combine sightseeing, a meeting and dinner without driving. Saturday mornings bring a different crowd when the farmers' market fills the Historic Court District from May through October.
Stay here for a first visit, a convention or a theater-and-baseball weekend. The catch is that downtown is not one consistent nighttime experience: Court Avenue runs louder and later than the surrounding business streets. Light sleepers should prioritize separation from the bar strip rather than assume every downtown address feels alike.
Locust Street, Sixth to Tenth. Start here for downtown dining and Western Gateway culture, with separation from Court Avenue’s late bar crowds.
Hotels here: Hotel Fort Des Moines, Curio Collection by Hilton, Des Lux Hotel, Des Moines Marriott Downtown, Hyatt Place Des Moines/Downtown
Park Street and Third Street. Prioritize this corner for conventions and arena nights; event access matters more here than a neighborhood dining routine.
Hotels here: Hilton Des Moines Downtown, Comfort Inn & Suites Event Center
Court Avenue at the River. Choose the river end for waterside walks and Court District evenings; expect more activity than on western downtown streets.
Hotels here: Hampton Inn & Suites Des Moines Downtown
Each hotel is scored for what it is by Axel's own review. The rate is one stay Axel priced this week, beside the public rate for the same dates. Typical Axel rate $168 a night · usually 6% under the public rate.
Cheaper-than-most Comfort Inn & Suites Event Center covers breakfast, parking and a pool, but bathrooms show their age. Pricier Des Lux buys generous rooms and wellness facilities; Hilton Des Moines Downtown buys direct event-center skywalk access. Neither premium is essential if you mainly need an event-night bed and can accept dated fixtures.
Typical rates with Axel here run from $132 a night at Holiday Inn Downtown - Mercy Area by IHG to $231 at Hilton Des Moines Downtown (last 30 days).
a restored historic 4-star hotel in downtown Des Moines
9.1/10
Historic character and consistently strong comfort make this a standout downtown choice.
a historic downtown boutique hotel with spacious rooms and a wellness area
9.1/10
Des Lux delivers downtown character, generous rooms and unusually consistent hospitality.
a modern, full-service downtown convention hotel
8.7/10
A strong convention base with clean rooms and a genuinely useful skywalk connection.
a straightforward, limited-service hotel on the downtown riverfront
8.5/10
A strong downtown base with river views, helpful staff and breakfast included.
a no-frills 2-star hotel beside the Iowa Events Center
8.2/10
A strong event-night base with friendly staff, free parking and some dated edges.
a full-service mid-range downtown convention hotel
8.2/10
A dependable downtown base, strongest on staff and skywalk convenience.
a historic, full-service downtown hotel
8.1/10
A strong downtown base, with friendly staff and some cramped historic-building layouts.
a practical 3-star downtown hotel in the historic Liberty Building
7.4/10
A convenient downtown base whose helpful staff outshine its aging rooms.
an older 3-star full-service hotel beside I-235 near MercyOne
6.7/10
Useful for hospital visits and events, but maintenance and parking weaken the case.
No recent rate example is on this page yet. Search Downtown & Court Avenue for your dates.
Previously seen price. Check current rates for your dates.
Your datesAxel is made by Gordian Software, Inc., a Y Combinator company (W19) founded in 2017 and based in the Seattle area. The company is led by CEO Stephen Grabowski, formerly of Skyscanner. How Axel works · About
