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Council Bluffs · Hotel shortlist

Council Bluffs hotels with a casino

Camila Reyes

Camila Reyes The Adriatic and Greece

Updated 1 September 2026 · 11 Council Bluffs hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Council Bluffs, out of the 11 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.4 down to 4.

Kimpton Cottonwood is the one I would book myself.

Kimpton Cottonwood

Highest rated of the five

Kimpton Cottonwood

★★★★★4.4 from 1,005 reviews

Kimpton Cottonwood comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.4 from 1,005 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 4 star property, found under city centre and around $214 a night on the dates we checked.

11 hotels in Council Bluffs qualified for this list and five made it. Hampton Inn Council Bluffs is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Poolsomewhere to cool off between walks
  • Spatreatment rooms on site, no booking a taxi for it
  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Restaurantdinner downstairs on the night you land
  • Bara drink without going back out

Check rates Read more

All five, ranked

  1. Kimpton Cottonwood1

    Kimpton Cottonwood

    ★★★★★4.4 from 1,005 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

    Check rates Read more

  2. Hampton Inn Council Bluffs2

    Hampton Inn Council Bluffs

    ★★★★★4.3 from 1,009 reviews

    • Pool
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly
    • Kid friendly

    Check rates Read more

  3. BridgePointe Inn & Suites by BPhotels, Council Bluffs, Omaha Area3

    BridgePointe Inn & Suites by BPhotels, Council Bluffs, Omaha Area

    ★★★★★4.4 from 568 reviews

    • Parking
    • Pet friendly
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning
    • Accessible

    Check rates Read more

  4. Ameristar Casino Hotel Council Bluffs4

    Ameristar Casino Hotel Council Bluffs

    ★★★★★4 from 8,568 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

    Check rates Read more

  5. Hilton Garden Inn Omaha East/Council Bluffs5

    Hilton Garden Inn Omaha East/Council Bluffs

    ★★★★★4.1 from 936 reviews

    • Pool
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly

    Check rates Read more

How this list was put together

11 Council Bluffs hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Camila Reyes

Camila Reyes The Adriatic and Greece

Teaches during term and dives in the gaps. Cenotes in Mexico, flooded quarries in Wales, cold freshwater systems in Croatia. Travels with more equipment than clothing.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.