Inspections of troubled Iowa hotels can lead to many health, fire safety violations

A central hotel in Iowa has a long history of health and fire safety issues, citing more than a dozen violations related to unsanitary conditions, rodents, cockroaches, human waste and fire safety.

National records show that on March 7, the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and License, as well as the Chief of Colfax Police and representatives of Dial's Fire Safety Department visited 63 Unit Colfax Inns on two floors near Interstate 80.

Dial officials checked 47 of the 63 rooms, and according to their report, the hotel manager “sayed he could not unlock” several rooms. The dialing officer said in the report that the manager also noted that nine rooms were “closed and could not be rented for various factors”.

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In the rooms that were inspected, Dial officials reported that 11 of the 11 rooms had “strong, foul smells” and “in a tenant’s property “in a serious, unhygienic state.”

The inspector described the 11 rooms as “trash, empty food cans, open boxes and bags, with exposed food, unwashed cutlery, personal items throughout the room and bathroom, various types of cooking equipment, stains and holes in carpets and walls, unsanitary beds, unsanitary beds, unsanitary bathrooms, and toilets with accumulated feces.”

The door lock did not work in seven rooms, and the windows in six rooms were described as broken or broken. The area where the pool, spa and gym is located has been “discarded” which exceeds “unusable equipment” and littering the surrounding building materials. The area was closed despite no work locks to protect the area, according to the inspector.

Glue traps and pest controls were seen in the corridor and there were signs of a damaged ceiling from sewage outside a room. The inspector said that the corridor wallpaper was reportedly torn and the entire corridor on the second floor had a “stinky smell”.

The ceiling and unspecified “electrical equipment” in the pool area were reportedly damaged and unmaintained. The lack of a part of the ceiling in the mechanical room near the pool reveals what the inspector calls “the growth of lip mold.”

“There are a lot of food and food-related garbage in several rooms.” “The garbage has accumulated in these rooms, creating unsanitary conditions in the spread of pests… Evidence of flies, cockroaches and mice is found in 107, 114, 119, 119, 119, 120, 121, 121, 125, 225, 222, 228, 229, 229, and 234.”

Some rooms were equipped with bedspreads with signs of burning, and several rooms had their bathroom floors broken or disrepaired. One bathroom bathtub was described as “not keeping it clean”, another room was broken and broken, and another room with “a mold-like substance along the bathroom floor”.

Through lighting, non-functional elevators, bathroom fixtures, water pressure and evidence of smoking, other issues have attracted attention in non-smoking rooms.

National records show that the visit is a response to non-indulgent complaints of unspecified nature. Records also show that Dial's Fire Department “observed violations of the Fire Safety Act during inspections, but these violations were not detailed in Dial's published report.

Twelve rooms were designated as unhygienic, and inspectors noted that they contained “excess food, human waste, strong odor and bathroom stained with feces”. In addition, unwashed dishes and cookware were found in the bathroom sink and bathtub.

The dial inspector's report indicates that subsequent visits will be completed on or after April 3.

Hotels have a history of repeated violations

Many of the issues cited by inspectors this month were also cited by dial-up inspectors in 2022, 2023 and 2024, state records show.

In May 2022, Dial rejected the hotel's license application after a pre-opening inspection, showing many illegal acts. However, a few weeks later, Dial approved the permit and noted that rooms that have not yet been approved for check-in are still under repair and improvement.

Other violations were found during inspections in September, October, November and December 2022 and June 2023. During the September 2023 inspection, Dial concluded that the company still operates more than an apartment building, rather than a hotel, with some guests staying for six months when the hotel received the email.

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At the time, dial inspectors also noticed the spread of pests, including bed bugs, flies and mice. Inspectors said there are also feces that mark the presence of large animals in the buildings. The State Fire Marshal's Office has discovered multiple violations of fire safety. Includes the lack of smoke alarms in multiple guest rooms.

In December 2023, more violations were cited, including mold, peeling wallpaper and “strong smells” in buildings. Mattresses and bedding are described as severely stained and damaged.

In April 2024, Dial suspended the hotel's license. Three months later, in July 2024, state inspectors and the city’s police chief reexamined the hotel and concluded that despite the lack of a permit, it remained open and operated as a hotel business. The county then brought the hotel's owner to a civil court for unlicensed operations, but the matter was revoked a few weeks later when Dial said the hotel had resumed compliance.

In August 2024, a pre-examination led to a lack of ventilation for jacuzzi tubs, rodent feces, air conditioning and heating units, and 15 rooms, dial records show. But a week later, Dial approved the hotel for permission, saying hotel management had “submitted documents” to the agency, including photos, that verified the corrected issues.

Police Chief says no investigation

Jasper County records show the hotel was cancelled in 2010 and was a year later by Nana Corp.

Jamil Ahmed Sukhera of Vairt Inc. was listed as the hotel's chief in the state records during the state's August 2024 inspection. Dylon Turner was listed as the head during his visit on March 7, 2025.

A person who identified himself only as a hotel manager said Friday that staff are working to make the hotel fully compliant with all fire and health regulations and purchased fire extinguishers and repaired the electrical system.

When asked about the March 7 inspection of the hotel he attended, Colfax Police Chief Jeremy Burdess provided a written statement to Iowa’s capital dispatch personnel saying: “Neither the city of Colfax nor the applicable state agencies conducted any investigations and instead followed all applicable city codes and state laws that are relevant to the hotel/hotel.”

One Colfax City Councilman, Karla Jones, declined to comment on the situation, saying it was a “very serious” thing for the city. “It's a serious problem, so I won't give you any details,” Jones said. “If you're a journalist, it's going to be public knowledge, I'm not the one who speaks.”

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This article originally appeared in the Des Moines Register: Iowa inspection reveals Colfax hotels assaulted