After 8 fun days in Sioux Falls, SD, Shae, Truffles and I started heading west towards Rapid City. The drive there would’ve taken five hours which we could’ve done in a day, but there were a couple of quirky places we wanted to visit along the way which would’ve made it a much longer day.
Also along the route was Pierre which is the state capital of South Dakota. That would’ve added an hour’s diversion to the route, so we decided to stop in Pierre for a few days instead to spread the driving over two days. That meant we wouldn’t have to rush at any of the attractions, plus we’d get to see their State Capitol building. Shae and I both had to work a couple of days during that time, plus the hotel we wanted to stay at in Rapid City didn’t have any one bedroom suites available until a few days after we were due to leave Sioux Falls.
As a result, we decided to book a stay at the Baymont by Wyndham Pierre for four nights. Wyndham properties are never my first choice as they don’t tend to be as good quality as Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott and IHG. However, the price was right for the Baymont and it had decent enough reviews online that we didn’t mind booking it for what was – for us – a short stay.
As it turns out, the reviews I’d seen were accurate. The Baymont in Pierre isn’t amazing, but it’s a solid choice for the price you pay, includes free breakfast, wasn’t noisy and is right next to the Missouri River which made for some nice walks with our dog Truffles. Here’s a full review of our stay at the Baymont by Wyndham Pierre.
Check-In
We got to the hotel at about 3:30pm and were greeted by a friendly guy at the front desk. Check-in was quick and easy, with him making sure we were aware that there’s a pet fee.
He asked if we wanted to be in the main building or the separate annex building. We asked if there was a difference and he said the main building is better, so we went with that. I’m not sure if the rooms in the annex aren’t as nice or if it’s just that it’s less convenient seeing as all the amenities are in the main building.
We were assigned room 130 which is on the first floor just off the lobby. I was worried that this might mean it’d be noisy as all other guests on the first floor would have to pass by our room to head left or right down the corridor to their rooms, but it didn’t end up being an issue other than for one particular loud group of guys heading back to their rooms one evening.
Bedroom
We’d booked a room with one queen bed, but the front desk agent upgraded us to a room with two queen beds so that we’d have a little more space.
When entering the room, the bathroom was on the left, the sink on the right and the bedroom straight ahead.
The queens beds weren’t the most amazing beds we’ve ever slept in, but they were still comfortable enough and we slept well. The pillows were on the small side though.
In the corner of the room was an armchair which was very soft and comfortable to sit in.
Opposite the armchair was a desk and office chair. The lamp on the desk had a couple of power outlets in it which was handy.
To the right along that wall was a unit housing a mini fridge, microwave and a couple of dresser drawers. Above that was a wall-mounted TV which was fixed in place. Unfortunately that meant we couldn’t access the HDMI slots to be able to plug in our Fire TV Stick. They had a good enough selection of TV channels, but it would’ve been nice to have had access to Netflix, Hulu, etc.
Back by the entrance to the bedroom was an open closet. This contained an iron, ironing board and luggage rack.
Bathroom
To the left of the closet was the room’s sink. This had a coffee maker on the countertop, along with small toiletry bottles.
The bathroom featured a bathtub with shower; the shower had good enough water pressure.
The fan in the bathroom was very loud. While some people might not like that, we left it turned on overnight (it was on a separate switch to the light) so that it would act as white noise so that our dog would be less likely to hear noises in the hallway.
Overall, the room was decent for the price we paid. The beds were comfortable enough, it was pretty quiet and the room was clean.
Breakfast
The Baymont by Wyndham Pierre offers complimentary breakfast for all guests. From what I can remember, it was served until 9am. We only stayed during the week though, so I’m not sure if it goes later at the weekend.
There were a few hot options each morning of scrambled eggs, sausage patties and sausage gravy. The scrambled eggs and sausage patties weren’t very good quality, but the sausage gravy was better than I was expecting.
They also had a few types of cereal and oatmeal, waffles, breads, biscuits, bagels, muffins, donuts, yogurts etc.
There was also a coffee and tea station available in the lobby 24/7. Neither of us are coffee drinkers though, so I can’t attest as to how warm and fresh they kept it.
Amenities
The Baymont by Wyndham Pierre doesn’t have a ton of amenities, but there are some you might find useful.
Fitness Room
The fitness room was definitely one of the smallest ones I’ve ever seen, consisting of one treadmill, one elliptical, one bike and a few weights.
Business Center
Their business center was equally sparse, consisting of one small tablet. They have a printer at the front desk and you can print documents from the tablet to that if needed.
Grill
Out by the annex building is a grill for guests to use.
Ice & Vending Machines
Just behind the front desk is an ice machine and vending machine with various snacks and drinks.
Other Amenities
The hotel’s website states that they have on-site guest laundry. I’m not sure if that’s self-laundry or if it’s referring to paying the hotel to do your laundry; I think the former, but I didn’t notice a guest laundry room, although I didn’t explore the hotel extensively.
They also list an airport shuttle as being available for guests in case you’re flying in and out of Pierre Regional Airport.
Pet Policy
The Baymont by Wyndham Pierre is a pet-friendly hotel. You’re allowed a maximum of two pets per room and they charge a $25 pet fee per night. We were therefore expecting to pay a total of $100 for our four nights, but despite the front desk agent mentioning the fee when checking in, it turns out they neglected to charge us for having Truffles with us.
The hotel doesn’t have any grassy areas immediately outside, but behind the hotel are some apartments that have grassy areas. The hotel is also right next to Steamboat Park along the Missouri River which is a lovely place to go for a walk and has lots of grass.
Service
We didn’t need to interact much with the front desk beyond checking in and out, but they were always pleasant. We declined housekeeping during our stay, so there’s nothing to note about that other than that our room was clean when first checking in.
Wi-Fi
The hotel offers free Wi-Fi for all guests. The connection was good and the speed seemed perfectly fine. I had a couple of Zoom calls during our stay and Shae taught over Zoom and neither of has had any problems.
Check-In & Check-Out Times
Check-in at the Baymont by Wyndham Pierre is from 3pm and check-out is at 11am.
Location
As mentioned above in the pet policy section, the hotel is right next to Steamboat Park which was a lovely place to walk around. It’s within walking distance of several restaurants and a grocery store, while the State Capitol is 1.5 miles away.
The hotel is also next door to the South Dakota Discovery Center and Pierre’s First School House.
Parking
The hotel has free parking and there seemed to be plenty of spaces. They even have three High Power Tesla chargers and one High Power EV Plug (J772).
Cost
One of the main reasons we’d booked a stay at the Baymont is because of the relatively low cost. The room rate was $64.89 per night before taxes and fees, although the total with taxes and fees was $72.73 per night. That meant that even with the expected $25 per night pet fee (which ultimately wasn’t charged), it would’ve come to less than $100 per night all-in.
Points Earning
The other main reason I picked the Baymont to stay at is because of a promotion that Wyndham Rewards was offering at the time. That gave 15,000 bonus points when staying three consecutive nights, plus 5,000 additional bonus points if you have a Wyndham credit card (which I do). The latter 5,000 bonus points haven’t posted yet, but we did earn 19,315 points for the stay when taking into account the 15,000 bonus points and standard earnings. That’s a great return for a stay that cost less than $300.
Final Thoughts
Our stay at the Baymont in Pierre was exactly what I was hoping it would be – a fairly cheap place to stay for four nights that would be clean and quiet. They met those requirements, so I’d be happy to stay here if we ever found ourselves needing to stay in Pierre again (which is unlikely).
Truffles Approval Rating
Truffles gives the Baymont three paws out of four – pawsome! Although we didn’t end up getting charged a pet fee, the fee of $25 per night is a little high if you’re staying more than a couple of nights.
It’s a shame the hotel doesn’t have any grass right outside, although it is only a block or two from a really nice park.
Our Rating
Room = 3.9 / 5
Hotel Amenities = 3.8 / 5
Food = 3.6 / 5
Location = 4.0 / 5
Service = 4.1 / 5
Overall Value = 4.2 / 5
Total = 3.93 / 5
Address
Baymont, 713 W Sioux Ave, Pierre, SD 57501
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