A central Iowa hotel with a long history of health and fire safety issues has been cited for more than a dozen violations related to unsanitary conditions, rodents, cockroaches, human waste and fire safety.
State records indicate that on March 7, inspectors from the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing, as well as the Colfax police chief and a representative of DIAL’s Fire Safety Bureau, visited the two-story, 63-unit Colfax Inn near Interstate 80.
DIAL officials inspected 47 of the 63 guest rooms and, according to their report, the hotel’s manager “indicated that he had no way to unlock” several of the rooms. The manager also indicated that nine of the guest rooms “were closed and not available to rent based off various factors,” DIAL officials stated in their report.
The Colfax Inn.
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Of the guest rooms that were inspected, DIAL officials reported “strong, foul odors” in 11 of the rooms that contained tenant’s belongings “and were in gross, unsanitary conditions.”
The 11 rooms were described by inspectors as having “an excess of trash, empty food cans, open boxes and bags with exposed foods, unwashed dining ware, personal items throughout the room and bathroom, various types of cooking equipment, stains and holes on carpets and walls, unsanitary beds, unsanitary bathrooms and toilets with accumulated feces.”
The door locks were not functional in seven rooms and windows in six rooms were described as broken or cracked. The area where the pool, spa and gym are located had been “abandoned,” inspectors said, with an excess of “unusable equipment” and construction materials littering the surroundings. The area was closed off from guests, although there were no working locks to secure the area, inspectors reported.
Glue traps and pest-control devices were seen in the hallways and there was evidence of water-damaged ceiling tile outside of one room. Hallway wallpaper was reported to be torn and there was a “foul odor” throughout the second-floor hallway, the inspectors said.
Ceilings and unspecified “electrical equipment” in the pool area were reported to be damaged and not maintained. Part of the ceiling was missing in the mechanical room near the pool, exposing what inspectors called the “growth of a mold-like substance” in the rafters.
“There is an abundance of food and non-food-related garbage in several rooms,” the inspectors reported. “Trash has accumulated in these rooms, creating an unsanitary condition with the proliferation of pests … Evidence of flies, cockroaches and mice are present in rooms 107, 114, 119, 120, 121, 125, 222, 228, 229, and 234.”
Some rooms were outfitted with bed comforters that showed signs of burns, and the bathroom floors of several rooms were cracked or left in disrepair. One bathroom tub was described as “not maintained clean,” the toilet seat in another room was cracked and broken, and there was a “buildup of a mold-like substance along the bathroom floor” of another room.
Additional issues were noted with lighting, a nonfunctioning elevator, bathroom fixtures, water pressure and evidence of smoking taking place in non-smoking rooms.
State records indicate the visit was in response to a non-illness complaint of an unspecified nature. The records also indicate DIAL’s Fire Safety Bureau “observed violations of the Fire Safety Code during the inspection,” but those violations are not detailed in DIAL’s published report.
Twelve rooms were designated unsanitary, with inspectors noting that they contained “excess food, human refuse, strong foul odors, and bathrooms stained with fecal matter.” In addition, unwashed dishes and cooking utensils were found in bathroom sinks and tubs.
The DIAL inspectors’ report indicates a follow-up visit is to be completed on or after April 3.
Hotel has history of recurring violations
State records show that many of the problems cited by inspectors this month also were cited by DIAL inspectors in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
In May 2022, DIAL rejected the hotel’s license application after a pre-opening inspection revealed numerous violations. A few weeks later, however, DIAL approved the license, noting that repairs and improvements were still in progress in rooms not yet approved for occupancy.
Additional violations were found during inspections in September, October, November and December 2022, as well as June 2023. During the September 2023 inspection, DIAL concluded the business was also operating as more of an apartment building than a hotel, with some guests having stayed there for six months while receiving their mail at the hotel.
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At that time, DIAL inspectors also noted a proliferation of pests, including bed bugs, flies and mice. There also was fecal matter that signaled the presence of larger animals in the building, inspectors said. The state fire marshal’s office found multiple fire safety violations. including a lack of smoke alarms in multiple guest rooms.
In December 2023, more violations were cited, including mold, peeling wallpaper and a “strong, foul odor” in the building. Mattresses and bedding were described as heavily 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 revisited the hotel and concluded that despite the lack of a license it was still open and doing business as a hotel. The county then took the hotel’s owners to civil court for operating without a license, but the matter was dropped a few weeks later when DIAL indicated the hotel was back in compliance.
DIAL records show that in August 2024, a preopening inspection resulted in citations for issues with a jacuzzi tub, rodent droppings, the air conditioning and heating unit, and the lack of ventilation in 15 rooms. But a week later, DIAL approved the hotel for licensing, saying the hotel management had “submitted documentation” to the agency, including photos, that verified the problems there had been corrected.
Police chief says there is no investigation
Jasper County records indicate the hotel was foreclosed in 2010 and purchased one year later by the Nana Corp. Last year, it was sold on contract to a company called Vairt Inc. of Pennsylvania.
At the time of the state’s August 2024 inspection, Jamil Ahmed Sukhera of Vairt Inc. was listed in state records as the person in charge at the hotel. At the time of the March 7, 2025, visit, Dylon Turner was listed as the person in charge.
A man who identified himself only as the hotel’s manager said Friday that the staff is working to bring the hotel into full compliance with all fire and health regulations and has purchased fire extinguishers and made repairs to electrical systems.
When asked about the March 7 inspection of the hotel that he participated in, Colfax Police Chief Jeremy Burdess provided a written statement to the Iowa Capital Dispatch that said, “The City of Colfax and applicable state agencies are not engaged in any investigation — rather just ensuring that the business is following all applicable city codes and state laws that pertain to a hotel/motel.”
One Colfax City Council member, Karla Jones, declined to comment on the situation other than to say it was considered a “very serious” matter by the city. “It is a serious concern and so I am not going to give you any details,” Jones said. “If you’re a reporter and this is going to be public knowledge, I’m not the person to speak.”
Find this story at Iowa Capital Dispatch, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions:kobradovich@iowacapitaldispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa inspection finds Colfax hotel rife with violations
