Ameristar Casino Hotel Council Bluffs

The staff was nice, everything inside was clean. The rooms were really pricey but it was a get away so we gave in. The buffet has amazing points but lacks in other ways that seem so simple. Like keeps fresh food out. If something is not being eaten take it off the buffet. The room we were was very nice and beautiful, there was a weird hair in our tub which grossed me out so I washed it. But in their defense I planned on washing it before use anyway. Haha one really down side in the overwhelming smell of smoke.

Extremely shady booking and charging for hotel rooms. Advertised one night cost: $ 188. Taxes on that should be less than $ 14; I accept sales tax will be part of the final bill. However, after booking the reservation on the Ameristar website, I discovered that I’d been booked through
and that my card was immediately charged $ 234. When I arrived at the hotel and wanted to discuss the charges, I was told I booked it through a third party and needed to call the company that I got the reservation through. Again, I booked this through the Ameristar website, which apparently outsources their reservations to a third party. When you book a room on the website, it shows you the room price plus the tax before you enter your credit card info. I would’ve gone through
for the same price and likely not been hit with confusing service fees or been charged immediately upon booking (what hotel charges you BEFORE you check in?). So when I called the
number to ask for clarification and a refund of the unexplained and not-​agreed-​to service fees, I got nowhere. Just the standard company line «All fees are explained at the time of booking.» I’m telling you, that’s not true.
In short, Ameristar uses a shady third-​party reservation booking company thru their website that overcharges their advertised rates, which absolves them of having to deal with the customer.
I gave two stars instead of one because the room was clean but I wouldn’t stay here again or recommend to my friends and family.

We normally stop here for the brunch buffet! The staff are always good and freindly. The price is not bad for all you can eat!

A great place during the middle of the days on weekdays. The weekends get crazy. The table staff in the Casino are super helpful. The only downside is the secondhand smoke! It is a bit overbearing.

They have a good variety of machines, which I liked. And their hospitality didn’t seem too bad, although I only stopped at the soda station a time or two. I know I should expect a lot of second-​hand smoke, but it was awful in there and I had a terrible cough by the time I left. Overall, had a pretty good time.

Originally left a quite scathing review. Tried it again today for lunch and everything was quite good, no complaints. I tried the liver and onions, okra, catfish, spicy chicken (a little greasy), spicy tofu, and brokoli. P. S. desserts looked great but once again didn’t try any.

The smoking is horrid. There’s only one additional bar and their Bloody Mary’s come out of their soda guns. I smelt a little and I do not recommend it! They have non smoking sections which is nice.

My boyfriend had a free hotel stay, so we thought it would be nice to take my kids along so they could swim. Everything was great, until we tried to sleep… we found BED BUGS in our room!!! They moved us to a new room at the Holiday Inn next door, but that’s it. I don’t think they realize how serious bed bugs are… I might gamble at Ameristar agaun, but as far as staying in the hotel, I’ll pass.

This review is for the buffet only. We paid $ 25 per adult and $ 16 per child to eat at their buffet recently. This was one of the largest disapointments in dining I have ever had. At best the food was average and in many cases it was just plain bad. They have a seafood theme/​feature going right now and I didn’t find any of it worthwhile. The crab legs were average to poor, as was the shrimp. Seriously the only thing I found in the entire dinner side of the buffet that I thought was good was the mac and cheese. Most of the food tasted like it had been sitting out all day. We got there at 5:30p during the week. I don’t really think that’s off hours. The one bright side was some of the deserts were decent, pies mostly.

I guess I should start by saying I was probably expecting too much. My husband and I hadn’t feasted on crab legs, since December in Las Vegas– where we ate at the Bacchanel Buffet in Caesar’s Palace.
First of all, the place was crazy– again, it’s a Friday during lent– I should have expected this– but a note to readers, be prepared to wait in line for an hour or more.
I’ll start with the crab legs, the SOLE reason I wanted to go there. There were plenty of them, but they were overcooked. I know this because I’ve become a bit of a pro at cracking them open (rarely requiring the help of the «cracker» tool), and these couldn’t be had! As I cracked each and every leg, in what should have been the perfect spot– the crab meat broke inside and had to be dug out of either side. It could have been a bad night, but it was certainly a waste for me.
After two plates, I gave up and tried a few other things. Here are my stand-​outs– Crab Rangoon, stuffed crab shells, tilapia, fried catfish, butter-​braised mushrooms, and Yukon Gold mashed potatoes. I have to admit the mac and cheese was tasty, but it was clearly pre-​packaged and of the Stouffer’s variety.
My husband liked the prime rib, and appreciated that they would cook it a little long on their grill top for you by request.
This place was a MAD house of screaming children, food on the floor, carts of dirty dishes, and overall made me feel like I was eating at three-​ring circus. The next time I get a craving for crab legs, I may just have to bite the bullet and wait for a sale at Hy-​Vee at eat them in the privacy of my own home.
I will say, there was a male Manager there the entire time that was digging right in there with his servers clearing plates, refilling drinks, and emptying shell buckets. He was a model for what leaders should be, and the smile never left his face– though he must have been stressed to the max.
After dinner we made the mistake of venturing to the boat, where we promptly lost the 20’s we stuck in and went home. I’ve never been lucky at the Iowa casinos, why try? Their slots are tight because they know their the only game in town– I’ll save my buffets and gambling money for my next trip to Vegas!

Really good buffet!!! Especially if you go during off hours when there are not a million people like dinner on the weekends!
Service is great! Plates are taken away quickly! Drinks are topped of in a quick manner.
The place is kept clean floors, buffets, glass, even light fixtures and vents. I’m the kind if person who notices things like that!
I love their meat carving stations! And their pasta station is amazing!!!
Best part is the desert bar! It is great!!! So many choices! And they keep it all fresh and hot/​cold.
Really good for a buffet experience.

This review is only in regards to the casino because I haven’t fully experienced its full amenities.
Large bright sign seen from the side of the road and the casino shared the same parking lot as the Hampton Inn, which was where I stayed for the night. I can’t really recall the last time I went to a casino, so why not check one out while I’m here?!
Upon entering, I noticed all the pretty holiday lights and the signs pointing to the casino surely can’t be missed. Before deciding where I’ll test my luck, I surveyed the 3 floors of tables and slots. Each section was different. Most of the nickel/​penny slots are on the 3^rd floor. All the tables are on the 2^nd (main), while the 1^st floor included many dollar slots.
I had a limit of $ 20 and 30 minute limit. Finally, I plopped myself at a $ 5 minimum BlackJack table. The dealer was really nice and so were the people at the table. 30 minutes later, I gained an extra $ 5 and cashed out.
Free self-​served soda/​water stations throughout the casino. If you wanted alcoholic drinks, there were plenty of waitresses to take orders.
Smoking is allowed inside as a heads up. All the staff I encountered was genuinely friendly even upon exiting. If I’m in the area, I’d test my luck again here.

Nice hotel. The room was very clean & comfortable. Sucks that they did not have room service after 11:00PM. We were starving and braving the frigid weather was not an option so we went to bed hungry! I had to be at the airport at 7:15AM the next morning and the only thing I could get was a cup of coffee at 6:30AM. The buffet was awful! Would have been nice to have some more options in terms of good food. Had super noisy neighbors with obnoxious kids!
I did like the hotel room though, so would recommend it!

It’s a casino, so if you’ve seen one, you’ve pretty much seen them all… However, it was still pretty nice inside… people that work here were friendly enough and the gaming area was suprisingly free of smoke, at least in comparison to other casinos I’ve been to… I’d come here again, and would probably advise somebody to stay here, at least until given a reason otherwise…

Amerisports. Great food! Could be the booze talking. But so so good. Good comes out fresh. Mmmmmm. Love!

No strong feelings about Ameristar Casino experience. My review for the buffet is separate.
Some negatives: Boat? Docked for good (well that was the only thing I was interested in so you just lost me). Smoking? A-​OK here meaning I really would limit my visits (not a fan of smoky atmospheres) Availability of gambling games: yes, but I dont gamble so… I dont mind sipping a drink and watching others get to work but the smoke smell is a huge turn off.
It was connected to the adjacent hotels (Holiday Inn and something else) so that was a plus. Otherwise I saw it as an aged Casino in which people enjoy eating, drinking, and gambling their money away.
Standard Iowa casino experience.

After graduation, my friend and her family invited my family to brunch with them. They were going to the all-​you-​could-​eat buffet at Ameristar. While I was a bit bummed that I wouldn’t be able to hit the zoo (due to the rain and the lack of time), I was happy to spend time with my new-​found-​friend.
Ameristar is an interesting place. It’s a docked riverboat that doesn’t get taken out onto the water anymore. There’s a buffet, a gift shop, a casino, and a lot more that I didn’t get to experience during the few hours we were there.
The food was excellent at the buffet. There was a terrific assortment of different foods, including some excellent fried chicken and mashed potatoes. The dessert choices were also pretty extensive, and I’m pretty sure this was my first time seeing cotton candy as a dessert option at a buffet.
The people working the gift shop were incredibly nice. I ended up purchasing a sterling silver ring with a cubic zirconia gem.
I’m not big on casinos. It was my first time in one, and I gambled a dollar — mostly since my sister encouraged me to try it ‘just once’. What a waste of a dollar. Although, my friend did win big off playing with a $ 20.
All in all, I might not return to the mid-​west, but if I was in this particular part of it, I would want to return — for the food, at least!

This is a great casino.
The slots are not tight, they have a lot of action around each corner. The place is comfortable and you dont get the normal feeling you get in so many other non-​vegas casinos that you are just getting fleeced.

Ameristar is easily the nices of the three casinos and hotels in Council Bluffs. I’ve been to both Harrah’s and Horseshoe several times and was never very impressed. They both lack atmosphere in my opinion. Ameristar (I’ve been to before, but never in the Casino part), has a beautiful quaint main street style lobby and main hallway. It makes it look as if there’s shops along a street and even a second floor of shops and businesses. The buffet is the best out of the three, no contest. There is also a bakery and a sports bar.
The Amerisports Bar looked very nice and I would love to come back and try it out, but did not have time. The casino is beautiful inside. It’s old, you can tell, but well taken care of. You have three floords to gamble on. Wide selection of slots, even older ones that neither of the others have. Lots of variety from pennies to quarters. Great service when you are sitting for a while also… They have a full service bar upstairs and I believe a small hot dog kiosk on the bottom floor.
If you’re looking for the nicest casino with a nice atmosphere I highly suggest trying Ameristar. Unfortunately all my rewards points are at Harrah’s and Horseshoe as I’ve spent more time there, but hoping I can change that.

I went for the lunch buffet and was impressed by the nice décor. The staff was very friendly and added to a pleasant, relaxing experience.
1^st the good stuff — the desserts were so good, especially the homemade cinnamon rolls. The ice cream was so creamy and delish too, the mint chocolate had pieces of shaved good quality chocolate.
So, desserts– yes. Food entrees, no thanks.