Stay Report: Crowne Plaza Chicago West Loop (Chicago - November 2019)

Stay Report: Crowne Plaza Chicago West Loop

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I was meeting friends in Chicago and were looking for a place that was walking distance to Chicago downtown.  We had originally booked an AirBnb but that fell through so about 4 days prior to my arrival I looked and found the Crowne Plaza Chicago West Loop.  The hotel had good reviews, was within walking distance to many sights and local transportation, and had two rooms available.   I had booked the two rooms together and after I booked through the app I contacted the hotel to 1) confirm all 4 names of the guests were on the reservation and 2) ensure that the rooms would be held near each other.  Two days prior to the arrival I contacted the hotel again to confirm that all 4 members of the party were on the reservation and each could check-in without having me be present.  Unfortunately, this did not happen as my friend could not check into the room 'for security reasons' even though his name was on the reservation and his ID name matched.  The hotel said that they needed to contact 'the person whose booked the reservation to confirm the credit card' and even when I did it for my friend, I had to do it again for my other friends as well; it was not a great start to the reservation.



The hotel itself is located right across one the many walkways from downtown Chicago.  The hotel is located in Greek Town and there are many shops, restaurants, and access to transportation all within a 5 minute walk of the hotel.  As far as location, the hotel is very nicely located to either walk or transport yourself to many of Chicago's destinations (we walked from the hotel to the Willis Tower and it took about 10 minutes).  The entrance is set off of the road along an entryway, and that is the only odd thing about the hotel.  As you enter the hotel, the check-in desks are on the left while there is a sitting area on the right.  The sitting area leads into the attached hotel restaurant and bar and right behind the sitting area are the elevators and stairs.  The stairs lead up to the meeting rooms and the fitness center, which are both located on the second floor.  As my friends had already checked in, the only think I needed to do was pick up the keys and put the incidentals on my credit card - it was very easy (not a lot of communication from the front desk attendant) and I received my key and went up to my room.  

The hallway itself looked clean and modern and it was fine, but it was a little short; I am 6'1 and my friend is 6'3 and we both felt like heightwise the hotel was smaller than what we had experienced in other hotels. As for the room, you enter into an entryway which has the bathroom on the right and the closet on the left, and further up the entryway leads into the bedroom area.  The bathroom was large and contained a sink, a toilet, shower, as well as bathroom toiletries.  The closet was also a decent size and contained shelves, an iron and ironing board, as well as places to hang your clothes.  In the bedroom area, this room had two queen size beds with a nightstand in the middle.  Across from the beds was a chest with drawers on the bottom and a TV on top; the chest also contained the safe and the coffee maker.  In between the bed and the entrance to the balcony was a desk, and the balcony was a nice addition as it provided a nice ambiance and outside view to the room.  The beds themselves were comfortable, large, with lots of pillows, and provided a nice sleep.  Overall, the room was comfortable and there were tons of amenities for the guests to enjoy but there was a serious lack of lighting in the room.  There was a light in the hallway, a light in the bathroom, but in the bedroom there were only reading lights and lamps that were above the bed and at night it made for a dark and dimly lit room.

The hotel is full service so there were many facilities for the guests to enjoy including wifi, a fitness center, a restaurant, meeting rooms, business center, and parking garage.  Because we were mostly walking outside I was only able to try the wifi, which was complimentary and had pretty decent speeds.  The wifi was fast enough to check email, stream videos, and do searches as well.  You could also access the internet from the 'business center' which were computers and a printer set up in one part of the lobby.

Overall, it was a nice stay at the Crowne Plaza Chicago West Loop.  The location was nice - within walking distance to restaurants, sights, and services; the amenities were plentiful for guests; and the rooms were comfortable.  The only downside was the management or lack their of and their lack of customer service towards guests and especially IHG members.  Everyone one of the management staff that we interacted with was not customer friendly, did not have a good attitude, and never acknowledged nor appreciated the IHG membership.  

Stay Report: Crowne Plaza Muscat (Oman - February 2011)

Stay Report: Crowne Plaza Muscat
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Photo Courtesy of IHG.com

We had planned a long layover in Muscat so that we could see the city and decided to stay at the Crowne Plaza Muscat.  Overall, the hotel is very nice with good service, comfortable rooms, and a nice view as it is situated right next to the water.  The only downside is the location, in that is somewhat far from the main city center – it is about a 20 minute walk or a 5-10 minute taxi ride from the city center to the hotel.  The hotel is situated on a hill overlooking the sea.  The location is a bit odd as you drive away from the business area and enter into more of a residential area, and that is where the hotel is located.  The hotel is one side of the hill facing the sea while on the other side, and across the street, are houses; so it is bit of an odd location.

Photo Courtesy of TripAdvisor.com

The hotel itself is laid out very nicely.  As you enter, on the left hand side is the check-in desk and on the right hand side is a lounge area.  Straight ahead are windows which open directly to the water, providing a nice view and letting in nice sunlight.  Beyond the lounge area are stairs which lead downstairs to the restaurant and pool area.  A full, and expansive, breakfast buffet was included and the dining room opens up to the pool area so you can sit and eat breakfast while looking out onto the pool and water.   The breakfast buffet was very nice, with lots of options, and provided a nice start to the day.  The pool was very nice, but it seemed a bit small given the size of the hotel.  There was also a private beach available, but I did not have a chance to experience it.

Photo Courtesy of IHG.com

Check-in was quick and overall the service at the hotel was very good.  I had been communicated via email with the GM prior to my arrival (I had to rearrange travel) and they were very accommodating and very nice – so overall good service.  The lobby is the main floor and the guestrooms start from the lobby area and go higher.  The bottom floors, heading towards the water, are reserved for dining, meeting, and pool area.  Our room was located on the main floor so we entered through the double doors next to the check-in desk and went to our room.

Photo Courtesy of TripAdvisor.com

The room itself was nice and comfortable.  As you entered, on left hand side was the bathroom and on the right was the closet and shelves.  The bathroom was nice and spacious and decent for the hotel.  As you walked further into the room, on the left hand side were two double beds and on the right hand side was the TV, a chest with drawers, and a desk.  Straight ahead was a window that overlooked the water – the vistas from the hotel was very nice and glad the design was made to show that.  The windows also allowed natural light to come into the room.  The beds were very comfortable and provided a nice rest.

Overall, the only negative was the location in that the hotel was not near the city center.  The positives of the hotel included good customer service, nice views of the water and the service was also good. 

Stay Report: Crowne Plaza Nairobi, Upper Hill (Kenya - April 2018)

Stay Report: Crowne Plaza Nairobi, Upper Hill
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I was travelling to Nairobi, Kenya and whenever I asked someone which location to stay the response was always ‘Upper Hill’ so I looked for a hotel in that area and found the Crowne Plaza.  I have stayed in Crowne Plaza’s before and they are usually pretty good, and I was told this one was of the best hotels in the area; needless to say my expectations were high.  I had booked the hotel online through the IHG website, but then had to modify my booking so contacted the hotel through email.  While they did respond, it did take them a while.  The hotel does not provide a complimentary airport shuttle, rather you can book the hotel car for airport transfers at a cost; I decided to use my own transport.

The hotel itself is located in Upper Hill but off the main road, and there are two entrances to the hotel making it a bit confusing for pick-ups.  The main entrance is to the side of the road but most people see the side entrance, which is the entrance to the parking garage as this is where the large Crowne Plaza sign is; ensuring you were picked up at the right location was always a challenge.  From the outside, the hotel looks decent – not too new but not too old either.  As you enter inside the hotel, you enter into a large and open lobby.  Straight ahead against the wall are the check-in desks, while on left is the restaurant and on the right is the bar.  Every time I went to the check-in desks, there always seemed to be a line as there were always a number of guests who needed attention and a lack of staff behind the desks.  This was the same for my check-in experience, which took a long time (generally, the staff overall were neither fast nor efficient).  I finally checked in and received my key and proceeded to my room.  The elevators are located to the right of the check-in desks and are located in front of the open circular staircase.  This is where the hotel shows its age as the staircase and elevator section looks a lot older than the lobby section.  There were two elevators available, but they were slow and one broke on the second day and never seemed to get fixed.  Again, the staff never seemed to be in a hurry to fix or alleviate issues that would affect guests.

I proceeded to my room and the hallway décor continued the older look of the hotel.  When I

opened the door to the room I noticed two things: 1) the room had an older look/feel to it and 2) the room itself was quite spacious.  As you entered into the room, on the right was the closet and storage area while on the left was the bathroom.  The closet contained space for storage, a safe, robes, and an umbrella.  The bathroom was basic and contained a shower, a tub, a sink, and a toilet.  In between the bathroom and the sink was a nook/bar which contained glasses on top, a fridge on the bottom, and a tea kettle and tea/biscuits.  Complimentary bottles of water were also provided here.  

Further into the room, the bed was located on the left side of the room.  On either side of the bed was a nightstand, but in between the bathroom wall and the bed was a lot of space; just empty space.  The bed itself was decent, not very comfortable but not very uncomfortable.  It was lower to the ground than I expected and the décor of the bedroom and carpet did not look new.  On the other side of the bed was a lamp, two chairs and a small desk in front of the window.  The window was very big and let in natural light which was good since the room was very dark without it.  Across from the beds was a very table attached to the wall which contained the desk on side and additional place to store items on the other side.  Next to this was a chest with the TV on top and drawers on the bottom.  As I said, overall there was a lot of space in the room but the décor of the room and the carpet indicated the older age of the hotel. 

The hotel is full-service so there are a variety of facilities for guests to enjoy.  These include an outdoor pool, a spa, a fitness center, a restaurant, a bar, and complimentary wifi.  I spent most of my time outside so I was not able to enjoy all the facilities, but I did try the wifi.  The wif was complimentary and a good strength, but the thing I find odd was there was no password or login needed; anyone could connect to the wifi and login.  It did not seem very secure.

Overall, it was an alright stay at the Crowne Plaza.  I have stayed at other Crowne Plaza around the world and have had good experiences, and I was told a lot about this hotel so based on these two ideas I had high expectations; the hotel fell well below these expectations.  While the room was spacious, the décor and look of the room felt old.  The staff were neither efficient nor customer-friendly and were not attentive to guest’s requests.  The hotel bills itself as a high hotel and charges money equivalent to a high hotel, so in my opinion the hotel was not worth what was being charged.

Stay Report: Crowne Plaza Amman (Jordan - January 2012)

Stay Report: Crowne Plaza Amman
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photo courtesy of IHG

I was using Amman as a base while travelling through Jordan, so I was looking for a hotel that would be able to accommodate my travelling schedule, was close to sights and attractions, and also had access to transportation and services within walking distance.  Based on research, I choose the Crowne Plaza as it fit most of my criteria.  Overall, the hotel does not have the greatest curb appeal but inside the good customer service outweighs the outside appearance.  

The airport is located far away from the city center, so it takes approximately 45 minutes from the airport to the hotel.  Since I was arriving in the middle of the night, and given the distance from the airport and the hotel does not provide a shuttle, I had booked a car with the hotel for the pick-up.  When I exited the airport, there was no on there to pick us up as the hotel forgot to send someone.  This was not the greatest start to our visit, but this seemed to be the only lapse in customer service, and they tried to rectify the situation throughout the stay.  

The hotel faces the main street, but the entrance to the hotel is on the side street, connected to a mini shopping plaza on the first floor of the hotel which contains a barber shop and other small shops.  As you enter the hotel, there is a security check and scan (each time).  In the main part of the hotel, on the left is the check-in desk and straight ahead is the dining room where breakfast is served.  The hallway next to the check-in desk leads to the back of the hotel, and along the way you pass the elevators, a jewelry shop, and other small stores.  Towards the back of the hotel is another restaurant and the exit to the side of the hotel that is connected to the small shops.  As it was very early in the morning, and the hotel was overcompensating given the earlier mistake, check-in was quick and efficient.  I had booked a room on the Club Floor so included in the club floor was complimentary breakfast, tea/cocktail hour, as well as unlimited high speed internet.  

photo courtesy of IHG

The room itself was nice and comfortable, but a bit small.  As you entered the room, on the left side was the bathroom and the right hand side was the closet and storage area.  The bathroom was small, not as small as some European bathrooms but definitely smaller than American bathrooms.  The bathroom contained the standard facilities of a sink, a tub, and a toilet as well as bathroom amenities.  Beyond the bathroom were the two double beds with a night stand in the middle.  The beds were very comfortable to sleep on, but they were also very close to each other.   As the room was a smaller size, it seemed like everything was squeezed together.  Across from the beds were the TV, a chest with drawers, as well as a connected desk set against the wall.  From our side of the hotel, our view was of the parking lot, the main street, and the market across the street; on the other side the view would have been of the pool, health club, and neighborhood. 

photo courtesy of IHG

In terms of amenities, I tried the complimentary breakfast, the club floor lounge, the spa, and the fitness center.  As we had access to the Club Lounge, we could choose where to have breakfast; downstairs or in the Club Lounge.  On the first day, I ate in the club floor lounge, but the next day I decided to try downstairs where there were more options, more staff available, and more guests to interact with.  The breakfast was nice and very filling. 

The club floor lounge is located on the top floor and has some really nice views of the city from the top of the hotel.  The lounge itself looks a little dated, but is very spacious and can accommodate a large group.  Against the wall is a TV with couches in the middle, and behind this is a long table in which the food is set out.  For the tea/cocktail, in addition to drinks they also had hors-d'oeuvre available such as meat kabobs, mini sandwiches, and other small items to eat.  It was very comfortable to sit and relax as there were not many patrons when I was there.  

photo courtesy of IHG

The fitness center and sauna are located on the other side of the hotel across from the pool area.  The facility is two stories and it houses both the fitness center, which is decent, and many spa rooms.  The spa services were very nice and very affordable, and they provided a nice relaxing experience to the Crowne Plaza Amman.

Overall, it was a nice stay at the Crowne Plaza Amman.  Despite the initial issue with the hotel pick-up, the customer service at the hotel was very good (and the hotel continuously tried to compensate for their earlier mistake).  The positives included strong internet connectivity, comfortable beds, a good breakfast, and good customer service.  Negatives included the small size of the rooms.  While a bit outside the hotel district, the Crowne Plaza Amman is a good choice.

Stay Report: Crowne Plaza Santiago (Chile, January 2010)

Stay Report: Crowne Plaza Santiago
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photo courtesy of IHG

I was visiting Santiago de Chile for a couple of days, so when looking for a hotel I was interested in one that was central to key areas with easy access to interest points.  I picked the Crowne Plaza because it was a nice hotel that was convenient to various access points.  First impressions of the hotel are not that great, as from the outside the hotel does not look updated.  The hotel is very tall but not very wide and the entrance to the hotel is not grand.  The main entrance to the hotel is located up on a small hill, and once inside the hotel looks very nice and well decorated.  I made my way to the check-in desks, received my key, and went to my room. 

photo courtesy of IHG

I had booked a room with two double beds, and first impressions were that the room was spacious and had a nice, relaxed atmosphere.  As you enter, on the right-hand side was the bathroom while on the left was a closet that contained shelves for storage, an iron, and an ironing board.  The bathroom looked updated, was a decent size, and contained a sink, a bathtub, and toilet.  As you progressed further into the room, against the right-side wall were the beds.  The beds were very large and comfortable, and they provided a really good night’s sleep.  In between the beds was a nightstand.  Across from the beds, against the left-side wall, was a bench to sit/store your luggage, a chest with drawers on the bottom and the TV on top, as well as a desk.  The desk faced the wall but was also next to the window which went across the wall and provided really nice views and also let natural light in the room.  Overall, it was a nice and comfortable room.

photo courtesy of IHG

The hotel is a full-service hotel so there are many facilities available including a rooftop pool, the fitness center, a spa, a restaurant, and complimentary wifi.  I was able to try a couple of facilities including the pool – there was both an indoor and outdoor pool – and they were a decent size, not large but not too small either; the fitness center which provided a good workout; and I also tried the massage at the spa, which was good but the massage room was a bit small and oddly located.  In addition to the amount of facilities available at the hotel, another reason I selected the hotel was the location.  Walking distance from the hotel was a nice area of restaurants and bars, as well as some of the main attractions.  Also nearby to the hotel were shops and an ATM machine. 

Overall, the hotel provided a nice and convenient place to rest, with comfortable beds and easy access to points of interest.  While outside the hotel did not look like much, the updated inside as well as convenient walking access to many amenities made it a nice stay in Santiago.

Stay Report: Crowne Plaza Changi Airport (Singapore, August 2015)

Stay Report: Crowne Plaza Changi Airport 
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I needed a transit hotel in Singapore, and given the arrival and departure of our flight times I could not go into the city, so we decided to book Crowne Plaza Changi Airport.  The hotel has been ranked as one of the best airport hotels and thus has a very good reputation, so was looking forward to the stay.  The hotel is located in Terminal 3 and is easily accessible from the terminal.   

From the terminal, there is a huge entranceway which leads to the hotel.  You enter the hotel on the upper floor and then go down to the 1st floor for the lobby and check-in.  Check-in was quick and efficient and I received my key and went back upstairs for our room.  This is the only negative, that there should be a check-in desk on the same floor as the entrance from the airport.  I had booked a room with two double beds so headed to the 3rd floor for our room.  I had asked for a room facing the runway, but I was told those rooms only have king beds and fill up early

The hotel is designed very nicely with a lot of open spaces.  When walking from the elevator to the room, it does not feel as if you are in an airport as the hallway is open so you can feel the open air and there are gardens and streams next to the hallway.  These design features provide a nice tranquil feel to the hotel.   On the way to my room, I passed a fitness center, a spa (operated by a 3rd party), the lounge, as well as crew lounge.

The room itself is a nice size and is very comfortable.  As you enter, on the right side is a closet with a safe and the left side is the bathroom.  The bathroom was a nice size and had both a shower and a tub, a large sink, and a toilet.  There were nice bathroom toiletries provided as well as complimentary water.  The bathroom and the bedroom shared a wall, and this wall was clear so either side could see in; however, there is a switch to make the window darker to provide some privacy.

 

Inside the bedroom area, the two beds are on the left hand side with the TV stand and chest on the right hand side.  Each bed had its own nightstand and reading light on either side, but there was very little room in between the bed (so again, you got to know your bedmate quite well).  The beds were very comfortable and wide so it provided a nice sleep.  In between the beds and the TV were two chairs and a small coffee table. 

 

There was also a desk in the room that faced the window.  As I said, I wanted a view of the runway but that was not available so our view was facing away from the airport.  The window did have thick curtains which kept out the light, but I am not sure if we were next to the train or not but you could hear the train that runs between the terminal.  

As I was only there for basically 12hours, I could not enjoy all the amenities provided by the hotel.  The only amenity I did try was the complimentary wifi, which was a decent speed.  Overall, it was a great airport hotel that provided a good night’s sleep and easy access to the terminal.