Lansing, Michigan: Crowne Plaza Lansing West

February 2021, weekday, 1 night, king corner guestroom #436

We have stayed in this hotel a few times before this stay, and I have previously posted hotel info in this blog. You can find my most recent post with more photos here. This is a brief post with just a few bits of additional information, since this was our first stay during COVID-19.

Reservation, arrival, platinum perks

I booked the IHG member rate with breakfast. I made our reservation over the telephone with the hotel directly, because when I looked online, deluxe rooms were available; however, there were no corner rooms for any night that I chose (we had been considering and searching several different dates). The agent was able to make us a reservation for a corner guestroom when I called. There are only a couple of corner guestrooms in this hotel, and portions of the hotel were shutdown to conserve energy due to the decreased business caused by the pandemic.

I received an email for mobile check-in the day before our arrival; however, I received an error message when I tried to complete mobile check-in. Checking in at the front desk when we arrived was friendly and efficient, so this did not present a problem for us. During check-in, we received a couple of chocolate hearts and a small package of Brach's candy, as our stay was an early Valentine's Day getaway. Hand sanitizer was available throughout the hotel, and plexiglass barriers were installed at the front desk. The platinum bonus points posted to my account immediately after check-in.

Guestroom 436

This one of our favorite guestrooms in this hotel. I did not take any photos of the room this stay, as the guestroom was mostly the same as last time we had stayed in it. You can follow this link to see photos from our stay in 2016. 

The bedding has been updated since those photos were taken, and there was a new flat iPhone charger next to the bed. The guestroom layout was the same.

Delicious Bloody Mary at Bordeaux restaurant 
inside Crowne Plaza Lansing West!

Charleston, South Carolina: Crowne Plaza Charleston Airport - Convention Center

November 2019, Thanksgiving, 1-night, King guestroom 425

View from guestroom 425

Arrival, check-in, platinum perks

Our flight arrived before 11:00 AM, and we arrived at the hotel to check-in around noon. We had a bit of trouble getting the shuttle ride to the hotel, and the manager comped dinner for us that evening to make up for the excessive wait. We also received one of the larger king suite guestrooms, and the 600 platinum bonus points.

Tanger Outlet Mall across street from Crowne Plaza

King guestroom #425

This guestroom is on the 4th floor near the atrium. It faces southwest overlooking the hotel pool and Tanger Outlets across the street. We stayed on Thanksgiving, and the stores opened at 6:00 PM for the entire night with shopping specials. Traffic was non-stop across the street during our entire stay. The windows in the guestroom are very soundproof, and we did not hear any noise from traffic or the airport.

Crowne Plaza Charleston airport guestroom 425

Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Crowne Plaza Airport/Cruise

February 2019, Weekend, 1-night, King guestroom #1019*

Sunset from pool area at FLL Crowne Plaza air and cruise port

The last time we stayed in this hotel, in 2012, I received an upgrade to the Presidential Suite! Although that did not happen this time, our guestroom was still very nice and comfortable. 

Airport shuttle, arrival, platinum perks

Getting here from the airport was almost as chaotic as arriving at the Miami airport. When I called for the shuttle, the person answering the telephone barely took the time to say, "We are very busy, so it might be 35 minutes," before he hung up. He did not ask how many guests, what airline, if we had our luggage, or anything. The shuttle bus driver must have been in the airport when I called, because he drove by with several guests about 10 minutes later. He apparently did not plan on stopping though. My husband waved when he drove by, and then the driver kept inching forward, as we walked alongside the van. We thought he was driving forward as far as he could, and that he would then stop. Instead, he started to drive away when he got to the end. I ran up to knock on the passenger window when he started to leave. He rolled down the window, and told us we were supposed to wave. Before I had a chance to respond, he turned to the passengers, and said, "Did you see anyone wave?" I looked at him incredulously, thinking, "Wow, really?!" Instead, I merely told him that we had thought he was inching forward to stop behind the first vehicle. We ended up getting on the bus, although our arrival experience was not starting out very well.

Grand Rapids, Michigan / Holiday Inn - GRR Airport

February 2018, Weekday, 1-night, King suite #230

Platinum perks and check-in

I redeemed points for this stay, and received an upgrade to a suite before our stay. I called IHG to make the reservation, because the site was not functioning properly when I tried to make the reservation online. When I called, I found out it was because the only available room type with points for three guests, was a queen-bed handicap guestroom. The agent said he could reserve that for me, and he suggested I call the hotel directly to see if they would upgrade me to a king suite because of my status. King suites have a sofa bed, whereas, a standard king guestroom does not. I called the hotel, and the agent happily fulfilled my request. At check-in, I received 500 Platinum bonus points, which posted to my account right after we checked out.

King suite 230

There are three floors at this hotel, and the agent had told me the suite on the top floor was not ready yet. We had arrived about 15 minutes early of check-in time, and gladly accepted the one on the second floor.

The suite was comfortable, and we loved it. The only thing we did not like about it, is that the lighting over the table in the work/sitting room was extremely dim. I am not sure how anyone could hold a meeting at the table. A guest we chatted with in the bar that evening commented that he did not like that the door into the guestroom opens into the bedroom instead of the sitting room. This suite served our purposes well.

Wet bar area in the work/sitting room

The workroom contained a small fridge, sink, table with four or five chairs, TV, work desk, and sofa sleeper.  A K-cup coffee maker with supplies was on the sink. I am guessing there was supposed to be a trash liner in the large trash can in this room. The lid was not set on all of the way, as if housekeeping had not completely finished up before leaving the room.

Room with sofa sleeper and table

Lansing, Michigan / Crowne Plaza Lansing West

January and February 2017, 2 separate nights - weekday and weekend, King deluxe room #547 and King corner room #416

Our stay at the Crowne Plaza Lansing West was just as impressive this trip as it had been November 2016. The hotel is very clean and well maintained, and the staff is excellent. There was a minor snag with my first night's stay, and staff members went above and beyond to make this right. I had two separate stays here, which I am combining into this one post. We stayed on a weekday, and then on the weekend a week later. I used points for both nights.

View from the 4th floor

Platinum perks and check-in

I received the Platinum on-site amenity choice for both stays: bottled water, beverage in the lounge, or bonus points. I always choose the points, since I tend to use my points so frequently. I had reserved a corner guestroom for my first night, and a deluxe room for my second stay. I would have reserved a corner room for both nights, except a corner room was not showing as available for the second stay when I made the reservation online. When I checked in for the first night [corner guestroom, weekday], the front desk agent had difficulty finding me a corner room. She said there had been one set aside for me, although it was showing that it had not been cleaned, even though we were not checking in early. I waited a few moments while she called someone to confirm whether the room had been cleaned or not. She then told me deluxe rooms were available, and I said that would be fine. She assigned us a guestroom on the top floor, and said she would request a corner guestroom for us when we returned.

When I checked in for the second stay, we received a corner guestroom on the 4th floor. The employee apologized for the fact that I had not received this type of guestroom the week earlier, and she said there was an amenity in the guestroom fridge for me.

Lansing, Michigan / Crowne Plaza Lansing West

November 2016, Weekday, 1-night, King corner guestroom 436

This was our first stay at the Crowne Plaza in Lansing, Michigan. In fact, I did not recall knowing this hotel is not too far from the Lansing airport the last time we had stayed in a Lansing airport hotel. I will definitely choose this hotel again the next time I have a Lansing flight, or need to stay in the area.

Platinum perks and check-in

We arrived a bit before check-in time of 3:00 p.m. The employee who completed the check-in process provided excellent assistance, and she went out of her way to meet our needs. I needed a ride to the airport around 5:00 a.m., and the hotel shuttle does not normally operate that early. She checked the schedule to see if there was an airline crew scheduled for the next morning, and was able to schedule a ride time for me that met both our needs. We received an upgrade to a king corner room (I requested this), and the 600 bonus points for Platinum members.

View of desk from entrance area

View from entrance

King corner guestroom 436

This guestroom contained a king size bed, night stands, desk and chair, soft chair with footstool, and a large flatscreen TV on an armoire. A small fridge, microwave, ice bucket, glass glasses, coffee mugs, and coffeemaker with supplies, were located in the armoire. The bed was super comfy, and the sheets were good quality.

A large vanity and a closet with mirrored doors were located left of the armoire. The closet contained two robes, along with hangers, and a folding luggage rack. Bath amenities were provided on the vanity. The towels were good quality. The toilet and tub/shower combination were located in a small room at the end of the vanity.

Grand Rapids, Michigan - GRR / Crowne Plaza - Grand Rapids Airport

June 2016, Weekday, 1-night, King executive guestroom #539

Sunrise from guestroom

I have stayed in this Crowne Plaza many times. We had a few new experiences this time, so I am sharing that information below. You can find more information about this property in my previous blog posts at the following links: February 2016, club floor guestroom; January 2014 and August 2013, king guestroom and king club floor guestroom; December 2011, king suite; May 2011, king guestroom; and August 2010.

Arrival and status perks

I redeemed 20,000 points for a king executive guestroom, which I thought was a great value. As a Platinum member, I received my choice of an on-property goody bag or 600 bonus points. The bonus points posted to my account the day I checked in. I received access to the Club Lounge, although I am not sure if that was a Platinum perk or a guestroom perk. It seems like an executive guestroom would include access to the lounge.

Guestroom 539

This guestroom is on the top [5th] floor in the C-wing section of guestrooms. There are only four floors of guestrooms in the north section (D & E wings), so the fourth floor is the top floor in those wings. A guestroom diagram is provided in the blog posts from February 2016 and January 2014. We stayed in a guestroom on floor 5 once before, although I could not find a blog post with pictures for that stay. It must have been a long time ago, as I only recall a few vague details. I usually request an executive or club floor guestroom, and this was the first time I recalled any differences between the guestrooms. I think I will always request an executive guestroom for future stays!

Grand Rapids, Michigan - GRR / Crowne Plaza Grand Rapids - airport

February 2016, Weekday, 1-night, Club floor guestroom #436 - 2 beds

I have stayed in this Crowne Plaza almost a dozen times, and following are links to reviews of some previous stays: January 2014, December 2011, May 2011, and August 2010. This hotel is located by my home airport, and they have an airport shuttle every 20 minutes.

fruit infused water available in the lobby

Arrival and status perks

My status has always been Platinum when I stayed in this hotel, as I quite traveling for work before the new IHG level, Spire Elite, had been added. When I did not reserve a club floor guestroom, I always received an upgrade to the club floor, although the lounge was not always open. I received an upgrade to a suite in December 2011, when I specifically requested it. For this stay, I redeemed points for a club floor guestroom with two beds, because our son was traveling with us. I was not able to reserve a suite with points, so I requested a suite upgrade, as there is not much room for three people in the regular guestrooms.

Check-in time is 4:00 p.m., and we arrived about 3:45 p.m. The agent did not mention the upgrade request in my reservation, and I decided not to ask about it. Although I did not receive a room upgrade, I did receive the 600 Platinum member bonus points.

GRR - Grand Rapids, Michigan / Crowne Plaza

November 2014, Weekday, 1-night, King Club Level Guestroom #410

Status perks and check-in

At check-in, I was recognized as a Platinum member and offered 500 bonus points or a goody bag. I chose the points; however, they did not post to my account with my hotel points after the stay. I filled out a missing points request online, and I then received my points within 24 hours. I had reserved a regular king guestroom, and I received an upgrade to the club level. 

Guestroom 410

This guestroom is in the north wing on the south side of the hall. I wish I had taken more photos of the guestroom. As many times as I have stayed in this hotel, I was surprised to see that I have not provided more information and photos from prior stays. I have often been busy with something else around the time of my stay, and did not take the time needed to share my entire experience. Links to some of my prior stays and photos are at the end of this review. Keep in mind that photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

The king guestrooms on the club floor are not all the same. Some have sofas, and some have only one chair. Some have a very small bathroom, and some have the bathroom vanity located outside the bathing area. I have stayed in guestrooms with a suit valet stand and shoeshine polisher, which are also larger rooms. They all have a balcony.

This guestroom had a closet at the entrance across from the bathroom. The closet contained hangers, extra bedding, and a folding luggage rack. I am sure it also contained an iron and ironing board, although I did not use or look for this. There was not a bathrobe in the guestroom; however, I called to request one, which was delivered within 15 minutes.

mold in the corners

The bathroom was very small with minimal counter space or room to turn around. A single-serve coffee maker with supplies was on the bathroom vanity. The towels were good quality; however, there was mold in the shower.

The guestroom area contained a king size bed, two nightstands with lamps, a clock, a flatscreen TV on an armoire, a desk and chair, and a chair and footstool.

The alarm clock did not work correctly. The time was set at 12:00 when we arrived. We were able to reset the time; however, we could not get the alarm set. There were no available outlets by the bed, so we had to plug our phones (alarm clock!) in at the desk. I have experienced this in all of the guestrooms in this hotel. This could be resolved, if the hotel would swap out the bed lamps for the kind with outlets in the base.

The balcony was dirty and there were leaves and debris on the floor. These were not recent leaves, as our leaves had all fallen from the trees a few weeks prior to our stay. In fact, it snowed the day we departed.

The Internet connection speed was good. We could hear the neighbors TV quite clearly in the hall. Fortunately, it was not very loud in our room.

Food & Beverage
We visited Aryana lounge during Happy Hour, which is Monday - Friday from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. The last time we stayed in this hotel it was also a Tuesday, so the Happy Hour food items were similar. The Happy Hour menu for Tuesday says: Slow Roasted with special in house seasoning Baby back rip tips, In house made potato chips, Beer cheese n crackers, Wrapped Pickles. Actual food items were: cold ribs, wrapped onions, and Gardetto type mix. No chips, no beer cheese or crackers, and no wrapped pickles.

The service was attentive when we arrived just before 5:00; however, it was poor after this. This was not because our server was too busy to attend to us; she was visiting with other patrons. Our bill was incorrect at the end, and after waiting five minutes for her to return, I went to the bar and had the bartender correct it. We had been charged for one more beverage than we received, and our bill did not reflect Happy Hour prices. Our bill was almost $10 less after I had it corrected. I think the exact amount was just over $7 difference.

Business center
I used the business center to print our boarding passes. I needed to enter the password from our key packet to access the Internet. There were only three sheets of paper in the printer, and I needed four to print all our boarding passes. Since there was no paper in the room, I reinserted one of the pages in the printer for the last page. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to insert it so that the last page did not print on top of one of the other boarding passes.

Club lounge
Guests receive one complimentary beer or wine in the club lounge. The beer choices were Budweiser, Miller, and Stella Artois. I do not know the wine brands, although I thought the red wine was acceptable. The food served in the lounge included ribs, wrapped pickles, vegetables and dip, and cheesecake. The same food items were served in the club lounge and the lobby bar during our last stay, too (June 2014; I did not get a review of that stay posted here). This time, it appeared they did not have enough wrapped pickles for both lounges, and the club lounge got them. I thought the wrapped pickles were better tasting than the wrapped onions.

The attendant in the lounge was the same woman we have seen during most of our visits. She does not welcome guests, and she does not smile. During our last stay, a very pleasant personable woman assisted us, who I had never met before. During that visit, we learned she is the breakfast attendant and was filling in that evening. We always have an early flight when we stay at this hotel, so I have never visited the club lounge for breakfast.

Shuttle service
One of the reasons we choose this hotel when we have an early morning flight is because of the dependable airport shuttle. This visit, we were not as satisfied with the shuttle service. We had signed up for the 4:30 a.m. shuttle because our morning flight was departing just before 6:00 a.m., and the shuttle runs every half hour. Hotel staff called our guestroom after 11:00 p.m. when we were sound asleep! They had called to ask if we could go to the airport at 5:00 a.m. instead. I said no, and I also mentioned we had been sleeping. The agent then proceeded to inquire about our flight time to make sure we could not wait until 5:00. I again said no, as I told her our flight time, and I said that we needed to be there before 5:00 to check our luggage. She then asked if we could go earlier because they had two full shuttle busses of 17 people at 4:30. I said we could do that if we had to, and then I asked why she had chosen us to call and ask us to make the change. She said that the other guests were all airline people. I understand the importance of airline crew for flight departures; however, I think I am an important [repeat] guest, too. I did not say this to her.

A male employee then started talking to her in the background. A few seconds later, he took the receiver, explained the entire situation to me again (unnecessarily, as I had already grasped it), and he then told us they would call us a cab at 4:30, if we did not all fit on the shuttle bus. This call lasted much longer than needed, and it was unnecessary in the end!

The next morning, I inquired about the shuttle situation when we got to the lobby. The front desk agent said she had been the one who called me the night before, and that they had it worked out. She said, "It's a good thing you are not big people." She offered no apology for the unnecessary wake-up call the evening before. When we boarded the shuttle bus, I observed nine seats in our van, and one seat remained unfilled. If there were nine seats in each van, that means there were 18 available seats, so it did not make any sense to me why they would have called us when only 17 seats were filled.

When we returned from our trip and called for the shuttle pickup from the airport, we received similar service. The employee who answered the telephone said, "Who are you with?" I said, "What do you mean? We stayed there before we left. Is that what you mean?" She then explained that the shuttle driver was on his way back to the hotel with a flight crew, and he would be back to get us and another flight crew after that.

When the shuttle driver arrived, we approached the van with our luggage while the flight crew (from our flight) remained inside the airport. The shuttle driver said to us, "We're going to be here awhile, because we have to wait for the flight crew." He walked away before we had a chance to reply or tell him the flight crew was already waiting. We opened the door and got inside the van since it was cold and snowing out. A few seconds later, the flight crew noticed the van and walked out from inside the airport. The shuttle driver returned from inside the car rental/parking garage area where he had walked several seconds after this. The entire process did not take long; however, we felt like we were treated very rudely.

Misc. and overall
I have stayed in this hotel several times, and this is the last time I plan to stay here. There are several airport hotel choices, and there is not much about this property that makes it any better than the rest. I did not like the mold in the shower, and areas of the hotel were starting to look neglected, even though it has not been long since the hotel was remodeled. Since I am a Platinum IHG member, and a repeat guest at this hotel, it would be nice if I was treated like a valued guest. We did receive an upgrade to the club level, although the guestroom we received is one of the smaller club floor rooms.

Here are links to my other reviews in this blog, which account for less than half of my stays at this property in the last few years. January 2014 and August 2013, December 2011, May 2011, August 2010.  

Grand Rapids, Michigan - GRR airport / Crowne Plaza

January 2014, Weekday, King guestroom #384 (#439 below)

I have stayed in the Crowne Plaza Grand Rapids - Airport hotel several times, since it is located at my home airport. It is not as nice as some of the Crowne Plaza hotels I have stayed in, although it is one of the better airport hotels in GRR for the price, and the shuttle service is dependable.

If you have any questions about this property, please ask! Here are links to some of my previous stays: December 2011, May 2011, August 2010. 

Status perks and check-in

I received access to the club lounge, although I did not receive a guestroom on the top floor. When I asked about this, the agent said that there were not any guestrooms available on the top floor. This hotel was not very full at the time of our stay (it is usually less than half full every time I have stayed here), so I am not sure why she said this. It did not really matter much, since I did not recall the club floor guestrooms having any better amenities than the standard guestrooms. One reason I prefer the top club floor, is because I often hear guests overhead when staying in hotels. I did not experience that in this hotel.

Since the club lounge had not been open during most of my stays in this hotel, I asked if the lounge would be open in the evening. The agent did not know, and after she checked with someone else, both employees said yes, although the times they provided were incorrect. The agent did not recognize my status, and she did not actually tell me I would have access to the lounge. This was implied after I inquired about the club floor and lounge when she provided my key packet.

I have never had the same employee check me in when I arrive in the afternoon or evening, so I suppose that accounts for the inconsistency at check-in. When I depart for the airport early in the morning, the same male employee that has been at this hotel for years is usually working. I like it when I see a familiar face at locations I frequent, because that makes me more comfortable with the business' character.

Guestroom 384

This guestroom is on the third floor, and the balcony faces the back courtyard. It has a connecting room door, which I was initially worried about. The guestroom next to us must have been empty, or the guest was very quiet, because we did not hear any noise next door. There were extremely loud guests in a guestroom down the hall, and we could hear their TV blaring every time we left the room. Fortunately, this was far enough away from our guestroom.

The bed was comfortable, and we were happy that this guestroom had a couch instead on one chair. There were not very many outlets in the guestroom. I had to unplug one of the lamps on the nightstand, in order to plug in my cell phone when we went to bed. I could have plugged in my phone on the desk; however, I wanted it next to the bed since we were using the alarm feature for an early morning flight the next day.

The bathroom vanity where the coffee was provided was not very spacious. A single-serve coffeemaker and supplies were provided, and the coffee quality was good. I brought liquid creamer from the club lounge back to the room for my coffee in the morning.

Pool

There was not anyone in the pool area when we used it that evening. The water was warm, and there are plenty of seats in this area. There were lounge chairs around the pool, and one table with chairs between the whirlpool tub and the pool. Additional tables and chairs were located on a level a few steps up. 

The pool is an indoor/outdoor pool, and we have stayed at this hotel in the summer when the outside area is open, although the tiki hut has never been open during any of our stays.

Club lounge

There were only two other guests in the lounge when we visited, and there were not any guests in the lounge when I returned to get liquid creamer for the guestroom coffee.

Each guest was allowed one complimentary alcoholic beverage. Domestic beer, and red and white wine was offered. Food items included chicken BBQ with buns, fresh vegetables and dip, and dessert. We were gone from the hotel before the lounge was open for breakfast.  

August 2013, Sunday night, King club floor guestroom 439 [possibly]

I stayed at this hotel in August 2013, and I did not have time to write up a review after that stay. I have a few photos of the guestroom, so I am sharing them below. I am not certain if the photos are of guestroom 439 or 472. The room number written on my packet says 472; however, the room number on my bill is 439. The guestroom is not marked on the guestroom diagram photo that I took, so I added arrows pointing to both guestrooms. I tend to think that I was in guestroom 439, because guestroom 472 looks like the balcony would be very close to another room or the outside of the building, and I do not recall ever being that close to another guestroom.

Club floor guestroom

Some of the king guestrooms in this hotel have a sofa, and some have just one chair. I have not been able to figure out how the chairs and sofas are allocated to which guestrooms.

The vanity in this club floor guestroom had a little more space than the one in guestroom 384. Bathroom amenities included a small bottle of Scope, and a vanity kit, which were not provided in the standard guestroom.

Club floor guestroom

Club floor guestroom

I had taken a photo of the key packet because the club lounge times that were written on the key packet were incorrect. Both times that the front desk agent provided the lounge times, I was told that it opens in the evening at 6 p.m., and it did not open until 6:30 p.m. 

New Orleans, Louisiana / Astor Crowne Plaza

January 2014, Weekend, 2-nights, Rewards stay (40,000 points per night), King Jr. suite #411

Status perks and check-in

When we arrived, the front desk agent said that there was a guestroom for us, and that it was not ready yet (the hotel was sold out the weekend of our stay). I should have asked her what kind of guestroom had been set aside for us. As much as I travel, I should remember all these little things! Instead, I asked if we had a guestroom on the executive floor. She said that there was a Jr. suite available on the executive floor; however, some guests do not like the guestroom because it has a skylight. Another miss on my part--I should have asked for more detail. Instead, I said that I thought that sounded interesting, and she assigned us the Jr. suite on the executive floor.

I also received a small container of New Orleans seasoning. I do not know if all guests receive this, or if this was a Platinum perk.

Guestroom

The Astor Crowne Plaza has 14 floors, and the executive floor is on the 4th floor. I did not realize that the executive floor was only on the 4th floor until after we had gotten on the elevator. The guestroom is in a good location near the end of the hallway and away from the elevator; however, I would not recommend this guestroom to anyone with fears, like claustrophobia or arsonphobia, because it has no windows! No wonder the agent had said that some guests do not like the skylight; it is the only outside light into the guestroom. The skylight is located over the head of the bed.

I called the front desk after we entered the guestroom, and told the agent that I did not realize that she had meant that the guestroom does not have a window. I inquired what kind of guestroom had originally been set aside for us, and said that we might want to wait for that room instead. She said that she could not promise anything about what kind of guestroom we would receive if we waited for another guestroom, since the hotel was sold out. The guestroom was spacious, so we decided to settle in and make the best of it.


The large closet by the entrance contained a safe, two robes, hangers, extra bedding, a folding luggage rack, and an iron and ironing board.

The bathroom, which was located across from the closet, included a decent size vanity, and a tub/shower combination with a shower curtain on a curved rod. The water pressure in the shower was so strong, that I felt like it was going to blow my skin off! Plush towels, a hairdryer, and bath amenities were provided.



A Kuerig K-cup machine was provided on the vanity with two coffee K-cups and powder condiments. There was plenty of room in the sitting area of this guestroom, and we thought it would have been nicer, if the coffee had been located in the living area instead of the bathroom.

The sitting area contained a sofa sleeper, soft chair, footstool, flatscreen TV on a cabinet, end table with lamp, floor lamp, ice bucket, and two glasses.

There was a door between the living room and the bedroom; however, when we tried to close it later, we noticed that it did not have a door knob.

The bedroom contained a king size bed, nightstands, second flatscreen TV on an armoire, and a desk and chair. There were lamps on the nightstands and on the desk. A clock was set on one of the nightstands; however, the light on the clock did not work, and the time was set 25 minutes fast. The bed pillows were comfortable, and the bed comfort was acceptable.

There were shades covering the skylights in the bedroom over the head of the bed. We did not like not having any natural light, so we tried to figure out how to open the shades. I eventually called for assistance, and I was told that housekeeping would come to the guestroom to show us how to open them. Someone from housekeeping arrived, and she could not find a rod or pole that she was looking for, so she called someone else, and then told us that engineering would come to assist us.

We left a short time later, and when we returned, the shades were still shut. It had sounded like the only way to open the shades was to push them open with a pole, so we opened them ourselves. We stood on the bed, and used the bolster pillow to push them open.

The Internet connection speed in the guestroom was lousy. I was not able to complete anything online from the guestroom. The hotel website says that turndown service is provided in executive floor guestrooms; however, we did not receive turndown service either night of our stay.

Executive lounge
The executive lounge was open from 4 to 8 p.m., and from 6 to 10 a.m. The door was locked outside of the open times, because I tried my key after we had checked in to see if water was available.

Food items available at 4 p.m. included vegetables and dip, cheese and crackers, and a couple of fruits. The first beer or wine was complimentary, and additional beverages cost $2 or $3 each. The first soda or water was also complimentary, and additional non-alcoholic beverages cost $1 each.

executive lounge

Around 5 p.m. a hot food item was brought out. This was chicken gumbo and rice both nights of our stay. The gumbo was excellent! The cheeses that were served tasted like they had a very high fat content. The vegetables and cheeses varied slightly between the two nights.



Breakfast foods included fruits, cold cereals, yogurt, milk, juice, coffee, bread, bagels, and pastries. The hot items the first morning were not very good--greasy sausage links and plain biscuits. The biscuits were the kind of biscuits that are usually served with gravy, so I did not understand why the only other hot food item was the sausage links. Imitation eggs and bacon were available the second morning.


There was plenty of seating in the executive lounge, and all of the employees working in this room provided great service. I was surprised that the lounge was mostly empty every time that we visited, given the fact that the hotel was full.


Misc.
This hotel has an outside pool with a sitting area. We did not use the pool because the weather was cool. A hot tub would have been nice!

view from ballroom balcony

The Crowne Plaza is in a good location on the corner of Canal and Bourbon Street. There are ballrooms on the second floor with large balconies. There were not any events in the ballrooms during our stay, so we were able to go out on the balcony to people watch.

view of Hyatt from ballroom balcony

The Hyatt is located across the street from the Crowne Plaza, and all of the Hyatt guestrooms that are facing the Crowne Plaza have a nice balcony.

Getting to the Crowne Plaza was an easy 15 minute walk from the E-2 bus stop with our luggage.

There are not any grocery stores in this area, and all of the bottled wine prices were outrageous. We wanted to purchase three bottles of wine to take on a cruise with us after we checked out, so we walked two miles to Walmart on Tchoupitoulas St. There may be a bus that goes to Walmart, although we did not check, since we usually walk a few miles every day anyway.

Since I redeemed points for this stay, I was surprised to receive a bill the morning that we were checking out. The charge was for $50 per night plus tax labeled, "Room revenue." I stopped at the front desk to have this corrected, and the agent wadded up the sheet and threw it out. She told me not to worry about it, and I was not changed anything for the stay.

Los Angeles Airport, California - LAX / Crowne Plaza

June 2013, Weekday, 1-night, King guestroom #1420

Status perks and check-in

The front desk agent at this Crowne Plaza, said that the club floor rooms were all reserved, so he coded my key for access to the club floor lounge, and I also received a coupon good for a complimentary house brand beverage at the lobby bar or at the Java Net Cafe.

Guestroom 

I arrived before check-in time, and guestroom 1530, which had initially been set aside for me, was not ready yet. The agent then assigned me guestroom 1420. Both guestrooms are located in the same area; just on different floors. Guestroom 1420 is the first guestroom around the corner after exiting the elevator. There is not a guestroom on the South side of this room. 

The guestroom had been recently renovated, and it was tastefully decorated. The bathroom was on the left after entering. It contained a long vanity with bathing amenities, and a hairdryer in a bag. There was a tub/shower combination with a shower curtain on a curved rod.

A closet with mirrored doors was located outside the bathroom. It contained an iron and ironing board. There was not a safe in this guestroom, like there had been in the nearby Marriott when I stayed there a few days earlier.

The guestroom contained a suitcase bench, king size bed, night stands with an alarm clock, flatscreen TV, single-serve coffee maker with supplies, large desk and armoire combination with drawers and slide out work area, desk chair, soft chair and footstool, and an end table that slides under the chair for working. There were plenty of outlets and lamps. The guestroom was well lit. 

The bed and desk area were both comfortable, although the soft chair with the footstool was not. It looked comfy, and I do like to sit in a soft chair with the slide in end table for a comfort change; however, the chair was quite stiff and hard.

This guestroom does not face the airport. Even so, I heard quite a bit of airplane noise from the guestroom. I did not hear any noise from the hallway or from other guestrooms. 

Food & Beverage

I had a late lunch in the restaurant after I checked in. I wanted to try the Sushi Bar; however, it did not open until evening.

I had the salmon sandwich and tossed salad in the restaurant, which I would not recommend. The food items tasted fresh with good flavor; however, the salmon was overcooked, and the service was terrible. It took me over an hour to have lunch, and there were less than five tables with guests at the time of my visit. I observed two servers, a busperson, and a bartender working during my meal. 

Club floor lounge

Food in the lounge in the evening included salsa type dip with chips, a couple of fresh vegetables with dip, and a hot food item, which I do not recall. I thought the food offerings were average to low--the quality and the choices. Beer and wine was included; I thought the wine quality was also poor quality. It was the same house brand wine that was served in the lounge. Coffee, tea, and bottled water were also available. I left before breakfast in the morning, so I do not know what was available in the morning. The service in the lounge was excellent.

Business center

This hotel does not have a business center, and there was not a computer or a printer in the club lounge. Documents could be printed at the Java Cafe for a fee. The last time I stayed at this hotel, I was able to print documents from a printer in a business center type room on the banquet room floor. This room was no longer open.

Airport shuttle and misc.

I was told that the airport shuttle runs continually 24-hours a day, every 15 to 20 minutes. The shuttle takes guests from two hotels, and it is first come, first serve, so I went to the lobby as soon as I was ready in the morning. I must have just missed the shuttle bus because I waited almost 20 minutes. The shuttle bus stops at the other hotel first, so my ride to the airport was very quick after the bus returned. It took me less than 5 minutes to get to the Delta area, since that was one of the first stops.

I arrived at the airport earlier than I needed to. LAX is a big airport, and it had been a few years since I had flown out of LAX. I did not recall how long it took me before, and I did not want to miss my plane home! The Delta ticket counter did not open until after 4:00 a.m., and the security line next to the Delta counter did not open until around 4:15 a.m. A TSA pre-check lane, and a Sky Priority lane, were located to the right of the regular security line.

This hotel is just down the road from the Marriott where I had stayed and picked up my rental car. After I unloaded my belongings at the Crowne Plaza, I returned the rental car to the Marriott and walked back. There is an exit behind this hotel, so I did not need to drive back out into the traffic on Century Blvd.

Paramus, New Jersey / Crowne Plaza

June 2013, Weekday, 1-night, King guestroom #257

Status perks and check-in

I did not receive a room upgrade, although I received an amazing goody bag. This was probably the best goody bag perk I have ever received--not considering the times that I have received a full bottle of wine with fruit, cheese, and crackers delivered to the room. The goody bag contained all of the items shown here: baked chips, single-serve bottle of Woodbridge merlot wine, small bottle of water, fruit snacks, trail mix, sugar-free cookies, and a small package of cheese crackers. I was impressed with the wine and the sugar-free cookies. It was great to receive something out of the ordinary like this. I also received a coupon for the breakfast buffet the next morning.

I usually ask for a top floor guestroom at the end of the hall because it is often quieter. This is an older hotel, and there is no elevator. The front desk agent asked me if I was aware of this, and if this was okay. I had researched the two hotels in this area that I considered before this trip, so I was aware that there is no elevator. Since I had a smaller carry-on bag, I told her that was not a problem. She told me that someone could help me with my luggage, if I wanted.

Guestroom 257

The guestroom had been recently updated, and it was comfortable. The work area was spacious with plenty of room to work. The bedding was good quality, and the bed was comfortable. 

The guestroom contained the following: large desk work area and chair, plenty of lamps/lighting throughout the guestroom, one bottle of water with the ice bucket, a single-serve coffee maker with supplies, a soft chair with footstool, king size bed, flatscreen TV on an armoire, suitcase bench/bench seat, and nightstands with lamps, and a lighted alarm clock. There were two telephones in the guestroom; one on a nightstand, and one on the desk. A closet with an iron and board was located across from the bathroom. 

I probably would have been very happy at this hotel with this guestroom, had it not been such an old building with some other faults. The walls were extremely thin, and I could hear my neighbors on both sides. One neighbor was having a heated discussion with his female friend about their child (apparently) for several hours--first on the telephone, and then in person. And, the guest on the other side was either a night owl, or s/he sleeps to the TV noise, because I could hear the TV most of the night.

Other downsides to this being an older building, were the small bathroom, and the guestroom had a musty smell to it. 

The bathroom vanity was very small with no counter space. A low quality hairdryer was mounted on the wall. The toilet seemed to be a newer style with low water flow flushing; however, it did not work very well.

The musty smell in the guestroom was somewhat bothersome. I keep odor reducing spray in my travel bag when I am traveling with more than a carry-on, and I wished I had had it with me this stay. Apparently, the dampness had not been removed during the remodel, and the new carpet and such did not cover up the smell.

The fact that this guestroom contained a bottle of water for no charge, gave me the impression that it is a concierge floor room. Usually, I do not see bottled water included in guestrooms unless it is a concierge or executive floor room. Other than the water though, this room did not appear to be an executive or club floor room. The guestroom diagram on the back of the guestroom door, showed this room to be one of the smallest rooms on this floor. The front desk agent did not tell me this is an executive guestroom, and the bill I received did not say that it is. If this is an executive room, it is a poor one. If the guestroom diagram is to scale, I would say this is a basic guestroom.

Food & Beverage
This hotel has a breakfast area and the evening restaurant in the hotel is the Bonefish Grill. A breakfast menu was available in the hotel restaurant, and I should have asked if I could use my buffet coupon toward an a la carte item, because the buffet was not very good. The foods I recall were basic non-fresh scrambled eggs, white breads, cut fruit, and cereals. Beverages were included, and I was happy that V-8 juice was available. I have found that many hotel restaurants do not carry V-8 juice, and servers often try to give me tomato juice without letting me know that V-8 juice is not available--as if I would not know when I taste it! The service at breakfast was very good.

Bonefish Grill is located in the hotel, and it is accessible without having to walk outside. I was able to eat in the restaurant and charge it to my hotel room. The bar area was quite busy during my visit, and the service was mediocre to poor. I received much better service at breakfast than I did in the evening. The bar service was not solely my experience; the patrons seated next to me had to get the bartender's attention to place their food order over 10 minutes after they had requested a menu. I also had to request a menu and my check. Even though the bar was active, it was not so busy that the bartenders could not keep up. They had plenty of time to chat with each other; they were just inattentive to guests' needs. I have been to several Bonefish Grill restaurants, and this was the worst service experience I have ever had. The service was not terrible; however, it was not up to par compared to past experiences. The food, as always, was excellent!

Business center
The business center is located in the lobby near the front desk. It contained basic equipment, and I was able to print items for no charge.

Fitness center
I was glad that there was not anyone in the fitness center both times that I used it, because it is not very big. The equipment was in working order, and the hotel does offer free passes to a nearby gym. The photos on the hotel website are an accurate depiction of what is available at this hotel.

Overall
I thought all of the staff members at this hotel were accommodating and professional. As much as I liked the Platinum member goody bag and the bed comfort, I do not think I would choose this hotel again. The reasons I would stay elsewhere are the thin walls and the damp smell. Had it not been for those two factors, I would choose this hotel again. Even though the bathroom in the guestroom is small, that is something I could overlook when traveling by myself.