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!

Guestroom 539

This guestroom was more spacious than any guestroom we have stayed in in this hotel (other than the suite December 2011). Most of the furnishings were the same: soft chair with footstool, desk and chair, flatscreen TV, armoire, and small bathroom and vanity. There was plenty of room for a sofa, which we would have preferred to one lone chair. This guestroom also had a small fridge and microwave placed between the armoire and desk. It had a high angled ceiling, like an A-frame house, and the balcony was larger than the ones in other guestrooms I have stayed in. The balcony faced east.

The sheets were good quality, and the bed and pillows were comfy. I had requested a quiet zone area, and we did not hear any outside noise from outside the guestroom.

Pool, tiki bar, outside area

We usually stay in this hotel during the winter months, so this was our first experience with the outside pool and tiki bar. Several lounge chairs and a couple of small glass end tables were provided around the outside pool. The pool towels were super tiny; I saw one guest use four of them on his chair! I used two, and it was not enough. Several glass tables and chairs were set up outside the pool gate near the tiki bar. A corn hole game was on the lawn behind the tiki bar.

Tiki bar in background before it opened

View of C-wing;
D-wing on left

Limited beverages and food were available at the tiki bar after it opened around 4:00 p.m. Most of the items were the kind of foods available in the gift shop: individual beverages, and bags of snacks. A few specialty cocktails were listed on the beverage menu. Food could also be ordered to-go from the restaurant or bar and then brought out to the courtyard.

The outside area was comfortable and functional, although the glass tables were quite dirty around the bar and pool. I thought maybe someone would wash the tables by the tiki bar after it opened; however, no one did. The pool was clean, and we observed someone cleaning the pool in the late afternoon shortly after we arrived.

Club Lounge

Our evening visit to the lounge was the same as it had been during previous stays. The hot food item was egg rolls. This was the first time I visited the lounge in the morning. Foods provided in the morning were fresh fruits, white bagels and bread, cold cereals, instant oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, and individually-wrapped croissant egg sandwiches. Coffee, tea, and cold beverages were provided, as well.

Misc.

There is not a lot of guestroom information provided on the hotel website. After reviewing my previous blog posts and photos, I have come to the following conclusions:

• The only [definite] additional amenity in a club floor guestroom is Scope mouthwash. Sometimes, there has been a shoe shine kit and vanity kit provided, as well.
• One of the guestrooms I stayed in had a suit jacket valet. I think this was also a club floor guestroom, although I could not find the information in any of my posts to confirm this.
• The only guestrooms with a fridge and microwave are the suites and the executive rooms (floor 5, I presume).
• The guestroom diagrams (visible in previous posts) on the backs of the doors are not accurate. For example, suite 440 is shown as exactly the same size as all of the guestrooms on the diagram.
• The Club Lounge and club floor guestrooms are on floor 4.
• Since the guestrooms were remodeled (2010), the only guestroom I have stayed in with a sofa was not on the club floor. All of the guestrooms I have stayed in on the club floor since the remodel had one soft chair and footstool. I have stayed in rooms with two beds, and rooms with one king bed.
• Some of the guestrooms do not have a balcony. I did not initially realize this, as I have always had a balcony.
• The balconies on the 5th floor do not look larger than the ones below it. I am not sure why the balcony in guestroom 539 was bigger than the one in guestroom 436. Both guestrooms are located in C-wing, although on opposite sides of the hall. I have stayed in all three wings, and the balcony on the 5th floor in C-wing was the largest. Suite 440 with two balconies was also located in C-wing.

Please let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to share this post!