Crowne Plaza Dubai Jumeirah by IHG — Hotel in Dubai

I stayed at this hotel for a business trip, checking in on December 21/2024 for four nights. The hotel was extremely crowded due to the Christmas season, with many families and children. The breakfast venue was very small and chaotic, with no available seating and buffet items running out quickly. If you weren’t fast, you simply didn’t get to eat.

At check-in, the reception staff seemed rushed and spoke too quickly. They didn’t provide basic information about the stay, such as breakfast timings or what was included in my booking. I had a booking done for me via a third-party. I wasn’t sure what is included and what wasn’t. I had to ask for these details myself, which was disappointing, especially for a 5 stars hotel under the IHG chain. I expect staff to be better trained and to be always polite. The only highlight in terms of service was the polite and helpful concierge team.

The room itself was underwhelming and didn’t meet my expectations. Surprisingly, the corridors looked more refined than the room interiors. The décor felt outdated, and the hotel could benefit from redecoration. There were also several issues in the room: • No bathrobe was provided unless requested, which seemed inconvenient. • The cleaning staff removed one of the two slippers during cleaning, leaving me with just one slipper to use. • The drying string in the bathroom was dirty with black stains, making it unusable for drying clothes. • The bathroom trash bin had no plastic liner, which felt unhygienic.

The most unacceptable issue was the lack of ventilation. The windows in the room were sealed and couldn’t be opened. I called reception and explained that I needed fresh air, especially since I couldn’t rely on the AC during winter. However, I was told it was against hotel policy to open windows. This left me feeling trapped, as if I were in a confined space rather than a hotel room.

I asked to speak with the manager, but he was unavailable due to his shift timing. Despite leaving a message for him, I never received a call back. The following day, I had to escalate the issue and argue with reception. After a lengthy and frustrating conversation, they finally sent an engineer who opened the window within a minute. This experience left a poor impression of the hotel’s management and policies.

The breakfast experience was equally disappointing. After 11 AM, there was no option to order breakfast, either in the restaurant or through in-room dining, which is unusual for a hotel of this caliber. As someone who works late and wakes up late, this policy was inconvenient. Additionally, when I ordered food from outside, the delivery personnel were not allowed to enter the premises, making it even harder to access meals.

Another notable issue was the absence of a prayer mat in the room, even though the Qiblah direction was indicated with a sticker. While this may not affect all guests, it’s worth mentioning for those who expect such amenities in a hotel catering to an international clientele.

The laundry service at the hotel was unacceptably delayed. I handed in my laundry before 10 AM, expecting it to be delivered the same day as promised. However, no one bothered to inform me about the delay, and because I am working for many hours and staying late, I didn’t have the time to check or remember about my laundry. While packing for check-out, I realized my laundry had not been returned. I had to call the hotel to have it sent to me immediately, which was both inconvenient and unprofessional. Such a lack of communication and reliability is not what I expect from a hotel of this standard.

Overall, my stay was disappointing. The lack of ventilation, overcrowded breakfast venue, insufficient in-room amenities, and unaccommodating dining policies made the experience far from what I expect from a Crowne Plaza property. As someone who frequently travels and stays in various hotels, I can confidently say that this experience fell below the standard for even a mid-tier hotel. I won’t be returning to this hotel...

My experience at Crowne Plaza Jumeirah was nothing short of frustrating and disappointing. I checked into the hotel only to be hit with a strong, unpleasant odor in the room. I immediately reported this to the front desk and was told to wait for someone to come inspect it. After waiting 5 minutes without any assistance and already feeling exhausted, I went back to the reception myself, hoping for a swift solution.

I was then informed that the only available alternatives were either a smoking room or a twin bed, neither of which matched my original booking for a non-smoking room with a king bed. I asked again if there were any other non-smoking king options, and was met with a flat "no." At that point, I had no choice but to leave the hotel, as I refuse to rest uncomfortably in a place I paid for in full.

I emailed the reservations team requesting a refund, given that the property failed to provide what was clearly advertised. I even attached screenshots showing that the booking channel specifically stated non-smoking + king bed. Despite this, the front office manager showed no empathy, no interest in reviewing the evidence, and was adamant in denying the refund.

Let me be clear: this isn’t about the money. It’s about the complete lack of accountability, understanding, and basic customer service. This kind of treatment makes it abundantly clear why guests don't return. I sincerely hope senior management takes this incident seriously and trains the front desk and management staff on how to handle guest concerns with logic, fairness, and empathy.

This was a major letdown coming from a supposedly reputable brand. I expected better and so should anyone...

A  few things to know about the hotel:

3 restaurants here onsite. The Ginger is seemingly always open and doesn’t serve the regular burger and fries stuff. The do offer buffets for lunch and dinner and the menu changes regularly. The breakfast buffet here hosts a large selection of goods. No matter where you are from, you will find something to eat here. The Dock opens around 3pm so I never ate there. The Pool restaurant is nice but hot and slow. I ordered Belgian fries once, and receiving them took a whole hour. They were lukewarm. I never returned.

The hotel holds towels for ransom here lol. It was an act of god to get new towels by day 3. We just wanted to swap our old ones for new ones. I thought that was a simple request but not to them.

The staff will call a legitimate taxi for you any time you want one. This was helpful to us. A lot of guys will claim to be a taxi but will charge you double the amount for the same ride. If it doesn’t say taxi, don’t do it. We took a total of 4 taxis. 2 were extremely rude. 1 was driving and texting and almost hit a car 3x. That was the last taxi I got in.

The hotel lobby is huge. Sometimes we waited there for the bus and it never felt crowded or made you feel as if you were in someone’s way.

The hotel is located near a local Mosque. Prayer starts around 5am and it lasts about 15 minutes. You will hear it. You will...