Crowne Plaza Newcastle - Stephenson Quarter by IHG — Hotel in Newcastle upon Tyne

I'm not going to lie. This was quite possibly my worst experience of a stay in an IHG group hotel to date. I always allow for something small to go wrong as it's inevitable of the service industry. However:,

My stay was from 19/04/2024 -21/04/2024 - Confirmation Number: 69470701 - Member number: 246858868

The kettle in the room had a damaged cord in 2 locations and wires were exposed. I observed them as soon as I removed the tray from the cupboard. As such it would have been clear to someone handling the appliance to clean it and prepare the tray to put it away in the cupboard. A new one was delivered quickly and I was told to leave the damaged one outside my door.

Following my first night despite housekeeping entering the room.... they swapped towels ..... they did not make the bed. This is supposed to be a 4 star establishment and I don't expect to be making my own bed. Part of a get away is to not have to do these things for yourself and part of a get away is sliding into a lovely made bed at the end of the day.

Every single soap/shampoo dispenser in the bathroom was unlocked. This meant if you tried to operate the pump on one of the bottles single handed (as per design) the retaining arm would swing out and the pump would not pump properly. You had to hold the retaining arm in with one hand to then pump with the other whilst trying to make sure some dispensed product lands on your hand. The retaining bar has a lock on it for a reason (well, in this case 2 reasons). The first is by design to make it operable one handed. The second is for loss prevention.

From about midday Saturday (when I nipped back for 10 minutes to find my room entered but not fully serviced) there were 2 big bags of rubbish left outside my bedroom door. I have no idea where they came from but they sat there (with my broken kettle) for over 12 hours despite at the time they were there (however they got there) there were housekeeping staff on the floor.

My room was booked in a company name (tried so many times to get my IHG account changed but still not succeeded). The lady on the second morning who I had to repeat my surname to 3 times couldn't, as expected find me by my surname. I suggested she look under the company name to which she snapped with language to the effect that I was wrong and how dare I suggest something. I walked away with no breakfast embarrassed. There was a similar issue the morning before. HOWEVER, the professional lady that morning scribbled down my room number, seated me and dealt with finding me on the list discreetly whilst I was enjoying my hotel stay/breakfast (no fuss needed). I've NEVER walked away from an IHG breakfast or missed it by sleeping in as it is my favourite part of any IHG stay. So that fact alone tells you how rude and unprofessional she was.

I had some contact via WhatsApp with the hotel and they offered early on 3000 IHG points by way of compensation. I think such a pitiful amount was offered without regard to the totality of all the small "hiccups" (as described by hotel in WhatsApp chat). I declined the offer on the basis I wanted to take it to corporate as there is clearly a leadership issue at this hotel with particular emphasis on small details. I am certain no management floor walk was carried out whilst I was in the hotel. Had there been the rubbish would not have been left there for so long in the corridor. The fact that all 3 retaining bars were unlocked suggests housekeeping managers are either not checking such details or they are complicit in it (maybe to save 45 seconds per room on bottle refill day).

I have not had a response from corporate nor do I expect to they are notoriously bad at responding. The totality of the issues in my stay were for sure a 10,000 point comp. 3,000 offer doesn't even cover the breakfast I had to walk away from and as such I declined the points as the offer was just as rude, insulting and as much of a slap in the face as I got from the restaurant worker on the morning...

I've just returned from a spa day with my mum and sister and I'm hugely disappointed.

We've had several spa days at the hotel but this was really poor. Firstly they no longer give slippers, while I understand this for sustainability reasons, as this is the norm for spa days you need to explicitly say this at booking, not just say you give robes and towels. While the floors were clean, not everyone used shoe coverings that's gross.

The pool had a large group of screaming children. Who were being badly supervised by one man. we had to complain twice and while the staff were understanding it only got slightly better. I do understand guests to the hotel can use the pool and spa but I feel perhaps they need to have a time for adults only when you have spa guests. It was uncomfortable and stressful to have to complain and ruined the relaxing experience of the spa time. They crowded out the steam room and jacuzzi too for long periods of time.

We talked to another guest staying at the hotel and she said the group were behaving the same way yesterday. So your staff knew this group was a problem and still allowed them to return, this is completely unacceptable. If it was just a one off I'd be more forgiving but it wasn't.

The woman on reception at the spa was really apologetic and gave us 3 day passes, while I appreciate this that doesn't take away from the fact that the spa time was like a council swimming pool for all but 20 min.

In addition we were told there was a no mobile phone policy and there are lots of signs up, but guests were using phones and this was not enforced. Again this isn't ok.

The treatments were good as they always are, this was the only good part of the day. The afternoon tea was appalling. The service was unbelievably slow, especially given there were only two tables in the whole restaurant. Staff disappeared for long periods of time meaning getting more drinks was hard. Everything was so slow, food, drinks even getting an extra napkin. I got up several times to try to find staff to no avail. There were staff and managers sitting down having meetings who could see we needed help and were looking for staff but didn't bother to help. While the girl serving us was friendly she was really very slow.

The member of staff who initially seated us couldn't provide a cocktail menu when we asked for one, then gave us a list of cocktails included in our package. when we asked what was in them she didn't know and said her colleague who normally does afternoon tea was on a break.  Then when her colleague returned the cocktails on the menu were actually nothing like the ones she'd given us names of, so I think she was just making them up.

The food was poor quality and a really small amount for what would be £29 per person. The cakes and scones were dry and the other cakes clearly not home made. Sandwiches were tiny and bland. I think the men on the table next to us actually left without eating their afternoon tea  or paying as it's obviously a rip off for £29 pp.

The whole thing was really below the...

During my recent stay at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Newcastle, I embarked on an adventure filled with highs, lows, and a few unexpected plot twists. Here’s the scoop:

Check-In and Staff: The check-in process was smoother than a baby dolphin, and the staff’s warm welcome was like being greeted by a team of overly enthusiastic puppies. Their efficiency and friendliness set a positive tone for my stay. Kudos to them for allowing me to check in early—I felt like I had won the hotel lottery!

The Room: My room was comfortable and adequately sized. While it didn’t boast any extravagant features, it had everything necessary for a pleasant stay. The standout, however, was the impeccable cleanliness. Hats off to the housekeeping team for maintaining such high standards. However, I did find the bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash mysteriously empty. Maybe the previous guest had a particularly intense shower session? Cleaning up after a tornado would be like a hot knife through butter for this team.

Sleep Quality: Now, here’s where things got interesting. As a light sleeper, I always request a room high up and away from the lift. I got 1 of my asks and was away from the lifts but on the 2nd floor. The hotel’s proximity to the train station introduced an unexpected challenge. The screeching brakes of every passing train disrupted my sleep throughout the night. It was like having a front-row seat at a locomotive concert or a heavy metal concert, but with more screeching and less fun.

Neighbours and Noise: Unfortunately, my neighbours seemed to be auditioning for a late-night orchestra. From toilet flushes to other mysterious activities, their noise levels left me feeling more fatigued than rested. I approached the reception in the morning, hoping to switch rooms, but alas, the hotel was fully booked. The staff remained lovely and understanding, even in the face of my sleep-deprived begging.

Breakfast: Breakfast was a mixed bag. The hash browns were oddly chewy, and the sausages a tad too greasy for my liking. However, I found solace in the pancakes, fresh fruit, and cereal. Sometimes simplicity wins the day. Note to self: stick to the basics and avoid the hash browns unless you’re looking for a jaw workout!

Rainy Nights: My last night was a wet evening, the rhythmic drip of rain on something metallic outside my window felt like a form of Chinese water torture. I half-expected to see a kung fu master meditating outside my window, serenaded by the drip-drip-drip of nature’s percussion.

Recommendation: In summary, unless you’re blessed with the sleep resilience of a hibernating bear, I’d hesitate to recommend this hotel. However, it’s worth noting that my friend, who stayed on the other side of the building, reported blissful ignorance of the train noises. Perhaps it’s a bit of pot luck—choose your room wisely!

Wishing you better luck and more restful nights in your...