Crowne Plaza Plymouth by IHG — Hotel in Plymouth

Reception: We could not fault your ladies, neither on our arrival or departure. They were the epitome of ambassadors for your establishment.|When we booked, we were offered an upgrade to king king-size bed with a walk-in shower and sea view at the cost of £32, which afforded us access to the VIP Lounge. Our room was exceptionally clean, the bed was large, and we had a sea view. However, our experience of the shower was most unpleasant – low water pressure, which was intermittent if you attempted to increase the temperature. We were later informed by reception that there is a safety button in place, which would have assisted us with the correct temperature and water pressure. Being elderly and having lived abroad for the best part of our lives, we had not encountered this previously. We therefore accepted that this problem was down to our lack of experience in shower safety buttons. However, I picked up this from the internet "Safety buttons on showers in UK hotels are becoming more common, though not ubiquitous.” So, Crowne Plaza, how about a bit of signage being put in place, advising guests as to how to operate your shower safety button? |Interleading room: There was a door halfway down our room, which was thankfully locked. However, the spacer between the two rooms caused an echo, so we could hear every word (sadly, in this case swear word)! Whilst we appreciate the hotel cannot be responsible for their guests' behaviour, perhaps interleading rooms should not be allocated to guests who are not together, as in a family unit where a family room is required.|VIP Lounge: Having paid for a £32 upgrade, this also granted us access to this lounge, so we attempted to visit this lounge. As it was a special occasion and Saturday night, we attempted to visit this lounge for a complimentary drink 20 minutes prior to our Marco Pierre White Restaurant booking at 7pm. The lounge was full, so there was nowhere to sit, uncomfortably hot, and there appeared to be no ventilation or any windows open. There was no sign of any staff in attendance, and the guests present were obviously left to do their own thing, which appeared haphazard. It was so muggy and stuffy with no staff to offer any form of advice or assistance that we left immediately. Might we suggest the presence of a staff member to at least greet, if not attend to guests? They could also at least open some windows when it gets full? |Marco Pierre White Restaurant : When we arrived three minutes after 7 pm, there was nobody on the desk, so we hung around like spare parts, feeling somewhat awkward, which is not ideal. Once we were seated, and it was ascertained that it was my partner’s birthday, the waitress brought her a complimentary glass of champagne, which was a very nice touch. However, given those prices, I would’ve thought they could have afforded me a glass as well. Both our starters were exceptional, and the waiter collecting our plates enquired as to whether we had enjoyed them. However, the main attraction for us was the possibility of an exceptional steak, which is why we booked this restaurant in the first instance. We ordered the most expensive fillet on the menu, which came with prawns, and we were happy to pay a premium for quality. The steaks, which we ordered “rare” were overcooked, and at no time did anyone enquire as to whether we were enjoying them, thereby giving us the option to exchange them. Even when our plates were collected and my partner (birthday girl) had left half of her steak, did anyone enquire as to whether we had enjoyed our meal? We noted on the menu that steaks were recommended “medium”, which we both found surprising. However, surely guests should be permitted a choice, and that choice should be accepted by your chef? In addition, it took ages to get the bill, despite the restaurant having emptied somewhat shortly before 9 pm. As we left the restaurant, I heard another guest was complaining about their steak being overdone, so we were not the only ones. Our opinion is that you are riding on the good name of the great Marco Pierre White, your steaks are not of a high quality, they are overcooked and overpriced. We don't mind paying a premium, but you must deliver something exceptional and not average.|In conclusion, we would return to Crowne Plaza to stay the night, but feel some attention to detail is required, i.e. signage/instructions of shower operation and staff attendance in the VIP Lounge. Sadly, our expectations of the Marco Pierre White Restaurant were far too high, so we will not return. |Despite this negative review, we are not normally complainers and prefer a quiet life. However, we were encouraged to do this review by friends, who said how helpful these reviews are to other unsuspecting individuals, so there you...

Me and my family (13 of us, 3 different families) stayed at this hotel for 2 nights.

It’s in a great location close to the town and marina with a good selection of restaurants. There’s also a shop right near.

Rooms were all good, spacious and clean. Only complaint about the rooms the beds weren’t made up in one of the family rooms we booked, we did make reception aware and they came and sorted this. There’s a fridge with water in and there’s tea/coffee and biscuits.

There’s a lovely bar in the hotel and bar staff were amazing and friendly.

Upon arrival at the hotel we were looking for some of the people we came with and they said they were at the bar. We couldn’t see them in the bar near reception so my mum went and asked one of the staff at reception if there was another bar to which she replied ‘There’s one in the restaurant upstairs but that one is…’ and looked my mum up and down. I understand that the restaurant has a dress code but we were simply looking for someone and she did not have to be so rude.

We booked a table in the restaurant upstairs for a special occasion. We had to send what we wanted for food beforehand as we were a big party which was fine and all food came out quickly. Once we were seated we asked if we could split the bill for drinks 3 ways for 3 different families to which they replied was fine but then handed us the notepad to write down what drinks everyone wanted which I thought the waiter was meant to do? The woman who saw us to our seats (I think she may have been supervisor/manager for that night) came over and apologised for this and she took our drinks order instead. Once food came out one of the meals was stone cold which we got sent back, they brought out another one quickly which was appreciated. Halfway through our meal, my cousin who is 12, was eating his kids burger and pulled out a large bit of plastic that we assume came from the cheese that was put in the burger. We were absolutely mortified by this as he could’ve chocked if he didn’t realise it was in there! We made staff aware and they took it back and made another one. The supervisor/manager came over and couldn’t apologise enough. She took the burger and the meal that was cold off the bill along with 25% off the bill. She was absolutely brilliant but unfortunately I can’t remember her name. One of the drinks round we ordered also took about 20minutes to come out.

Also just a heads up if you’re ordering pork/lamb etc you have to order sides with it as it literally just comes with the meat which we weren’t aware about. We did ask for chips to come out with the meals that didn’t come with sides and this was no problem and they came out quick.

Breakfast in the same restaurant was great, a lot of options at the buffet and you can order off the menu too. Although they had no tables available for all of us to sit at so we had to sit separately which wasn’t an issue but would have been nice if we could sit together.

Parking at the hotel costs £15 per night but beware it’s an absolutely tiny one way car park so be prepared to scuff your wheels if you have a big car. We had to park in a different car park about a 5 minute walk away one of the nights as there were no spaces.

Overall, our stay was okay. The hotel itself is worth staying in. We were just unfortunate and came across a rude encounter with a member of staff and not a great experience up in...

I'll never step foot inside this hotel again. I came here with my husband and two young children to celebrate my husband's birthday. It was intended to be a 5 day stay. Check in was smooth, and the front desk staff were pleasant and hospitable. The room was fantastic. Right after we put our luggage in the room, we went up to the penthouse restaurant. The hostess asked us if we had a reservation, and we said no--it was our first night. We didn't know it was necessary. She never told us it was by reservation only, and there were no signs to indicate that, either. She seemed to have an attitude with us, but she seated us at a table anyway. However, when it came time to pay the bill, I raised my hand to get her attention, and she walked right past and ignored us entirely. We thought it was just her personality, or maybe she was having a bad day. That was until we saw her smiling and chatting with guests at other tables. The next night, we went back to the restaurant, and she asked us if we had a reservation--we didn't. She said they had no table for 4 (looking inside there were plenty of empty tables). I asked if I could just reserve one seat so either me or my husband can order and take it back to our room. No. She said there wouldn't be any seating until after 9pm. I asked if we could just order and take it out without sitting down--no. She suggested using room service (which is 5 pounds extra). It wasn't a polite "I'm sorry, no"--it was a firm, heartless "no" with no explanation. We went down to reception and asked them if they knew of any nearby restaurants or places we could order delivery. The receptionist was nice and suggested the penthouse restaurant. I asked her if there were any tables for us, and she checked--there were tables available seating 4, 3, and 1, all available as early as 8pm (it was 7:30pm). Extremely shocking considering the hostess had just told us there were no tables. I booked a table for 1 so that my husband could order. He said she was shocked when she saw him come with a reservation, but of course she couldn't do anything about it. I was so perturbed by the way that hostess treated me and my family that I couldn't sleep that night. I complained to the manager the next day, who said it was one of the most serious complaints they'd ever received. He said they would investigate the situation and update me within a week. I checked out that same day, my husband's birthday, as the experience with that racist hostess ruined our entire experience. The most heartbreaking thing is that I haven't heard back from anyone about this, and it's been 3...