Crowne Plaza Knoxville Downtown University by IHG — Hotel in Knoxville

Booked this hotel for 3 nights because I’m in town for graduation. My husband is a veteran and has a therapy dog, he is also trained in pressure therapy because I have POTS. They said if he is left alone in the room we still have to pay the fee. Okay, fine. So, we were gone for a whole 30 minutes to eat when I got a call from the hotel saying that people are complaining about my dog barking and I need to send someone to be with him or come get him from the room. This is a pet friendly hotel, right? It’s the middle of the day. I’ve been gone 30 minutes. They said it didn’t matter, people are complaining. I’m like okay but if I have to take him with me then I want my fee back. He wasn’t supposed to be working this weekend. They refused and were extremely rude saying if we are able to leave him to eat then he isn’t a full service support animal and they aren’t bound to any law to wave the pet fee. Because I left him alone for any period of time, they charged me the fee.

First of all, don’t say you’re pet friendly then threaten to dismiss us if the dog barks. It’s not bedtime. I was gone literally 30 minutes at 4:30 in the afternoon. Second, if people are booking without knowing the hotel is pet friendly that is a HOTEL PROBLEM.

If you’re looking for a pet friendly hotel, look elsewhere. This place isn’t it. I’d go somewhere if I wasn’t stuck on such a tight schedule and didn’t already pay $850.

Editing my review: I’ve given some stars back since my stay here is ending. Despite the sour taste that’s been in my mouth all weekend and the $160 that I had to pay for a dog sitter so I could graduate, the hotel itself was very nice. Phillip is apparently the manager and was the person that gave us such a hard time the first night we were here just turn around and mock the situation the next day warranting my husband to intervene. He is the sole reason I wrote my review to begin with, so it isn’t fair to diminish the whole hotel over one bad manager. Everyone else was fantastic. Front desk, valet, room service, housekeeping, everyone was understanding, apologetic, and attentive.

I will say that instead of Phillip apologizing for being so unprofessional, he called our room directly to tell us that we can leave if we want to. So, there is that. If it were me, I’d be giving Phillip a new title. His treatment of veterans and their service animals leaves something...

Building is a strange mix of updated and outdated. You can tell they cater to business clients, conference areas are very nice but the pool looks like it hasn’t been touched since the 80s. Fitness center was surprisingly well equipped. Rooms are very modern, beds are comfortable and the TV is huge which is a plus for me. Downside to the rooms is the doors aren’t sealed (light comes through on all sides, can clearly hear anything in the hallway) and the walls are paper. I was lucky enough to be next door to someone with what sounded like a baby and a few toddlers. The bathroom in my room was very cramped. Location is good, walking distance to many stores, restaurants, and venues. Front desk, room service, and cleaning staff were all very kind and accommodating. I did have a negative experience with breakfast. The man at the front, who I am assuming was a manager due to the white shirt, was extremely rude. I believe we were profiled as my girlfriend and I are younger (25) and admittedly looked a bit rough following a night out. When we asked the difference between dining options (2 buffets and full service) he acted like he’d never seen the menu before. We opted to order from the menu rather than eat the buffet. My order came out completely wrong. I ordered the breakfast sandwich, which comes with meat, egg, and cheese with a side of potatoes. Mine came out with meat, lettuce, and tomato, no cheese, and no potatoes. I sent it back and the server spoke to the manager, who looked over at us like we had done something wrong. He did not apologize for the mistake or attempt to step in any way. After receiving the correct order (they added cheese and reheated it, and left the lettuce and tomato I had picked off on the plate) we watched the manager check in with every table but ours multiple times. When he finally came to our table near the end of our meal he asked if I “got my cheese” then laughed...

Booked my stay a week ahead of time. Our usual place, the Hyatt on Gay St was full so we decided to try the Crown Plaza. They had a cool feature where you could add some special items like having a charcuterie board and prosecco waiting in your room. We had dinner reservations at 5:15 and had requested it to be in our room at 4:15 which was agreed upon. It was not in our room when we arrived. With dinner so soon I assumed the request had gotten lost or something and that if I was charged we’d get it straightened out easily. But it DID show up ….at 5:05 as we were on our way out the door. I explained the situation, I was not angry about it being late, just asked if they could take it back and remove it from the bill. She apologized profusely which I appreciated and said yes she could take it back. When I got my bill the next morning it was still showing there. They said a manager would call me later and I assumed there would be no issues as hospitality industry people are typically accommodating. However when the manager called he said they could not refund my money as since I refused it, it went to waste. While that may have been true of the food portion, I’m quite sure they sold the unopened bottle of prosecco to someone else. If the person who delivered the food told me this information we would have kept the food and had it for a late night snack and maybe took the prosecco home with us. I acted based on what the employee told me and because the employee didn’t give me correct information, I lost money and the hotel did nothing. We spend thousands per year on lodging in Knoxville but keeping the 70 bucks for the food was more important. That usually isn’t a good sign and we’ll be back at the Hyatt on Gay St where they provide excellent customer service for all our...