Crowne Plaza Cleveland Airport by IHG — Hotel in Middleburg Heights

Absolutely unacceptable—do not stay here if you expect basic competence or safety.

We booked a room here for an incredibly important and emotional reason—our youngest son is flying out to boot camp tomorrow. This hotel was chosen specifically because we needed to spend our final evening together before not seeing him for at least six months. Unfortunately, what we expected to be a peaceful night together as a family turned into a stressful, infuriating ordeal that ruined the little time we had left.

Check-in was slow, and the desk attendant moved at a frustratingly sluggish pace. But that was only the beginning.

When we got to the room (435) I noticed immediately that the night latch was broken. The deadbolt worked, so we tried to brush it off. About 30 minutes later, someone unlocked our door and walked right into our room. A young woman, just as confused as we were, had also been given the same room. We were shocked and understandably unsettled.

While trying to regain some normalcy and spend time as a family, I looked for the TV remote—only to open the nightstand drawer and find a box of rotting chicken nuggets and ketchup. The smell was disgusting and spread through the room.

That’s when we started noticing more problems:

A large yellow stain on the comforter (tucked under the mattress—clearly someone tried to hide it).

An old therapy ice pack left behind in the freezer.

A room safe that didn’t work.

Our key cards no longer worked for the door.

The icing on the cake, so to speak, was finding pubic hair on the desk. This was beyond disgusting—an immediate sign that this room had not been cleaned properly and a total violation of basic hygiene standards.

We went back to the front desk. The same employee handed us keys to another room with barely a word, no apology, no concern. I asked him directly if he was sure the next room was unoccupied. He said, “Yeah, it is.”

It wasn’t. In roo. 436, we walked in on two young women lounging on the beds.

We were beyond mortified. We returned to the front desk and were told the manager was “in a meeting.” I made it clear we needed to speak with her. The attendant told us we’d have to wait until morning and any compensation would be up to her. No ownership, no remorse, and absolutely no urgency.

The third room (room 550) we were given had a non-functioning bathroom light. We’re now stuck using flashlights and skipping showers—because, at this point, we just need a room.

After finally getting settled into the third room, we called the hotel’s main number to ask for the manager’s name—still wanting accountability after everything that had happened. The same young man who had handled our entire check-in disaster answered the phone. He told us he thought the manager had already left, but then said her name was Ebony and that she had worked from 3 to 11 p.m. It was 830 pm at that point. So either he lied to us earlier about her being in a meeting, he really did not know, or he simply didn’t care enough to get help. At this point, it was clear that no one was taking responsibility for anything.

To make matters worse, our son—who should have had his own room ready at check-in—was left waiting in a meeting room with his bags for two hours. He finally received his room key at 8:30 p.m., just in time for his briefing. His curfew is 10 p.m., no exceptions. Because of this hotel's complete disorganization, we may not get to spend any meaningful time with him tonight.

I cannot begin to explain the emotional damage this has done to a night that was already incredibly difficult. This hotel failed us on every single level—security, cleanliness, professionalism, and basic human decency.

Do not...

Immediately upon check-in, I realized I made a huge mistake. The website shows pictures of a beautiful pool. No indication on the website or confirmation email that the pool was out of order. It has been out of order for over a year now. The website indicated the pool was closed April - July of 2024, not 2025. False advertising. If an amenity is advertised, it should be available. Period. There was an issue with the first room I was assigned to; 131 was right next to the elevator. ⅔ elevators were broken. The remaining elevator is barely working. The door opens while the car is still moving. The working elevator made so much noise that I couldn't stay in that room. I requested to be moved to a different room and was moved to 432. When I walked into the room was filthy. The noise was not as loud, but I could still hear it. There were sticky substances on the desk, mirror, bedstand, and bathroom. Human hair was all over the bathroom floor. The door was broken at the top, and the lock was broken. When I pulled back the sheets, I found human hair and pubic hair. Having just driven 8 hours, I needed sleep. I tried to stay and sleep but the sound of the elevator kept getting louder and louder. I spoke with Juan at the front desk and asked him if I could leave early without penalty or charge. He said yes and changed my reservation from 3 nights to 1. He said he did not need approval for this. I checked out at 6 am on July 25. I asked if I could be refunded for the one night due to all the issues. Juan at the front desk said I would not be charged for the remainder of my reservation but that his manager needed to process the refund. He then gave me a breakfast coupon. | I’m skeptical that Juan never processed the checkout. I was charged the full amount for the stay. On Tuesday, I called and spoke with the property manager, Ebony. She was not helpful. She wouldn’t listen to my concern and kept interrupting me. Then she proceeded to debate me on whether or not Juan actually said I could check out early without penalty or charge. “He didn’t really say that, he said he would accommodate you”. Classic shady gaslighting. She said she was busy with payroll but would review the case and call me back. I followed up with an email summarizing our conversation. No return call. No response to the email. If I was going to be charged for leaving early, either Ebony or Juan should have stated that and I would not have left. I contacted IHG customer service multiple times who kept “escalating” the case and telling me to wait 48 hours for a response. I travel frequently but will avoid IHG properties from now on. Airbnb, Hyatt, Hilton or Marriott Bonvoy take better care of their properties, customers, and employees. By the way, IHG has absolutely no authority over these properties. The representative explicitly stated this to me. They pass along the complaint to the property management, who is usually the main issue. IHG could care less about customer loyalty. Look on Google, yelp, trip advisor, and the IHG website. You will find numerous complaints from customers regarding the same issues. IHG responds to each complaint with the same AI generated message. Unfortunately, IHG is more dedicated to fighting their customers instead of fixing the problems. At least this was a learning experience. Looking back, I should have never checked in. I should have read reviews before booking the hotel. When Juan said I wouldn’t be charged, I should have requested it in writing. I should have demanded a receipt upon checkout. If IHG cares about their customers, they will reach out to me to...

Immediately upon check-in, I realized I made a huge mistake. The website shows pictures of a beautiful pool. No indication on the website or confirmation email that the pool was out of order. It has been out of order for over a year now. The website indicated the pool was closed April - July of 2024, not 2025. False advertising. If an amenity is advertised, it should be available. Period. There was an issue with the first room I was assigned to; 131 was right next to the elevator. ⅔ elevators were broken. The remaining elevator is barely working. The door opens while the car is still moving. The working elevator made so much noise that I couldn't stay in that room. I requested to be moved to a different room and was moved to 432. When I walked into the room was filthy. The noise was not as loud, but I could still hear it. There were sticky substances on the desk, mirror, bedstand, and bathroom. Human hair was all over the bathroom floor. The door was broken at the top, and the lock was broken. When I pulled back the sheets, I found human hair and pubic hair. Having just driven 8 hours, I needed sleep. I tried to stay and sleep but the sound of the elevator kept getting louder and louder. I spoke with Juan at the front desk and asked him if I could leave early without penalty or charge. He said yes and changed my reservation from 3 nights to 1. He said he did not need approval for this. I checked out at 6 am on July 25. I asked if I could be refunded for the one night due to all the issues. Juan at the front desk said I would not be charged for the remainder of my reservation but that his manager needed to process the refund. He then gave me a breakfast coupon. I’m skeptical that Juan never processed the checkout. I was charged the full amount for the stay. On Tuesday, I called and spoke with the property manager, Ebony. She was not helpful. She wouldn’t listen to my concern and kept interrupting me. Then she proceeded to debate me on whether or not Juan actually said I could check out early without penalty or charge. “He didn’t really say that, he said he would accommodate you”. Classic shady gaslighting. She said she was busy with payroll but would review the case and call me back. I followed up with an email summarizing our conversation. No return call. No response to the email. If I was going to be charged for leaving early, either Ebony or Juan should have stated that and I would not have left. I contacted IHG customer service multiple times who kept “escalating” the case and telling me to wait 48 hours for a response. I travel frequently but will avoid IHG properties from now on. Airbnb, Hyatt, Hilton or Marriott Bonvoy take better care of their properties, customers, and employees. By the way, IHG has absolutely no authority over these properties. The representative explicitly stated this to me. They pass along the complaint to the property management, who is usually the main issue. IHG could care less about customer loyalty. Look on Google, yelp, trip advisor, and the IHG website. You will find numerous complaints from customers regarding the same issues. IHG responds to each complaint with the same AI generated message. Unfortunately, IHG is more dedicated to fighting their customers instead of fixing the problems. At least this was a learning experience. Looking back, I should have never checked in. I should have read reviews before booking the hotel. When Juan said I wouldn’t be charged, I should have requested it in writing. I should have demanded a receipt upon checkout. If IHG cares about their customers, they will reach out to me to...