Crowne Plaza Princeton - Conference Center by IHG — Hotel in Plainsboro Township

Crowne Plaza Princeton||Remember if you liked this review to leave me a like.||I stayed for 1 night from Saturday to Sunday in 2024 August.||I originally booked the holiday inn express next door but was contacted the day before by email to let me know that due to construction that my reservation was now moved over to the Crowne Plaza.||I arrived early, and I’m Diamond Elite with IHG. I had also booked 4 rooms. The room was located in the north tower on the 3rd floor. Checkin was easy and the staff at the front desk were friendly and efficient. One of the 4 rooms was ready so they let me checkin early. The other room I had booked was connected but still being cleaned. If you don’t have any baggage with you, I suggest walking up to the 3rd floor as it will help familiarize yourself with the hotel’s layout. In the event of an emergency the way the stairs are laid out it’s easy to get confused going down the staircase from the 3rd floor.||Room 3235. Single king bed configuration. Had a lot os space. Pay attention to the AC control unit. I suggest not leaving the fan on continuously as it will pull air from the outside. For me it was better to leave the controls on Auto and not continuous. There is a small fridge and coffee maker under the tv and there was plenty of space in the main room. The bathroom appeared newly renovated however the bathroom is small in relation to the room. There was a flaw with the shower doors as they seemed to not stay closed and kept sliding towards the center, so during a typical shower water would just spray out and on to the floor. It’s was ok, cause I was just here for 1 night. Parking was available on site and free.||I also had an issue with the TV cable box in the room. I kept getting an error on the screen saying to check the cable connections. The way to fix it was to give the cable box a light technical tap or just tap when the coaxial cable makes contact with the cable box, (not the hdmi or power cable).||Breakfast was a buffet and in the hotel’s restaurant Forrestal Grille located behind located directly behind the front desk.||At the time during my visit the AC in the restaurant was not functioning and unfortunately it was also very humid outside as they just had the rear doors opened and fans operating during breakfast, however the buffet items are also kept warm using chafing dishes and sternos which adds to the humidity in the Forrestal Grille. So just be aware. An alternative option maybe to walk over to the Holiday Inn Express basement and have breakfast there. It’s a similar buffet and takes about 5 minutes to walk there. You may check with the front desk if it may be an option.||The Forrestal Grille restaurant is not open for lunch or dinner but there is a bar located on the 2nd floor. I’m not sure if the bar serves food, but they do serve drinks.||The other 2 rooms that I were assigned were located on the 5th floor of the north tower. While the rooms AC were functioning, unfortunately the hallway AC units were not operating on the 5th floor.||A few miles away is the Delaware and Rarity Canal state park trail. I brought a bicycle with me did a 15 miles ride along the canal. It was very scenic.||Other than the holiday inn express there is nothing within walking distance of the hotels (Crowne Plaza or IHG). Across from Shudder’s Mill Rd is the James Forrestal Campus of Princeton University. A mile to the east you will find the Plainsboro Plaza and Plainsboro Village Center, where you can find numerous shops, supermarkets and fast food restaurants. Downtown Princeton and the main campus are about 10 minutes by car from the Crowne Plaza. ||I believe the hotel does offer a shuttle service to places within 5 miles. Check with the front desk for operational times and to verify.||If I came to Princeton again I would prefer to stay at the Holiday inn Express next door rather then the Crowne Plaza. But then again I didn’t stay at the Holiday Inn Express, I just went their for breakfast in the morning.||For some reason I can't add more photos which include the Forrestal Grille||Remember if you found this review to be helpful to leave it a like, (+Karma...

We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Princeton in mid-April 2025 to celebrate our anniversary and enjoy our children’s spring break. The hotel is located in a peaceful, scenic setting and is conveniently within driving distance of New York City.

Prior to our arrival, we contacted IHG to inquire about the possibility of an early check-in. The response was accommodating, and upon arrival, our Diamond Elite status was acknowledged. We were pleased to receive an upgrade to a King Suite, which consisted of two adjoining rooms—one with a king bed and the other with a pull-out sofa. Each room included a walk-in shower, enhancing the overall comfort and functionality of the space. We also requested a microwave, which was delivered promptly. The room was clean, and we appreciated the quiet environment throughout our four-night stay—a welcome and restful experience. Additionally, the mattress on the pull-out sofa was noticeably thicker and more comfortable than what we have typically encountered, which was a pleasant surprise.

We dined at the hotel’s main restaurant, The Forrestal Grille, for breakfast. The buffet offered a limited selection. As a result, we opted to order from the à la carte menu, which provided a more satisfying alternative.

Our suite included access to the Executive Lounge on the fifth floor, which provided a light continental breakfast and evening snacks. Unfortunately, this experience fell short of expectations. After the first day, the soda selection was not replenished, and on the final day, coffee cups were unavailable. Wine was offered on one evening during our stay; however, we were informed that it was reserved exclusively for business travelers. This distinction felt unnecessarily restrictive, especially considering our room category and elite membership status.

The property features a broad range of recreational amenities, which we found to be a highlight of our stay. We particularly enjoyed:

Indoor Pool: The pool was spacious and well-suited for families. Our children appreciated the ideal depth, which allowed them to swim comfortably and safely. Unfortunately, the hot tub was closed throughout our stay and appeared to have been out of service for some time.

Indoor Basketball Court: We enjoyed using the indoor half-court. The hoop and net were in good condition, though there were a few areas of warped flooring that could benefit from repair.

Racquet Courts: Of the four racquet courts on-site, two were being used for storage during our visit, which limited their availability.

Outdoor Recreation Areas: We explored the jogging trail, which led to an open field where we enjoyed playing horseshoes. The property also includes a volleyball court and a tennis court, although we did not have the opportunity to use them.

Pond Area: Located behind the main building is a tranquil pond where fishing is permitted. Fishing rods are not provided, so we purchased two children’s rods from a nearby store. We spent some quiet and relaxing time fishing on two occasions, though we did not catch anything.

Game Area: We also made use of the billiards table and shuffleboard. While both were functional, they showed signs of wear and would benefit from additional maintenance.

Overall, our stay at the Crowne Plaza Princeton was enjoyable and memorable. The staff was courteous, and the property offers a wide variety of amenities for both relaxation and recreation. With continued attention to facility upkeep and enhancements to the lounge and dining experiences, this hotel has the potential to deliver an even more refined and elevated...

We had a very nice time staying here. Unfortunately the weather was yucky, so when you pull up to the hotel it does not have as much "shine" on the outside as it does in the website photos, so that scared us a little, but all was great when we walked in the door. It is an older-ish hotel, but very well kept. The staff is excellent. all encountered were super friendly and accommodating. The hotel itself was very clean, spacious, fun and great amenities. There are three things I check for when i stay somewhere - piping hot water in the shower, clean sheets and of course bugs. The water was super hot right away, sheets were brand new and super fresh (as some of you know some hotels just shake off the sheets and pull the blankets up from last guest - these were fresh for us which was perfect and the way it should be) and there was no evidence of bugs anywhere. The rooms were nicely decorated (we got a king room) and the bed was comfortable. The hotel has an indoor basketball half court perfect when traveling with kids, 5 squash/racquetball courts (and they supply the equipment for you) all free to go play whenever you want, just ask front desk for the equipment, a huge pool that was heated!!! it felt so nice! Upstairs in mezzanine level there is a pool table and a shuffle board! (ask front desk for the balls etc) We played multiple times, it was so fun. One of the best things I saw was a vacuum! yes a vacuum attached to the maids cart and they were using it! We stay in hotels a lot recently to visit daughter at college or couples trips and I dont know why but vacuums have become sparse in hotels and they only use a swiffer type sweeper which only picks up random hair and some large crumbs. Our family has allergies and we need the dust picked up too. This was very clean. The hotel is huge so if you have walking issues take note - it is attached to a conference center and another hotel down this loooooong hallway, we checked it out and was very nice. All in all, my family would definitely stay here again. There are two restaurants, and a martini bar that was hopping saturday night as there were some groups and teams staying there. Rooms are quiet and there were no noise issues. The hotel is not pet friendly, no pets allowed which was perfect for us due to allergies and we hate hearing dogs barking since we dont have pets. We loved it here. |The bad: there are tables with chairs right outside the front door for people to enjoy, sadly the smokers sat there to smoke and you have to walk through the cloud as you walk through the front door. I wish they pushed the tables off to the side or had a covered area for smokers away from the front door. The other WISH is that they had a free coffee station set up at all times. They have it each morning in the lobby but it ran out and took awhile to get filled again (probably due to the hotel being packed this weekend) They gladly gave us extra K cups for the keurig in our room though., you just dont have milk or cream in the room. Surprisingly the maids cleaned our room between nights (hotels have since stopped doing that since covid and to 'go green' saving energy) that was unexpected but nice, got all fresh towels and our bed was made. All in all we were very happy with our stay! I cant wait to go back when it is nicer weather and use the tennis courts, and take a walk near the pond/lake on property, and sit outside on the cool patio with...