Hotel review: Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon

Seems like the floodgates of IHG hotels have been thrown open for me. After my stay at the Crowne Plaza, Greater Noida in late December 2015, I've had two stays with IHG hotels (and a happy accident that both are during the Accelerate 2016 promotion, so I hope to earn some unplanned points!). This is a review of the first of those, at the Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon, while the other one was at the Holiday Inn Aerocity, Delhi International Airport (coming soon, and an interesting one for aviation enthusiasts).

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon


I've stayed at the Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon once before, nearly two years ago, and had reviewed it at the time. Back in the day, I'd obtained IHG Platinum Elite status via a sign-up link that IHG used to offer reasonably liberally, and hence got upgraded to a suite. On the flip side, the lounge wasn't open when I wanted to visit it. This recent visit of mine, however, helped me stay in (and review) a regular room, as well as actually use the lounge (which I didn't the last time around but more on that in a bit), and hence I thought it might be useful for folks out there who want to read about this hotel.

I reached the hotel by around 9 pm, which was rather early by my standards when coming directly from the airport. The lobby was as deserted as it was 2 years earlier.

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon - Lobby


I'd recently been downgraded to IHG Gold Elite, which means no lounge access (IHG can be very stingy that way). Yet, because they recognised my elite status upon check-in and also realised I was a repeat guest at this hotel, I took the chance and asked the front desk agent if she'd be able to give me lounge access for breakfast. She tapped a few keys and immediately confirmed that she had added lounge access to my booking, for no fee. Super! I also received a drinks voucher (one drink only), but which could be used via room service also.

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon drinks voucher

All set! I headed off to the room, baggage in tow.

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon hallway

The hallways aren't similarly sized, as I realised. The one where my room was located, was relatively narrow. Nonetheless, it wasn't a long walk from the elevator, and the next time I'd be walking that path on this stay would be en route to breakfast and check out, so it didn't bother me much.

The room itself is fairly standard, and about the same size as a standard room at most of the Gurgaon hotels I've stayed at, such as the DoubleTree by Hilton.

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Standard room
Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Standard room

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Standard room

Bottled drinking water, coffee and tea were provided complimentary, while there was also a reasonably well-stocked minibar.

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Standard room coffee and water

 Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Standard room minibar


Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Standard room minibar

While the entrance to the bathroom was from the vestibule, a glass with electronic blinds separated the bedroom from the bath area.

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Standard room

In particular, I liked the couch with the sliding table - what I thought as being well-designed for multiple uses.

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Standard room couch

And of course, a standard work desk.

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Standard room work desk

There is also sufficient storage space by way of wardrobes.

The bathroom by itself was OK - not spectacularly large, and certainly not as cramped as this one! There's the bathtub on one side, wash basin straight ahead, and separate glass cubicles for the toilet and shower area on the other side.

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Standard room bathroom

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Standard room bathroom

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Standard room bathroom

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Standard room bathroom

Having said that, I wasn't quite happy with the bath amenities. Strangely, these are quite varied across IHG hotels in India - even within the same category of hotels. For instance, the Biotique products at this hotel weren't the ones at the Crowne Plaza Greater Noida. Speaking of Biotique - how long has it been that I've seen those in India???

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Standard room bath amenities

I proceeded to order dinner, and decided to try out the hotel's specialty dish - egg curry - with some rotis (Indian bread). I also used the drinks voucher for a pint of Budweiser.

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon room service

The food was OK but I didn't find anything extra-special about the egg-curry.

Next morning, I woke up to a rather foggy Gurgaon.

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon View from the room

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon View from the room

I got ready and decided to head to the lounge for breakfast. During my earlier visit, I'd only briefly visited the lounge - which was being readied for breakfast service - but didn't use it as such. This time was different.

The lounge is located on the first floor of the hote, and has a small business centre, limited food options, but a lot of sitting space. I suppose it is more suited for high-tea or evening drinks with canapes, rather than a meal service such as breakfast.

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Lounge - entry


Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Lounge - seating

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Lounge

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Lounge

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Lounge

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Lounge

Crowne Plaza, Gurgaon Lounge

You can also ask for eggs to order, which are sent up from the coffee shop (used for regular breakfast service) located right below the lounge, but that can take some time - as it did with me, even though I was the only guest in the lounge throughout the time I was there.

Conclusion

Overall, a good place to stay, and good F&B. Their pride and joy is WildFire, the Brazilian restaurant on the ground floor, which is also quite well rated in terms of public popularity. The wi-fi is OK - not exceptional but does the job.

Typical room rates (inclusive of breakfast) for a standard room here are in the region of Rs 7500++. As an IHG Category 5 hotel, standard rooms are also available here for 30,000 IHG Rewards Club points, but I personally believe that would be an inefficient use for your IHG points.

Have you stayed at this hotel? What are your thoughts about this hotel?

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