I'm a travel agent and stayed at the Crowne Plaza Resort and I can tell you that it is a terrific property. I was not given any upgrades -- I stayed in as basic a room as everyone else -- and I thought it was one of the best values for the price I've had in a hotel. I've seen pricing as low as $99 for this hotel and it feels a great deal more luxurious than that, even akin to a Four Seasons. Hallways have a tropical feeling and are very clean. The rooms also have a tropical feel, pastel colors, also exceedingly clean.
When I was first checking out this place on TripAdvisor and elsewhere on the net, I saw some photos of the rooms where the bedspreads were these ugly green things with palm trees, and I saw some with what looked like plush white comforters. In my room, and from the look of the others I passed by in the hall that were being cleaned, all appeared to have the white ones. That added a lot to the feel of the room. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if it were still those outdated ones.
As it says in other reviews, bed comfort is indeed wonderful. And Crowne Plaza now has some kind of ""better sleep"" program where they give you a little packet with an eye mask, sleep enhancement CD and other stuff. I played the CD on the player they provide in the room and it was great. But, more importantly, since I am very sensitive to light in the morning, I was appreciative of the heavy curtains and the little clip they provide to make sure the curtains completely block out the light in the morning. I haven't seen any other hotel do this and I thought it was great.
At least one or more others who have reviewed this said that parking is too far. I don't know what they're talking about. I was able to park in the front of the property and it was steps away. The parking at the back of the property is the same way. If you want a long hike from parking, try the Omni -- gorgeous resort -- but definitely a hike, especially in the heat.
Also, someone said something about there being a problem that this is half timeshare and half regular hotel. Well, the main building, the first one you see when you drive in, which looks like something in Key West, IS the main hotel building. The timeshares are off the right and a little farther off from the main entrance. So I personally didn't see what that other reviewer's problem was.
If there is one problem with the hotel it's that the pool area is in the middle of construction and that affects the back entranceway, and not a pretty sight if you have a pool-view room! Also, you have to use the pool at the timeshare (ok, for that earlier reviewer, there's the one inconvenience -- but it is by no means THAT far away!). However, the front desk told me that the pool will be done by the end of August (?) and that there is also a restaurant going into the main hotel. Mind you, I slept, got up, and didn't come back until the night's end.
I stayed at Crowne Plaza during a house hunting trip and found it to not only be comfortable, clean and quiet, but VERY convenient to everything in the city. As a matter of fact, I ended up getting housing only blocks away from this hotel. International Drive can be a busy street, but it has three wide lanes in each direction, so it is not a hassle at all, and at night is not busy at all.
And -- for you Disney-going folks, this is also very convenient to the theme parks, both Disney and Sea World.
I would have stayed here the night prior to my move-in -- but they don't allow pets.
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