Crowne Plaza as a hotel brand has a guest image problem.

IHG executives cited 9,000 deficiencies in the Crowne Plaza brand in their plan to reimage the brand within the upscale market segment. Crowne Plaza has about 390 hotels. In the first half of 2012 Crowne Plaza shed 16 hotels and plans to remove another 25 hotels from the brand in the next 24 to 36 months. Another 50 Crowne Plaza hotels are in the pipeline to open in the next couple of years.

I have stayed in a few Crowne Plaza hotels in the past two years in cities like Chicago, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco (airport) and a couple of others. The rooms were all nicely furnished with all the amenities I needed. The one attribute I would characterize as common to all these Crowne Plaza hotels where I stayed is the lack of character. They all had nice upscale lobbies, but there was no real common identity to these hotels aside from them seeming very business oriented facilities.

Crowne Plaza brand with a plan

So what kind of deficiencies are there at Crowne Plaza hotels and what are the reimaging solutions?

Guest check-in:

• Add self check-in kiosks in lobby.
• Provide a lobby host position as key contact for guests.

This kind of sounds like the airport model to me. Let guests fend for themselves until an issue arises where the guest needs help. Kiosks are nice for the frequent traveler who does not need to wait for the receptionist. I kind of prefer the human contact of the desk. Seems to me this is another way to reduce staffing for the hotel owners.

Food and Beverage: provide a 15-minute guarantee for food orders and provide fresh food for guests. Unclear if this is really a planned improvement or primarily a deficiency statement in the context of the article.

Guestroom amenities:

• WiFi
• One click printing
• international plugs for U.S. travelers at international hotels

The lack of plug adapters and currency converters at a hotel when staying out of the U.S. is an issue I used to find a decade ago when I forgot to pack my own. Often the hotel had adapters left behind by other guests and other times this was something that took hours of searching electronics stores in London and Melbourne to solve. Airport stores carry all this stuff these days, but generally I realize I forgot a plug adapter only after I reach the hotel.

Fitness Centers: Use the lobby for fresh fruit, towels and water to avoid the need of locating a larger fitness center space. Keep some portable exercise equipment on site for guest room rental use.

STR Global and STR US chain scale segmenting places Crown Plaza in the upscale market segment. Brands like Hilton Garden Inn, Hyatt Place, Four Points and Courtyard are in this market segment. Personally I have always thought of Crowne Plaza as more of an upper upscale hotel brand, but apparently I have not been staying in the typical Crowne Plaza.

Source: IHG means business with Crowne Plaza refresh – hotelnewsnow.com Oct 29, 2012

The Hamilton Crowne Plaza, Washington D.C. – I recall the wifi here was unbearably slow and I had a difficult time blogging from the room.

Rooftop pool at Avenue Crowne Plaza Chicago has great views.

Ric Garrido, writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler, shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. You can follow Loyalty Traveler on Twitter and Facebook and RSS feed.

The real gem of Crowne Plaza Avenue Hotel Chicago is its 40^th floor rooftop pool and open-air deck. The view is one of the best in Chicago despite what room view you may have. Since the pool is uncovered I assume the deck area is closed for most of the winter weather season. But catch this deck on a sunny day and you have a 270-degree view across the city. The hotel breakfast lounge is also on the 40^th floor with north and east facing views.

Crowne Plaza Avenue Hotel Chicago 40th floor pool deck

I received a Tech room on Floor 33 with a desktop Mac computer and complimentary internet access.

Crowne Plaza Avenue Hotel Chicago Tech Room with Mac computer

I was competent on a Mac when I taught computer studies at an elementary school ten years ago, but it takes some getting used to after working regularly on a PC. I enjoyed playing with the computer for a bit, but found myself pulling out my laptop for work.

Crowne Plaza Avenue Hotel Chicago bed and north facing window

The zebra chair is a feature of the Avenue Hotel rooms.  The hotel has 200 deluxe rooms.

There are 150 suites in the hotel featuring leather couches. The hotel was filled with doctors attending a major convention and I didn’t get upgraded to a suite. Some suites at the hotel have Lake Michigan views which you can also see from the 40th floor pool deck.

There are also kid-friendly rooms with Wii video games and in-room games and colorful bedding. I do not recall seeing any kids in the hotel during my stay.

The curved shower rod is a simple feature I truly appreciate in a hotel bathroom.

The Avenue Hotel website uses the phrase “Welcome to an oasis in the heart of it all.” Loyalty Traveler has to agree. Located on Huron Street, just one building east of Michigan Avenue places the Avenue Hotel Chicago in a prime Magnificent Mile location for shopping, dining, and easy transportation. Walk straight west on Huron Avenue about four blocks and there is a Whole Foods Market with plenty of hot food options and the usual market items.

My room view looked across Michigan Avenue to the Peninsula Hotel. The pool at the top of the Peninsula Hotel is the finest pool setting I saw in Chicago, but I was not permitted to take photos inside the pool room while guests were swimming. I have a sentiment that it is almost as nice to have a terrific view from a lower market segment hotel than to be in a high market segment hotel without a great view.

Frequent buses will take you north or south on Michigan Avenue and the Red Line CTA is about five blocks NW on Chicago Street west of the Water Tower and running between the Peninsula Hotel and the Park Hyatt Hotel.

Park Hyatt 70-floor tower residences seen from Crowne Plaza 40th floor pool deck

View of Marriott Chicago and Trump Tower Chicago from 40th floor pool deck of Avenue Hotel

Lake Michigan at sunset (Avenue Hotel 40th floor view)

Fitness room is located on a low floor.

The Sky Lounge, also located on the 40th floor, offered breakfast until 11am in the morning. The spread looked like a typical buffet breakfast. A bit overpriced even with the 15% discount coupon, which in effect only covers the hotel tax on the $18 breakfast. Dinner dining is probably a better value.

The Elephant & Castle pub, located off the lobby of the Avenue Hotel, was not a good dining experience for me. After eating at the Peninsula Hotel the night before where my entrée was only $1 more than the Fish & Chips at the Elephant & Castle, I thought the pub offered poor dining value.

My pet peeve with the free beer coupon I redeemed at the Elephant & Castle was the waiter told me it was only valid for a 10 oz. domestic beer at a British pub. The Elephant & Castle pub only lists imperial pints (19 oz.) on its menu and does not even list 10 oz. beers as a menu choice.

The coupon was also valid for a glass of wine or a well drink. Does the pub only give you half a glass of wine? Half a shot?

This hotel was a bargain at 25,000 points compared to the $380 after tax published rate. The effective rate for me was $150. I bought 40,000 points for $240 last May through DiscoverAmerica’s Daily Getaway at a time when I had no Priority Club points in my account. I booked the Avenue Hotel Chicago less than two hours before I checked in, but the Points & Cash Priority Club reward option was no longer available.

One of the advantages of Priority Club Points & Cash rewards is the requirement to buy nonrefundable points before completing the reward reservation. This past month I have purchased 40,000 Priority Club points through Points + Cash rewards for $240. As it happened I needed to cancel two of my hotel reward reservations and I used two of the reservations. The net effect is I purchased 20,000 points for $120 and these points are available in my account for other Priority Club reward nights. This is about 50% the cost to buy points from Priority Club through the normal Purchase Points link.

The InterContinental Hotel Chicago is just a few minutes walk from the Crowne Plaza on Michigan Avenue. That hotel will cost 40,000 points for a reward night. The IC Chicago actually had lower published room rates for the night I stayed at the Crowne Plaza. I toured the IC Chicago and photographed rooms and the pool. The pool at the IC Chicago is also one of the hotel gems of the city. Loyalty Traveler will post an InterContinental Chicago hotel review soon.

Crowne Plaza Avenue hotel website photos