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| Photo credit: L Silver via VisualHunt / CC BY-ND |
Destination: Asheville, NC
Date: November 2013
Hotel: Crowne Plaza Resort
Brand: IHG
Status: Gold
# of travelers: 2
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| from IHG website |
Hotel & Brand – Making the Decision
Honestly, Justin and I weren't even thinking of going to Asheville, NC when I booked this room. IHG was having a points break sale where you could stay at any of the hotels they offered (in the deal) for 5,000 IHG points a night. It just so happened that I had enough points from a previous hotel visit to stay at this hotel for 2 nights (technically 3, but who's counting?). My decision was between this hotel and the downtown Hotel Indigo. While I was trying to decide when I would be available to go up to NC, the Hotel Indigo award nights sold out. Justin and I decided to give the Crowne Plaza Resort a shot. What could be the worst result from booking this room for a free night stay in NC?
Getting There & Getting Around
See my post on the Town Country Inn & Suites. The hotels are located very close to one another and it was roughly the same difficulty getting around for both hotels.
The Lobby, Status, & Checking In
We arrived pretty late on a Friday night. We had been taking our time doing random audit jobs and exploring a few discount stores on the trip up. Having only been to Asheville once before in my life (other than a visit to the Biltmore) I had no idea what there was to do in the city. I came to find out that there was a lot more to keep one occupied than I originally thought!
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| from IHG website |
When we checked in, the guy at the front desk was incredibly helpful and offered a greeting mentioning that we were visiting on an awards night. He handed Justin and I a goodie bag of water and candy and asked if we wanted an additional 1,000 points added to our account or if we wanted a free drink from the bar. I opted for the points while Justin complained to me about his desire for a free drink. We asked for a room with a view, which the front desk happily agreed to give us. There would be no free breakfast, but there was a restaurant in the lobby in case you didn't feel like leaving the hotel.
Room & View
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| from IHG website |
The first time we walked to our room, we walked down a long corridor from the lobby. Quickly we learned that our room was actually in another building altogether that we could park in front of. Rather than continue to make the long walk from the car to the lobby to the room, we decided to move our car to the front of this other building and take the elevator from the ground floor up to our room.
While the view wasn't extraordinary, it wasn't altogether bad either. We could see the rolling hills of the golf course and the mountains in the distance. Our small balcony allowed us to determine how frigid it was outside before leaving for the Biltmore House on Saturday morning. I imagine the balcony could be much more enjoyable during the fall, spring, and summer. Other amenities for the very large room included a blow dryer, coffee maker, and fridge.
Disability Access, Pool, Parking, & Exercise Facility
People with disabilities will not have any problems visiting this hotel. There are, as best as I can remember, 3 buildings, and at least 3 elevators. it's pretty easy to find close parking whether or not you have a handicap sticker and almost as easy to locate an elevator.
We did not explore the pool area or exercise facility, but we did note that they do have both.
Overall Review
★★★ (average)
It made my day when we were offered a room with a view, but don't go here expecting your stay to be phenomenal with all of the luxuries that would be offered to royalty. You aren't that special. :) This is a great place to come if you have a pet, need to do business here, are planning a resort-style wedding, or would like to pay a little less for a hotel in the Asheville area. It's not amazing, but it certainly could be a lot worse.
Your Turn
What do you think? If you had the choice would you stay at the Crowne Plaza Resort or the Town Country Inn & Suites? Would you join one of these hotels for the status perks?
