Recently I stayed at the Crowne Plaza Adelaide – one of Adelaide’s new hotels. Officially opened the week before in early November 2020, it was still very new when I visited. Here’s what I have thought of my stay.
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The Crowne Plaza Adelaide is perfectly located on Frome Road in the city centre. It is only minutes away from the shopping hub of Rundle Mall, and even closer to many of the Adelaide attractions on North Terrace.
Access to public transport is simple, with a tram stop within 100m, which then links with the train. Many buses are available within a short walk too.
When arriving at the hotel by car, there is a carpark immediately after the main entrance. Parking is in a multi-storey carpark and has a maximum rate of $25AUD per day. Valet parking is also available for a slightly higher rate.
Check in is on the tenth floor. We arrived about 2:30pm, so not too long after check in opens at 2pm. We were met with a queue of about six groups of people, and as we waited, about that many more again arrived.
Unfortunately the area is really too small for this many people during the time of Covid and social distancing. To be fair though, that would not have been a consideration when the hotel was designed. It took about fifteen minutes for us to reach the front of the line, but when we did, check in was relatively quick and easy.
We had booked the basic King Superior room with one of the 50% off opening deals, so room and breakfast was $155AUD.
We then also used a Great State Voucher, South Australia Tourism’s incentive voucher to get people travelling again, bringing that down to $55AUD for the night.
Our room was not ready when we arrived, so we were given an upgrade to a King Deluxe room. From what I can tell, the only difference is that it is slightly bigger; it has the same amenities.
Everything about the room was as expected for a base room in a new hotel. Everything that is needed and it’s all clean, in good repair and does exactly as it should.
I noted that there are no small bottles of shampoo/conditioner that are often found in hotel bathrooms, but pump packs. These are better for the environment and create a lot less wastage, and I am happy to see this becoming more common.
I did use both the shampoo and conditioner and it doesn’t seem too bad, but likely won’t suit everyone. I was really impressed with the hairdryer supplied – it was powerful and did the job well.
The iron was also of a decent quality rather than the extremely cheap versions found in some places. The safe was big enough to fit my laptop – again something that is not always guaranteed.
The minibar was not stocked in our room, but that is understandable given the Covid-19 restrictions. The usual items, along with more coffee pods, could be ordered as required.
We had wanted to eat at the on-site restaurant Koomo. I had received a text the day before with a link to book, but it was not giving me any available times. In the morning of our check in, I called, but only got voicemail.
On arrival we discovered that Koomo does not open on Monday nights. A little disappointing, especially since the link had been included in the text.
We did have breakfast in the restaurant in the morning. It’s buffet-style, but a staff member serves rather than guests having access to the food. While I have some specific dietary needs which weren’t really catered for, I did think overall the range of food was quite limited.
Eggs, for example, were not cooked as ordered, but only allowed what was there – in this case, scrambled. My husband asked for poached eggs but they wouldn’t do it.
I would have expected a little more from a hotel of this calibre and I assume is just because of new staff still learning, perhaps combined with the covid rules that don’t allow buffet style dining or people to help themselves.
There is a small bar, Luna, that is open throughout the day and provides drinks as well as some casual bar snacks.
We didn’t take advantage of the pool, but many other people did. While there are steps up to the pool, there is also a lift to make it accessible to all. It’s on the tenth floor, so has some good views towards the sea and the hills.
Unfortunately right now it also has some good views of the construction site right next door. There is also quite a bit of noise from it during the day.
Still, I see this becoming a good place to relax as the weather warms up. There are also some nice views as the sun goes down from this area.
My partner took advantage of the gym. He commented that a there are a limited range of free weights and machines, but they do the job, particularly since most people would only be here for a short time.
The tenth floor is where all of the public spaces are, and there are quite a few small areas available for relaxing or working. They are particularly marketed towards business people as co-working spaces.
I loved that many of the seats, even in the more casual areas, had power points available for charging phones and laptops. These areas also have great views over the Eastern Suburbs towards the Adelaide Hills.
Overall, we had a nice stay and I would come back here again, but I was not as impressed as I thought I would be.
Yes, it was really only little things that I was critical of, but in such a well known hotel brand, I expect a higher level of service. I do acknowledge that Covid-19 has not helped the situation.
I am hoping that these things were all teething issues though, and over time things will improve.
Want to try out the Crowne Plaza Adelaide yourself? Click here for current prices and availability
Looking for things to do while you are in Adelaide? Here are some ideas
Adelaide 3 Day Itinerary
Kayaking with Dolphins in Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary
Best Adelaide Museums
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