Crowne Plaza River Oaks

I rarely leave negative reviews, but our stay at the Crowne Plaza was one of the most frustrating hotel experiences I’ve had. On our first night, both the toilet and the bathroom sink in our room were clogged and completely unusable. We immediately contacted the front desk, expecting understanding and a quick solution. Instead, the staff showed very little empathy and initially refused to move us to another room, insisting that maintenance would fix the problem. Maintenance came to our room and tried to repair both the toilet and sink but couldn’t fix either issue. Only after maintenance confirmed the problems couldn’t be resolved did the front desk finally agree to move us to a different room. Unfortunately, the problems didn’t end there. On the second night, after returning late from an event, we walked into our new room and found that the air conditioning had completely stopped working. The room was hot and uncomfortable. We immediately called the front desk, hoping they would move us to another room. Instead, they refused to move us again and told us there was nothing they could do because a maintenance technician would not be available until the next morning. We were expected to spend the entire night in a hot room with no air conditioning. After such a difficult night, I asked if we could have a late checkout since it was nearly impossible to sleep in those conditions. Unfortunately, that request was also denied, which was especially disappointing given everything we had already experienced. A functioning bathroom and air conditioning are basic expectations when staying at a hotel. While I understand that maintenance issues can happen, what made this experience so disappointing was the repeated lack of urgency, empathy, and customer service from the front desk. At every step, it felt like we had to fight just to receive a room with basic amenities that worked. I expected much better service from a Crowne Plaza. I hope management takes these concerns seriously and improves both the maintenance of the property and the way guests are treated when problems arise.

Most of my hotel stays have always been a very memorable good experience, except for this one. When I arrived at this hotel, the lady at the counter was sweating with a fan beside her which should have signal to me that something was wrong, but I still went on against my intuition to book my stay at this hotel. When I got into my room with my family after two hours, we noticed that the room was beginning to be hot and unbearable. The temperature on the thermostat was 88°F., at this point, I called the front desk and reported that the room was very hot and that were sweating profusely, to my surprise, there was no sympathy from the hotel Staff and I was told that they are working on the unit. They needed me to give them about an hour to fix it . So I waited and after one hour, it was becoming unbearable at 93 degrees and difficult to breathe for myself and my kids, and especially for my spouse who had a health issue. And at this time, we had all taken off our clothes and fanning ourselves with magazines. But then when I called the hotel Staff, she rudely told me to check out if I wanted and that I will get a refund and she hanged up the phone. I proceeded to pack our things and check out of the hotel and during checkout I received no apology, but rather blatantly told my checkout is completed and I was free to go. We had to drive around in the car for another hour and 30 minutes, trying to find a hotel and calling the IHG staff to help us in the process to locate a hotel in a city where we are not familiar with. The Crown Plaza Medical Center, Galleria should be closed down and worked on because it is very wrong to knowingly bring in guest to the hotel knowing that the air-conditioning system is not working in Texas where the weather is very hot and the staff should be trained to show empathy when things are not working in the hotel. This is by far, the worst experience I have had in hotel travel and as a result, I would never recommend nor use Crowne plaza hotel again. It’s really sad that hotels overseas are more hospitable and staffs are more friendly and welcoming than what I see here in the United States.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had an outstanding experience at the Crowne Plaza in Houston! The hotel was clean, comfortable, and the staff made me feel welcome from the moment I walked in. A special thank you to Tank at the front desk. He provided some of the best customer service I've experienced in a long time. He was friendly, professional, knowledgeable, and genuinely eager to help. He made the check-in process seamless, answered all my questions with a smile, and went above and beyond to ensure I had everything I needed for a great stay. Employees like Tank make all the difference. His positive attitude and dedication to guest satisfaction truly stand out and reflect exceptionally well on the hotel. I highly recommend this Crowne Plaza to anyone visiting Houston, and I look forward to staying here again!