Crowne Plaza Hotel

I am 49 years old, I have traveled throughout the U.S., Europe and Israel, and I HAVE NEVER STAYED IN A WORSE HOTEL. Avoid this hotel at all costs. Sleep in your car or a bus station, but do not stay in this hotel. At check-in the front desk informed me that our reservation was cancelled, and blamed me for the problem. When I produced the voucher provided by the travel agent, they told me the problem was now the agents fault. Our family, including two young childen, stood (or slept on the lobby floor) for 3 hours until we were finally given a room with broken glass all over the bathroom floor. When I reported the problem to the manager, he called me a liar. When we were given a new room, an upgrade, we found water leaking out of the bathroom light fixtures. When it was finally time to check out, the bell boy refused to bring our bags to the car, and finally when I demanded that they load the luggage, they literally threw the luggage at the car. The hotel staff, from the front desk to the bellmen, is horrible. STAY AWAY.

I stayed at the Crowne Plaza in May this year. The hotel is in a great location on the beach at the North End of Tel Aviv. In many areas the hotel could do with renovation, the rooms are average at best. There is a pool attached to the hotel but this is partially covered by a retracting roof so not great for sunbathing. I had some problems during my stay with the room rate, when I arrived the manager said the hotel was full and offered to upgrade us for an extra 100 shekel per night. When I checked out they had charged me an extra 100 dollars per night (on a 140 dollar per night rate!). It took me about 45 minutes to check out (after another manager had been called) and in the end I had to accept 50 dollars per night extra (I had no evidence of the agreement). Speaking with one of the check-in clerks it seems that tricks like this are quite common at this hotel. They are definitely off my preffered supplier list!

We didn't have the most auspicious of starts to our stay at the Crowne Plaza: first they told us they didn't do Friday night dinner at the hotel (a first for israel!) and then told us they were over-booked so couldn't book us for dinner. After a little Israeli-style negotiation, a reservation got made and the dinner - buffet style - was good, if pricey. The experience wasn't helped by the waiting staff clearing up around us and tryin to get the last tables of diners to leave so they could lay tables for breakfast. We had booked 2 rooms but got a 2-bed suite which was lovely; spacious, clean and just what a family needs. But the hotel looks and feels a bit tired and the pool is pretty average, as is the local environment around the hotel itself. Apart from the initial tiff, staff were friendly and the concierge was especially good and the hotel isn't expensive by Tel Aviv standards. Tel Aviv is a strange mix of fabulous, expensive buildings cheek by jowl with run-down villas and tenements, but there were more of these than I'd expected to the rear of the hotel. It's probably because it's at one end of the fabulous promenade which runs right up to Jaffa; the hotel would be better just a little further along, although it did mean the beach was quieter apart from the usual Israeli "ping-pong" players! Saturday morning is a must on the promenade, and the impromptu Israeli dancing there was lovely to see. We liked Tel Aviv a lot more than we thought we would and it's not too far to walk from the hotel to many of the best sights (and sites). Carmel Market is a must-see and about a half-hour walk from the hotel, much of it along the beach. If we came in peak season we'd probably stay elsewhere, as Tel Aviv is just too crazy, but the hotel was a good choice for a well-located and not too pricey stay on the beachfront in the "city which never sleeps".

Avoid this hotel at all cost. Sleep on the street first.

We spent one night at the Crowne Plaza in the middle of December. We checked in before 7am and much to our surprise we were allocated a room on arrival. We asked for a non-smoking Jaffa facing room with a view. We got a corner room with a sofa and plenty of room and a view, but is was a bit noisy and almost over the road. We manageed to switch room for one with no sofa but less noise and a better sea view! The hotel was busy but a good location for a walk on the beach and some nice restaurants and bars/coffee shops. The coffee shop in the lobby has great sea views and good coffee priced much as the beach restaurants. Breakfast was a bit hectic but a huge selection of food and again a nice sea view from the restaurant. In the evening we were in the room and chocolates were delivered for the pillow - even though we opened the door, the lady walked straight into the room and put the chocolates on the table!? They tasted good! So use the do not disturb sign at all times! A good stay for one night. The Rennaisance next door would have better views but can't comment on the rooms.

Last week I returned from spending four nights at the Crowne Plaza in Tel Aviv. These were my experiences: Room: Large, clean and comfortable. And I got my non-smoking request. I really liked the hardwood floors, which seems rare in Israel. Construction must be good because I didn't hear any walking from upstairs. The bed was very comfortable, but the bedspreed looks a little dated. My one request would be for a bed a little higher off the floor, with triple sheets/duvet. Nevertheless, the bed was comfortable. The hotel even gives you a pillow menu. Regular, hypo-allergenic pillows are standard. Bathroom: Lots of marble. Plenty of space for a travel kit. The tub/shower has a glass panel that prevents water from getting all over the floor. Shower pressure is good. They use high pressure nozzles that save water. Goodies included soap, shampoo and lotion. My room was cleaned every day. I didn't see any signs fo the previous occupant. That's exactly how it should be. There is wifi Internet access in the rooms. Unfortunately, the provider's arrangement with Boingo ended, so I was stuck paying additional money for access. The breakfast buffet was superb. There was little waiting in line for omlettes. This is the typical 5-star Israeli hotel breakfast. You can expect lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Location is right on the beach. Most of the nice hotels are on Hayarkon street. I didn't rent a car this time, but saw that they have plenty of parking (for a price). Lastly, the staff were friendly. They made arrangements for me to use the spa at their sister property on the Dead Sea. Highly recommended.

We really expected the worst after reading other reviews but were pleasantly surprised. People seem to take the time to write reviews when they have problems, a pity. We booked two deluxe suites and took the time to request high up rooms away from the road in advance. On arrival we were allocated room 1700. This is a suite and has two full rooms and bathrooms as well as a lounge with optional roll out bed. The room was great, well laid out and clean eneough. It was well equipped and everything worked fine. The view was outstanding. It was also quiet and we slept well. The hotel offers a "pillow menu" so you can request feather pillows or not which was great. They also offer shaving cream, blades etc free on request. The swimming pool and restaurant facilities are also great. Location is also excellent, right on the beach front and close to night life and restaurants. My kids did not want to leave, we would definately stay again. In conclusion I think it is a very nice hotel for the price, perhaps there is better but without actually staying in every hotel in Tel Aviv we will probably never know.

I had a great experience with this hotel. I switched to this hotel after being unhappy with another hotel nearby. I was a walk-in guest and was quickly accommodated by the general manager. He showed my family and I the rooms that were available and gave us amazing rates. This hotel is very clean, very modern and has a an amazing location ( right on the beach). Definately recommend this hotel!

I have been staying in hotels in Tel-Aviv for many years, both for pleasure and business. On occasion I stayed at the Crowne Plaza as well as other hotels nearby such as the Renaissance and Sheraton. Over the past 2 years it seems the hotel has taken a sharp turn for the worse. First for the good - though. The staff and food at the hotel restaurant were great. very attentive and produced a quality product. In my latest stay, even daily housekeeping was bad. The sheets were not changed every day, The bathroom was not clead thourghouly at all - I could tell the previous guest in the room was dark haired. The common areas also seemed poorly maintained. What was worse - when the light went out in my bathroom it took 2 days to repair! And it seemed no one cared. I had to go up the chain of command until finally it was fixed. Another collegue of mine had a flood in his room which was not handled until the next day and even then it was not repaired fully. He was not offered alternate accomodations or compensation. The Crowne Plaza was much better 2 years ago when I stayed there last and has now reach the bottom. I would put it on par with a 3* hotel not a 5*.

A hotel that tells you the general manager does not speak to guests obviously has problems. Overall it needs renovation and is dirty. The sheets barely fitted the bed so if you move around at night you will be sleeping on the mattress. It was never made properly. They gave priority to a group they had in so for each breakfast we were consigned to a dingy ballroom instead of the pleasant restaurant. On one day we were refused lunch as they had no space. The curtain rail had a large gap in the middle so the curtains did not close fully and we were woken up in the morning by the bright sun. Before this at 3am we were woken by a noisy motor in the airconditioning starting up for 15 minutes even though we had switched it off. The staff were amateurish and unfriendly There were many other problems that were never resolved and they do not care.