Crowne Plaza Hotel Irvine and OC Airport, Irvine, California
Hotel URL
Last Stayed On: June 2009
Constructed 1986 / Renovated 1999 Published Internet Rate: $111 / Priceline Rate $55
Orbitz Rating: 3 Stars / MC Rating: 
| Cleanness and Comfort | |
| Location and Parking | |
| Noise and Privacy | |
| Service and Attitude | |
| Amenities and Facilities | |
GENERAL
The Holiday Inn chain has wanted to position itself like a Starwood and Crowne Plaza is positioned to compete with Westin, or at least Sheration. The truth is that I've had SOOOO many disappointing experiences at Holiday Inns that I really no longer expect a lot from this chain - unless it's at a super good rate like through Priceline. This Crowne Plaza is really not comparable with the other hotels in the area - it downright needs a major facelift.
PRO
Great Location, Convenient Parking - Very close to Highway 5 and easily accessible from Irvine, Costa Mesa and the airport. Parking lot is big and seems to have plenty of space, probably because business is not that good.
Positive Service Attitude - Service is probaby one thing they can compete with Westin - staff is well-trained and courteous. They did mess up something - coding my room key to expire earlier than it should - but generally everyone's well trained and respond to situations politely and efficiently. Room service is worth mentioning because not only they turned around my last-minute order in 25min, they also made up for a mistake very quickly.
Value - At $55 via Priceline, just the location and big beds make this hotel the best value around. Any more than $60, you need to look harder elsewhere.
CON 
OOOOLD Look - I've seen lots of hotels with this look in the East Coast or South, but in Irvine? Never! I found on the web that it was built at 1986 and it looks a lot older than that. Maybe they tried to look classy in the european way, but the furniture, decorations and colors make the place look old and moldy - even though there's no bad odor. Combined with darkness, the place looks pretty depressing.
Lack of Attention to Detail - If they want to be a Westin, or even Sheraton, they need to stop putting coffemaker by the sink. I know it's convenient, but it's downright "underclass", makes the whole place look motelish. Other evidence of the owner's lack of attention to detail include a socket cover that fell off, absence of tea bags, a desk that is so big that with the chair it blocks half of the room space, bed sheets and comforters are WAY too old, and more....
OVERALL
There are some sites that rates this hotel 4-star. If you look at the size and facilities, maybe it is a 4-star; however, it is definitely NOT a 4-star considering its apparent signs of aging and quality. At any more than $60 I would say it's a rip-off because there are a TON of great hotels in this area, usually at very reasonable rates thanks to over-building back in the 80s. The Holiday Inn chain needs to work harder before they can raise their rates and win my business!!
Family-Friendliness Rating: (out of 5) Pro - You can get to Anaheim (can say Disney??) and other LA-area amusement parks pretty easily.
Con - Not much to do in or around the hotel for kids. Very basic facilities for families - basically a business hotel.
