REVIEW | Crowne Plaza Bratislava

Autumn 2021. In theory we could travel to other continents, but destinations we had in mind such as Japan or the United Kingdom were impossible to plan ahead. Instead we organised a rail trip to Eastern Europe, travelling to Berlin, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Karlovy Vary, Pilsen, Bratislava, Poprad, Vienna, Linz and Salzburg. By travelling to Germany, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Austria, we explore an area which was in the (not too distant) past bonded together by the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and by Austria-Hungary.

After our trek across Czechia on CD and Regiojet we arrived at the Slovak capital of Bratislava. It wasn’t my first visit to the city, as I visited it on a day trip from Vienna before, but it would be my first overnight here. We selected the Crowne Plaza because it offered a central location and it allowed me to burn off some of the IHG points I collected over the years. It is located across from the presidential palace, a 15 minutes’ walk from the main station and just at the entrance of the old town.

The hotel is a typical big late 90’s, early 2000’s business hotel. We entered the eerily empty hotel lobby for check in at about 19:30 on a Sunday evening and where checked in immediately by the sole but friendly and cheerful agent on duty. She managed to assign us a room with separate beds and explained us everything we needed to know.

The bedroom itself was also a typical late 90’s, early 2000’s business hotel affair. It had two single beds, with a slightly hard mattress for Timothy’s liking. A desk in the corner and a sole sofa with a coffee table. In the entrance there is a closet with the empty minibar and a kettle to make coffee or tea. There were also two complimentary bottles of water.

The bathroom was a slightly small affair with a toilet tucked away in one corner, the sink in the middle and a bath tub at the other side. The shower is not really a handy solution as the showerhead is too low for me to fit under, so best just have a bath.

As we arrived relatively late, we decided to have dinner at the hotel. By the time we arrived at the room it was 19:50 yet the restaurant closed at 20:00, so we decided to quickly order room service before that closed at 20:00 too. Both very early closing times for an international hotel. We ordered a cheeseburger and a very classic club sandwich (it doesn’t get much more room-service like than that) accompanied by a bottle of sparkling water. The food was exactly as you would expect it, good and tasty but not exceptional.

In the morning the buffet was served in the (oversized) restaurant. The buffet was spread out nicely with some choices. The waffles where delicious.

The fitness and wellness are located on the first floor. The fitness is well equipped, enough choices for equipment and weights. There were also signs for a pool but this appeared to be closed.

All in all the Crowne Plaza Bratislava gave a very typical Crowne Plaza experience. Exactly what you would expect, but nothing more. It is due for a proper refurbishment in the coming years however as it is starting to look outdated. A nice gimmick was that they changed the carpets in the elevators to tell you which day it is.