Crowne Plaza Hotel Fort Lauderdale Airport/Cruiseport by IHG

The hotel itself was nice, but the shuttle left us at the airport for two hours with our one- and three-year-olds. We called several times and were told traffic was to blame, even though other shuttle services came through more than three times during that wait. They said there was nothing they could do and suggested an Uber, but we couldn't take one without car seats. They offered no help or compensation, just a half-hearted apology.

This was one of the most frustrating hotel stays we've ever had. While we were at the airport waiting for our flight to Fort Lauderdale, my wife got a call from Crowne Plaza saying our prepaid reservation would be canceled at 5:30 pm unless we put another card on file. They said the card had been declined. We contacted Chase right away. The account had a zero balance, the card number was correct, and Chase confirmed the hotel hadn't even tried to charge it. My wife explained that to the hotel caller, who said not to worry, the room would be held, and we could sort it out on arrival. But when we got there later that night, at 10:30 pm, we were told the reservation was canceled and the hotel was full. There was no warning, solution, or accountability. Every other IHG property nearby was full too, so we were scrambling for somewhere to stay in an unfamiliar city late at night. I'm a loyal IHG credit card holder and Platinum Elite member, with millions of points earned since 2015. This was completely avoidable and handled with no regard for us. It was the final push to cancel my IHG card and take my loyalty to Marriott. We've contacted corporate and are waiting to see whether anything comes of it. We got incredibly lucky that Omni Hotel had a room, picked us up from Crowne Plaza, and gave us an outstanding experience. Anyone considering this hotel should seriously consider the Omni instead. This hotel let us down at every step when it mattered most.

The food was delicious, and everything was clean and comfortable. Staff were kind and welcoming throughout, including front desk staff and manager Clemencia. The free airport shuttle was so convenient. Catalina picked us up, was amazing, and shared helpful tips and lots about the city on the way. We had a wonderful stay at The Crown Hotel and would definitely come back.

My five-year-old daughter and I came for a family vacation and stayed three days and two nights. I was charged $75 after checkout because of orange juice and grapes spilled on the sheets. When I called, I was told housekeeping couldn't wash out the stains. I don't understand why I had to pay for bedding that could be washed. I also left bagged trash outside the door, since no one had come to clean the room during our stay. Housekeeping never serviced the room, despite my calling several times. My key card kept stopping work during the day and had to be reactivated, and I was locked out of the ice room. I sent in pictures to show what I thought housekeeping should have handled: washing the bedding and taking out the trash. I believe the cleaning crew didn't want to wash the sheets, made the bed with dirty ones, and charged me instead. It was a horrible experience for what was supposed to be a vacation.