Crowne Plaza Hotel Hickory by IHG

About $1,500 worth of our belongings were stolen from the room during our Thanksgiving trip. The door was supposed to be locked, and we had a Do Not Disturb sign up. We filed a report with Hickory PD, but the hotel gave us no meaningful help figuring out how it happened. Management distanced itself from the matter and said its insurance wouldn’t cover the loss. During the police investigation, management told us the electronic key system was unreliable. Law enforcement confirmed there was no working way for the hotel to check access logs and see who entered guest rooms. In other words, they couldn’t tell who might have accessed our room while we were out or asleep. Despite knowing about the issue, leadership has taken no visible steps to fix it. Jackie Leufkens, the general manager, was extremely unprofessional throughout the process. She avoided emails, gave no updates, and used other employees as go-betweens. She never answered basic questions. The lack of transparency, urgency, and concern for guest safety was shocking, and the theft overshadowed what should have been a relaxing trip. Guests expect their rooms to be private and secure, but this hotel can’t confirm who enters them or offer accountability. There are multiple safer hotels nearby that take security seriously. I strongly recommend looking elsewhere.

The staff were polite, and at check-in we even got a small baggie with lance crackers and chocolate kisses as a thank-you. But this was a disappointing weekend for antique shopping with my wife, and I’m still hoping to escalate the complaint until someone contacts me about the photos and hears what happened. I travel for work and have hundreds of thousands of points with other chains. I wish I’d used them. We made the best of the weekend, but I learned the other chains run circles around this one. It might suit company meetings, but not an average couple looking for a couple nights away. The security protocols were a joke too. I booked through the IHG app for about $220 a night. At check-in, there was no sign saying the desk was unattended, and we waited about five minutes for the woman to arrive. My debit card, which works everywhere else, kept declining. I used another card to get started, and my bank said the issue was on the hotel's end. We were given room 2060, a suite with enough space for my wife and me to work without being on top of each other. But marijuana smell was strong in the parking lot, up the outside stairs, in the corridor, and inside the room. We took our things back to the car and moved to room 1027. It was tiny, dated, and a letdown for the price. When I asked, the woman said 2060 was the only suite in the whole hotel, although there are apparently many “suites.” We ended up in a room smaller than what other chains offer for less than half the cost, right next to a suite. After driving all day, we decided to settle in and contact someone in the morning. The toilet had water dripping onto my neck and back from an open ceiling panel above it. The shower did have hot water and good pressure, but the fridge made noise all night, and I was too wound up to sleep. At breakfast we were repeatedly told we needed a coupon or had to pay. The IHG app didn’t mention this, nor had anyone told us at check-in. The woman also said it wasn’t explained in the app. The room photos aren’t accurate either, and they know it. I left a message for the GM, Jackie, hoping she might meet me while I was there, but never heard back. No surprise. I’m sure the response to this review will be some routine message.

First time here. The indoor pool was warm and nice, and the room was comfortable and pet-friendly. The bar service was disappointing, though. The menus looked good, but the bartender said he was filling in at the last minute and didn’t know how to make most of the drinks.

My sister booked a block of rooms at Crown Plaza for friends and family coming to her lovely backyard wedding, and I’m glad she chose it. The food was delicious and plentiful, the lobby coffee was fresh, and the Lobby Bar was well stocked. Employees went out of their way to keep us comfortable, and the hospitality was amazing. My only wish is that the toilet were chair height, since it seemed very low. Everything else was better than perfect, and I’d highly recommend it.