Crowne Plaza Cleveland South - Independence

After a long drive down, we had dinner at the hotel. Our waitress was pleasant and attentive, and the burger and corned beef sambo with chips were pretty tasty. At breakfast, Shay Ann was funny and attentive, just the bright, breezy service you want in the morning. I had scrambled eggs and bacon, while Paddy chose the omelette. Clinton at the front desk was very friendly when he checked us in. Our room was large, clean, and comfortable. We also enjoyed the pool, which was heated to a perfect temperature, and the whirlpool was good too. We had a lovely stay.

The room felt filthy as soon as I walked in. It was very warm and had a foul smell, with brown stains on the carpet and walls and at least a dozen bugs on the desk. Caution tape covered the doors of about half the rooms. I went back to ask for another room, only to find the hotel’s other guest at the desk complaining about her dirty room too. I had waited 20 minutes with that guest before any employee came to the desk for check-in. The housekeeper said the manager had left and she wasn’t sure how to check us in, though she eventually worked it out. When I asked for a refund because the place seemed uninhabitable, I waited nearly an hour for the manager to return. She said she couldn’t issue a refund and offered another room instead. She wasn’t very polite and didn’t seem concerned about the condition of the hotel. I’d recommend a tent by the highway over staying at this “hotel.”

The hotel staff were friendly and tried to help, but it seemed like there wasn’t any cleaning staff. In our first room, soap was caked on the shower walls, the tub was dirty, the bedding was stained, the air felt stale, and one bathroom light didn’t work. The second room was better, though still not great. Outside, the grounds were neglected, with weeds and garbage everywhere, and the sign was missing. Aura Bistro is gone, there’s no breakfast at the moment, and the pools are being reconstructed.

The room had plenty wrong with it. The TV was off its wall mount and had no power, there was no nightstand on one side of the bed, and the shower wouldn’t work because the tub lever was stuck. The bathroom cabinets weren’t finished, the AC filter looked like it had never been cleaned, and we even found bugs in the bed. Getting into the room was a mess too. At the first room, the desk clerk gave us a key without telling or writing down the room number, so we had to ask. Then the key failed after 20-30 tries. My girlfriend went back for another key, which didn’t work either, and we ended up switching rooms. The new key worked. The next morning, while she was in the lobby and I was changing, someone let themselves into our room with a key without knocking. It happened again while she was getting ready. When she reported all this, they just said we should’ve gotten a different room. The front desk was average at best. Don’t waste your money here. 0/5 stars.