Crowne Plaza Palo Alto

We stayed January 2-4, 2026, on the 5th floor by the stairwell, and the room was not relaxing at all. The room phone didn't work, so I called the front desk from my cell to ask about the shower, which wouldn't turn on, and the heat. The front desk woman said she was calling the engineer. Fifty-two minutes later, with no one there, we called again late in the evening. The clerk came up and got the shower working. We reminded her about the heat and the phone, which still couldn't call the desk. They later brought two electric heaters and kept saying the room had been remodeled. I told them the heating and electrical work seemed poorly done. In the early morning, the heaters tripped the circuits again, leaving half the room and the bathroom without power. We had to leave for an event, and the front desk said the engineer would fix everything. When we got back late that evening, the heat still wasn't working. The heaters were still there, so the heat and phone had never been fixed. The power went out again, and I woke up cold in the early hours with half the room and bathroom out of power. My son-in-law also reported the problems after my daughter and I got home, and he contacted IHG Hotels & Resorts. Where was the hospitality? I wouldn't recommend this location to friends or relatives. The front desk person seemed more interested in collecting $20 per night for parking than taking notes, even though I said they had my daughter's card.

The hotel is right in the heart of Palo Alto, near plenty of good restaurants, and about 40 minutes from SFO airport. Its conference facilities were very good, with large main rooms and smaller breakout rooms. Guest rooms were basic but clean, and housekeeping was thorough and on time. Service was good overall, including room service. The food arrived on time and tasted good.

The staff were nice, but there’s only so much they can do. The place is very old, with mold around the windows, old furniture, and smelly rooms. It looks like nothing has been done since around 1980. Even if it’s close to where you need to be, go a mile or two farther and find better accommodation. A simple no from me.

When I got my backpack back from the pool, my wallet was missing. I searched everywhere and spent the whole day looking, but the staff blamed me and didn't even try to help. Then they charged me a $115 late checkout fee and kept the $50 deposit, even though the room had barely been slept in and wasn't messy. Ridiculous. I'm never staying here again. Check-in was a mess too. The person at the desk seemed to have no idea what she was doing, maybe it was her first day, and it took two hours. The room was nice enough, but had no power adapters or USB ports. Most of the staff were friendly.