Crowne Plaza Basingstoke by IHG

After recently having our first child and with Covid still at large, the thought of going away seemed like an impossible task. But after stumbling upon an excellent Groupon deal for a two night stay including breakfast and dinner, we decided to take the plunge and booked our stay at the Crowne Plaza.

We received a very warm welcome upon check in (sorry as we didn't catch specific names) and the hotel itself is very stylish and modern inside. There is a large, spacious reception area with plenty of seating and TVs which is separate from the check in area. Our room was immaculate and has clearly been refurbished to a high standard with high quality fixtures and fittings as well as everything you could wish for.

It was the staff at the Crowne plaza that made our stay so special and they couldn't do enough to make our stay as comfortable as possible. We requested a travel cot, but when it was too big for our tiny son, someone turned up immediately to take it away. We forgot toothpaste and after contacting reception, a tube appeared as if by magic. The same thing happened when we requested some ice.

The restaurant is also spacious and modern and the restaurant staff were all very accommodating. We requested veggie sausages on the first morning and the lady remembered and asked us if we wanted them again on the second morning. There is a superb variety of hot and cold choices at breakfast as well as hot and cold drinks and fruit.

Dinners in the restaurant were equally great, the food was delicious and service was very attentive.

The location of the hotel couldn't be better for us as it was just a few minutes away from the town center and local parks and there was plenty of free parking.

Thank you to everyone at the Crowne plaza who made our first trip away with our little one such as an easy, pleasant experience.

Stayed at the crowne plaza Basingstoke for our wedding anniversary and honestly, I wish I could let you all know how much of a fussy person I am, I’ve stayed in a lot of hotels, and I’m very hard to please. This entire stay was FAULTLESS. I wish we stayed for more than just one night but what I do know is we will be back! The room was amazing, the best air con ever. The shower was unreal. We got dinner included with our stay, the restaurant was just DREAMY.. big shout out to Finlay who looked after us. Every restaurant needs a finlay, she was made for this job. So welcoming, chatty, bubbly, friendly, nothing was too much trouble. The food was the best food I’ve ever had at a hotel in the U.K. breakfast was the same.. it was so so nice to be able to have the buffet style breakfast again after so long being in lockdown and all the restrictions, to have some normality back just felt amazing. I could easily have stayed at this hotel for a week, it was just the best! Thank you so so much for the most amazing stay.

Had a lovely break at Crowne plaza hotel . Excellent value for money . Staff very helpful and efficient. Food was excellent and a good choice , afternoon tea worth having. Beds and rooms comfy and clean. Breakfast busy this morning less staff due to restrictions but they handled it well and worked hard . Well done all at the hotel . Will definitely stay here again .

We just got back from a weekend where we were as a family using the hotel for stay over for access to Peppa World. The staff were amazing. The resturant staff couldn't do anymore, providing examplarly service plus the food was very good. The front desk was great as well, helping us with every need.
The room suited us as a family of four, providing for a comfortable night's sleep. The only area for improvement we feel is that the noise from the corridor carried easily into the room, but that aside, thanks for a great stay.

Excellent place to stay, Great Customer service by Bella, Sam & Liam very helpful and made our stay more enjoyable. Room very clean, Food was excellent, breakfast was Good but as expected for a continental grab and go style. Rooms very comfortable and hallways very quiet.

Booked as part of paulton Park break for 1 night as a family of 4. Hotel doesnt look very well maintained from outside... old scruffy furniture...grass not great. Check in fine... room good but smelt of mill dew. We decided to eat at the hotel as had had a busy day. Main course food was good... desserts were poor as was the service...you dont start collecting plates whilst others are still eating... side orders didnt arrive and came only when we asked and nearly finished our meals. The restaurant wasnt busy and these things could easily be sorted out to improve the customer experience.
Would we stay again.. not sure...

Just got back from staying here 2 nights with a friend. We had the best time as our original break was cancelled due to covid. The staff were so helpful and friendly. The rooms were modern and even supplied wine glasses which is quite rare as you always have to ask normally. Blackout curtains, comfy beds and immaculate bathroom. We had afternoon tea, breakfast and dinner both nights. Absolutely stunning food the tempura prawns were tasty and had the duck and pork belly which were just as good. Food was fresh and always hot.
Location of hotel was good only 5 min drive into town where we tried out plush nightclub on the Friday night. As covid restrictions are still in place we were still able to go to a club environment drinking cocktails for £6 each and listening to great music. Was open until 3.30am which was amazing due to most places closing earlier still. Will definitely recommend and are go back again!

Nice hotel with excellent staff. Sam and her team on the front desk were always friendly and helpful, the bar staff are quick with there service and it’s a nice atmosphere in the bar area and the food was tasty. Room was clean and well kept. Will stay again

What a great hotel, always a friendly staff member on hand to help with all the necessary. Liam from the bar/restaurant always a friendly smile and the exceptional Samantha the front desk manager (she deserves a huge pay rise) totally professional and particularly helpful with all local knowledge readily offered with all we required. Would definitely stay again.

What service, the guys here go over and beyond! What makes a hotel is the staff and the staff work very well as a team, from the front desk to the maintenance guys, all happy to help! The rooms are very clean and comfortable with nice products and plenty of space.

Where it’s the bar staff or the girls on reception (the lovely Sam) you’re always made feel welcome here in the Crowne Plaza. The rooms are always clean and lovely. The morning breakfast and dinner luck are also a 10/10 would recommend to a friend.

Booked this place for an anniversary stay due to the reviews and a recommendation however, it was not what we hoped for.

Prior to visiting the place, I called in and spoke to reception (can't remember the name of the girl I spoke to) but they assured that a room with a bath has been allocated and something to mark the occasion would be done ( i was happy to pay) and would have a room in the quieter area.

However, none of it was arranged, and therefore upon arriving this had to be sorted out. Bad start - and what's even worse is the amount of dust that was found and for the fact my partner has a dust allergy due operation was not good at all - while the receptionist was adamant there's thorough cleaning as due to covid, alas I could see none of that.
Won't be booking this place in a hurry.

We booked a 2 night stay package deal with paultons park we have a 2 year old and a 4 year old on arrival the hotel is beautifully presented and we were greeted by a lovely lady called Bella and she’s straight away interacted with the kids asking them about their day. We asked to book dinner as soon as we could as kids were exhausted from day at peppa pig world and although dinner service is from 6 she advised she could request they make it for half 5 and we could pre order! The room is exceptionally clean and the air con was on so was beautiful to walk into after a very hot day! We had a lovely shower got changed and headed down for dinner.
On arrival to the restaurant 2 gentleman servers called Faxa (I really hope that is correct) and Daniel were immediately attending to our every need they were absolutely fantastic and my son Freddie took a liking to Faxa he was just great.
The food was absolutely delicious and we didn’t realise that kids ate free so the boys got a HUGE plate of dinner, ice cream and jelly and a juice for free but we would have been more than happy to pay £5.99 for this .. very reasonable.. nice surprise in paying that it was free though of course!
As big travellers my partner had the curry and he said it was exactly like the ones we had in Thailand, I had the chicken ceaser salad and it was beautifully fresh so hats off to the chef too!!
After dinner we had a drink in the garden we were served at the bar by Ellie and She was amazing very chatty and super friendly.
We travel a lot and have been to lots of hotels all over the UK this is our first night and by far one of the best we have visited and I think it’s definitely down to the staff and the yummy food of course!
We have booked in for dinner again tomorrow at 6pm and can’t wait!
Will be sad to leave this hotel for sure!!
Thank you all xxxx

We stayed here as part of a groupon deal and was not impressed.
The photos of the outside of the hotel on the website do not reflect the reality. It’s a lot more tired than advertised.
The outside seating is very tired and there’s a lot of unsightly out buildings around the hotel.
The carpet outside the room was taped down.
The room was fine inside but the view from the window was of overgrown bushes.
It feels more of a hotel used as a stop gap when travelling rather than the luxury break advertised and in need of done TLC in areas.
The food in the hotel was actually nice but again the restaurant is pretty dated.
In the morning there’s a long queue for breakfast and was only one person serving as well as making toast at the same time.
We had to ask for cups for coffee, bowls and milk for cereal etc

We booked here as part of a two night package through Paultons Park. It was about a 40 minute drive from the park but very convenient as it was right off the motorway. Having said that, you would never have known how close it was, it was very peaceful and quite secluded actually.
Check in was quick and simple,very friendly reception staff. We were able to change our dinner reservation with no hassle and the kids were given welcome activity packs which kept them entertained.
The room was spacious, comfy beds, great shower. The air con was particularly welcome on this stay as it was boiling outside. No bath, but the shower was so big there was plenty of space to bathe the children. The only annoying thing was that the shower entrance was right behind the door which made things a bit tricky but I'm but picking there.
The restaurant was nice and the food fine. One of the reasons we chose the hotel was due to the fact that the kids ate free. Kids meals were to a good standard. They also had the forethought to bring the kids meals out first which as gratefully received. They took a bit too long coming for our dessert order so we left it but rebooked again for the following evening.
Breakfast was better than I had expected. Good selection and good standard. Everything you would expect. Coffee machine broke on the first morning and still wasn't fixed the following morning but it wasn't a problem.
Dinner the following night was a slightly different experience. It was a lot busier and the staff just couldn't handle it. We waited 45 mins for our food. That was after waiting a good 15 mins before someone took our order. We saw numerous other customers going over to waiters asking to have their order taken or asking where their good was too. Indeed, the waiters seemed to never know which table they were going to, they just seemed to wander round with a tray of food or drinks and hope for the best!! The barmaid was particularly useless in this department! When the food arrived it was nice and the staff were friendly, I just think they were overwhelmed.
Overall, I would stay here again but perhaps not go to restaurant. Rooms were lovely and quiet.

It was a very warm welcome at reception. The hotel room that far exceeded expectations - extremely clean, huge and comfortable bed, large television and modern bathroom. Delicious dinner and breakfast and on both occasions staff were very friendly. Dinner staff could have been a little more informative in Covid times as we were often unsure of how to order etc. The gym was well equipped. Overall very positive.

We booked a package through Paultons Park. This hotel came up the cheapest but do not let that cloud your judgement. The receptionist was so welcoming, really lovely lady. She issued us with 2 free drinks vouchers for the kids and 2 free Lolly's.
The room is a lovely size, spotlessly clean and everything you need. The shower was lovely and warm and a good strength. They rooms are warm also.
We booked a table for dinner and we was given 15% off our meals and also kids under 12 eat free. This was another bonus. The waiter who took our order was lovely and food arrived out hot and very delicious. The chicken burger my husband had was huge and very tasty and I went for the rib-eye. I must say it was probably one of the best I have had. Kids enjoyed the meals also.
We had a lovely night sleep, no noise from outside or from the corridors.
TV in the room has a range of channels to suit every age group.
Breakfast this morning was so delicious. Continental and full English. The hot food was served to you (as we are still in covid) there was a good range of foods to offer. Tea, coffee, juices also.

As we are still in covid times we thought that they may have limited service but it was all done perfectly safe and we didnt feel like we missed out on anything.
We will 100% be visiting again.
A strong 10/10 from me

Xx

I have stayed here for thr last 5 months for work. Sam the south africian lady on reception has made my stay feel like coming home. Bogdan the food and beverage mamager no jos to smalk or big. The staff very friendly the rooms are spotless

Great room, location and staff. Truly appalling dinner. The menu has been reduced ‘due to covid’ and is room service only, so no steak but you can have a burger. Go figure. What hasn’t been reduced in spite of the fact that there is no washing up, no cleaning tables and no waiters, are the prices. There is also no mention of the fact that the food is served to your room in a cardboard box with a plastic knife and fork and a thin paper napkin. How depressing. I chose what I thought would be the best of a poor selection and had a chicken curry. It was presented with all the finesse of a maximum security prison buffet. A spoonful of rice forming a small island surrounded by a shallow sea of bland curry sauce, in which sat three or four pieces of chicken. It came with a microwaved naan bread that had hardened round the edges and a soft popadom. For this I was charged £16.50. I feel genuinely insulted but as I hadn’t eaten all day and to my shame, I ate it. It was food that provided energy and that’s the best I can say about it. Before dinner I felt good about this hotel and was already considering coming back here for pleasure rather than business. After dinner that idea disappeared like the steam from my rice would have done if it had been served hot enough to create steam, which it wasn’t.

I recently spent a mammoth 10-week stay in the hotel (for work), and was made to feel very at home throughout. The staff were all fantastic, especially Liam, Ellie & Sam (the friendly front-of-house team), and Tim (cooking up a storm in the kitchen, including some off-menu specials we requested!). Huge huge thanks to everyone involved...x