My girlfriend and i stayed here on feb 29th for 1 night. We had an excellent stay here with friendly staff on hand to ensure our stay was a pleasant one. The room was lovely with everything we needed and a mini bar which was stocked. we dined in the restaurant which served a 3 course buffet and an a la carte menu. The value was really good and the only thing about the hotel was the smoking area outside as it was cold and our robes could have been fluffy.

We stayed here on the 9th Feb 2008 and I have to say I was really dissappointed with the Club Room. I booked this for my husbands birthday and after having stayed in a standard room previously as it was a special occasion I decided to book a club room, which in the in room literature it decribes it as being a more comfortable room with snacks and access to the club lounge.

The room we stayed in was exactly the same as a standard room with the only difference being a flat screen TV, I don't know about you but for me that doesn't make the room more comfortable!!! Apart from feeling a little ripped off with the the fact we didn't get this more comfortable room, the rooms are nice, could be finished a little better we had wallpaper peeling off beside the bed and above the main mirror in the room.

Then there was the problem with the Club Lounge!!! This hotel has 2 floors of club rooms the 15th and the 16th, the club lounge is on the 15th floor with only 4 tables, yes 4 tables. We tried to get into the lounge about 6pm on the Saturday night however as you can imagine with only 4 table is was full, we then asked if we could take a drink back to our room only to be told that you can't take drinks out of the lounge. For me one of the main points of booking a club room was so we could go somewhere quiet for a drink before going out for our meal however this was far from the case not only was it full it was also full of children running around and screaming at each other!!! We did try again at 7pm and it was still full and then again at around 7.30 when we eventually got in. I did complain to the hotel on both counts and was told that all rooms are of the same standard (strange when the literature suggests a different thing and the reason for the lounge being so busy was they has a 200 people dinner dance on and the hotel was busy - I suggest this is not my problem if the hotel offers this service then it should be large enough to cope with at least 50% of guests using it as any one time the did refund half of the upgrade cost however by that point it had already wasted our stay.)

The location of the hotel is really good for the SECC and doesn't cost much in a taxi to get into the city centre - however after my last stay I won't be back.

This hotel is a good standard 'corporate' facility, my main beef is that the website gives no indication that it is entirely non-smoking, including all bedrooms. Room availability sometimes states that rooms are non-smoking, others come up with a 'no preference' symbol next to them and in my naivety I had assumed these are smoking rooms, particularly as the website asks the booker to state a preference for smoking or non-smoking accommodation.

If you are non-smoking hotel, fine - but tell me in advance and I will book elsewhere.

Also, watch out for the 'breakfast included' rates. When I booked (two rooms, each with single adult occupancy) I could have had the rooms only for £89.00 each, with breakfast this rose to £109.00. On arrival, there is a sign on the front desk offering upgrades to include breakfast for £10.00 per person. The receptionist seemed a bit nonplussed when I objected to paying £40.00 for breakfast for two persons but after disappearing into the back shop, did agree to regrade us to room only + £20.00 for the breakfasts.
The hotel also charges £5 for resident parking, another pet peeve of mine and a growing trend in the hospitality industry. I am further concerned that for this particular venue, it may sometimes be impossible to find parking there, as their car park also allows non residents to park there - I can imagine that this might be problematic when there is a big event on at the SECC next door - having spent the best part of an hour getting out of the SECC car parks post event, I can imagine that there must be seasoned attenders who might think it quicker to use the hotel car park for a more speedy escape. Otherwise, rooms are fine, some nice touches such as bathrobes and a couple of free bottles of mineral water, but not exactly cutting edge for a hotel in this price bracket. Breakfast (on a Sunday morning) was a bit chaotic, a self service buffet, but the chef managing the stand seemed to wait until items had actually run out before going for replenishments, so lots of hold ups while people hung on at the front of the queue for a slice of bacon, or an egg to arrive. The 'continental' option is a joke - half a dozen slices of cold meat and a selection of small cheese portions which included such continental classics as Philadelphia, the Laughing Cow and Babybels - the sort of '5 for £1' cubes that supermarkets sell. Room service, as usual, is a rip off - £7.95 for an egg and cress sandwich + £2.00 more to deliver it, but this hotel is hardly alone in that respect. All in all, I won't be back because of the smoking policy, but excellent location for the SECC and a reasonable standard overall for the price.

We have been to to the Crowne Plaza for the last two years on New Years Eve, and have thoroughly enjoyed both events. The rooms are well equiped, and very comfortable.

Yes the lifts can be frustrating, but a little patience helps especially when it is so busy.

The same applies with the bar area, but the staff are very friendly, despite being extremely busy.

In respect of the function itself, we were spoiled in the first year, with a fantastic event and you couldn't fault anything. The manager even gave us a bottle of champagne as it was our wedding anniversary. The 2nd year, was not quite up to the same standard, and it was unfortunate that the power tripped at midnight, but it was outside the hotels control and we would thoroughly recommend this hotel to anyone wanting to have a good time.