Crowne Plaza Bandung Review

I selected the Crowne Plaza Bandung for this review for its good location, low rate and reputation for being far above brand standard.

The Crowne Plaza is located close to the Bandung downtown area - just two blocks from the Masjid Raya Bandung (the Grand Mosque), the bustling heart of the city on a weekend night.







Upon arrival, I was escorted up to the 16th floor for check-in at the Executive Lounge. The staff could not have been friendlier but my check-in would still take 40 minutes and my room wasn't ready at 5PM. The wait was worth it, though!

The Junior Suite struck me as perfect - much more at a Hyatt level than a Crowne Plaza. To begin with, it was huge, had a fantastic layout and everything worked just it should.









The bed was nice and firm and the curtains blocked out the light completely. The view from the window was all across Bandung.







The bathroom was also huge and the rain shower had great pressure.



Two things annoyed me, though - the Internet and the AC. The Internet was too slow at just 1 Mbit, which is just one tenth of the brand standard.The AC was strong but there was no way to minimize the fan or the cold air. Without AC, the room was too hot at night but when switched on, I found it too cold and there was way too much of a draft.

The hotel has a full nightclub on the 23rd floor and a restaurant on the 22nd floor; both looked a bit tired. There is a great-looking swimming pool on the 5th floor (Bandung rarely gets hot enough to use it, though) and a gym.







The gym only has basic equipment. I never saw another person there during my stay, so it seems that it is not an important feature of the hotel.

The Executive Lounge on the 16th floor looks great but the evening happy hour is just that - a feast for your eyes. Most items are inedible and I dare you to eat any of it.

















There were just 3 beers in the cooler (I never saw any less or more!) as well as one white and one red wine.

The hotel posts rates of around $65 for most nights, which is high for Bandung. The Junior Suite is a lovely room (you should get one with Platinum status) and the location is walking distance to the business and living center of the city.

However, don't expect edible food here; instead, walk over to Sushi Tei for dinner or to one of the many excellent coffee shops in Bandung.

You can book the Crowne Plaza Bandung here.