But we're not really interested in those so I'll just be reviewing our room and maybe a few things about the hotel in general.
The Room
We were given the Deluxe Room on the 26th floor.
 |
| Our room is located at the end of the corridor. |
When we opened the door to our room, the first thing I noticed was the closet adjacent to the door. Inside the closet is an in-room safe, which we didn't bother tinkering with because we really don't have anything to put in - my laptop doesn't fit in it. Beside the closet is a wooden rack where we placed our luggage.
Further into the room, my attention was shifted to these two double beds. They have Posturepedic mattresses according to their website - soft enough to be comfortable but also firm enough to provide back support. The bed linens were clean and pillows were fluffy.
Opposite the beds are two one-seater sofas with coffee/tea-making set. This is where hubby worked, because the LAN port is behind that curtain on the left. Not all rooms have Wi-Fi access so we requested a LAN cable to be able to connect to the Internet. Their LAN internet connection is fast and stable.
Beside the two sofas, also fronting the bed, is a 24-inch cable TV. For a hotel of this type, they should have already upgraded to LCD TV. Cable reception was also spotty and there aren't many channels to choose from.
 |
| Excuse our clutter. Because the TV is small, watching from the bed felt too far so we sometimes move the sofas in front of the TV to see better. |
I feel like the room could use more lighting. During the day, we could always keep the curtains open to let more light into the room. But at night, the only thing we could do is keep all lights on, and they're still not enough. Also, it looks like the curtains have not been replaced for a long time. They need a good wash already.
Another thing I thought they missed: pair of bedroom slippers. I had expected that this is a must-have in most hotels so we didn't bring any. We used our outdoor sandals instead, which isn't exactly comfortable to use inside the room.
The bathroom is not very big but spacious enough. It is clean although some tiles look old and worn out already. On one side, there's the sink with toiletries, hair dryer and electric sockets.
On the other, there's the bathtub and toilet. The towels are not the softest but they're clean and thick.
The water takes a while to heat up so we usually leave the shower open for a few minutes, until the water is warm enough to our liking. There's no hot water in the sink though.
It would've been better if the toilet is fitted with a handheld spray for when you're doing business no. 2. Other people are okay with using just tissue paper, but I have to wash with soap and water, and it's just a bit icky to do it inside the tub, and use the tub later for bathing.
Overall, despite some minor complaints, I find the room provisions to be adequate (but not outstanding) and I think we were given a good room, especially with a view like this:
 |
| View of the city with mountains in the background |
 |
| View at night |
The hotel is on a busy street and there are many hospitals nearby so don't expect a super-silent stay. Wailing sirens is a common background music. But the noise is tolerable for us and we weren't really disturbed.
Other Hotel Amenities
Crown Regency Hotel and Towers Cebu offers a wide variety of amenities and recreational services. But the only thing we were able to check out was the outdoor pool at the 9th floor (and I don't even have a picture of it). To us, it looked narrow and small, and not tempting enough to lure us to take a dip. There's a an outdoor Jacuzzi though that I wanted to try but I didn't bring my swimwear and was too lazy to go back to the room (2 elevator rides) to get it.
They also have a convenient store at the back of the hotel, where we bought some snacks to bring inside the room. As for dining, I listed a few places to eat that other bloggers have recommended, and chose to hop in a taxi and visit these rather than eat in one of the in-house restaurants (due to not so good reviews). So I can't comment on the foods served in the hotel.
And then there's the lobby.
When we first entered the hotel, there's a short, narrow hallway that leads to the front desk and lobby area. Front desk is also rather small for a hotel that offers 300 rooms and a number of facilities that are open even to non-hotel guests. I can imagine how crowded and inefficient it will be on a busy day.
 |
| The lobby looked cramped even when it's empty. |
Another thing I noticed were the "marketing tables" - at least 3 desks filled with Club Ultima and Crown Regency flyers and vouchers - which made the whole area look more crowded than it already is.
And speaking of Club Ultima, read my review here.
The Service
Check-in and check-out were pretty fast. But after checking in, we were left on our own. In most hotels that we've stayed in, even in the budget hotels, they will at least ask someone to bring us to our room, and often they will even assist us with our bags. After the reception officer gave us our key cards, she pointed us to the elevator . We were left to figure out the way to our room; figure out the elevators - there were 2, the first one only reaches up to the 19th floor, so we need to transfer to another that will bring us to the 26th floor; figure out the floor layout; and lastly, figure out how to operate everything in our room. Good thing that everytime we call front desk for assistance, they send someone promptly.
I assume they do housekeeping everyday because during our 2nd day, someone came and ask if we want to have our room cleaned. They, of course, cleaned the room, made the bed but did not replace the sheets, cleaned the bathroom, replaced the towels and replenished the toiletries and bottles of water.
The Verdict
Crown Regency Hotel and Towers Cebu is a nice and decent hotel located at the center of the city. It's an above average accommodation and although there were a few misses, these were very minor which did not mar our stay. I particularly like the bed, the view from our room and the fast LAN internet connection. Location-wise, it's near Robinsons Mall and Larsian (where you can eat barbeque for Php5.00) but far from other malls like Ayala Center and SM. I also like the idea that you can do a lot of things inside the hotel, but if you want to go somewhere, you can easily hail a cab outside. Whether you're looking for a good place to stay, or to experience some city-adventures, you should check out Crown Regency Hotel and Towers Cebu.
Crown Regency Hotel and Towers Cebu
Phone No: (032) 418-8888
No comments:
Post a Comment