This is the copy of the email I have sent to the CP Zurich Manager, and the arrogant answer I have got :

Von: nicolas75
Gesendet: Montag, 2. Juni 2008 18:52
An: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Betreff: Crowne Plaza Zurich : the quality of a (bad) Holiday Inn Express in a former InterContinental hotel
Wichtigkeit: Hoch


Dear Sir,

I have just stayed at the Crowne Plaza Zurich and was badly surprised by the very poor quality of your Hotel, and really I cannot understand how this property could have been previously an InterContinental hotel.

The renovated "superior" room are 18 sqm large and offer the level of comfort of a Holiday Inn Express (no bathtub, baby desk, tiny open wardrobe).

The air conditioning does not work properly.
Some TV programmes have no tune.

The hotel is located in the middle of nowhere, between two automobile garages.
The courtyard view is on an ugly bus garage.

The window was so dirty that it may have not been cleaned since a long time.

The housekeeping let the door open after having cleaned the room, so that anybody could get into my room.

I was disturbed twice early in the morning by the housekeeping, despite the “do not disturb” sign hang on my door.

Breakfast was medium quality, and the service was just terrible. Guests are asked to wait to be seated, but the staff supposed to welcome prefers speaking with some other colleagues rather than welcome you. And customers may not expect to have their table cleaned or tea served.

The premises of the fitness centre are in bad conditions, and look like a Romanian hotel in the 70’s. There is neither soap nor shampoo in the shower. The sauna was out of order.

The final touch: the shuttle ordered at 6.00 pm (as indicated on the voucher) was mistakenly programmed at 6.30pm.

For all these reasons, the Crowne Plaza Zurich does not reach in any way the very basic level of quality Royal Ambassador Platimum guests may expect from an IHG hotel.

Best regards

nicolas75

_________________________________________________
De: Kistler, Stephan [mailto:[email protected]]
Date: mar. 03/06/2008 17:02
Ŕ: nicolas75
Cc: [email protected]; Schwab, Ellen; Deutsch, Michael
Objet : AW: Crowne Plaza Zurich : the quality of a (bad) Holiday Inn Express in a former InterContinental hotel

Dear nicolas75,

Greetings from Zurich!

Since it is our philosophy to constantly improve all details of our hospitality and to make our guest's stay as enjoyable as possible we appreciate that you took the time to inform us about your experience during your stay with us.

We are very sorry to hear that our rooms did not meet your expectations.

In fact on 01st November 2007 we have started a major renovation process for 240 rooms, which has been finished only on your arrival day, 31st May 2008.

We apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced, such as the not cleaned windows - this has been scheduld after the termination of the renovation process - and the technical issues.

(While renovating the rooms, we have decided to furthermore implement new systems as well and therefore we have faced several challenges during this implementation.)

Again we sincerely apologize should this have had an impact on your stay.

Our team has been working and training hard behind the scenes for the past couple of weeks to be prepared for the presentation of the new wing and in addition our new technical equipment.

This should certainly not justify the unacceptable attitude of the service staff you encountered and

should be no excuse for the serious issue you addressed while your room has been cleaned.

These comments have also been reviewed in our daily briefing, where it has been re-emphasized with our Housekeeping and Food & Beverage department. Our management staff will address the important security issues and lack of service directly to the involved staff.

As you have mentioned the mistakenly arranged shuttle service we did verify this reservation with our external shuttle service and have been informed that the shuttle has been ordered correctly for 06:00pm, however, as the shuttle was in traffic and about to arrive to late, our Front Desk Team decided to arrange a taxi for you, which has left the hotel at 06:10pm.

Dear nicolas75, once again, thank you for providing us with your constructive comments and giving us the opportunity to improve. We understand that the renovation is not only challenging for our employees, but also for our guests, therefore the rates during the renovation have been set accordingly.

Kindest regards

Stephan Kistler
General Manager