josmon10

I've just received the latest newsletter from Hotels Plaza Andorra (the group that owns the Crowne Plaza, the only ICG hotel in the country), and according to it, the hotel has been refurbished and will become a Holiday Inn as of December 1.

This hotel was formerly a HI, and in fact they never really took the Holiday Inn sign away, as you can see here:

http://hotelcrowneplaza.andorramania.com/

It was crying out for a refurbishment, and in fact earlier this year an Andorran friend of mine who works in the bathroom business submitted an offer for new equipment. However, they weren't working on it when I stayed there last June.

When they upgraded it to a CP a few years back, I always thought that it was because every hotel of the chain has the Plaza name (Plaza, Carlton Plaza, Crowne Plaza...) and it was a nice coincidence. But why should it be downgraded to a HI after such an investment? And the other strange thing is that as a CP it is a 5* hotel, and the new HI will also be a 5* property according to what I've read. I can't think of any other HI around the world like that, but then again, things may work differently in Andorra.

It's still bookable as a CP on priorityclub.com though...

Do you know of any similar downgrades within the ICG?

nicolas75

The former IC Zurich, which has nothing IC (dated accomodations, tiny rooms and remote location) is now CP after refurbishment.

nicolas75

If you check in on 30th November and check out on 1st December, does it count for two hotel brands for the X4 promo?

IHG Service

Dear Nicolas75,

No it would not be counted as 2 hotels. One stay, one hotel.

Regards,
Brenda J.
IHGCare

stimpy

This is somewhat surprising. I wonder if it is based on average rates? The hotel is definitely well above HI level. But in the off season it is super cheap.

camsean

Many years ago, when it first re-branded from an independent hotel The Crowne Plaza Terrigal, Australia was known as the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza.

I never knew why that was either.

soitgoes

That was the brand when it was first introduced--a type of Holiday Inn.

yann

Sorry to revive this old thread, but I couldn't find another thread dedicated to this hotel and I have a question.

Can anyone tell me how difficult/expensive it is to park outside the hotel in the summer?

The 22€ per day price point seems a bit steep.

Thanks,
Yann

stimpy

There are two or three different municipal garages right near the hotel. In fact it is kind of underneath the hotel. Although you access it a block away by car, you can walk upstairs to a door that is about 50 meters left as you walk out the hotel door. I can't recall the exact price but I don't think it was €22 for 24 hours. And if you take the car out like 20 hours after you drop it off, it would probably be much less as they go by hour.

There are free street spots around the hotel, but those seem to be fully occupied at most times. And I'm not sure of the overnight rules. What you should do is park right in front of the hotel on arrival, as that is a hotel loading zone, then ask them to point out to you where the public garage is. They will be happy to help. My SUV doesn't fit in the hotel garage anyways with the ski box on the roof so I had to use the public garage.

craigthemif

IIRC I have had my rental car towed for overnight parking in the wrong place on the street near the HI, and maybe not putting enough money in the meter.

It's been a couple of years, but I recall parking for free on the main road out of town - on Google maps it seems to be called CG-1 / Avda de Salou - but that is not the most convenient for the HI. That said, you will only need the car when heading out of town for skiing or hiking.