I have traveled countless times to the Heidelberg area on business and for a personal trip, I picked my favorite hotel in town: The Crowne Plaza! It’s in walking distance from the pedestrian area in the old town, has modern rooms, a great pool & wellness area and a breakfast you don’t want to miss! With service improvements and upgrades to the rooms there was nothing to complain and we had a great stay – again!
Location: The Crowne Plaza is located a 5 minute walk from the pedestrian area in the old town, with its winding cobblestone streets, many shops, restaurants and bars. During the holiday season there are multiple Christmas markets within a 15 minutes stumble walk. Multiple tram lines run nearby and you are two stops from the long-distance train station to take you anywhere in Germany. The bus to Frankfurt Airport stops in front of the hotel and the ride is about 1hour. If you have a rental car, it’s easy to find and there is parking in the (tight) basement garage with entrance on the back of the hotel.
Service/Rewards: The service used to be my only issue with the Crowne Plaza, often delivered in cold, German professionalism and I was delighted to see it improved. We were welcomed with a friendly smile and a warm welcome. The front desk had our reservation ready, my IHG Rewards Platinum Elite status was acknowledged and we even received a room upgrade – something that rarely happened in many years of regular visits!
Housekeeping was quick and thorough each day and all supplies were appropriately restocked. The restaurant staff was also on top of their game and kept tables cleared and the buffet filled.
While I found service in Germany to usually be polite and professional, the friendly delivery at the Crowne Plaza was certainly above average!
Room: We were upgraded to a King Executive Room with a large and very comfortable bed. The room has a sitting area with a big chair and small table, a large glass work desk with a task chair, a console for the flat screen TV, a luggage bench and a wardrobe with plenty of storage space. The room is held in beige/brown tones, but some splashes of red in the artwork, lamps, chair and bed throw make for a fresh and modern feel!
There is a laptop size safe and a pod coffee maker – which makes great coffee, a much appreciated feature of the Executive rooms!
The bathroom has a large sink in countertop with lots of space for your toiletries and a large wall-to-wall mirror on one side, the toilet in the center and a shower-over-bathtub on the other side. It has a curtain that’s see-through in the upper portion for more light and hung on a curved rod for more space. The white floor tiles and brown marble looked nice enough and everything was in good condition and squeaky-clean!
The Crowne Plaza provides a full set of toiletries in little plastic bottles – in contrast to the dispensers you’ll find in most German hotels.
Amenities/Restaurant: One of the best features of the Crowne Plaza is the beautiful wellness area. It’s vaguely Roman inspired with columns and wall art, has a large pool, whirlpool, sauna and steam room as well as a quiet room. There are plenty of loungers around the pool to relax as well. They have a bar and restaurant as well, so you don’t even have to leave for a snack or drink! 
It is open to the public (for a fee) and can get busy on weekends. Oddly, there is a small fee for the use of the sauna (everything else is free), apparently due to a quirk in the tax laws. Whether after walking around town or a long day at work, the wellness area is a great place to relax! I wasn’t able to take a photo out of privacy concerns for other guests, so the photos are courtesy of the Crowne Plaza website.
If you’d rather get a workout, there is a large workout room that has a full set of cardio and weight equipment for a complete workout. It’s better equipped than most hotel gyms in Europe and open 24h via room keycard.
I love breakfast in Germany – and the Crowne Plaza offers a great buffet. The large restaurant has a glass domed ceiling and lots of seating. Your drink choices include various coffee drinks from a professional machine as well as a large selection of teas as well as juice.
My favorite are the various breads, crunchy rolls and pastries. You also get lots of fresh fruit and yogurt, cold cuts and cheeses.
The open kitchen provides eggs and meats. Both the selection and taste of the food on offer is great and we enjoyed it every morning!
Bottomline: The Crowne Plaza is still my favorite hotel in Heidelberg and I continue to recommend it. You stay in a central location, get a modern room and have access to a luxurious wellness area and complete gym. Add to that the above average service and the tasty breakfast and the Crowne Plaza is hard to beat. We paid $133/night which I consider very good value. The IHG Rewards rate is 30,000 points, reflecting the often high cash rates during weekdays.