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Holiday Inn Sheffield to become a Crowne Plaza hotel

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I don’t normally mention brand switches but long-term readers know that Sheffield hotels pop up on here from time to time.

Two weeks ago I had what was arguably the worst hotel meal of my entire life in the Holiday Inn Sheffield, not helped by having to wait an hour from ordering in order to receive said worst meal.  At the time I thought that the hotel was sliding deeper into disrepair with every annual visit we make.  I was therefore shocked to find that Holiday Inn Sheffield is being rebranded as a Crowne Plaza later in the Summer.

Crowne Plaza Sheffield

There is some refurbishment work underway, I admit, but we are talking about a hotel which gives no elite recognition as far as I can tell and which generally gives you a worse room – rather than a better room – than the one you booked, the other weekend being a case in point.  The new bathroom in our old room had clearly been tiled by some random con-artist picked from Yell.  And the pancake machine has disappeared ….

The upside of staying there is that you don’t need to bother bringing an alarm clock.  There are so many moth holes in the curtains that the rooms is flooded with light as soon as the sun comes up ….

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Comments (78)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Tom says:
    5 May5 May 05:00

    Ouch, re. the HI Sheffield…

    Although can’t say disagree, was Spire with IHG through stays previously but defected to SPG which is better in just about every way when I realised just how big the gap in average hotel quality was between the two. I still seem to be Spire this year for some reason despite something like two paid IHG stays in the whole of 2017!

    • Paul says:
      5 May5 May 06:39

      Interesting. I am also Spire again for 2018 and don’t think I went near an IHG after Easter 2017. I did the Hilton diamond challenge and for about £350 in mattress runs got Diamond till March 2020. Saves a fortune on breakfast for a family of 4. It also means you get slightly better customer service. I stayed in Bath city Hilton and it was vile. I had used a free night certificate from barclaycard that was due to expire and when I complained I got 50,000 points back. It paying for 2 rooms for 4 nights ( 8 nights total) in Cairo soon. 16 free breakfast means my wife can splurge in the spa!

      • Rob says:
        5 May5 May 09:24

        Hilton Bath is a dump although handy when cash rates are through the roof. Restaurant, to be fair, has been redone quite nicely.

        • Stu N says:
          5 May5 May 09:32

          I stayed in Hilton Bath three nights a week for two months many years ago. Enough to get Hilton Gold IIRC.

          I was pretty happy with it – but then I was working in Swindon at the time so anything was better than staying there…

        • The Original Nick says:
          5 May5 May 10:07

          I agree. Stayed there just under 2 years ago and I wasn’t impressed.

      • The streets says:
        5 May5 May 10:46

        How does it work by having diamond status. I currently hold this and if I was to book multiple rooms from my account then would everybody enjoy the same privileges eg breakfast and lounge access where available

        • ankomonkey says:
          5 May5 May 20:59

          I think – but may be wrong – that you can get benefits for 2 rooms (including your own).

          Based on your name, you’re not Mike Skinner are you? If you are, I’d rather spend the points to see you than Bastille.

          • Rob says:
            5 May5 May 21:10

            I have 2 rooms at Hilton Bournemouth this weekend and am getting benefits on both, but that may be skewed by the fact that my kids are in one of them.

        • Paul says:
          5 May5 May 22:31

          Thanks both… the only way is to book and find out !

          Haha I have a very similar name lock down your radio

  • Kev says:
    5 May5 May 05:19

    I wonder if they will introduce a Club Lounge? None of the Sheffield hotels offer this and there is enough choice for this differentiation to be meaningful. Of course the problem with IHG is the lack of an actual published Spire Club benefit for members!

  • Lee says:
    5 May5 May 06:30

    Could be worse, though – could be a Britannia…

    • JamesB says:
      5 May5 May 08:49

      I remember staying at the Britannia International over by Canary Wharf a couple of times soon after it opened. It was really nice, had good leisure centre and the best breakfast buffet I had even seen in a hotel by some margin. However, since opening, reviews have all went in one direction and that’s downhill. I never bothered going back. It is a shame really as they had at one time, and may still have, a number of properties with the potential to be great given some money, TLC and better management. The group always struck me as having a Blackpool guest house mentality as opposed to a corporate one.

      • don't stay at the Brittannia says:
        5 May5 May 17:36

        I live nearby and had to stay one night while some work was taking place in my flat. What a dive. And that was nearly 20 years ago. Recently I was walking by and some asked for directions to the tube. I asked if they were staying at the Brittania as it was nearby and he replied yes. I said I’m sorry and he said he was too!

    • Craig says:
      5 May5 May 09:03

      The Britannia at Leeds Bradford Airport is by a long way the worst hotel I have ever stayed at. It took 2 room changes to get one that was anywhere near clean, the pub singer that evening was dire, small plates were used at breakfast to stop you eating too much, the glasses were dirty and not one member of staff smiled.

  • Adey says:
    5 May5 May 07:07

    Rob, the California Road Trip link is not what I was expecting (I found the Hilton Calif Road Trip link but won’t post it here as you may have an affiliate link). Your link in the article is specifically for Orange County.

  • Trev says:
    5 May5 May 07:57

    Rob, if it’s that bad, why stay at the HI at all? There’s a HIE almost next door and a Hilton pretty much opposite…

    • JamesB says:
      5 May5 May 08:52

      With the choice in the area I would think it is a safe bet it was convenience and/or accelerate.

    • Rob says:
      5 May5 May 09:21

      Blame my Mrs. Although she may have been pushed beyond her limits too.

  • Jon says:
    5 May5 May 08:33

    I too am intrigued why you keep staying there. Seems to break the golden rule of points collecting: don’t put up with a crappy unpleasant overpriced product you would never have chosen, just to collect/redeem points?

    • Rob says:
      5 May5 May 09:21

      My wife likes the Victorian building. Whenever I am in Sheffield on my own (which, these days, is mainly funerals) I use the HIX next door.

  • Claire says:
    5 May5 May 08:34

    Speaking of Hilton I was upgraded to Gold through Amex Plat a couple of years ago but Hilton have now downgraded me to silver. Does it only last for so long and do I need to put the request through again?

  • James M says:
    5 May5 May 08:39

    OT as bits:

    I have the HSBC Premier World Elite and the Amex Rewards Credit Card, this is part of my Gold -> Platinum and cancel strategy so I don’t need to clear my MR account out.

    I’m probably moving most of the points (on from both points accounts) to Avios in the long run: am I better off cancelling and exclusively using the HSBC card since it’s acceptance (being a MasterCard) is pretty much universal; or continuing to use both, the Amex where I can, HSBC where I can’t?

    • Rob says:
      5 May5 May 09:19

      Given the high earning rate on World Elite I agree. Cancelling Amex Rewards also restarts the 6 month clock for a new Gold bonus. This assumes you are happy closing your MR account.

      • James M says:
        5 May5 May 10:19

        Thanks Rob, I’ll close it once my next trip is over (I’ll get the lounge access and car insurance this way)

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