Review: ANA Crowne Plaza Fukuoka (Japan)

After staying in Nagasaki, I headed to Fukuoka for the second time as a base for some day trips in Kyushu, and to have high-end sushi that I reserved for (Tenzushi Kyomachi & Sushi Sakai). During my last visit in 2023, I stayed at The Ritz-Carlton Fukuoka, but I felt that it was too expensive for what it was, both in cash and points.

So, I decided to try out another points hotel in Fukuoka, the Crowne Plaza under IHG. It won’t be a luxurious stay, and I knew that coming in and had little expectations in liking it. Still, it made for a nice psychological trick to make the next luxurious stays more appreciated by making myself stay here.

Nonetheless, there are still few things I liked about the Crowne Plaza in Fukuoka despite being an outdated hotel.

Crowne Plaza Fukuoka- Booking

I booked a 4-night stay in the Crowne Plaza Fukuoka for a nice total amount of 69,000 IHG points. The 4th night is free thanks to Chase IHG Business Premier Card. You can book a standard room with a double bed instead of a single bed at the same award pricing, so make sure to at least book that to secure a bigger bed.

Crowne Plaza Fukuoka- Location

The Crowne Plaza is located by Hakata Station, which is well connected to FUK airport, local metro lines, and JR lines, including shinkansen lines. I find the location to be convenient for my needs in taking day trips in Kyushu to places like Kitakyushu, Kumamoto, and Nanzo-in (where the largest bronze statue in the world is located). Its close proximity to Hakata Station also allowed me to come from Nagasaki and move to Kagoshima easily, after my stay in Fukuoka.

Crowne Plaza Fukuoka- Check-in

I arrived to Fukuoka from Nagasaki at around 6pm, and walked to the Crowne Plaza from Hakata Station in around 5 minutes.

The lobby is a bit grand, but has an old-fashioned feel with brown undertones that also seep into the rest of the hotel.

The lobby has the Tea & Dine Lounge where afternoon tea takes place. But, I didn’t get to try it.

I was told that I wasn’t able to be upgraded due to the hotel being sold out. The front desk apologized and awarded me 1000 IHG points as a gift. There’s nothing in the terms & conditions that a hotel should compensate a guest for not being able to upgrade them as they’re always subject to availability.

While it’s just 1000 points, I was happy with the gesture, and it gave a good first impression of the service in Crowne Plaza Fukuoka.

As an IHG Diamond member, I was able to get free breakfast daily in the Crowne Cafe on lobby floor. IHG members also get complimentary water bottles daily, which you can ask for at the front desk or by your room’s phone.

There’s a set of escalators in the lobby where it’d take you to the Club Lounge on the second floor. Unfortunately, I did not have access, so I couldn’t report how it is.

Crowne Plaza Fukuoka- Standard Room Double Bed

I was assigned to the 16th floor. Hallway feels stuffy, and there were signs of carpets being peeled off due to how old the hotel is (last renovated in 2009).

The room is only 18 sqm (86 sqft); very typical of a Japanese business hotel. All the brown and maroon made the room feels depressing. It somewhat reminded me of the ANA Holiday Inn Sapporo, but at least it was a little bigger there.

There’s a closet right next to the entrance with hangers, pants presser, and slippers.

The TV is set across the bed next to the luggage space.

The pantry and minibar are inside the cabinet where the TV is set on.

The desk is embedded with the platform next to the window. There’s no 3-prong outlets in the room, so make sure to bring an adapter should you need it. An air purifier/humidifier unit is behind the chair.

The hotel also has a list of amenities you can rent. I didn’t need any of them though.

The double bed was serviceable for a solo traveler like myself, and I’m grateful that at least the double bed is bookable on points over the single bed. The additional throw and body pillows are appreciated. A basket with 2 pairs of one piece pajamas was prepared on the bed.

On top of the bed, there are alarm clocks and a USB hub that even includes USB-C sockets, which is funny since there are still lots of fancier hotels without USB-C sockets.

The view is uninspiring, but Fukuoka is not a city where you’d expect to have tons of skyscrapers yet.

The bathroom is a prefab unit of a typical Japanese hotel bathroom, fully utilizing a small space to have the toilet, tub, and sink all in the same room.

Dental kits are included here.

Overall, I didn’t enjoy the room due to how old everything feels. It was also hard to get used to in the first few days after staying in a big suite in Nagasaki. On the bright side, my next stay in Sheraton Kagoshima was confirmed for a suite, so I felt that I appreciated my upcoming suite a lot more than usual because of this stay.

Crowne Plaza Fukuoka- Breakfast

Buffet breakfast is available daily from 6:30-10:30am at the Crowne Cafe on lobby floor. As IHG Diamond, I was assigned to one of the assigned seatings prioritized for IHG One Rewards elite members. The priority seats are typically wider round tables set next to the windows for the outside view.

I was also given a “Diamond Elite” tag whenever I eat here to notify that the seat is occupied. I’d just return the tag to the front when I leave. It’s quite interesting being able to see what status other guests have.

I was also given a strawberry milkshake, and I was told that this is a special drink for Diamond members. It was quite tasty!

The buffet offer drinks like fruit juice, milk, and even soda. I got to try melon and grape-flavored Coke Zero. Don’t judge me consuming soda in the morning :S.

There’s a big salad station with inviting colors.

There’s a line of hot buffet items, ranging from Western to Japanese, with chefs working behind the egg station.

There’s chicken katsu with not crunchy breading that would’ve been much better with some crunch. There’s also a big pot full of spicy mentaiko, a popular Fukuoka specialty that mixes well with a bowl of rice. Rice station is just across this station.

I got to try out the Hakata ramen station where you can cook your own mini ramen bowl! The broth is true to Hakata style, creamy broth based on pork bones. There’s instructions, and it only takes seconds to change the texture of the noodles. Happy experimenting!

Overall, the breakfast here is decent. I greatly appreciated the special treatment for elite members in here, which I felt was quite rare, even in Japan.

Crowne Plaza Fukuoka- Fitness Center

The hotel’s gym opens 24/7 and is located on the 3rd floor. There’s a combination of cardio, weight, and calisthenics machines. The hotel does not have a pool or onsen facility.

Conclusion

Overall, I felt my stay in Crowne Plaza Fukuoka to be average. It’s old and the brown combined with maroon color scheme makes the hotel look drab. It is a decent value proposition for IHG points redemption, especially if you have elite status with IHG.

But, this stay wasn’t the worst because of the excellent elite guest treatment that I received from my stay, including giving me points for not being able to upgrade my room and giving special drink for IHG Diamond during breakfast. This type of elite treatment is oddly missing even at a bunch of nicer hotels.

I don’t think I’d go back here, and may consider trying the Grand Hyatt in the future should I return to Fukuoka again someday.