Yes, the location is wonderful. But there is nothing else about this hotel that is.

This was my 6th stay in Toulouse and my first at the Crowne Plaza.

Upon check-in, I requested a "quiet" room and got one overlooking a small courtyard (restaurant below) and rooftops. Not much of a view, but it was quiet. -- as opposed to the rooms that overlook Place Capitole which can be noisy, especially if you like to sleep with your window open. The check-in staff was courteous, but nothing special. The bell-man was very responsive upon my arrival and I almost felt bad that I had luggage with wheels and could handle it myself.

The hotel room was small. And well-worn and outdated. It seems this hotel has 2 distinct types of rooms, the 'standard" rooms -- that are smaller and tired, and the "club" rooms which are larger and much more nicely appointed, as well as more expensive. The room had a king-size bed with a dark yellow bedspread -- nothing like the gorgeous red/gold pictures shown with some of these reviews. The mattress sagged to the most used side. And the pillows were either lumpy or super-firm foam. There was no sofa, but 2 club chairs in the room that were small, yet too large for the room. The carpet was in good shape, and fairly clean, and the drapes appeared to be quite new. The hotel was full, so there was no chance to change rooms.

The bathroom was pretty decent with lots of counter space and a adequate shower set-up with the 1/2 door that the French are so fond of and therefore, lots of water on the floor....

Everything was kept very clean by the efficient, but smelly, house-keeping staff. Yes, the housekeepers had a bad case of BO -- I found myself holding my breath as we passed them in the hallways. Their odor also lingered in the room, even after they were gone. Thank heavens for a window that opened!

Every afternoon, a house-keeping manager came by the room to check on its "cleanliness"; and someone came by each afternoon to replenish the 8 oz bottles of Evian. If you plan on taking a nap, be sure to put out the "do not disturb" sign, or they will make quite a ruckus trying to enter your locked and bolted room. On the last afternoon we were there, they came around about 3 in the afternoon wanting to turn off the electricy for 10 minutes and work on something in the room...I had been napping without the "do not disturb" sign out and they were not going to just go away. I was not feeling well. The staff person that was knocking very loudly was not very understanding when I said I needed a minute to get dressed before I could open the door. Then the workers come in, and some tool that has a long cord comes apart and they leave and never came back. Strange. I still do not know what the issue was. Communication was very lacking -- and I don't mean language issues -- although, for a "continental" hotel, there seemed to be a hesitation to speak English -- as if they weren't sure of themselves... And, this issue was a complete lack of any attempt at communication. They were there and then they were gone -- with no word on if they were coming back or what or when...

Breakfast was interesting -- included in the room price -- and plentiful, as long as you got there by 8am during the week. Breakfast was served 6:30-10:30. As I was not on business, I ventured down early a couple of days, with the hubby, and later, the rest of the week. Earlier, about 7:30, the scrambled eggs and hash browns and everything seemed nice and fresh; later, after 8:30, give or take, and nothing was fresh anymore -- the eggs and hash browns were soggy with condensed steam, all the strawberries and other fresh fruits were gone, as well as the croissants (sacre bleu!) and some of the cheeses. There seemed to be adequate staff Monday thru Thursday and we always had plenty of good coffee. And you could order freshly fried eggs, omelets, and crepes -- there's a menu on every table with these items -- Keep in mind, however, that even when the restaurant was not busy, a cheese omelet took 15 minutes.

The high speed internet connection in the room was 10 euro per day and it was about as fast as dial-up. Maybe. I was surprised that a hotel of this caliber charged for internet -- and then was extremely dissappointed at its functionality. And it was bad anytime of day. Hubby used it at night for his business stuff and was frustrated; I tried morning and afternoon and had no better results. Argh!

Although this was a very "continental" hotel with a very varied clientale, I felt that it lacked the charm of a smaller, more personal hotel, such as the Mercure Wilson. Sure, the lobby and public areas of the Crowne Plaza are pretty, but that's not what I come to a hotel for...

And sure, it's kind of nice to be right there, on Place Capitol, but there are numerous hotels within 5 minute walking distance that are superior for the price. And the cafes, bars, restaurants that are so close, while adequate, are nothing special. They cater to the tourists that frequent the area and generally, don't know any better. However, a 5-10 minute stroll will have you stumbling across much better establishments with better prices, too.

Overall, while there was really nothing "wrong" with our stay at the Crowne Plaza, I believe that there are much better hotel values to be had in Toulouse.

We were disappointed in our stay at this highly ranked hotel. Although the staff were friendly, the furniture in the room showed a great deal of wear and tear. Our biggest frustration was the breakfast service. They were severely under-staffed and very slow to clean away and reset tables. On Saturday morning at 8:30 there was no staff present when we arrived, the coffee carafe had burned dry and there was no hot milk at all. This is not a good way to start one's day and I would recommend going outside and having breakfast at one of the nearby cafes also situated on Place Capitole.

Perfect for my stay as a solo traveller as it was right in the heart of Toulouse. Big, clean room with cable TV and a luxurious bathroom. For a chain hotel, the room was beautifully decorated and still maintained a "French" style.

With the passing of time, it has become our routine to celebrate our wedding anniveray each year by visiting new European locations. This year , between 3rd and 5th January, it was to be Toulouse, France as most of the other Capital cities have been marked off over previous years. The hotel accomodation was booked direct with the hotel via their website. Some excellent deals can be obtained via this route (we have the proof!).

Having arrived at Toulouse Airport, we opted to experiment with the public transport system to get us into the centre. Exiting at Gate C, we found a city shuttle bus which quickly took us into the centre.Because the city is almost all a pedestrian precinct, you have to leave the bus on one of the main roads which skirt the city centre. However, it took approximately 10 minutes to walk through two delightful little squares until we reached 'Le Capitol' , the main square where the 'hotel de ville' is located. Across the square from the town hall was located The Crowne Plaza Hotel. It is an imposing building situated above the shop, C&A.

As you enter the hotel, you get a warm feeling which is mirrored by the pleasant reception provided by the immaculately dressed staff.

The hotel has an air of finesse about it and is superbly furnished and decorated .

After a swift signing in procedure we found ourselves going by lift to floor three to our room, which was beautiful. Spacious, well equipped and with the biggest bed I've come across in all our travels (even America couldn't beat it!!), and a view across the square.

Luxuriant is the best way to descrtibe the fixtures and fittings.

Whilst there is a lovely restuarant downstairs which, from the menu was truly inviting, we dined out in the square both evenings we were there.

The breakfast each morning was amazing.The variety of food was simply breathtaking. Every kind of cheese, meat, bread,cakes, cereals could be found. That was without the cooked element of egg, bacon, sausages, tomatoes, hash brown and more.

The reception staff were extremely obliging and were only too willing to arrange tours(if needed) and resturant bookings. When arranging a visit to Cite Le Espace (a must) the staff went to great lengths to establish times, routes etc (we used the Metro and bus system which costs 2 Euros return for the day!!)

As we were due to fly home on an early flight, an alarm call was arranged (automatically done) and an early breakfast followed by an 'on time' taxi service arranged by the hotel.

Our three days in this buzzing University city were complimented by the excellent service provided by the hotel.One to put at the top of your list if intending to visit this city.

Ken Harwood