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Crowne Plaza Albany – The Desmond Hotel Reviews

Crowne Plaza Albany – The Desmond Hotel

Crowne Plaza Albany – The Desmond Hotel

Albany, NY
4.8 out of 5 rating, 35 Reviews
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Reviews

4.8 out of 5 rating
4.8 out of 5 rating
35 Reviews
96% recommend it
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    4.9 out of 5 rating
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Awards

35
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2018 Winner
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    Michelle H. Sent on 09/05/2022
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    Amazing!!!

    We just had our rehearsal dinner, wedding, and breakfast recently all at The Desmond. Each and every event was perfection!!! From the amazing food our guests keep raving about, to the extremely attentive and kind staff working there - we would not change a single thing with our experience! I cannot say enough to thank them all for making our wedding a dream come true and for making us feel like royalty the whole time. Also, our guests loved that they were able to go right up to their rooms at the end of the night! The renovations done at The Desmond look amazing, it is so modern and beautiful. I would 100% do everything over again here and love every minute of it!! This is the best place to have your wedding or any event!
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    Emily M. Sent on 06/21/2022
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    Wonderful Wedding Venue!

    We had a fabulous experience working with the staff at the Desmond. From the very beginning, Jack Roddy and Amanda were so helpful and flexible. They listened to what we wanted and executed the day of. The space is beautiful, and it allows for a lot of creativity. We utilized the King street ballroom, Mr. D's for late night and the coi pond for brunch. We highly recommend this venue!

    Crowne Plaza Albany – The Desmond Hotel's reply:

    Hi Emily,

    Thank you for sharing this wonderful review, and thank you again for choosing us to host your wedding event. We are so glad to hear that your experience was fabulous, and executed to your vision. Congratulations again and best wishes on your new life together!
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    Renee M. Sent on 05/24/2022
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    The Best of the Best

    To say that The Desmond is the best of the best places to have your wedding reception is an understatement. Throughout our wedding planning process, Amanda Stankavich and Jack Roddy were there every step of the way. During COVID and lockdown, we had to reschedule our wedding not once, not twice, but three times. Jack Roddy was an absolute angel on earth for us during this difficult time, and we are forever grateful to him. He made what would normally be a stressful process (rescheduling your wedding three times) seamless and he alleviated us of so much stress knowing that we were in good hands! When our special day finally arrived, Jack, Amanda, the staff at The Desmond nailed every single detail. As a bride, I felt like they took the vision of what was inside my head, and they made it happen right before my eyes. As I walked into the ballroom with my new husband to see our space for the first time, I instantly started crying happy tears. We cannot say thank you enough to them for all that they have done. Throughout our reception, the waitstaff was extremely attentive and kept checking in with us to see if we needed anything. We would recommend The Desmond to anybody in a heartbeat. We had a night that we will remember forever!

    Crowne Plaza Albany – The Desmond Hotel's reply:

    Hi Renee,

    Thank you for sharing such a great review! Congratulations again to you and Dan - we are so happy that we were able to be a part of your special day, throughout the pandemic rescheduling and all, and we have shared your comments with Jack, Amanda and the rest of our hardworking events team. Making wedding dreams come true is really what we strive for, and we are so glad that we made your vision come to life. Best wishes on your new life together.
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    Caitlin S. Sent on 01/27/2021
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    No Place Better!

    Our entire wedding weekend was amazing thanks to Amanda and the staff at the Desmond. We started with a rehearsal and dinner to follow and ended with a breakfast the day after the wedding. We had an awesome after party in the tavern with food. I didn’t worry about any of the small details and we were able to do everything on site. All of the food was amazing. The Desmond worked with all of our vendors and both of us had places to get ready. They provided top notch service all weekend.
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    Sarah Sent on 09/22/2017
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    We were very happy with the team at the desmond. We hit a few bumps along the road when our original event planner left, but we got Erin who was very professional and exactly what we needed. We had the most amazing wedding and reception.
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    Bailey Sent on 09/12/2017
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    We held our wedding at The Desmond Hotel a couple of weeks ago and were completely blown away by the entire experience. It was everything we wanted and more. From our rehearsal, to the wedding to a brunch the day after - they went above and beyond to make sure our special day was everything we dreamed of. Amanda, our sales coordinator, was terrific - we can't say enough about how helpful she was from the day we booked all the way through to following up the day after to make sure we were happy. She was so thorough, organized and patient - even with my one million questions leading up to the event. She made sure that every detail - down to the accent linens and menu placement were perfectly arranged to the way we had discussed in the months leading up. She made us feel as if our wedding was as important to her as it was to us. We had many of our guests stay at the hotel and they were treated wonderfully. Notably, we got lots of compliments on the shuttle service to the airport - everyone found it incredibly easy and helpful. If you're looking for a venue in the Albany region where you can have your guests stay on site and want a terrific experience for all involved, I can't recommend these guys enough!

    Crowne Plaza Albany – The Desmond Hotel's reply:

    Hi Bailey, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and feedback with us. We are so happy to hear about the wonderful service you received from Amanda and the rest of our staff. Congratulations, and thank you for choosing us to be a part of your special day!
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    Theresa Sent on 11/09/2017
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    Amanda and all the staff with The Desmond were more than accomodating at every turn. The food was phenomenal and service outstanding. I would highly recommend this venue for any event or even for dinner! All of the organization of before, during and after was taken care of which made every transition perfect and painless. We love The Desmond and plan tok revisit every year!

    Crowne Plaza Albany – The Desmond Hotel's reply:

    Hi Theresa, Thank you for sharing your experience with us regarding your wedding! We are so happy to hear that everything went well, and the outstanding service and professional you received from our staff. Congratulations, and we look forward to seeing you both again soon!
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    Elizabeth Sent on 08/31/2017
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    We had our reception here. Everything went smoothly, and all the folks were easy to work with, particularly Amanda S. We changed things up numerous times during the planning process and Amanda handled it all with ease. We are very glad we choose this venue. Can't say enough good things. The setting, the food, the drinks--all were first rate. In addition, the guests who stayed at the Desmond were very pleased with their rooms.
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    Cheryl Sent on 07/11/2017
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    We had our daughters wedding here and could not have picked a more perfect venue. The staff was amazing and took care of every detail our event went off without a hitch. The food was fantastic and everyone had a blast! The value was terrific the cocktail hour was filled with great food.
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    Jason Sent on 08/01/2016
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    We recently had our wedding at The Desmond on July 30th 2016. We highly recommend them everything was perfect. Amanda Stankavich was amazing from start to finish. She made sure everything went the way we had envisioned it. She was by our side throughout. And it ended up being way more than we had expected. The food was amazing, the staff was even more amazing. We honestly cannot think of one single thing to complain about. We truly are in awe and extremely thankful and grateful of how amazing everything turned out. If we could type a thousand thank-you's we would.
    Leah & Jason
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    Gary Sent on 08/19/2016
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    We had a lovely wedding thanks to the Desmond and Amanda. They were very accommodating and provided exactly what we were looking for. The value for what you pay is worth every penny. I am so glad we went with them and would use them again for parties or even just to spend a night away. The hotel rooms were nice and food was delicious.
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    Lisa Sent on 12/28/2015
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    Connie at the Desmond is amazing. I had been having trouble finding a venue to accommodate a very small wedding and reception. Connie was not only able to customize everything for us but treated me and my husband with the utmost professionalism and respect. The night was a huge success and all of the staff were very polite and extremely helpful. Highly recommend!
  • User2352876 Sent on 10/06/2015
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    Connie and the Desmond were AMAZING! They went above and beyond to create a perfect wedding for my wife and I. The ambiance was perfect, food was great, and the night went very smoothly. All of their staff members (even the bartenders) were professional and friendly.
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    Erin Sent on 06/28/2015
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    My husband and I had our wedding reception at The Desmond, and were incredibly lucky to have had Connie help us from the tasting all the way through the reception. She was flexible and quickly responded to all our e-mails and calls. She helped minimize our stress during the last couple of weeks of planning and was attentive to every detail. The ballroom looked exactly the way we had envisioned it. The service provided by the waitstaff was also great- very friendly and had meals and desserts served in a timely manner! Our guests loved the food and we're still receiving feedback about how great everything turned out! If you decide to have your reception at The Desmond, you will not be disappointed!
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    Jennifer Sent on 11/07/2013
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    The Desmond accommodated us on such short notice. They have a beautiful venue, weren't over priced and their food was delicious. Our event coordinator Amanda was the best at what she does everything was set up just the way we asked. The Desmond really made our day special!
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    Kate Sent on 10/20/2013
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    We couldn’t be more pleased with choosing Desmond for our August wedding. From the beginning of the process, they made us feel welcomed and at ease. Working with Heather has been a pleasure and all the effort and time she has put into the planning was tremendous. The attention to detail, accommodating our requests and prompt responses to our questions were wonderful. The ceremony and the reception were beautiful and ran smoothly. The level of service was superb and the staff was very attentive to our and our guest's needs throughout the night. The guests raved about the food, accommodations and the elegance of the ballroom and the courtyard. As a bride and groom, we were able to relax and enjoy the wedding knowing that things will be taken care of. We were so happy with the perfect day and couldn’t have asked for more! Thank you for the wonderful experience and beautiful memories.
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    Kim Sent on 05/28/2013
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    Heather with the Desmond and all the staff did a awesome job with our wedding from setting up to making sure we had everthing we needed the day of and before. They have gone above average with what they do to make sure events are just perfect there. They made everthing look so beautiful and I can't thank them enough. So thank you Desmond for making our wedding the best and beautiful.

    Kim & Jared
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    Katie Sent on 10/13/2012
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    My husband and I recently got married at the Desmond and it was wonderful! We chose to do both our ceremony and reception there and it was absolutely beautiful! We worked with sandy and I can't not say enough good things about her! She responded to every email, phone call everything and had every detail perfect. Her and we staff made our day so memorable! We got so many compliments and I would recommend it to everyone!!
  • User894449 Sent on 08/09/2012
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    Thanks to Sandy and the staff of the Desmond, our reception was beautiful. Any questions that I had were willingly answered and I could not have asked for more attentiveness before and during the reception.
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    Haylee Sent on 11/11/2011
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    My husband and I had our reception at the Desmond. It was incredible! The atrium looked absolutely stunning for the cocktail reception and the ballroom was simply gorgeous! Erinne, the wedding coordinator, made sure everything was perfect. She was fantastic to work with and made sure my husband and I were worry-free on our special day. I couldn't have imagined a more beautiful, spectacular reception. It was a dream a come true!
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    Tamara Sent on 01/12/2010
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    The Desmond provided top notch service and attention to every detail, they were even willing to help work within our budget. We had the perfect dream wedding!
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    Marc Sent on 05/03/2012
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    The Desmond is a beautiful hotel. Everything was taken care of, and left us little to worry about. The atrium is amazing and makes for great wedding photography! The food is good but not amazing. The price was a bit high, but it's to be expected with a hotel of this caliber in the wedding venue business. Overall we loved our venue and were very happy with everything as a whole. We thank you for helping with some of the stressful aspects of wedding planning!
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    Danielle P. Sent on 07/07/2019
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    Blown away by the experience!

    The food was amazing! The banquet staff were awesome! Decorating crew awesome! Thanks so much to Amy and Danielle who stepped in to make sure my big day was perfect! You guys rock!
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    Laura Sent on 04/15/2016
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    The Desmond Hotel was a dream location for my wife and I to get married. The staff was helpful, accommodating, and made our stay magical.

    We worked directly with Connie Slocum, Director of Catering Services, and she was a class act. Connie helped us through the whole process, and naturally she is a busy lady, but whenever we had a question, she got back to us within 24-48 hours.

    The set-up and classy atmosphere was perfect for us: We got married out by the koi pond, and had an AMAZING reception in the Fort Orange Ballroom. The staff on-duty with us for that entire day were amazing, and our point people, Lindsay and Robin, were fantastic. If you choose the Desmond, those are two ladies you want on your side that day!

    Best of luck, and we LOVE the Desmond. We are forever grateful you made the process easy and made our night one we'll never forget. Thank you!
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    Luz Sent on 05/07/2014
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    Beautiful place for reception and ceremony or reception only. The food was great and the hotel has a unique charm. My guests enjoyed staying there.
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