Hotel Review: Crowne Plaza Fort Myers at Bell Tower Shops

Courtesy IHG

One of the things about the Fort Myers area that makes it hard to figure out where to stay is the fact that it is very spread out. It makes it hard to find a hotel that is in the ideal location. Stay downtown and you’re quite a ways from the beach (especially if you run into traffic). Stay on the beach and you’re far away from everything else (though I guess being “stuck” on the beach ain’t too bad of a place to be stuck).

But if you look hard enough you’ll find a few places that are the perfect happy medium. Not too far from the beach and not too far from everything else. And the Crowne Plaza Fort Myers at Bell Tower Shops is one of those places.

​Location

It’s located (as the name insinuates) at the Bell Tower Shops in Fort Myers. That puts it 16 minutes from Fort Myers Beach, 23 minutes from Sanibel, 12 minutes from where the Boston Red Sox play during Spring Training, 6 minutes from the Minnesota Twins Spring Training home, and 13 minutes from downtown Fort Myers. You get the idea. It’s in a great location for many points of interest. ​


Check-in

Lobby of Crowne Plaza Fort Myers at Bell Tower Shops - Courtesy IHG

When you walk in, the check-in desk is to your right. There’s also a sports bar located on the premise, across the lobby from the front desk. When Crystal and I were checking in, we were greeted with friendly staff. We were also picked (for an unknown reason) as one of their “guests of the day.” We got a gift basket as an award (below).
​

We also happened to stay on a Wine Down Wednesday, which meant they were giving out complimentary glasses of wine in the lobby. It was lovely! Needless to say, Crystal and I took full advantage.

We stayed on the fifth floor, one of their executive floors. That meant, we had a cash bar, free appetizer-type foods, and complimentary milk and cookies from 8pm-9pm (!!). In addition to the free wine in the lobby, it was quite the welcome! ​


Room

We stayed in one of their Executive King rooms. I booked it the morning of the stay over the phone with little trouble. It cost $115 a night. We stayed one night. And I got over 2,000 IHG Rewards Club points for the stay.

View of the room from the entranceway

Entertainment area and workspace

King size bed

Entranceway: fridge, microwave, coffee maker

Bathroom - just as we found it (with the seat up)

Another view of the bathroom

Miscellaneous

They were in the middle of upgrading some rooms/floors during our stay. I don’t know how long the construction will last, but the noise began in the mid-to-late morning and lasted most of the business day.

The hotel has a lovely looking pool. Unfortunately, Crystal and I didn’t get a chance to try it out. We'll have to give it a whirl the next time around.

Not only is the hotel in a great spot for driving to different parts of Southwest Florida, it is also within walking distance to several restaurants and bars in the area.


Bottom line

Our stay, though short, was lovely and I’d stay here again. The staff was lovely and easy to deal with, the room was clean, the location was great, and the rate was reasonable. If you’re in the Fort Myers area, this should certainly be on your list of potential hotel stays.

Have you ever stayed at this hotel? If so, what did you think?


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