You know it as a place you’ve had events, meetings but our old friend The Desmond has gotten a renovation and looks like a brand new hotel with a big city feel right here in Albany.
The Desmond has been associated with IHG Hotels & Resorts since 2018 but has officially rebranded to Crowne Plaza Albany – the Desmond after the recent renovations. I first wrote about the rebranding a couple of months ago and was so lucky to see the changes firsthand this past weekend.
I love a good Staycation. You don’t have to pack a ton and then when your stay is over, your drive home is super short! If you’re looking for some time away (but not too far away), take advantage of the Staycation/Weekend Getaway package. The package is available for Friday/Saturday/Sunday bookings in standard rooms or suites from June 18th- August 29th. It includes a $30 credit to the onsite restaurant Mr. D’s as well as a bottle of wine in the room upon arrival.
I’ve been to The Desmond a ton of times from different events I’ve attended that they hosted, weddings, and I even stayed there as far back as High School during our Mock Trial competition. The Desmond and I have been acquainted for a while so I couldn’t wait to see the changes. No joke, I walked in the front door and all I could say was “Wow.” The lobby had a complete overhaul, it doesn’t even look like the same place I couldn’t believe it! Everything is incredibly modern and beautiful.
Take a look at it now compared to what it looked like before – so much brighter!
Then, we walked through the famous colonial courtyard which is still mostly the same in structure but has a much more updated feel. We were lucky enough to stay in a King Suite and loved the space. There were two rooms (living space and a bedroom) as well as two bathrooms and a kitchenette. It was so comfortable. Also, note, the bathrooms had complimentary Beekman 1802 products – love that local support!
We decided to check out their Social Hour at Mr D’s which was pretty busy. According to their website, “Social Hour is 4:30-6:30PM daily with small plate socialable specials, and $2 off all beers, wines by the glass and cocktails.” We decided to each order a draft beer and we shared a Hummus Plate ($9).
Then, we figured we’d try more of their food and ordered dinner to take up to the room. We each ordered a Lobster Bisque ($10), I got the Drunken Goat Cheese Salad ($16), and my boyfriend ordered the Desmond BLT-E ($13). My salad was mixed greens, grilled chicken breast, pecans, strawberries, shredded Spanish-style red wine-soaked goat cheese, and cranberry vinaigrette. The BLT-E was your classic BLT with a fried egg on a grilled ciabatta roll.
Their food is really good so we knew we wanted to take advantage of their new Weekend Brunch the next morning. With the brunch, you get an appetizer and an entree. I ordered the Smoked Salmon Canapés with the Avocado Eggs Benedict ($18). Both fantastic!
My boyfriend and I had a great experience at The Desmond. We loved seeing all of the amazing updates from the lobby to the courtyard to Mr. D’s, it was incredible. The rooms were incredibly comfortable and we loved getting out of the house for a night. It was great being able to hang out at the bar for Social Hour and then not have to worry about driving and then waking up and going downstairs for breakfast. We really needed it.
Note: The entire experience was comped in return for a truthful review of my experience. All opinions are my own.
1 thought on “Crowne Plaza Albany – the Desmond Hotel”