One lucky reader is in with a chance to win an overnight stay for two with breakfast and Mineral House Spa access included at Crowne Plaza Newcastle.
Situated in the heart of the city centre, Crowne Plaza Newcastle provides an outstanding location for your next event. With nine purpose-built meeting rooms in its conference centre, a skilled team, and a wealth of amenities, the hotel is committed to ensuring your event’s success.
A standout feature of the venue is its impressive conference spaces, bathed in natural light thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows that offer stunning views of Newcastle. The Stephenson Suite, the venue’s highlight, is designed to host conferences and meetings from 60 to 500 delegates. With its contemporary design and spacious interiors, it provides the perfect setting for any professional gathering.
Every year, the meetings and events team at the hotel respond to over 1,000 event enquiries and the average reply time is just 48 minutes. For an industry where planners often wait hours, sometimes days, for accurate answers, it’s something that the hotel is really proud of!
People, not process
The team believes that everything starts and finishes with people. Every person in the meetings and events department is trained to understand what matters most to planners. They know availability, layout, and budget are the first questions that need answering, so they’re empowered to respond quickly and confidently.
Knowledge is everything
Crowne Plaza’s teams train continuously, not just on hospitality but on the specifics of the venue. They know every meeting room configuration, AV option, and food and beverage package. That’s why their responses aren’t just fast, they’re accurate to the decimal point.
Technology helps, but doesn’t lead
The tech at the hotel is being developed in a way that really delivers, from booking to end-of-event feedback. The team uses smart enquiry management tools, integrated CRM systems, and templates that pull in up-to-date pricing and availability. But those tools only work because staff keep them accurate – technology provides structure; humans give it speed.
Collaboration – the secret ingredient
Sales, operations, and front-of-house talk constantly to make sure that the 48-minute stat isn’t achieved in isolation. When a request comes in, everyone who needs to know, knows. Shared systems mean no double handling and no waiting for someone else to confirm details.
It might be the geordie spirit, but the team loves to chat! Which means they’re always getting information and it remains relevant, up to date, and at their fingertips.
Thinking like planners
Perhaps most importantly, the team understands what it feels like to be on the other side. When you’re managing multiple venues, budgets, and client expectations, every unanswered email adds stress. That’s why the hotel’s service model is built around empathy as much as efficiency, due to feedback from planners that have said slow responses don’t frustrate them, they anger them. The goal is simple: to make planners’ jobs easier and to give them the confidence that when they contact they’ll have what they need fast, clear, and correct.
Backed by intention
It might sound like small thing – having a 48-minute average response time – but in the world of events, it’s the start of something bigger. It builds confidence, opens conversations, and keeps projects moving. The hotel is super proud that its turnaround time is so consistent, but prouder still that it’s achieved by people who get it. People who know that great events start long before the doors open – they start with that very first fast and accurate reply.