InterContinental Hotels: Priority Club & Inter-Continental Ambassador - Downgrade at IC Bali

I had the IC Bali booked on points for 6 nights at the Imperial Villa level. When (we) arrived the managress informed me that a long staying guest would be staying in the villa longer... shutting me out of it. OK... her explanation was that this guest stayed 80-90 nights a year and that he had decided to extend his stay, so I was bumped down. Bummer...

Cons: Did not stay in opulent villa (on a mistake points rate)

Pros: Stayed in a very nice club suite with better (than the villa) access to the club pool... it was a very nice suite! My suite had a verandah which was about 7 strides from the club pool. Beautiful modern art suite... my niece, who joined us in Bali (I had anticipated a two bdrm suite) was given a connected (junior suite?) room to ours.

The managress refunded the 180k points to my account.

We still enjoyed all club privelges - airport pickup and a lot of free food and stuff. I was still a bit miffed and negotiated free massages/beauty treatments for the three of us each day as well as comped dinners at the resort restaurants.

Best club experience I have ever had (next best was Ritz Central Park).

We had Balinese tailors come visit to make us clothes... employed a great driver (Kadek - email me for contact info) to drive us around at under $50 a day... ate at wonderful places... saw monkeys and rode elephants...

All in all, despite the "downgrade", this was the best resort I have ever had the pleasure to freeload off. Plus I got to meet the "Flamboyant1", a true jet-setter (and Flyertalker), and a real nice guy (for a German).

Cheers!

BTW - the "long staying guest" had a security detail outside his room. I had left mine at home so I supose it was OK that they let him and his family have the villa.

real nice guy (for a German). What do you mean - for a German? :)

Thanks for the cool description. Seems now I have a reason to save up my points for a later stay ;) ;)

I'm obviously missing something here :confused:
I just booked a reward night at the IC Hong Kong. The assigned room is the lowest possible category (plaza view). Why does the IC Bali offer a MUCH higher category room for points? Is this common at other properties/

Common? Probably not. But it does happen, I imagine it's up to the individual hotel what rooms to offer with points. Of all the times I've used my points to book rooms, I've only come across 2 that offer suites. One a HIX in Indy anf the other I dont remember. Your mileage may vary... :)

The presidential villa redemption for 30K was not normal, but it was available for quite a while (weeks perhaps even months) before it was pulled. The IC Bechtesgaden presidential suite was the other one we were luckily enough to also redeem with points.

Zhaunk's experience was quite similar to ours for our stay in April, although we did get in two nights at the villa. The remainder of our stay was in their second largest suite, the 2000 sqft Bukit suite. Our points were returned in our accounts, although we did not get any free restaurant or massages. We did enjoyed several pool-side massages, as well as room service dining in the villa's own dining room, but we had to pay for all of it ourselves.

My wife enjoyed our stay so much, that she is seriously considering a paid stay the next time we visit Bali (the near-by Four Seasons beng her other choice). Currently, she was able to find some dates with the villa being available for about $1500. A month stay in there might just get us lifetime RA status, and I must say it is a mightly tempting proposition.

I'll be curious to see what kind of room I get. I have one reward night followed by two nights as part of a NWA vacation package. The package room is "run of house." The cost of the two nights was higher than the cheapest room rate on the IC website.

To carry on from here (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=550121&highlight=bali), its just another example of how this hotel has handled the villa redemption mistakes well ^

I'm obviously missing something here :confused:
I just booked a reward night at the IC Hong Kong. The assigned room is the lowest possible category (plaza view). Why does the IC Bali offer a MUCH higher category room for points? Is this common at other properties/

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=407026&page=1&pp=15

Agreed, the IC Bali is definitely a class act all round, for me it's a benchmark for customer service out of any of the IC's I've stayed at (especially with the quality of the Club Intercontinental wing). On my last stay I arrived in the afternoon and there was going to be a delay of a few hours to get an upgraded room. Without prompting, I was offered a free dinner for two at their Japanese restaurant (worth over US$100) along with a regular club room to use while waiting for the upgraded duplex suite to become available.

From looking at the feedback some of the other IC's around the world get, they could definitely use some pointers from the IC Bali. I know I'll be back there again before the year is over, enjoying all the Club has to offer. ^

I was still a bit miffed
did I get it right?Your 180k points were refunded and you still felt a bit miffed?Wish things like that would happen to me.

did I get it right?Your 180k points were refunded and you still felt a bit miffed?Wish things like that would happen to me.

Well, I was miffed! I had been looking forward to that villa experience for months... I built a whole vacation around it, really. After a day or so I was over it. I realized that what happened actually happened for the best - or at least I rationalized it that way. Now, if when I get to Bangkok the Conrad people tell me I can't stay in the presidential suite (booked the mistake rate) I might start to get a complex!

Well, I was miffed! I had been looking forward to that villa experience for months... I built a whole vacation around it, really. After a day or so I was over it. I realized that what happened actually happened for the best - or at least I rationalized it that way. Now, if when I get to Bangkok the Conrad people tell me I can't stay in the presidential suite (booked the mistake rate) I might start to get a complex!

How is it possible to book the presidential suite by mistake?

How is it possible to book the presidential suite by mistake?

If the hotel in question leaves it open for redemption bookings (it seemed to occur more frequently in the past than now). Fortunately most of the hotels that have made the error have been pretty classy about honouring such bookings too (I know my Presidential Suite redemption booking at Crowne Plaza Terrigal was honoured without question, over a sold out Easter Weeekend as well ^ ).