nicolas75

What is your IHG Rewards Club status?
Spire Royal Ambassador

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes, very much so

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked cheapest advance rate + points, and received a Junior Suite on high floor with club access

How are the rooms?
Very elegant design
Around 55 sqm

Seating area
Desk with multiple European/local plug sockets
Very comfortable bed
Antiques, Iran rug, fresh flowers

1 large flat screen television with good selection of cable channels (but unfortunately without the ability to switch from Spanish to English language
iPod dock
CD player
high speed wifi

Bathroom with a large bathtub and separate walk-in shower, InterContinental branded amenities
Separate toilets

Very quiet
Efficient air conditioning
View over the city

How is the exec. lounge?
Not huge but very elegant design
Meeting room
Dining room
Library room with PC and printer

Great staff
Very good brekfast and good evening hot/cold options

There is no self-service fridge which means that you need to ask the (great) staff to get a drink.

What was good and what was bad?

GOOD
- Elegant design
- Convenient location
- Great staff
- Nice lounge
- Very pleasant indoor pool
- Fast wifi

BAD
- Breakfast can be taken at the restaurant, but is exactly the same as in club lounge (which is quite disappointing, as larger offer would be expected)
- Rent a bike would be more than welcome (as local rent a bike companies offer terrible bikes and service, and are quite expensive).

Value for $ or IHG Rewards Club Points? Would you return?
Yes, definitely for upgrade policy, elegant atmopshere, good service.


Pictures of the hotel

Pictures of the city

nicolas75

What is your IHG Rewards Club status?
Spire Royal Ambassador

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked cheapest advance rate and received a so-called Deluxe river view suite

How are the rooms?
Very elegant design
Around 38 sqm

Seating area
Desk with unfortunatetky no multiple European/local plug sockets (which is always surprising for a business hotel)
Very comfortable bed

1 large flat screen television with good selection of cable channels, but which cannot rotate which means which cannot be watched from the sofa. Very poor selection of pay-tv films: only silly blockbusters.
High speed wifi

Nice bathroom with a bathtub and separate walk-in shower
Very good Anne Semonin amenities

Very quiet
Great view over the Thames and Canary Wharf

Nice box of Pascal Caffet French chocolates was offered

How is the exec. lounge?
Not open yet

What was good and what was bad?

GOOD
- Elegant design of the room (still, some plants would be welcomed).
- Attentive staff
- Very good breakfast (which was offered as a compensation of club lounge/spa/business centre not open yet). Excellent staff.
- Not central location, but easy access with the Jubilee line
- Great view from the sky bar

BAD
- Club lounge not open yet despite club rooms are sold
- Same story for spa and business centre (despite no information about that on internet)
- Deluxe suite has nothing of a suite
- Some details: no iPhone dock, no mouthwash
- Fruits salad at breakfast is served in a non-cooled bowl (fermented fruits at the end of the service)
- No signs from the underground station
- Surroundings of the hotel are not exactly engaging (looks currently more like a construction site rather than a luxury hotel)
- Architecture of the building is very banal (and surprising to have roofs seen from room covered with gravel rather than vegetation as it can be seen on eco-friendly buildings; and it is definitely more pleasant as a view)

Value for $ or IHG Rewards Club Points? Would you return?
Yes, even if the hotel needs to be completed


Pictures of the hotel

Pictures of the city

Hello again

IC DUBAI MARINA.

Great hotel not cheap great suites for RA's and a great location close to beaches and shopping as well as a plethora of restaurants.


Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay? yes

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? booked standard room and received a suite upgrade

How are the rooms? excellent

How is the exec. lounge? very nice on the 39th floor with great views and plenty of food and alcohol.

Did you receive a welcome gift? yes (don't recall what it was)

How was the minibar? ok not overstocked but sufficient

What was good and what was bad?

-Good Hotel is very well located and modern.
-Bad I really cannot say anything bad
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? expensive but possibly not so in the market

Would you return? yes for sure
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scubaccr

IC Manila

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes as usual
2night goodbye experience stay for NYE as hotel closing on 1st Jan 2016

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked- Entry level room
Received- Junior Suite Pool View
(my last stay, I get j/s pool view , all other times in last 5years received j/s non pool view, Grrr)

How are the rooms?
JS Room, double width, overlooking pool, comfy room, but showing some wear to soft furniture/fittings

How is the exec. lounge?
Great as usual

Did you receive a welcome gift?
They ran out of 2016 desk diaries earlier in the month

How was the minibar?
fair, 3rd time in a row I had my 1/4 bottle of Moet actually there in minibar, generally the Moet is missing

What was good and what was bad?

-Good
+Moet in lounge on NYE (instead of sparkling) .. have to ask as kept in kitchen, but no issues was topped up with very full glass several times

-Bad
nothing

-Neutral
o badly organised for Jeepney restaurant b/f could not even prebook seating times ended up in Lounge both mornings due to long queues
o some hotel services unavailable as closing in 2days or 1days time
o unable to buy alcohol post midnight on nye (got 2x free beers post midnight though)

Value for $ or Priority Club Points?
paid company rate 7100peso circa £100 is excellent for an RA here

Would you return?
1)I would if IC was not closed to be demolished to become a transport hub
2)nearby HI will cost more for exec room and lounge access (lounge not free at the HI)
3)CP ortigas is double the distance to NAIA airport, nice upgrade? , but pay for lounge.. except then downgraded 2-levels and room not ready at 5pm so I walked/cancelled, took taxi to Marriott
3)looks like Marriott by NAIA in near future for me, despite my lack of any Marriott status and 11000peso rate when I include a lounge upsell
4)From April2016 should be Conrad for me at Mall of Asia location as I am HHD

stimpy

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?

Yes, as always

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?

Booked Deluxe under FHR, received Exec Suite, but I had to fight a bit for it. First they said Willard King, but I had just overheard the couple next to me check in as Platinum or maybe AMB under FHR and they also got a Willard King. So I started a conversation with the front desk agent which led to a manager approving an Exec Suite for me. I'm not sure what's going on these days but the next time I stay here I'll have a conversation with a manager in advance.

How are the rooms?
Very large and nicely appointed. Two rooms, two bathrooms, two TV's, pantry, etc.

How is the Club lounge?
No Club, but the $100 FHR credit covered my drinks and food at the bar.

The free breakfast could be used in the restaurant or room service and since I had the huge suite with a dining table that was what I went with most of the days.

Did you receive a welcome gift?

A fruit bowl and a cheap poor quality bottle of wine that I didn't touch.

How was the minibar?

Pretty good. On some days the Champagne switched from Nicolas Feuillatte to Moet.

What was good and what was bad?

-Good
The Exec Suite here is one of the better IC hotel rooms I've been in.
Great location and historical hotel.
The spa is very nice and the steam room can be used 24 hours per day, or so I was told. I didn't try it off hours. But it was very nice with the cold weather.

-Bad
Nothing other than the hassle at check in. And each time I check out they confuse the FHR and RA credits and it takes a while, but I was in no rush and they figured it out eventually.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points?
Yes, very much so with FHR

aussielori

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes as usual


Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked- Entry level room
Received- Club room ocean view singaraja
on all previous stays club but no view

How are the rooms?
Room with normal sofa not corner sofa, smaller wardrobe

How is the exec. lounge?
Great as usual full cocktails 3 hrs at club or sunset bar. the finge food is very well priced at sunset bar.

Did you receive a welcome gift?
nice fan 4 small chocolates

How was the minibar?
ok only 1 gin and one tequila plus 1.2 bottle red plus beers( dont drink) had to ask them to refill after 5 dasy to get small liquor

What was good and what was bad?

-Good
staff always wonderful ,and the cabanas near beach
one day I could not get any cover and got very burnt even under trees all day
japanese restaurant very well priced and lovely sushi( not on sushi night i find it a bit dry)

-Bad
nothing



Value for $ or Priority Club Points?
good rte for just after new year cheaper than a lot of other spg and hyatt hotels
Would you return?
I have been 6 times in 5 years always as RA though.
yes will return as long as I am RA

nicolas75

What is your IHG Rewards Club status?
Spire Royal Ambassador

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes, very much

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked on points (at the time the hotel was only at 30,000 points a night) and received an Opera view junior suite

How are the rooms?
Very elegant design by Jacques Garcia, French Empire style re-interpretation
Around 35 sqm

Seating area
Desk )
Very comfortable bed

1 large Loewe flat screen television with iPhone dock. Good selection of cable channels (but not possible to switch smart tv movies into English speaking version).

Small but nice marble bathroom with a bathtub
Separate toilets
Agraria amenities (which is a disappointment, considering there is an excellent Nuxe spa at the hotel)

Very quiet
Nice view of the Opera

Very good madeleine pastries and - of course - a bottle of Bordeaux was offered

How is the exec. lounge?
N/A

What was good and what was bad?

GOOD
- Very attentive staff, service at the highest level you could find only at very best hotels
- Unbeatable location
- Elegant historic hotel with all the modern facilities
- Great gastronomic restaurant by Gordon Ramsay (very well executed cuisine, friendly and attentive staff - who might however be a bit more organized).
- Pleasant brasserie serving good traditionnal foods, efficient and smiling service
- Superb Nuxe spa (loved the massage, counter-current swimming pool) : perfectly clean and well maintained, excellent satff)
- Bikes can be rented at the hotel to visit the superb city of Bordeaux

BAD
- Nothing

Value for $ or IHG Rewards Club Points? Would you return?
Definitely
Be prepared to spend a a lot at this hotel, even on points if you visit the gastronomic restaurant, the brasserie and the spa.



Pictures of the hotel

Pictures of the city

mitpat474

The decor looks gorgeous!

stimpy

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?

Yes, surprisingly so.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?

Booked standard, given Club room. The hotel was very busy. They said the previous night it was 100% full. The downtown IC was completely sold out.

How are the rooms?
All new and renovated. In fact the whole hotel seems to have had quite a refresh. My room was as good as any other new modern IC room.

How is the Club lounge?
Very nice. Almost as good as the downtown IC. And they have staff always present for check in and check out in the Club.

Did you receive a welcome gift?

A fruit bowl and a cheese plate.

How was the minibar?

Quite good. Laurent Perrier Champagne, NZ white and Sonoma Pinot. Good quality tequila and rum too.

What was good and what was bad?

-Good
The hotel renovation was well done
Good club service
Good location for the outlet malls and access to north-south highways.

-Bad
Nothing bad. This hotel has moved from the lower tier of IC's to at least mid-tier if not higher.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points?
Yes, good value.

scubaccr

IC HCMC

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes


Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked- Entry level room
Received- Usual RA Suite with Club Lounge access
(on club 19th floor for convenience
Floor 19 has 2 Club Rooms, 2 Suites, 3 Corner Suites and the lounge)

How are the rooms?
o Entry open area with hall table and extra WC roo
o opens up to have
Work Desk + Chair , side area with coffee machine
3x Sofa Setup and table in U facing drinks cabinets unit and your lounge TV
o door to bedroom
Bathroom with bath and separate shower cubicle, single sink, Agrarian toiletries
Wardrobes area
Comfy bed with pillows facing second wall mounted TV

All soft and hard furnishings were unworn in nice condition


How is the exec. lounge?
Large, lots of seating , lots of Friendly helpful attentive staff
Nice afternoon tea + evening food offerings both nice and plentiful, beers, wine, cocktails 2hour slot but no sparkling wine here

Did you receive a welcome gift?
China candle holder

How was the minibar?
Fair, could even say improved as 1/2 bottle champagne I not get last visit
Sodas, water, white/red wine, 5x 5ml spirit miniatures


What was good and what was bad?

-Good
+ paid RA stay are upgraded with both 2-room suite AND club lounge access
+ good lounge evening food offeringsI
+ like several other IC's can not double dip breakfast on both early checkin morning and departure morning BUT lounge checkin contacted restaurant so I had b/f 09:30 arrival morning, whilst waiting on my room
+ proper cooked ham here , sliced thick if wanted, so ham+eggs b/f made a very nice change
+ previous bad internet here seems to be no longer an issue
+ Restaurant b/f is very good here

-Bad
nothing

- Neutral
o needed room sleep 0930 after 6am flight from Manila, but at she 10:00 said allocated room needs cleaning wait will be 1hour
o offered temp room superior, I said nothing but privately think why not just give me corner suite bump instead, she already knew I checking out 4am for 6:15 flight to Da Nang, and wanted to sleep as soon as reached my room
o Sat so banks close down, hotel exchange rate difference was too big for me
Concierge kindly directed me a 1km walk to change money, got 10million VND instead of 8.7m at reception

Value for $ or Priority Club Points?
Paid only here as points worth same as my paid rate, and also an RA on award stay gets lounge but no room upgrade

Would you return?
Yes, both because no hotel choice (no HH or other IHG Choice) and as nice hotel with great RA treatment in their own right
Poor internet connectivity that let this hotel down my last visit looks to be fixed

Unterwegs

IC Hanoi Westlake

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Absolutely (2 short stays late in 2015 and early 2016)

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked cheapest, received some kind of junior Suite (Size of two regular rooms minus emergency stairs) in the main building with a nice view to the lake with Club access

How are the rooms?
Nicely appointed, huge balcony facing the lake. Big bathroom, separate tub and shower. Perfectly ok, but not impressive
They have the restaurant at the 2nd floor and this floor has a fairly intense food-smell. Second time we had a room on the 3rd floor and that was fine.

How is the exec. lounge?
Good. Very friendly and helpful staff. Offerings in the afternoon and evening just at the minimum required. It was a bit of a disappointment because the IC in Saigon has much better offerings (both in taste and selections) and I was expecting something similar.

Did you receive a welcome gift?
Yes, some kind of a A4 size print and a small fabric animal.

How was the minibar?
Average

What was good and what was bad?
+ Location: somewhat quiet and View to the lake
+ Staff very friendly and helpful

- Location: relatively isolated. Taxis to the old quarter are cheap, but traffic can be bad
- Breakfast in main restaurant: food quality was below average for a 5star. Cappuccino was undrinkable.
- Lobby is not impressive and has a somewhat weird and non functional layout

Value for $ or Priority Club Points?
Relatively inexpensive, very good value

Would you return?
yes

Unterwegs

Sanya Haitang Bay, China

Some general information:
There are two ICs relatively close to each other. The IC Sanya resort is a few years older, closer to the City in a more developed area (restaurants etc close by, free shuttle to the city), the Haitang Bay is around 30 km outside (30 min by taxi from airport) up northeast in a new construction zone with not much in the area. I have been at the older one a few years back (wrote a RA report back then) and prefer the older one.


Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes (Stay was in very late 2015)

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked cheapest, got upgrade to a large suite (120 sqm), single room, nicely appointed. Also Club Access.

How are the rooms?
Nice, big. The room was at the end of a higher floor and had the size of a regular room plus a half circle at the end of the building with full glass windows and a wrap around balcony. Shower in the bathroom, bathtub on the balcony (a bit weird).
Nice view to the ocean and not so nice view to the huge cnstruction sites around the hotel.
The hotel is only around a year old.

How is the exec. lounge?
Relatively big space on highest floor. Staff was friendly but need better training (English and general). Little things like serving white wine in glasses which are still hot out of the dishwasher need improvement.
Food for high tea and happy hour was good, but selections a bit limited)

Did you receive a welcome gift?
Two necklaces, nice fruit basket

How was the minibar?
Below average

What was good and what was bad?
+ Very good RA recognition
+ Very friendly staff
+ Very good Chinese and Asian breakfast options in the main restaurant. Western was limited (almost all guests are Chinese)
+ Relatively good Hot Pot Dinner in the main restaurant

- Huge hotel, check in area too small
- Lots of little children in the Club which the parents did not supervise (they touched the food on the buffet and put it back etc)
- Hallways are outside, floor polished marble. When it rains the dust from the construction around plus the water from the rain make the hallways slippery like black ice
- Location. Nothing nearby to do except a 'Outlet Mall' which had interesting architecture and where everything was hugely overpriced (they bring Chinese tourists from other hotels to the mall with buses)


Value for $ or Priority Club Points?
Great value

Would you return?
If back in the area I mot likely will go back to the other IC

Unterwegs

IC Hong Kong

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Very (stay was early 2016)

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked with points, received junior suite

How are the rooms?
Nice, but a bit weird layout. Huge double door at the west end of the hallway. You expect something really good behind these doors, but then there is a small long hallway and then only a room in the inland corner of the building with a nice side view to the harbor. The room is well kept and has a good size.
Good upgrade considering that their regular rooms are pretty small and have only a view to the construction site next to the hotel.

How is the exec. lounge?
Absolutely great.

Did you receive a welcome gift?
Yes, some tea leafs, water, fruit basket, 2 vouchers for drinks in the lobby bar

How was the minibar?
Very good

What was good and what was bad?
+ Great upgrade (room plus club)
+ Normal recognition on points (minibar etc)

Value for $ or Priority Club Points?
Considering that prices around that time where very high in HK points where a great value.

Would you return?
Yes, absolutely

Unterwegs

IC Nha Trang

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Extremely. Have been at the hotel a few times, see my old reports, not much has changed)

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked cheapest (which they normally upgrade to a 2 room suite with almost no view). Accepted their offer to upgrade to their executive suite for a reasonable amount. Also Club Access

How are the rooms?
Very nice, great view (even the bathtub has a 180 degree ocean view), spacious (2 rooms plus big bathroom, extra toilet)

How is the exec. lounge?
Good, great view, friendly service. Food quality and selection (too much fried, many items with almost no taste) still lacking

Did you receive a welcome gift?
Yes, also laundry voucher (2 items per stay), water, fruits

How was the minibar?
Some large bottles of alcohol (like Bangkok), otherwise average

What was good and what was bad?

+ Staff (everybody is attentive and helpful. Concierge needs more local knowledge)
+ Location (View, lots of restaurants etc in walking distance)
+ Breakfast at main restaurant
+ Hotel was very busy around new year, but service was still very good

- Need to cross a busy street to go to the beach. Beach area too small and not enough chairs when the hotel is busy
- Pool is small and during wintertime in shadow after around 11 am

Value for $ or Priority Club Points?
Great value

Would you return?
Will. next visit in April