I am now checked in at a "Deluxe room" at the intercontinental. Can't say I'm impressed - at all. A hotel that can't put their name on the entrance and can't sign post the location of the reception - I guess that is just reeking of luxury, an experience that keeps on giving, it turns out.

So I hesitantly enter through an anonymous coffeshop at the address where the hotel is supposed to be located, only to find myself in an anonymous restaurant. Still no name and no signs. Here I try to find someone that can tell me where the intercontinental is located.

The only staff that is in a hurry to do anything is security staff approaching with "are you OK" in the sense of "please let me escort you out of this high class environment because our profiling says you do not belong here".
But then someone from the restaurant can tell where the reception is located (in the far back of the establishment), and after walking through the restaurant, and passing one manned desk that can't handle check in, finally check in can commence.
Then, and only then, someone is rushing to take care of the bags, and I almost go "get your filthy hands of my bags", but instead opts to politely refuse to hand over anything, because I'm surely not going to be tipping any oily fawner tonight.

'Deluxe' turns out by the way to be an euphemism for 'Tokyo sized with Olso pricing' and 245€ naturally doesn't include breakfast or internet access. It did indeed include the river view promised and even more, because from the first floor you get some nice trees in the foreground too. However, the (now so) attentive staff rushes in and pulls the blackout curtains to cover it all up, so that got settled quickly.

Well, there is just something about overpaid staff acting superior that doesn't really trigger my buying impulses (guess that explains my aversion to BA aswell).

OK, slightly dramatized, but honestly, even without the minor mishaps there is nothing here that is worth 4x the money compared to a decent 3* hotel IMHO.