Originally Posted by
stimpy
There are inconsistencies in all brands. Even Four Seasons has a few bad apples. Some IC's are true luxury, especially when you stay as RA.
And some are not.
Also you have to compare within a city. For example the IC Bucharest cannot compare with any 4 star in Hong Kong or even some of the 3 star hotels. But it is just about the best hotel in all of Bucharest.
I agree and I think my point is that what counts as 'luxury' in a particular location is at least *partially* relative to where you are. I can't speak as an RA, but my experience is that even in cities with the best ICs in the world, such as Hong Kong, the IC is still positioned in a slightly lower market segment than the true 'luxury' properties.
E.g. in Hong Kong the MO, Upper House, FS, Peninsula, etc. are in the 'luxury' segment, whereas IC, Conrad, GH, JWM are in the next segment down and sell for less per night / attempt to offer slightly less perfect service as a result. The top suites at the IC in HK are top of the market in terms of rates just because they are truly unique, but the rest of the hotel is positioned as decidedly cheaper than the equivalent luxury choices in HK on most nights.