IC Hong Kong (December 2019)
What is your IHG Status?
Spire Ambassador
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked Superior Room (33 sq m, plaza view); upgraded to Deluxe Room (42 sq m; plaza view).
How are the rooms?
The IC HK hotel is in dire need of renovation (which I understand will take place in 2020-2021, after which it will be rebranded as a Regent Hotel). Most of the furniture and décor feel stuck in the 1990s. The lights and electronics (TV, entertainment system, alarm clock) in the room are also a decade or two old.
The bathroom was decorated in heavy marble. The overall size of the bathroom is okay, but the shower stall and the toilet feel like tiny boxes – one literally has to squeeze into the corner just to open the door when exiting the toilet. Not to mention that the toilet itself is literally 1 foot off the ground.
From some photos that are on rotation in the hotel elevator, it seems that the suites may have undergone some renovation in recent years, but not the regular rooms.
How is the exec. lounge?
In advance of my arrival I read up about the lounge and was less than impressed, so I did not book it in advance. When I arrive, I inquired about paying the difference to upgrade to a Club room (the price differential was USD 110 at the time of check in, but they insisted I would have to actually pay USD 140 extra per day to upgrade, which meant an extra USD 840 in total for the stay just to gain access to the lounge…) so I figured my wife and I could just grab our meals at the awesome new K11 mall that is connected to the hotel.
What was good and what was bad?
The location is great. The Tsim Sha Tsui area is hip and right next to the Star Ferry for quick transfer over to the Hong Kong Island side. There is a brand-new trendy mall called K11 Musea connected to this IC, and there are plenty of cool shops and restaurants there. The view from the IC Hong Kong is amazing if you have a harbor view room or grab a meal in the lobby lounge.
There is a nice fitness center with good equipment, and it was never crowded.
The infinity jacuzzi offers a great view of Victoria Harbor, but we only got to experience it twice as one time when we were sitting poolside a raunchy couple started having sex right in the jacuzzi tub. We and a few other people got up and left and of course we never dipped a toe in that water again.
As I’ve stated, the hotel is in dire need of renovation. I wouldn’t say the service is on par with other InterContinental hotels in Asia, even if you have Ambassador status.
Also, multiple times over the last few weeks there have been protests with tear gas and heavy police presence right in front of the hotel. Happened again while we were there.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
This is one of the pricier ICs, and I wouldn’t say it’s a great value at the end of the day. You pay through the nose for an old hotel with mediocre service. The saving grace of this hotel is the view… if you shell out enough to get a harbor view room.