Introduction Based on reviews I read, I did not expect InterContinental Bangkok to provide great value but since I never stayed before myself, I wanted to give them a chance at the very least. Unsurprisingly, my stay turned out to be stingy regarding elite benefits relative to other hotel chains and perhaps even worse than expected, and it was a close call as to whether I was going to walk off immediately at the check-in desk but ended up staying one night. This property is most likely a ‘one and done’ for me, I fail to see in what circumstances I would want to return because I could not find a pocket of potential value. Pricing Shenanigans This year I wanted to expand my horizons beyond the main hotel chains where I normally stay and IHG is part of what I wanted to explore. After a stellar stay at Kimpton and a so-so stay at Indigo, it was IC’s turn. Even before setting foot at this hotel, it was unclear to me the best way to book a value stay. First off redemptions are not particularly attractive at 0.4 cents per point at the moment. The Ambassador weekend night did not seem to be a good deal either because the flexible rate was significantly higher than the cheapest rate, in fact for some weekend dates it was exactly double, making the value of the free night certificate a big fat zero. In some circumstances I am willing to stomach a significant differential between the flexible rate and the cheapest rate when the cancellation policy is different, but at IC BKK the cheapest rate had a 72-hour cancellation policy and the flexible rate had a 24-hour cancellation policy; for stays booked several weeks in advance this distinction is close to irrelevant. What this pricing structure does accomplish however is to significantly diminish the value of IHG Luxury Collection rate packages which provide 100 USD credit per stay because you end up having to pay a material price premium for no significant difference in cancellation policy. Nonetheless this is the route I took because I wanted to stay no more than one night at IC as I suspected I would not have a suite and that other elite benefits would be quite modest. When my agent made the booking I never received an e-mail confirmation from the hotel and I did not think anything of it – it turned out to be a mistake. Check In Upon arrival at the hotel I had a bad surprise: the 100 USD credit was for the spa only; food and beverage was not allowed. Since my wife is pregnant this was a no-go, she simply cannot use the spa at this point in time. The vast majority of luxury hotels in Bangkok allow the credit to be used on F&B for example Virtuoso rates or Amex FHR so even in normal conditions IC stands out negatively by limiting the credit to the spa only, and it’s even worse in today’s conditions where many hotels offer big F&B promos and credits often equal to the room rate itself. Making F&B ineligible is entirely IC’s prerogative, but it was another aspect where they turned out to be stingier than the competition and more than what I expected before staying at IC. When faced with such a situation at check-in where the customer failed to fully understand the terms of a reservation, many hotels in Bangkok bend over backwards to be flexible to accommodate a guest, even more so in covid times when they are hurting for business, but not at IC. They remained firm, there were simply not going to give a F&B credit. In their defense it might partially be my travel agent’s mistake for the lack of disclosure and my own fault for not specifically asking what the credit could be used for, but the hotel could have sent me a confirmation directly as well and anyway they proved to me at check-in that rigidity and following rules is higher in their pecking order of priorities rather than adopting a customer-centric approach. They proposed to cancel the booking and rebook another rate type which was a rip-off so I refused. After 10 minutes of phone calls they proposed another “deal” where my rate was cheaper but I would not get a F&B credit at all. I think they offered me what they were selling on Megatix so it was nothing out of the ordinary; I was tempted in walking out but I thought what they heck we are here already, so I took it. But the bottom line is that I was far from impressed by the entire interaction with staff and perhaps more importantly, I was already at a loss to find attractive ways to book at IC and the IHG Luxury Collection package is another one I can cross off my list if not intending to use the spa. Room I did not receive a suite upgrade which is often the case at IHG hotels, unlike the generous suite upgrades with other loyalty programs especially now during times of low hotel occupancy. The room was technically a one category upgrade to Executive Deluxe but I am not sure the room itself was any different than the entry level room although it was on a high floor with decent views. The Executive benefits included 2 pieces of ironing per stay which got done lightning fast in less than one hour – it was an aspect of our stay which was impressive. Otherwise the room was entirely forgettable, not terrible hardware but not new and modern by any stretch of the imagination and nothing that stood out positively. At the very least for a standard room, 45 square meters is decent for a 5-star hotel and not overly small. To match with the stinginess theme of the hotel, I noticed by walking near the lobby some advertising stating that they use Harnn products in the spa like we had in the room at the IC Koh Samui resort a couple of months ago, however at IC Bangkok did not have Harnn in the room: it was a made in China brand I had never seen before, so unfortunately thumbs down to the hotel in that regard as well. Dining As part of the Platinum Ambassador benefits, guests have the choice between free breakfast or happy hour, however since the rate type I took at check-in included breakfast it meant I would have happy hour by default. I guess one hour of drinks is better than nothing, but most other hotel chains offer at least 2 hours and competitors have a proper lounge with food. At IC it was a drinks menu and they brought cashew nuts. The venue near the lobby was reasonably nice and comfortable. The other Ambassador benefit is the 600 THB credit, but the credit could not be used for in-room dining (as per the normal program rules), which I find to be illogical during covid times. I suspect some IC properties around the world have decided to temporarily allow room service as a sign of goodwill and similarly at IC Bangkok nothing would prevent them from being more flexible but that’s not their cup of tea. The choices at the breakfast were good and in line with a hotel of this caliber, perhaps most comparable to JW Marriott nearby. The covid precautions were not impressive however as most food was self-serve and the hotel did not provide plastic gloves for guests to manipulate tongs unlike what is currently done at some hotels in the city. Location Location might be the only strength about this hotel in my opinion, smack in the middle of the city. That said, some other hotels are close as well so IC does not have a monopoly for good location. Service Service before our arrival was good as they reached out to me by e-mail before the stay to ask if I had any special requirements. They sent me a pillow menu but failed to bring the pillows to our room when we arrived so I had to send a reminder. Besides the interaction at check-in, no other aspect stood out for example the service during happy hour and breakfast was good, but nothing remarkably different than at other hotels. Wifi Wifi worked great with speeds of over 150 Mbps which is among the best I have seen in the city. Overall Overall for the price I paid, it is clear I get far better value at the vast majority of other hotel chains in Bangkok especially those which have a lounge, in fact even the normally less generous hotel chain Accor gives lounge access to guests Platinum or Diamond in Bangkok, unlike IC. Within IHG I would be more likely to recommend Indigo because at least they have something that stands out positively compared to the competition: small rooms, but the design is unique and original so they fill a special niche even though the elite benefits are non-existent. The best IHG choice in the city is clearly Kimpton in my opinion where I had an impressive stay earlier this year, so even for IHG loyalists I would still not recommend IC – for me the choice would be Kimpton by a mile, if budget allows. The customer focus at Kimpton was the complete opposite than at IC and rooms are new and much bigger. The price tag is higher at Kimpton than IC but well worth the premium.