The InterContinental London Park Lane Experience
Index to Genius1 Trip Reports
Standing on the site of 145 Piccadilly, Queen Elizabeth II’s childhood home, InterContinental London Park Lane occupies a post-war building at the edge of Hyde Park on the border of Mayfair and Knightsbridge. Now known as No.1 Park Lane, this is one of two ICs in London, the other being located at the O2 in Greenwich. Our reservation for this weekend break had originally been at the O2, but with that hotel in use as a government quarantine facility, our stay had been cancelled and, with a soon-to-expire Ambassador complimentary weekend night certificate to use, we had re-booked at the somewhat pricier but better regarded Park Lane.
It was a warm July afternoon as we arrived at the hotel’s entrance on Hamilton Place for what was to be my first hotel stay in 16 months. We were offered help with our bags at the door, although as usual opted to trundle them along ourselves. The hotel’s lobby – in keeping with the rest of the interior design – is elegant but unfussy, and rather unusual in that its ceiling is low with little attempt at grandeur. An Ambassador check-in area was available opposite the concierge desk, although with an empty lobby this wasn’t required today.
The lone receptionist checked us in efficiently behind the now-obligatory perspex screen, with directions given to the restaurant, lounge and bar, and confirmation of our dinner reservation at Theo Randall the following evening. A 16:00 checkout was proactively offered, along with the choice of a welcome drink or IHG Rewards welcome points; as is usual when drinks are included in the rate, I opted for the points however meagre the number.
Our Mayfair Deluxe Room on the third floor was a one category upgrade from our booked Mayfair Room. Mayfair-branded rooms are the ones to reserve at this property, as they represent those that have been fully refurbished (bathrooms included) within the last few years. The property continues to refurbish on a floor-by-floor basis, so the rather dated Classic rooms will be a thing of the past before too long. For its part, the Deluxe element of our room gained us a partial view of Wellington Arch and Hyde Park (higher floors have unobstructed views of the park), whilst entry level rooms offer a to-be-avoided interior courtyard ‘view’.
At roughly 21 square metres, whilst not huge our room felt spacious, thanks in part to the super-elegant design and even smarter lighting, controlled by numerous panels around the room that offered multiple options for which lights came on and at what intensity. With a super king size bed, desk, side table and occasional chair, there was plenty of space for a second chair but as is so often the case in hotel rooms designed for two people, one person was inexplicably relegated to the desk chair or the edge of the bed. Number of chairs aside, the walnut and brass-toned room was a delight to be in.
A welcome cake was present in the room, alongside a smartly designed card from the Guest Services Manager. Although the minibar was empty (pandemic-related, I assume), Springbourne bottled mineral water was available and replenished daily. The selection of teas (by The East India Company) and biodegradable coffee capsules (by Kiss the Hippo) for the Nespresso machine were the full range of what you’d expect in pre-pandemic times. The tea seemed to taste all the better for it being poured into exquisitely designed mugs by William Edwards, the maker of the crockery in BA First cabins and lounges.
On a practical note, the room was furnished with both USB and regular power sockets above each bedside table and adjacent to the desk. In keeping with the ‘supply just enough for one person’ theme, the only suitcase stand was a fancy padded piece below the mirror-surrounded TV – although I’m sure a portable stand would’ve been available on request. Wifi was fast and didn’t require any code or convoluted log-on process. Complimentary newspapers and magazines were available via PressReader. Along with real reading material, writing material was also absent from the room, as was that most British of useful devices, an umbrella.
The bathroom was on the small side but refurbished to a level that quelled any space-related concerns. With a powerful rain shower, odour-extracting toilet (that made a soothing and oddly comforting humming sound when in use) and toiletries by Mitchell and Peach (a nice change from the usual Agraria), this was a bathroom worthy of the Mayfair price tag.
Missing in action was the usual selection of non-liquid toiletries (dental kit etc.) – a little card claimed the pandemic was to blame, with the items delivered promptly on request, along with some additional Mitchell and Peach bottles in a larger take-home-friendly size. IHG are phasing out mini bottles by the end of the year – it will be interesting to see how higher-end hotels in the chain approach this.
Turndown service was offered each evening – the room was refreshed, but chocolates were sadly lacking. I always find it slightly bemusing when a hotel provides a card indicating the next day’s weather – in the era of smartphones and with heightened waste awareness, you’d have thought such trivialities would be easy candidates to scrap.
Whilst the property doesn’t offer a swimming pool, spa treatments are available, as is a small but well-equipped gym on the first floor. The corridor to the gym emphasised how dated (but admittedly well kept) un-refurbished floors at the property are – another reminder to steer well clear of those Classic rooms.
