Yeah, IC Times Square could use some quality renovation. Unfortunately, hotels in the US generally speaking do not quite understand this and the majority of guests don't appreciate it anyway... For that reason, US hotels will rarely hold up to their non-US counterparts. InterContinental is so much better outside of the US.

I stayed in IC Times Sq last weekend. The service was better than usual, to their credit. But I had the same minibar situation. It's my 4th time staying at this property this year, and I encountered empty minibars on the last visit, so when I dropped an email in advance to confirm my Royal Ambassador double upgrade, I requested that they fill the minibar before my arrival. This is what "filling the minibar" meant to them:


"Filled" minibar

After I called down and asked them to fill it for real, specifically noting I intended to buy some red wine, and thankfully they managed to do it.