IC is not so much a luxury hotel chain as a luxury business hotel chain.

Only Amsterdam has the small scale to be considered a true luxury property, and the room there are a little (just a little) dated. LeGrand is a luxury property in terms of hardware but doesn't quite make it in terms of staff. Hong Kong has the views and some lovely rooms post refurb but as soon as you enter the breakfast area to see 200 people fighting for a buffet you realise that it is not true luxury.

In most of the new or newly refurbed properties, IC does what it does very well. Its not Four Seasons but it doesn't charge FS prices and doesn't have FS consistency. Its also true to say, though, that FS has a few dogs as well. To be honest, I've got the money now to stay at FS properties when travelling on leisure and I usually do, but IC is a good fall-back when one isn't available or the price is simply not justifiable. And LeGrand is still my favourite City hotel in Europe / N America.

What was an eye-opener for me this year was staying at the FS Nile Plaza in Cairo, which is a huge hotel with 400 rooms / suites. Despite this, and despite the problems that come with Cairo, it still ran like clockwork with superb staff and the best designed 'shoebox' room layout I've ever had. Its when you stay somewhere like this that you realise that IC could raise its game if necessary and that size is no barrier.