travellingblade

What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum (but not an Ambassador)

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked standard King room on points, received an upgrade to a 7th floor King room with a river view

How are the rooms?
Good. Decent sized with excellent views across the river to the castle. Bathroom on the small size but was clean, modern and functional. Bed was comfortable and the room was very quiet.

How is the exec. lounge?
N/A - didn't have access

What was good and what was bad?

Good
Location, location, location Also the staff were very helpful and friendly throughout the stay.

Bad
I explicitly requested a city taxi to return to the airport but surprise, surprise a hotel limo was waiting for me outside instead.

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Yes to both

FFlash

Looks like the first lucky one who has enjoyed Platinum recognition at IC without being Ambassador ^

moe8555

It sounds like the "free" upgrade was ultimately funded by the surprise limo

nicolas75

Are you sure that it will not be charged later? (even for Royal Ambassadors, limousine service must be booked and of course paid).

travellingblade

I had to pay the driver at the time. The hotel limo cost a fixed fare of 8500 HUF whereas a city taxi should be 6-7000 HUF on the meter. Not a big cost overall but it was still annoying that they didn't book what I requested.

nicolas75

I had the same story at IC Warsaw.
Hate such way of doing (and I declined the limo).

TxTrav

Austin, Texas

What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes, beautiful historic hotel in the heart of downtown Austin

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
The lowest cost most basic room was booked by the convention planner for a conference that we were attending. Then I added a night using my Priority Club annual rewards coupon (for the same basic room type). Received upgrade to a King Executive Club room (but without the club privileges). Prior to check in I looked on-line and we were pre-upgraded to a one bedroom suite, by the time we checked in that disappeared but we still had a very nice upgrade, about 3 categories above our originally booked room.

How are the rooms?
Very nice, very big room on the top floor of the hotel. Decor seemed freshly updated. Really a junior suite even though it wasn’t called that. Nice city view (but not the premiere view of the State Capitol that was on the opposite side of the building). The room was an open concept with very large marble foyer with closet, sitting area large enough for full size sofa, comfortable wing chair and a corner workspace with desk and chair. Fridge had a sensor for mini-bar items but they leave a small space for a few personal items which I’ve never seen a hotel do in that type of fridge. Coffee maker was the K-cup style with the pods replenished for free. Good size marble bathroom with seated vanity area but the standard shower/tub combo and the toilet was not in a private water closet.

How is the exec. lounge?
Never saw it.

What was good and what was bad?

GOOD
From reviews I had read this hotel is known for its exceptional service and did not disappoint. Excellent service even prior to check-in when I phoned with a few questions.

Status was recognized by the front desk agent, bellman was very professional, didn’t just dump the bags but showed me around the room and then went to fill my ice bucket. Good housekeeping service, left me extra K-cups each day after I requested that the first day, plus nightly turndown service.
Received personalize welcome letter and a basket with nuts, cookies, fruit and sparkling water.
Generous Upgrade.
Late checkout.
Hotel bar with nice outside deck overlooking downtown.

This hotel treats all its customers well and gives special treatment to its IHG members.

BAD
Parking is valet only and expensive but we were able to find a reasonably priced garage a few blocks away. Other than that nothing to complain about except the very small complaint that we never received the promised daily newspaper (even after the front desk confirmed which paper I preferred to get).

Value for $?
Lovely large room with view for the price of a basic room.

Would you return?
Absolutely! In fact we are returning in a few months. It will be interesting to see if anything changes now that I have signed up for the IHG Ambassador program.

FinnishFlash

What do you mean by this?

If you are Plat you enjoy Plat recognition. If you are Ambassador, you do not enjoy Plat recognition at IC but Ambassador recognition.

And I do know Plat "should" not be worth anything at IC but I haven't been Ambassador for years now and still as just a regular Plat I am upgraded more often than not.

nicolas75

What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum Royal Ambassador

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked cheapest advance rate with breakfast, and received a junior suite on 9th floor.

How are the rooms?
Around 40 sqm.
Sofa, desk, bedroom, bathroom, closets, balcony
Quite elegant beige/wood contemporary design, wood floor
Very comfortable bed.
Marble bathroom with bathtub. Towels could be renewed (pretty thin and old)
Balcony
Good selection of international channels
Complimentary mineral water, sparkling water.
Surprisingly nice lithograpies on the wall.
Very quiet. Perfectly clean and well maintained.

How is the exec. lounge?
N/A

What was good and what was bad?

Good:.
Smiling and friendly staff (was very kindly helped by staff at reception with taxi driver who wanted to overcharge me the ride from airport to the hotel - Remember that it is a flat rate of EUR 20, and not EUR 35 as the taxi driver wanted to charge)
Rent a bike station close to the hotel
Location (opposite Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia area, minutes from city centre and harbour/beach)

Bad:
Housemaid cleaned the room during breakfast time despite Do Not Disturb sign on the door.
Breakfast has been downgraded (no more fresh orange juice, only Nescafé, poor selection of pastries).
Wifi was very chaotic (had to call several times to reboot).

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Yes, very good value.
Even if the hotel has not the charm of the Palacio Marques de Caro hotel

Some tips for very good gastropubs in Valencia:
Vuelve Carolina
Canalla Bistro by Ricard Camarena

stigs

What is your IHG Rewards Club status?
Platinum.

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked Queen Studio Suite, received same. Platunums get 500 points or a trail mix and bottle of H2O.

How are the rooms?
Well-appointed room with small sofa, coffee table, large work desk area, full-sized fridge, microwave, two-burner stove, dishwasher and a three-person set of plates/bowls/utensils

How is the exec. lounge?
N/A

What was good and what was bad?
Good:
+Well-trained, warm staff
+Cozy lobby/eatery area
+Large, well-designed studio suite, great for long-term stays
+Comfortable bed
+Large LCD plasma TV with 50+ channels (many in HD)
+Oversized bathroom area
+Good shower pressure
+Excellent daily hot/cold breakfast selection
+Dinner provided Mon-Thu
+Signing privileges at nearby Holiday Inn (terrific food and service there)
+Nice outdoor patio area with putting green

Bad:
-Remote area, no shuttle. 25-minute walk in full sun to GO station
-Doors slam VERY HARD and loud here, and start before 7am

Value for $ or IHG Rewards Club Points? Would you return?
$179.99 regular rate a bit steep for a CS. Awesome value with 5k Pointbreaks; their regular 20k rate is fair.

stigs

What is your IHG Rewards Club status?
Platinum.

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Not at all.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked Double Queen, received DQ Executive. Rooms are the same, only tangible benefit is a mediocre continental breakfast in the neglected unstaffed lounge.

How are the rooms?
Recently remodeled, but dark given one small 0.9 meter window. Standard urban HI size (small for a CP). Tiny bathroom, but chic.

How is the exec. lounge?
An old, abandoned room with an empty fridge. Only perk is a very basic breakfast (apple, orange, mini croissant, cereal).

What was good and what was bad?
Good:
+Pleasant front desk staff
+Chic small lobby/restaurant area
+Comfortable bed (though hard)
+Good shower pressure, nice glass shower with new tiling
+Quiet zone has no housekeeping before 10am

Bad:
-Hotel is undergoing MAJOR construction. Pneumatic drilling and jackhammering up to 10pm. You read that right. 10PM.
-Should be closed down for the renovations
-Dirty rocks glasses, filthy small window
-Cracked modern sink (wild parties?)
-Awful internal & external soundproofing, you will clearly hear hallway, neighbors, traffic, ambulances, arguing drunks/vagrants on the street all hours of the night (even from top floors)
-Bizarre elevators and labeling of floors
-Old building with many areas neglected (spa out of order for months, strange noises in pool area, public computer non-functional with obsolete java scripts etc.)
-Room service/Restaurant/Bar does not open until 5pm
-Area is a seedy dump with vagrants everywhere, really depressing
-The list goes on...

Value for $ or IHG Rewards Club Points? Would you return?
$149.99 regular rate a terrible value for hotel in a dilapidated part of town. OK value with 5k Pointbreaks, but not if you value peace and quiet (or sleep!)

scubaccr

Crowne Plaza, London the city

What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum (RA)

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes once again

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
o Booked cheapest standard room day before arrival
o Received Queen Bed Club Room (7th floor) with Lounge Access (6th Floor)

How are the rooms?
o Queen beds this hotel unless booking a studio or the suite. Comfy enough with usual CP pillow choice
o Work desk with integral power points + work chair
o Small chair and footstool (not very comfortable)
o 40" LCD TV, with some sky sports channels too. Awkward to watch from bed, meant to swivel out, but connection cables far too short to allow movement needed to watch from bed.
o Large wardrobe with safe
o Compact bathroom, bath with normal type shower
o Aircon worked and was quiet
o Internet free to elites (also free if one books clubroom), only the one speed here.

How is the exec. lounge?
o Small but not crowded, a new coffee machine since 2months ago
o Nice evening snacks with some alcohol and wine
o Reasonable lounge breakfast for a CP. Does not allow restaurant breakfast though. TIP = Night before obtain £15 breakfast voucher a discount from usual £25. Can not buy vouchers in the morning.
o Helpful staff, also new pc/printer, as printer not connected/able to print tickets etc... need go to business center or email reception.


What was good and what was bad?

Good:.
o Arrived CP from LCY flight 9am, planning to dump luggage and go out and asked for internet code to check emails. Nice receptionist had me check in with immediate room access.
o Platinum recognition here again is not just room upgrade but Lounge access too
o Only one standard speed wifi (no slow speed wifi created for elites. )
o 2pm Late checkout on request.
o IHG gift scheme - 600points or drink from bar

o right opposite tube (blackfriars) 50m away on circle+district lines.

Bad:
o Nothing

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
o This weekend yes, circa £125 but can just as easily be £250 plus. I would never use 45k points here as I can use 50k for either London IC.
o yes I would happily stay here again, but need the more reasonable rate. The often very high rate prevents me staying here more often, and in my view makes room overpriced due to so much other choice around.

nightmarch

Holiday Inn Jamaica Queens - JFK Airport

What is your IHG Rewards Club status?
Platinum.

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Mostly.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked standard king, received same.

How are the rooms?
Fairly small, especially since we're not in Manhattan. Modern tv. Liked how the tv had its ports on its front, so it would be easy to connect devices to it. Combined shower & bathtub.

How is the exec. lounge?
NA

What was good and what was bad?

Good:

• Front desk staff was pleasant.
• Received platinum recognition and offered snack + soft drink, points, or a drink from the bar. Took the snack + bottled water.
• Hotel provided shuttle to the airport.
• Room was clean, bed was fine.
• Wifi was fine.

Bad:

• Room had a lot of noise -- from the hallway, from the airport, and from the nearby street/highway.
• Room was missing facial tissue. There was a container for it but it was empty.

Value for $ or IHG Rewards Club Points? Would you return?
I stayed on points. For one night at 20k/nt I'd consider returning.

nightmarch

Intercontinental London Park Lane

What is your IHG Rewards Club status?
Platinum.

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked superior king, received same.

How are the rooms?
Very nice. Elegantly furnished and decorated. My room had a partial view of one of the parks.

How is the exec. lounge?
Did not pay for club access.

What was good and what was bad?

Good:

• Room was available on our early arrival at around 1:30-2 PM.
• Room was clean and reasonably spacious.
• Received bottled water and fresh strawberries each night.
• Asked for late checkout, was apologetically offered 1 PM. Took it initially but decided to checkout in the morning and have my bags held until the late afternoon.
• Location convenient to the Tube and the nearby parks.
• Staff was pleasant and was responsive via email to our inquiries prior to our arrival.

Bad:

• Not necessarily the hotel's fault, but kids were making a lot of noise in the hall. One of the hotel's staff members commented that this happened all the time.

Value for $ or IHG Rewards Club Points? Would you return?
I stayed for two nights total, one night on points and one night using the IHG credit card night. Fantastic use for the IHG credit card night, and for one night the difference between this hotel and another IHG London hotel is fairly minimal. Would consider returning on points.

RatherBeOnATrain

Holiday Inn Express Little River (North Myrtle Beach), South Carolina

What is your IHG Rewards Club status?
Platinum.

Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
I've stayed multiple times. On the most recent stay during a peak summer month, I booked a Fri/Sat (2 night stay) non-smoking king on a rate that included a 1-night charge cancellation penalty. I was upgraded to a suite - living room with mini kitchen (sink, microwave and mini fridge), a bedroom, and a shower with a whirlpool tub.


How are the rooms?
Nice and very well maintained for a beach-area hotel

How is the exec. lounge?
NA

What was good and what was bad?

Good:
Front desk staff is excellent.
Received platinum recognition on both stays and was offered snack + bottled water, or points. I took points; these posted to my PC account during the first night of both stays!
Rooms were clean, beds were fine.
Wifi worked well.
The breakfast room is 2-level, looking out at the Little River boat harbor -- it is much nicer than most HIX breakfast rooms!
There is a full-service restaurant next door, and the boat harbor has a boardwalk - taking it in one direction will lead you to a lighthouse.

Might be Good or Bad, depending on your perspective:
This particular HIX is on the north end of the Myrtle Beach/Grand Strand area. The nearest beach access is a 10 minute drive away and the big MB attractions (shows, parks, mini golf, etc) can be 20 to 40 minutes away, depending on traffic and the route you take. (The hotel does have easy access to the expressway that parallels highway 17, so you can drive to the rest of the MB area relatively quickly if you take the expressway instead of 17.)

The location is good if you want to be relatively near the beach, but also not have to deal with the all-night-partying and other stuff that happens at many beach-front hotels. It is a bad location if you want to be in the center of the MB partying scene. (If you're in MB to get plastered, you will want to stay somewhere else.)

Bad:
During the peak season, the hotel is very expensive for a HIX, frequently sold out and they do not seem to allow 1-night Saturday night stays. (To stay on a Saturday night, you also have to reserve the Friday or Sunday night and, during check-in, you acknowledge that you have to pay for both nights even if you leave after one night.)

Hotel has an outdoor pool, which is obviously not usable during afternoon thunderstorms.

Value for $ or IHG Rewards Club Points? Would you return?
It was an ok value -- I ended up paying 55% of the rack rate posted on the room's door, so it cost a lot more than I am used to paying for an HIX! On the other hand, it is a little nicer than most HIXs I've stayed at.