HadesNL

Spa Intercontinental is open :

Mon - Fri: 10 - 20 H
Sat: 9.30 - 19
Sun: 9.30 - 18

Source

HadesNL

To return back to your experience,
I managed to locate my final invoice of the stay.

I looked high and low for the 5% discretionary service charge being tacked for room stays on but it seems not to have made its way on my bill.
It could be because i had a stay on a prepaid rate ?

To illustrate
Interesting it mentions:

Credit: Depost transfer at check in £3499,77
3x Debit : Accomodation - package 3x £1166,59
= balanced

Even my chum's award room with upsell to Mayfair Collection + Club Intercontinental codes as
- Club Intercontinental inc VAT
- Accomodation supplement inc VAT
* no mentions at of the 5% discretionary service charge


Sidenote, eating and drinking at Theo Randall & Najma Lebanese does have a service charge, as shown on the sign check slip and reflected on the final invoice at checkout
Quirky that the dinner bill is split shown on the final invoice in seperate sections of food, alcoholic bev, non alcoholic bev, gratuity and aforementioned service charge for the restaurants.

nicolas75

Isn’t it because, as a Royal Ambassador member, you have the following benefit:

HadesNL

Whoops i forgot all about that !

Smythmeister : you mentioned a disrectionary 5% surcharge on room rate added on checkout, can you remember if it was explained as an amenity fee or destination fee?
Which could indeed explain as nicolas75 so kindly pointed out, it won't be levied on everyone .....

Yet the way to evade might be a prepaid all in rate

Smythmeister

Mine was on a pre paid rate which they did charge ahead of time.

The called is a service charge at checkout. Optional but had been added and I asked for it to be removed. Added, apparently, to go to the staff if I felt I'd received good service.

I suspect being an RA means you didn't get it. Or maybe you booked ages ago and it's only been added to bookings since x date? I booked my prepaid rate on 5th Aug for a stay on 1st Sept.

HadesNL

That is very informative,
Thank you for sharing, my prepaid rate was booked in March 2023 for a stay in Sept 2023. I guess indeed being RA dodged that bullet

HadesNL

The flagship Intercontinental Parklane London,
Everyone seems to be here, everyone seems to have an opnion about it, everyone seems to have a different experience.
Indeed the hotel does seem to have more identities than the average cast of Friends can display on a good acting day.

The curious case of this Intercontinental comes in its own unique ability to be the only hotel in the group to have renovations of its rooms being dragged on forever.
As most know here, some IC hotels are getting major refurbishments to spruce them back up 2023 and getting it done all at once à la Dolly Parton
The Parklane seems to be having the same cosmetic surgeon and pr-agent as Madonna, we have no idea what or whom we are going to scare off!

Nevertheless the hotel staff are universal friendly, polite smiling and my interactions with housekeeping, maintenance, the doormen, porters, club intercontinental lounge staff have all been positive . But praise to them to have faces and nerves of steel when dealing with the targetmarket of guests, such patience displayed while still holding composure ....
I would have set the Louis Vouitton handbag on fire, thrown a pie in a bearded face, shine a spotlight onto those "anonymous" sunglasses,
Incognito means "i am not here" but for some it means to act remarkably noticable inconspicuous.
The demands and condescending attitude of some guests make it mimic an adult version of Supernanny rehabilitation SOS, where is Jo Frost when you need here, does she do adults too?

But besides that, it is an amazing place to observe all different kinds of people from the conveniance of the lazy chair and eavesdropping from behind the newspaper.
I've discovered at least 2 Sheiks, 1 Sheika, 12 RA, 1 CEO, Indonesian dignitaries with fondness for kippers, US-pensionados on their precruise stay departing Dover, braggart aspiring to get RA with 120 nights and 'delirious' wishing IHG would be more like Hilton, persons who try to be incognito from the country of Da Darlings, at least 3 instagramable dolls with faces so thightly pulled that Daisy Duck would like her duckface lips back ..... Never a dull moment!

But than again, you meet a lot of interesting people for a chat at the smoking zone where the cigarette seems to transcends any culture, race, class or bias

So let's start with location....
If someone says its close to Salt Bae, i have to smack them with hartfelt sincerety with a frying pan
If someone says close to Harrods, indeed i have never seen so much brands in the hotel paraded in a nonchalant way


Hyde Park Corner is the closest tube station on the Picadilly line connecting from Heathrow Airport to St,Pancras International and onwards.
For those coming by the tube,
The station does have a lift from platformlevel to ticketinglevel and than it is or EXIT 1/4/3 for stairs or EXIT2 for the ramp

Jolly show is that the station is seperated from the underground passageway under the roads leading to the hotel.
If you are like me with patience zero in a heatwave, the fastest way is to just kick the suitcase down the stairs and throw it back up the stairs.
I didn't know there was a resident downstairs but he was a good sport about it, especially when i gave him some of my extra waterbottles

Hyde Park Corner tube is not directly linked to the corner where the hotel is situated so you'll have to go up down up ....


And for those of us who can't get a taxi when it is pouring at night or festive events provide an all night dent in black cab availability.....




And this is the hotel seen from EXIT 2,
infront of it, the gunner's memorial https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machin...Corps_Memorial

So to get matters straight,
The lowerfloors are fully refurbished and as such bookable under the Mayfair Collection (priced higher)
The upper floors are NOT refurbished and as such are old junk and lived in by monkeys.
When the rest is going to be done is just similair to the mystery of the missing socks


So what is the ambiance of the hotel ?
To show you the diverse crowd......
looks can be deceiving though as we all shared a chat with camaradie at the outdoors smoke zone


Seems tout Qatar in Sheiks, Sheika and entourages was here



It is all very laid back




And celebrity spotting

HadesNL

I orginally booked "Hyde Park Suite Mayfair Floor" which was upgraded to "Prestige Suite Mayfair floor"

The room is located on level 4 and of the refurbished kind. It has a nice view on the Wellington Arch,
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/...llington-arch/
https://likelovelondon.com/wellingtons-arch-london/
Where the Royal Guard passes through around 10.30 & 11.30 mornings.
You can even see on some occasions the planes from a southwest approach into London City Airport LCY.
It faces southeast, south, and early afternoons southwest and as such gets a beating from the sun the whole day in the summer.
Fortunately housekeeping closed the curtains and also the room's airconditioning could keep it crisp and parky as it would satisfy an American taste for freezing air.



This hallway carpet shows you are on a renovated Mayfair Collection floor


A look on the layout of the building


Floorplan of level 4 and location of room #410,
the hotel building follows the cardinal compass direction from top to right clockwise, north, east, south and west


You can see this room has 2 connecting doors, making it effectively a 3 bedroom suite if needed.
I can report no noise from our neighbours fortunately

Room lights are operated on an interval choice panel
1 Louis XIV bright: all on
2 Just the overhead lights
3 Mood enhancing turndown light
4 Darkness off

View of entry vestibule,
right: the extra powderoom/loo/halfbath ,
middle: door to hallway,
left the connecting door (no pictured)



Extra toilet, weirdly enough as the hotel caters to ME-crowd,
no bidet house or Japanese washlet (i know these things can cost a fortune)




View into the complete living room,
there is a bit of unused space between dining table and toilet,
making it more spacious to roam around
but is actually due to the fact of the room layout to accomodate the walkin closet between bedroom and bathroom



This is the view when you open the room door





View from the window at peak heatwave day summer SEPT 2023 at Wellington Arch
Excellent sound insulation




Arranging the furniture and you can treat yourself to the views at night,
not much in back support though + feel the long reach of freezing Fimbulvetr of the AC in my face can make it a bit chilly, i had to put on a peignoir




Night time view on the new Peninsula hotel
Ought to be open by now




And a view of the skyline, if I press my nose to the window looking left i can glimpse even BigBen, the Shangri La Shard, London Eye



The bedroom,
left is the door to the living room,
right the door to the walk in closet and bathroom





The bed is quite nice,
i do wish they swapped chairs and put this chair in the living room so you can have more support while reading or looking out the window in the living room


USB A is found at the bedside

And now onwards to the walking closet,
straightthrough please




It has a ladies vanity,
and a place to live out of your suitcase




And ample storage space ....,
not pictured left is "another" connecting door ....... effectively turning this into a 3 bedroom suite !



All stocked and with handy convertor plug from all electric to imperial UK style


And now the bathroom





The bathroom was nicely outfitted, shower pressure excellent and stable temperatures

Bathroom luxuries




And a nice bath ....
but what do we see here ....
again a toilet without bidet hose or Japanese washlet,
hmmm maybe the renovation of the upperfloors will include those ?





Not mounted but temperproof bulk Byredo Bal d'Afrique and interesting .....
ninjalad no bar of soap spotted! Only the liquid version


A peek into the minibar


Stocked minibar with those pesky sensors,
bump into it once with a big butt and prepare to be charged the amount of an economy car





Coffees and Teas : Nespresso Capsule machine

Verdict
A most comfortable room, it really is like Dr. Jeckl and Mr. Hyde if you compare the previous styling versus the new one.
Was it worth the £1166 a night?
yes, because all it is in good working order, neat and clean and anything to not get an unrenovated room
mwah, expensive for the season but because of the upgrade with full RA benefits, much more palatable for the wallet.
S/O mentions it was worth every penny for the airconditioning, so worthwhile that at the end of the stay he had a runny nose of the cold

HadesNL

Part of the hotel is Theo Randall's retaurant, which is open for dinner TUE-SUN for dinners but is also the default breakfast room.
F&B consumed here is EQP.
What can i say, i'm a fan ever since my first visit way back in 2009 and have returned ever since at every visit to London.
I really appreciate the taste of the dishes, the sufficient portions and the lovely staff. Always a pleasent evening dinner out.

You're offered complimentary warm bruschetta and focaccia


Italian Brigiola and her lady supervisor whom took care of us, made such a lasting impression on my guests with their charm and sincerity.


We chose for this evening:



Ravioli di aragosta 350 kcal £24/35
Fresh pasta stuffed with Dorset blue lobster, with tomato and shellfish broth
(shown is the small portion)



Filetto di branzino 380 kcal £39
Pan-roasted seabass fillet with datterini tomatoes, capers and Taggiasche olives, with Swiss chard and slow-roasted Sicilian red peppers




Scamone di agnello con ciammotta 489 kcal £35
Marinated Lake District lamb rump with slow-cooked potato, green beans, aubergine, tomatoes, grilled red peppers and lamb jus


Actually we ordered a lot more dishes but some where already halfeaten before i remembered to take a photo
I can recommend a comfy & tasty dinner here if you don't fancy going out on the streets looking for food and if you prefer easy convenience. Even Mother gives it a thumbs up!

HadesNL

As a surprise for my S/O, i decided to invite my old boarding school chum to come join us for 1 night stay.
Seeing revenue rooms were at obscene amounts, i decided to use 100,000 points to book him an award room for single occupancy.
An award room at IC PL books in as a Cosy room, meaning actually an unrenovated room on the higher floors but with only innercourt atrium view.
As my room was on the Mayfair Collection floor on level 4,
as nicolas75 has warned about the beaten state about his premium (unrenovated) room
and as Mrs Atacama40 reconfirmed that the unrenovated rooms still have showercurtains,
i thought it wise to save my face and reputation to upgrade his "Cozy" unrenovated room to a renovated "Cozy" Mayfair Collection room on our same floor (4). After a quick mail to reservations, this was possible for a supplement of £100.

My chum got allocated room #409: just across the hall from my own room.
His room faces north and has an innercourt atrium view

Layout of the hotel building and location of room #409 :
as you can see it faces the innercourt atrium



And a look into the room itself

Not pictured left is the connecting door to another room

Look into the entry vestibule,
left the minibar, kettle and Nespresso coffee machine and closet,
right the bathroom





Storage space in the closet





Quite a pretty bathroom,
toilet has no bidet house or Japanese washlet however


This room also has Byredo Bal d'Afrique amenities

No tub to be found, hurray a walk in shower WITHOUT shower curtain





And a very nifty modern system, it all worked to perfection according to my chum




A view into the bedroom


This room was also offered turndown service

True KING bed and also with good working airconditioning




Stocked minibar operating with a movement sensor,
touch it and pay


If one is a bit claustrophobic or loves a view, i would urge you to pay up for Hyde Park view,
Because,


Not much in direct views direct out of the window into the innercourt atrium


Sister Anna, does one see afar something?


And from floor 4, you can glimpse upwards a bit of sky, but you get the idea that you are pretty boxed in .....


Verdict:
Nothing wrong with fixtures, showers, blackout curtains, cleanliness and turndown service
No wear & tear spotted, no shower curtain thank goodness
A most comfortable room for solo occupancy, for a duo it might be a bit cramped, especially if you bring more than 2 suitcases
Worth upsell to Mayfair Collection? Compare what style your prefer: https://parklane.intercontinental.co...ms/cosy-rooms/
Worth even booking? Only if you are not bothered by having a view and if you only consider your room as a place to just sleep&shower and are out and about London all day & night

HadesNL

Replacing the Cookbook café, a Mexican restaurant and Alex Webb's debut, the latest concept to arrive at IC PL ( at the space occupying Hyde Park corner and Parklane) is restaurant Najma Lebanon. Readers upthread might be aware of my theory of the curse of the headless old abbot but i digress, against Qatari cashflow and a ME palate focus, this might be the taste that appeals to the majority guests at the hotel and has a chance for survival.

The focus of the food is the taste of the Levant with nice Arabic clubby music as accompagnement. The restaurant itself isn't that big and on a Tuesday only occupied with 4 tables so it made for a very relaxed experience. It is i think yet undiscovered by the general crowd and might need to get its bearing in what kind of types it is willing to entice for dinner.
Maybe focus as the post theater dining, after hours supper crowd and such ?

Nothing than praise for the staff, whom were very eager to help but at a bit a loss because you could sense that they want to do a lot more but the restaurant did not attract many customers for that Tuesday.

Najma restaurant has its own entrance on the front pavement at Number 1 Parklane or you can reach it directly from the hotellobby


So the restaurant has tables and counter seating with a view on the road and the park

Restaurant interior





Menu : there is a very impressive non alcoholic drinkslist too


To start with

Amuse from the chef:;
Something vegetarian in the style like watermelon steak X jackfruit




More intimate private seating area


We had a starter to share

MAN’OUSHIT ZAATAR (v) £12 Our special cheese mix with sesame 140 kcal



We continued each with

(Poured at table) EXOTIC MUSHROOM SOUP (v) £12 Sautéed mushroom, croutons 178 kcal



And after bumping into him at the elevators, Club Intercontinental Lounge and at Theo Randall,
Introducing myself to

Meeting Mr. Maalouf the CEO for an informal informative brief chat
- he is well informed about the Hilton/Marriott/Hyatt flooded elite ranks by easy creditcards causing strain on quality & quantity of lounges and benefits
- aware of the milestone nights choice measure as threshold to keep IHG's control over quality & quantity of lounges & benefits in scope of hotelowners + guestexperience + loyalty
Would have loved to chat more but S/O remarked to let the man enjoy his dinner


On to our main course

PAN-FRIED SEA BASS £40 Wilted spinach, chilled tomato dakkous, charred lemon 750 kcal





MIXED GRILLED MEAT £54 Lamb chops, smoked lamb kofta, chicken wings and skewers, chilli garlic aioli, wild rice 850 kcal



Verdict
I cannot comment about the hummus because otherwise my Israeli aunt would chase me with her hummus to do a blind taste test
The food was tasty and portions filling, i did shazam at least 12 new songs discoveries which are playing at home when i'm ironing the clothes at home.
So can i recommend it ? It is a safe environment where you can enjoy comfortable unrushed dining and to dabble and try food from the Levant and earn EQP.
However the pricing is steep and might be really geared more to the ME crowd than the casual dinner

HadesNL

While the offer lasts

HadesNL

So you are aware of the F&B timings

HadesNL

Located on level 7 is the Club Intercontinental lounge with view over Wellington Arch and the skyline.
You gain access with a proper coded keycard.
You will be asked for your roomnumber and last name for verification but after the third visit, they seem to have memorized your eligability.
The lounge has its own gender segregated bathrooms and a shower room.
The selection of seating varies from window tables, low couches, booth style to counter seating.
Waitstaff is roaming around to take your drink orders, bring them to your seat and to offer your refills

A nice airy place where one can mix & mingle with other guests




To give you an impression
I'll give you a walkthrough to the lounge's F&B presentation cycle


What's always available?



Choice of selfservice hot drinks,
but staff can also make you barista style hot drinks at custom order





Softdrinks cabinet
Bottled sparkling water is also stocked



Softdrinks cabinet



Breakfast
Weekdays 6.30 - 10.00
Weekend 6.30 - 11.00

The buffet offers


Fresh fruit





Cold cuts





ME delights





Very heavy delights






From the bakery






Lactose & non lactose





Cereals & Diary






Salad & nuts


Jams & preserves are by Wilkins and Sons : https://www.tiptree.com


À la carte cook to order menu & beverages





Synopsis of the self serve buffet



What's offered between breakfast & afternoon tea time ?
& also between afternoon tea time & evening drinks ?


Trio of Nibbles
Sometimes a plate of cookies can be found too..... they were all gone before i could snap a photo


Afternoon tea
14.30 - 16.30

You will be offered; savouries, sweets and scones

Étagière for afternoon tea, selection rotates daily
3 different savoury sandwiches
3 sweet delights
2 different scones


Evening Drinks
17.30 - 19.30

A full view of the buffet set up

Mr. Grainger's side

Full set up center display stand right hand side


Mrs. Slocombe's side

Full set up center display stand left side





There is a rotation of items on an interval cycle

Hot nibbles variations day 1






Hot nibbles variations day 2



The same goes for the cold items center display stand which also has a rotation of items on an interval cycle


Cold cuts variations day 1




Cold cuts variations day 2



Fixed staple offering is fruit
Yet the flavours & tyoe of cakes differ from day to to day

And the Cheese selection has small variations from day to day



Fixed choice is

Breads & savour smears


Also returning every evening is

Salad corner exactly mimics the breakfast offering



Current champagne offering SEPT2023

Free flow or let the staff pour you a glass, they do roam about and offer refills





Other tastes are also catered for


Verdict
Club Intercontinental F&B is a nice add on to a pleasent comfortable stay.
The calm of the lounge away from the crowds is worth a premium, especially with the light and panoramic views.
Breakfast & afternoon tea are filling but one must be rational that the evening presentation won't constitute a full meal but can tide you over if you feel peckish.
You can only decide yourself if the amount of alcohol presented will add value to the extra club intercontinental access surcharge of £90 (solo) or £180 (duo) per room per night.

k3v

Really great review to read, thanks.