nicolas75

- What is your IHG Rewards 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 rate with breakfast, and was upgraded to club room with club access (after negocation)

- How are the rooms?
Around 20 sqm.
Well maintained but dated design
Tiny bathroom.
Flat screen television sets with basic good selection of international channels
View over the city
https://twitter.com/nicolas75flyert/...97574534922241
Very quiet

- How is the exec. lounge?
Quite large, with 3 separate rooms
Good selection of afternoon canapés, evening hot food and drinks.
https://twitter.com/nicolas75flyert/...02334570881024
Pleasant terrace
https://twitter.com/nicolas75flyert/...03572704227328

- What was good and what was bad?
Good:
- Convenient location, in one of most trendy district of the city (many trendy shops, restaurants in the immediate vicinity)
- Easy access to public transport. Shared bike station 5 minutes wlak to the hotel
- Good breakfast (quiet and elegant room, good selection of products, excellent service), nice staff at restaurant

Bad:
- Somewhat dated design
No bicycle to be rented at the hotel

- Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Yes
Excellent value, even if I'd prefer other options in Hamburg

Kalboz

- What is your IHG Rewards Club status?
Platinum Ambassador

- Were you (or for multi-stayers are you generally) happy with the hotel/stay?
Absolutely ... very very very happy! Photos here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kalboz...57651581022488

- Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked standard room on points (30K IHG points per night), and was upgraded two categories up to Kids' Suite.

- How are the rooms?
Consists of actually two connecting rooms with two full baths. Traveling with wife 2 kids this came in very handy. The kids loved their rooms which had 2 boat like beds, entertainment center with DVDs and game counsel, box full of toys, etc.

- How is the exec. lounge?
No lounge but was given vouchers for 2 alcoholic beverages and 2 no-alcoholic beverages. Comped buffet breakfast at their main restaurant Seabreeze by the pool which had multiple stations and excellent variety of foods. 4 bottles of drinking water per day. 15% off any and all F&B spending.

- What was good and what was bad?

Good:

- Service and staff especially Mr. Peter, the guest services manager, for their hospitality and kindness.
- Great location in the south part of Patong for easy access to beach and main road in/out of the area.
- Great breakfast at Seabreeze which held us up until early supper. Food was also delicious and relatively cheap at their Charm Thai Restaurant. Prompt and attentive service at all food venues.

Bad:

Nothing!

- Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Amazing value staying on points and getting the royal treatment. Would definitely return to this property.

See our impression of this property: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kalboz...57651581022488

carrotjuice

What is your IHG/Priority Club status?
Platinum Elite

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?
Standard room

How are the rooms?
So so. Nothing too special. Maintenance is poor (dirty corners, blackened toilet sealant).

How is the exec. lounge?
N/A but Platinums are given free set Hong Kong breakfast that is served in a Swiss-style steak restaurant (!)

Value for $ or IHG Points? Would you return?
Nothing impressionable. Good location in Causeway Bay though.

Unterwegs

- What is your IHG Rewards 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 and got high floor, side view with Club

- How are the rooms?
Relatively big, modern, clean and comfortable. Separate shower/bathtub

- How is the exec. lounge?
Good size on high floor with view over river and new part of city
Very limited breakfast selection (downstairs is much better)
No real high tea (just some cookies)
Relatively good selection for happy hour, but there are more people than food and as soon as they bring something out most people run to get something.

- What was good and what was bad?
Good:
- Friendly service, sometimes lacking english skills
- New, modern building
- Good breakfast, good selection and quality (downstairs)

Bad:
- Not much close by, also not close to public transportation
- Taxis are very difficult to get at the hotel
- Slow internet

- Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Yes
And besides that there are not many good hotels in Nanchang
__________________

stimpy

- 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 cheapest, got what they called an Executive room, but was a handicap room that had a robe, slippers and a nespresso added.

- How are the rooms?
Handicap room is large of course with an extra large and modern bathroom. Otherwise this was like a normal room at this hotel.

- How is the exec. lounge?
None.

- What was good and what was bad?
Good:
Location next to Gare de Lyon is the reason I've stayed here 50 times.
Every year or so they make the hotel just a little bit nicer.
Free still and sparkling water and OJ in the minibar.
Sometimes a good price. This was the night of the PSG-Barca CL match and everything else was extremely expensive.
Canal Plus in the rooms so you can watch such a match.

Bad:
One ancient slow elevator and one modern slow elevator. The Wifi isn't very fast. They could put more comfortable beds in.

- Value for € or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Yes, for the location. It's an OK Euro HI, but nothing special.

Jigen666

HIX Frankfurt City HBF

- What is your IHG Rewards Club status?
Platinum Ambassador

- Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Yes

- Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked cheapest and got special IHG Club member room (higher floor, larger size, quiet room facing courtyard).

- How are the rooms?
Pretty spacious (talking about the IHG member rooms), but lack much in furnishings (couch/wall-mounted tv/bed/wall mounted desk), so you have a lot of open space. Large windows. Clean and comfortable. Standing Shower only. Bed is only a double (full size), so be careful if you're planning to share the room.

- How is the exec. lounge?
N/A

- What was good and what was bad?
Good:
- Good Service, everybody spoke English perfectly.
- Large spacious rooms (for IHG members).
- 5-10 minute walk to/from Frankfurt Central Railway Station (Frankfurt HBF), or towards city center, and all railways, subways and trolleys.
- Several nice restaurants all within a block of the hotel.
- Free Breakfast

Bad:
- The area is just 1 block away from the red-light district. In years past the neighborhood was a lot more sketchy, but it's gotten a bit better than my visit from years earlier. A lot of professionals now hang out the new bars and restaurants nearby. But you can get out of area by walking 2 blocks east, or 1 block south.

- Spotty internet. Had lots of problems logging in. One night it didn't work at all (by admission of the front desk they couldn't fix it till the next day).

- Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Yes, especially compared to the IC Frankfurt, which is old/small/and in need of renovation. Points-wise this is one of the lower point range hotels, so it's probably worth it either way. Be careful though, this place tends to fill up quickly whenever there's a convention in town, and the prices skyrocket, so don't wait to book a room if you find a good price.

JDavis625

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Orange City

What is your IHG/Priority Club status?
Platinum 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 King Executive, was proactively upgraded to King Whirlpool Suite the morning of the stay.

How are the rooms?
I wouldn’t call the room small, but I wouldn’t call it spacious either. With all of the furniture in there, it could have stood to be a little bigger. We had to climb over the chair and ottoman in the corner to get to the other side of the bed/window/air conditioner. Otherwise, everything was fine with the room. Some of the furnishings were showing signs of use, but nothing out of the ordinary for a HIX. Whirlpool was large and worked great.

How is the exec. lounge?
N/A

What was good and what was bad?
Good
- Happy with the upgrade to whirlpool suite. Even happier the upgrade occurred proactively before I arrived.
- Convenient access to the interstate and there are a number of dining options nearby
- Staff was friendly and helpful. I didn’t interact with them any more than normal, but everyone I did speak with was definitely operating above the standard.

Bad
- Apart from restaurants and large retailers in the area, there really isn’t much around the hotel.
- I think the property is viewed as being in the Orlando area, based on what I heard a desk clerk say to another guest. I wouldn’t even consider this hotel on the outskirts of Orlando. Not bad if you need a stay in the Orange City area in particular, but not a good choice if you’re looking to be near Orlando.

Value for $ or IHG Points? Would you return?
Booked this stay as one of the last two I needed to finish up Set Your Sights. I’d return if I ever needed a cheap and easy stay for a promo, or if I specifically wanted to stay in that area for some reason. Prices are very reasonable, likely a reflection of the location being pretty far from much of anything worth visiting. However, at 25k/night I would never even consider booking this property on points.

nicolas75

What is your IHG Rewards 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 deluxe room

How are the rooms?
Shoe box size (less than 25 sqm) but renovated in a clean corporate design
Flat screen with good selection of international channels
Bathroom with bathtub
Small open closet
Mineral water and excellent Läderach chocolate
Fast wifi
Very quiet

How is the exec. lounge?
N/A

What was good and what was bad?
Good:
- Very friendly staff
- Very pleasant renovated indoor swimming pool and fitness centre
http://holmesplace.ch/zurich-crowne-plaza.c/fr/
- Good breakfast (good selection of cold and warm options) served until 1pm
- Rooms have been renovated (but not the lobby)
- Easy access by tramway from Central station (still, the best way to discover Zurich is by bike, which can be rented for free around the Central station).
http://www.zuerich.com/en/zuerich/na...eri-rollt.html
- You can reach the trendy district around Arthouse Uto in 15 minutes by walking along Badenerstrasse (many restaurants, sophisticated shops and galleries).

Bad:
Nothing

Value for $ or IHG Rewards Club Points? Would you return?
Good option in Zurich, even if not centrally located

strayersong

Holiday Inn Ipswich

What is your Priority Club status?
Platinum

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

Which room did you book ...
Standard

and which upgrade did you receive?
Executive

How are the rooms?
Ok but nothing to write home about. Apart from the bathrobe and upgraded toiletries I don't think there's any difference from a standard room.

How is the exec. lounge?
N/A

What was good and what was bad?
+ Upgraded online the day before
+ Got drinks voucher
+ Front desk very friendly
- Away from the centre
- Upgrade invisible, no snacks or water

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
At £35 per night it's good for a mattress run... However I probably won't return to the city.

youhavebeenupgraded

Crowne Plaza Vilnius

- 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 standard room with Point Breaks, received Executive Room (= Junior Suite) with free breakfast!

Some pictures:
http://youhavebeenupgraded.boardinga...plaza-vilnius/

- How are the rooms?
Good, clean, a little bit old fashioned.

- How is the exec. lounge?
No lounge

- What was good and what was bad?
Good

• Upgrade
• Large hotel
• Location (next to a big park)
• There is a pool and spa

Bad

• Location (a walk from downtown)

- Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Yes, a Point Breaks hotel!

JDavis625

Crowne Plaza Orlando-Universal

What is your IHG/Priority Club status?
Platinum Ambassador

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

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked advance purchase King Nonsmoking, was proactively upgraded to King Executive Level the morning of the stay. Was further upgraded at check-in, after asking, to King Whirlpool Executive Level.

How are the rooms?
The King Whirlpool Executive Level is their best publically advertised room (there’s a Presidential Suite which isn’t listed on the website). Our room was on the top floor (I think all of the rooms in this category may be), and was positioned at the corner of the building so that the bathroom was set off to the side and very spacious.

The entrance of room has the microwave and refrigerator, the closet, and a chair. Going forward you’re in the main portion with the bed to the left and the bathroom to the right. Past the bed is a couch on one side of the room and a desk on the other, both next to the giant floor-to-ceiling window.

The bathroom was nice, had a roomy off-set shower area as well as the relaxing (but not quite powerful enough for my preferences) whirlpool tub. There was a small window in the bathroom, next to the sink area, which may help the space feel so large.

How is the exec. lounge?
The executive lounge was big and had plenty of isolated seating areas. We were always able to get seats next the windows overlooking the pool area, and didn’t see any point where more than half of the seating was full – morning or night. That being said, the hotel was moderately busy but not in high season by any means.

In the evening, snacks consisted of basic items like cheese and crackers, and vegetables with ranch dip. There was also one hot snack – which was eggrolls while we were there. I can’t say I was overly impressed by the evening offerings, but they were by no means bad. Maybe it would have all been more appetizing had I not just eaten a huge meal. There was free draft beer (Miller Lite), as well as a small wine, bottled beer, and liquor selection available for a reasonable $4 per drink. Water and soft drinks were free.

Breakfast in the lounge was continental-style, with a selection of breads and bagels, fresh fruit, cereal, hard-boiled eggs, and probably a few other little items I’m forgetting. The coffee was good, but the overall breakfast offerings didn’t stand out any more than the evening snacks did. I’m not the biggest breakfast person, but if I was the type of traveler who needed a real meal to start the day, this wouldn’t cut it.

Overall, despite wishing for slightly better food choices, the lounge was nice and peaceful with a great view and amazing service. I would definitely consider paying for an executive level room here in the future.

What was good and what was bad?
Good
- Basically everything.
- Booked cheapest room at advance purchase rate, received great upgrade.
- Food or no food, the executive lounge was a nice place to kick back and relax.
- Staff were all very friendly.
- Great loyalty recognition. Apart from upgrades, also received 600 bonus welcome points (wasn’t mentioned at check-in but posted to my account that same night). Upgrade to executive level gave free continental breakfast. Self-parking is normally $10/night, but waived for Platinum members.
- Top-notch location. Very close to Universal theme parks, the Convention Center area, and International Drive. Just a few minutes’ drive to Disney and all of the good stuff in Lake Buena Vista.

Bad
- A single hot dish for breakfast – similar to how they do it in the evening – would vastly improve the lounge meal experience in my opinion.
- I read reviews about parking being an issue sometimes. We didn’t have a problem finding a spot during our stay, but I could definitely see the lot being packed during the busy season.

Value for $ or IHG Points? Would you return?
Positively. From the dates I’ve looked at, this hotels seems to normally be just 10-20% more expensive than the Holiday Inn’s and HIX’s in the area. The value is already there, but as an elite it’s a no-brainer. Barring any amazing deals, this will be my go-to IHG property in Orlando from here on.

I don’t like Orlando for award stays, however, because hotel prices are generally so cheap. Compared to other IHG properties in the area that run 25k/night, however, I think this hotel is fairly priced at 30k/night. Though if I was trying to maximize point value, I may give the Crowne Plaza Orlando Downtown (10 interstate miles away) a try at 20k/night.

Kalboz

- What is your IHG Rewards Club status?
Platinum Ambassador

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

- Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked standard room on points (30K IHG points per night), and was upgraded two categories up to Kids' Suite.

- How are the rooms?
Consists of actually two connecting rooms with two full baths. Traveling with wife 2 kids this came in very handy. The kids loved their rooms which had 2 boat like beds, entertainment center with DVDs and game counsel, box full of toys, etc.

- How is the exec. lounge?
No lounge but was given vouchers for 2 alcoholic beverages and 2 no-alcoholic beverages. Comped buffet breakfast at their main restaurant Seabreeze by the pool which had multiple stations and excellent variety of foods. 4 bottles of drinking water per day. 15% off any and all F&B spending.

What was your welcome gift?
None!

Did you receive fruit and water in the room?
See photo below!

- What was good and what was bad?

Good:

- Service and staff especially Mr. Peter, the guest services manager, for their hospitality and kindness.
- Great location in the south part of Patong for easy access to beach and main road in/out of the area.
- Great breakfast at Seabreeze which held us up until early supper. Food was also delicious and relatively cheap at their Charm Thai Restaurant. Prompt and attentive service at all food venues.

Bad:

Nothing!

- Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Amazing value staying on points and getting the royal treatment. Would definitely return to this property.

See our impression of this property: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kalboz...57651581022488

stimpy

HI Budapest-Budaörs

- 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, given standard. Or maybe it was an exec because there were robes and a coffee machine. Standard room size anyways.

- How are the rooms?
Typical Euro HI.

- How is the exec. lounge?
None.

- What was good and what was bad?

Good:

- Free parking and Tesco shopping mall nearby.
- 500 point voucher given
- Weekend buffet is free for kids, half price for teenagers and relatively inexpensive for adults.
- Nice quality mini-bar for an HI and not too expensive.
- Good location for visiting both Székesfehérvár and Budapest.
- €55 per night breakfast included!

Bad:
Beds aren't the best quality. Kinda stiff.

- Value for € or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Yes for visiting regions outside of Budapest or for price/value.

nicolas75

Holiday Inn NYC Manhattan - 6th Ave Chelsea (former Midtown)

- What is your IHG Rewards 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 on points and was upgraded to high floor room with view

- How are the rooms?
Around 20 sqm.
Very basic corporate design with no imagination, but does the job
Tiny bathroom with bathtub
Flat screen television sets with large selection of cable channels (very few international ones)
View over the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building
https://twitter.com/nicolas75flyert/...97836891037696
Very quiet from outside (but you can easily hear doors slamming)

- How is the exec. lounge?
N/A

- What was good and what was bad?
Good:
- Central location, 5 minutes walk to Nomad district, full of trendy spots
- Easy access to public transport. Shared bike station 2 minutes walk to the hotel
- Very friendly staff

Bad:
- Somewhat basic design of lobby and rooms
- Noisy and poorly efficient air conditioning

- Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Yes, considering that IC was fully booked the last two days of my stay in NYC and that most IHG hotels were at USD700 and above.
The hotel is definitely not made for a family as rooms are tiny, but makes very much the job if you are looking for a clean accomodation in central Manhattan.

HadesNL

Crown Plaza Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands

What is your Priority Club status?
Gold Ambassador

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

Which room did you book ...
3x junior suite

and which upgrade did you receive?
None but also didnt expect one

How are the rooms?
We were a party of 5 persons, so we booked 2x a junior suite for 2 occupancy (345/343 and 1x junior suite for single occupancy (346). As per hotel's website their junior suites comes with a balcony (without furniture) and are split level. Ours were all located on the 3rd floor. The bedroom is upstairs with 2 side lamps, mounted TV , very soft pillows on the bed and an aircon unit. On the bed is the sleep advantage amenity, pillow mist spray and lavender accupoint stick. On the lower level of the two double occupancy junior suites there was an L-shape couch (sofabed), two flasks of mineral water (replenished daily), desk area with chair, two additional chairs and small table, trouser press, safe in closet, bathtub shower combo, maastricht essentials guide (worth 4,95€ at tourist information centre). Unfortunately 1 room had the promised l'occitane soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, showergel (not replenished) while the other 2 rooms had the standard amenities of seaweed essences brand. Thumbs down for preperation housekeeping. All had the shower cap, sewing kit, shoe polish but 1 room missed a bathrobe and slippers. The two juniorsuites for double occupancy had a Maasriver view if you would stand on the balcony and hang over it and turn to the right, the single occupancy one looked out on the courtyard street "the ruiterij" and was quiet but in full view of a house full of students, whom were friendly but we saw them cooking, smoking, making out and more so we didn't need any television entertainment. The single occupancy room was exactly fit for single occupancy as there was a smaller sofa, 1extra chair and smaller in overall space. All rooms had downstairs also aircon, a kettle, closet space and flat screen TV.

How is the exec. lounge?
N/A

What was good and what was bad?
+ 3x a voucher for 400 extra IHG points
+ Free newspapers from reception, international herald tribune, dutch telegraaf, local de limburger
+ Front desk very friendly and thanking for patronage
+ rechtstraat in Wijck is full of restaurants, Luna rossa icecream parlor around the corner, big Albert Heijn supermarket for selfcatering, parking at Q-park garage direct underground passage to the hotel
+ maastricht centre west easy walk via a pedestrian bridge link
+ maastricht always delights on cuisine, pious and shopping entertainment.
- Stay is almost two weeks ago and hotel didnt release their credithold on me so effectively reducing my credit card limit
- total bill was over 1400 eur but learned here on FT that IHG points could only be rewarded to 1 room so unfortunately lost out on a bit of points
- breakfast was less quality then previous years, vlaai pastries not replenished, coffee from a thermos jug, breakfast at NH hoteles Maastricht has more choice and healthier options, vega/gluten/low sugar etc...
- does somebody dust above the bathroom lights? Yikes !

Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
Sad to see this hotel lose it's competitive edge, location is good, front desk and housekeeping is friendly but i think they need to up their game in consistency.