Land-of-Miles

Rory left in November to go to the Shelbourne I think.

I do love this property, the refurbed rooms are nice but the refurb seems to be going slowly.

uggboy

March 2016, our lunch visit

After visiting the 3rd National Classic Car Show at the RDS Simmonscourt in March 2016 we stopped at the InterContinental Hotel Dublin Lobby Lounge for our lunch.

|| LOBBY LOUNGE || INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL || DUBLIN || IRELAND || OUR LUNCH VISIT || MARCH 2016 || HIGHLY RECOMMENDED || by UggBoy UggGirl, on Flickr

We were lucky and the lounge wasn't too full, so we could have a table at the large floor to ceiling windows of the conservatory overlooking the garden and fountain.

The staff was friendly and overall efficient.

We ordered a large bottle of still water, two hot chocolates, one Luscious Bliss cocktail, one Chicken and Mango Salad Wrap with salad and one salmon fillet with green beans, tzaziki and Quinoa, the 70% dark molten chocolate dessert and a trio of crème brulees.

While the drinks and main courses arrived pretty quickly and were delicious, the desserts took their time.

We weren't in a rush, so it didn't matter. The wait was well worth it. The presentation was beautiful. My dessert looked like a piece of art. The cake was shaped like a Guglhupf from Austria and there were edible flowers on both plates. It was very tasty indeed.

The raspberry, chocolate and vanilla crème brulees were intense in flavor.

We received a few apologies for the delay and didn't have to pay for the desserts, which was a nice touch, but not expected.

The bill was 58.25 Euro (ca. 63.85 USD).

Having visited now the Seasons Restaurant for brunch and the Lobby Lounge for lunch we will return to both and at some stage stay at the InterContinental.

Would we recommend this venue to a friend? YES! ^
Would we want to visit again this venue in our future? YES! ^

Here are some of our images we took during our lunch at the Lobby Lounge, InterContinental Hotel, Dublin, Ireland in March 2016:

|| LOBBY LOUNGE || INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL || DUBLIN || IRELAND || OUR LUNCH VISIT || MARCH 2016 || HIGHLY RECOMMENDED || by UggBoy UggGirl, on Flickr
|| LOBBY LOUNGE || INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL || DUBLIN || IRELAND || OUR LUNCH VISIT || MARCH 2016 || HIGHLY RECOMMENDED || by UggBoy UggGirl, on Flickr
|| LOBBY LOUNGE || INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL || DUBLIN || IRELAND || OUR LUNCH VISIT || MARCH 2016 || HIGHLY RECOMMENDED || by UggBoy UggGirl, on Flickr
|| LOBBY LOUNGE || INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL || DUBLIN || IRELAND || OUR LUNCH VISIT || MARCH 2016 || HIGHLY RECOMMENDED || by UggBoy UggGirl, on Flickr
|| LOBBY LOUNGE || INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL || DUBLIN || IRELAND || OUR LUNCH VISIT || MARCH 2016 || HIGHLY RECOMMENDED || by UggBoy UggGirl, on Flickr
|| LOBBY LOUNGE || INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL || DUBLIN || IRELAND || OUR LUNCH VISIT || MARCH 2016 || HIGHLY RECOMMENDED || by UggBoy UggGirl, on Flickr
|| LOBBY LOUNGE || INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL || DUBLIN || IRELAND || OUR LUNCH VISIT || MARCH 2016 || HIGHLY RECOMMENDED || by UggBoy UggGirl, on Flickr
|| LOBBY LOUNGE || INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL || DUBLIN || IRELAND || OUR LUNCH VISIT || MARCH 2016 || HIGHLY RECOMMENDED || by UggBoy UggGirl, on Flickr
|| LOBBY LOUNGE || INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL || DUBLIN || IRELAND || OUR LUNCH VISIT || MARCH 2016 || HIGHLY RECOMMENDED || by UggBoy UggGirl, on Flickr
|| LOBBY LOUNGE || INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL || DUBLIN || IRELAND || OUR LUNCH VISIT || MARCH 2016 || HIGHLY RECOMMENDED || by UggBoy UggGirl, on Flickr

Thank you and safe travels.

Tim O'Brien

thks for the update, although disappointed to hear that.

he's gone to the The Westbury Hotel

Tim O'Brien

Good to see you Uggie, the pics are great, GB^

uggboy

Thanks for your compliments, it's a wonderful Lobby Lounge, good food, good atmosphere and friendly service.

Cheers & Safe Travels. ^

Tim O'Brien

yes, we had a stay there last year, just after the changeover. We had breakfast in the Seasons restaurant, which they did really well, and when we arrived, they comped us some devonshire teas, in the lobby lounge, nxt to the bar. it is a nice property.

i think a lot of the staff then were still Four Seasons back then, and they did a great job.

simpletastes

I am pleased to report an excellent stay at the Intercontinental Dublin. I redeemed two free nights (one with free night voucher and another with points). At check-in I was offered an upgrade to a full suite (I booked a standard room). I asked if the suite was recently refurbished and when was told it wasn't, asked if I could receive a standard refurbished room instead of the suite. The front desk agent was able to provide me a refurbished suite instead. This was really appreciated, considering that it was a complimentary stay. It was a double upgrade from standard room -> junior suite -> suite. I had IHG Platinum status. The refurbishment was not a complete one in the sense that some furniture were reused (including chairs which were reupholstered and mattresses), and the bathroom received a modest refresh. Sunday brunch was simply fantastic value at EUR 39 per person, food quality and service were outstanding. The location was not central, so we had to take taxis everywhere (though there is a DART train station nearby); this was the biggest downside for us. The spa floor was spacious, but needed a refresh. Do ask for a refurbished room. It was a fairly large property -- not a boutique 100-room Four Seasons or Mandarin Oriental -- but it had a nice "grand hotel" buzz and atmosphere to it. Well done to IC Dublin. (I stayed at The Merrion a few months ago, and that was a very very nice property -- I felt like I was living in an aristocratic town house -- with prices to match.)

alc

I have a stay coming up (IC BOGO cert) and was wondering if anyone can let me know an email so I can contact the hotel in advance.

also, i read up thread about airport bus and taxi is only a few Euro different, hence, I am wondering for a family of 3 (2A + 1C) would it be cheaper to take taxi instead of bus then?

turner32

IIRC a taxi for EUR 18 was a lot easier than messing about on the bus.

MrsW

Currently staying at IC Dublin. I was told a cab from the airport would cost between €40 and €55 depending on traffic. We took the 702 Aircoach which took a similar amount of time but costs was €7 for grown ups and €2.50 for kids. Bus stop is outside the hotel so no walking necessary.

Smythmeister

I'm currently at this hotel and have had a disappointing start to our two night stay.

I booked an InterContinental Deluxe Room as a Spire AMB for 3 adults. Description showed 52 sq/m and choice of king or two Queens. Emailed hotel to confirm 3 adults and 2 queens and all was good. Or so I thought.

Turn up today to find I have been "upgraded" to a King Contemporary (on the IHG this cat shows as a 2 person room at 42 sq/m).

Get to the room to find a king bed and no other bed. Go to reception who tell me a rollaway bed is on it's way. It arrives and is massive with no room in the room to house it.

Another visit to reception with their response an upsell to a two bed queen room at 55 euros extra a night. Needless to say I wasn't happy but calmly pointed out the error and poor service we thought we were experiencing.

After the guest relations manager got involved it was sorted and we ended up in a two bed queen room. What puzzles me is the "upgrade" to a smaller room designed for 2 people with a booking clearly stating 3 adults which we'd confirmed prior to arrival.

It's a shame really, the hard product here is decent (although a club lounge would be a great addition) but this stay has been marred by poor service. They'd have been better ignoring my ambassador status and left me in the original two bedded room I booked, or better still upgrading to a better cat that would allow 3 adults in two proper beds.

Overall, a bit of a letdown, particularly for a place with excellent reviews.

mpw81

Recent stay (June) to report. As someone whose been keeping an eye on this thread for 6 months, I tried to include as much detail as possible since the thread doesn't get much attention.

Background: 3 night stay on Kimpton award nights. Spire IC at time of booking and stay. Booked into standard room (Deluxe King). Over the last month, in the lead up to the stay the availability on the website had oscillated between no rooms available, rooms and suites available and just suites available. On the Aircoach ride from the airport I checked the app and saw standard rooms and at least a couple of suites available. Standard rooms were running upwards of $400 USD, with suites in the $600-800 range. The Pembrooke and Presidential suites were going for something like $1500 and $2500 respectively.

I was contacted the week before to ask about my arrival plans. indicated we were on a flight from the US that landed around 10 and understood that we would be to the hotel quite early, around 11. Hotel responded that they would do their best to accommodate but they would be happy to hold our bags and that we would be able to access the spa facilities if the room was not ready. Arrived around 11-1130, front desk staff were quite friendly. Acknowledged status, indicated the standard room we had been allocated was not yet ready. He did some tapping on the keyboard, indicated that an executive suite (top suites that aren't the Pembrooke or Presidential, which have kitchenettes and look just massive) was available and as a Spire, he could offer me a "discounted" upgrade rate for 100 euro. I'm not an Ambassador and I'm used to Kimptons where you might find yourself in the presidential suite on an award stay. So, while a little annoyed at not just being allocated that room to begin with, I figured that 300 euro for an executive suite I would have otherwise paid nearly 2500 euro for was a pretty good value and took it.

First room - the room we were given was very large (the website stated 861 sqft, which I would call accurate without having brought my tape measurer). Entrance way, very large marble bathroom, glass shower and soaking tub, walk in closet that is bigger than I have at home, large living area with a desk, 2 chairs and a sleeper sofa. The bedroom was separated by double doors and was an acceptable size for a standard European hotel all by itself. King bed, very comfortable. The hotel is in the midst of a renovation, which seems to be moving slowly (probably due to the popularity, and I imagine profitability, of this hotel). The room was quite dated, some carpet stains, the bathroom was a little grungy, the furniture was a bit tired. While it was isolated to normal daytime hours, which I found acceptable, there was also some obvious room renovation construction noise from above and down the hall.

If I had been upgraded to this room based on status for no charge, I probably would have been happy with it, I suppose. The idea of a paid upgrade into the room in that kind of shape really bothered me though. We were quite busy during our first day and didn't get back until later in the evening. At that point, I wasn't interested in bothering the front desk on what seemed like a sold out night (they mentioned they were full and the website stopped showing availability after we checked in) and the bedroom, and more importantly the bed, were in good shape. I reached out on twitter to the hotel's feed and got a DM in the morning to ask for my room number. Sarah, the manager, contacted me and asked no questions about my concerns and said she had found me another room that had been renovated that she assured me I'd be happy with. I was very impressed by this. She didn't call to ask what problems I had with the room, she didn't call to ask what she could do to resolve the issue, she called to let me know that she understood my concern and had proactively found a solution. She insisted that the bellman come help move me to the new room after I said that I could come down and handle formalities.

Second room - Very similar in size and features as the first but it was completely renovated with new carpet, furniture, fixtures. We received a welcome amenity (fruit plate and some water) the first night and again on the 2nd night with a note from Sarah. 2 bottles of water on the nightstand each night for turndown as well.

Overall thoughts: Staff are very friendly and professional; every single person we interacted with. The renovated executive suites are very large and very nice. I think the hotel is in an interesting situation and, while I didn't see every kind of room type, my guess is that if I had, my rankings would go something like Presidential/Pembrooke Suite ->Renovated Suites ->Renovated standard rooms ->un-renovated suites -> un-renovated standard rooms, which a decent sized gap between the renovated rooms and the non.

Other thoughts: While not centrally located to the city center, the Dart train line is just a couple blocks away and a couple of bus lines run down Merrion Rd. There are a good collection of places to eat, not just pubs, within a half mile. Very happy with stay, would stay here again when we return. We took the Aircoach 703 from the airport, which was just fine. It's only 4-5 stops, and the "Merrion Road, opp Clayton Hotel" stop is literally at the end of the driveway. We weren't sure which bus we'd catch so we chose not to pre-book online, so If you are purchasing tickets day of at the spot where the bus picks you up, they only take euro or contactless card, by the way.

FlightNurse

After reading this thread I feel that I choose the right place to stay, we are staying here in March I liked the fact that it is not in the middle of the city a nice place to get away when wanted but close and easy enough to get downtown. Staying on points, hope to get an offer to upgrade...

AnthonyGT

Let us know how you like it! We're doing the same thing in April.

FlightNurse

Spent 1 night here March 20th - 21st. I used points for a King Exc room, the hotel was told a day ahead and confirmation that we would be arriving at the hotel about 10am. We arrived at 10:05. Room was not ready, and the front agent tried to upsell us to a Suite. I showed the confirmation email and the front agent gave us the suite for free. Have to say, the decor is not my style, the room was in a need of a redo very long in the tooth, the bed was horrible. Our friends were staying across the street at the Clayton, we ate breakfast there. IC was a nice place, it a quiet part of the city and easy access to the city.