Cielito_

Bad news is, that all suites will be excluded from upgrades after the 2019 updated AMB/RA T&Cs and highest upgrade category will be Barclay King

ILS2

Yep, got this confirmed in writing. All suites are excluded from complimentary upgrades for AMB / RA. Makes the whole upgrade benefit worthless, as all rooms below suites are basically the same, though with some minor cosmetic differences.

Mauibaby2008

patmcpsu

I am trying to make a reservation here using the Ambassador BOGO voucher; however for every weekend I try, it says "The Ambassador Complimentary Weekend Night rate is not available. However, you may still book a room for the selected date(s)."

FWIW, there's plenty of availability using the other rates, and the Ambassador BOGO rate works perfectly smoothly for IC Times Square. Has anybody encountered this problem? Is there a work-around?

EDIflyer

Have you tried other dates to see if it works then? My understanding was that there was a capacity control applied to them so it lots of other folks have applied them that weekend they may not be possible?

patmcpsu

Before my previous post, I tried all the weekends between now and when I actually wanted to visit (late-April), with no BOGO availability shown. After reading your reply, I noticed that some weekends are available further-out. As it currently stands (March 16th), no weekends prior to 5/31 have availability, 5/31-6/2 has availability, 6/7-6/9 and 6/28-6/30 do not have availability (6/14-6/16 does), and every weekend I see afterwards has availability.

So it's not a bug; they're just tight on an arbitrary control. BOGO availability is more scarce than rewards availability, in fact. I've defended this hotel's treatment of Ambassadors a lot on this thread, but this is a slap in the face.

EDIflyer

Damn, sorry to hear that - as you say at least it confirms not a bug but agree with your take on it!
​​

patmcpsu

I just checked again and, lo and behold, there now appears to be BOGO availability all weekends. Either this was a coincidence, or somebody at IHG is checking these boards. I made no mention of my frustration to IHG directly.

Either way, it appears they "fixed the glitch".

mikew99

For several weeks before my stay in early March, I never found BOGO availability at the IC Barclay. I ended up booking & staying at the IC TS, but I would have liked to see the renovations at the IC Barclay. If I had known that the "fix" was to post on FT, I would have done so a month ago!

christianj

Just used my last uncapped Chase credit card voucher here this past weekend. Overall a very nice hotel (which I surprisingly had never stayed at before since we typically booked the IC TS for visits) in a nice location. I particularly liked the decor and the colors which I think nicely coordinate with the traditional feel of the building. One HUGE gripe on my part....the pillows on the beds are horrible. When we checked in they gave us a queen bed room and there were only two pillows on the bed so when we went to dinner I asked that housekeeping bring up two feather pillows since the ones in the room were rock hard foam pillows. FD agent said "no problem" but when we returned from dinner late they had indeed brought up two extra pillows BUT they were the same rock hard foam pillows. Didn't feel like trying to mess with housekeeping late in the evening so we just tried to sleep on the ones they brought. Overall slept like crap so when we checked out I told the agent about the pillow mixup and how it ruined a good nights sleep. She said..."oh we only have those foam pillows and everyone complains about them." If this is the case why didn't the first agent say something? And more important how can a hotel of this caliber only have one type of pillow?

patmcpsu

I had my stay this past weekend. Using the BOGO voucher, I booked a Deluxe King and got upgraded to a Premier King on the 12th floor. While the upgrade wasn't anything more than obligated, the room was perfectly fine and I'm glad they put me on a high floor. The resort fee was waived due to the BOGO rate, which was a pleasant surprise. Also, they provided two drink vouchers at check-in, in addition to the $20 food and beverage credit for Ambassadors. The vouchers were good for up to $20 apiece, which is generous.

Pros:
Everything is holding up well - when they renovated the place, they must have used quality furnishings. There are some minor dings on wood, but that's unavoidable.
Even when staying on the 12th floor, getting in/out of the hotel was never a hassle.
The Ambassador Desk was very convenient. I never got a corkscrew faster in a hotel.

Cons:
The one person on here complaining about the pillows is accurate; they are not as substantial as you would expect.
The service is still unpolished even after all these years (not bad, just awkward).
Lack of bath tubs in the standard rooms

All in all, this hotel is back to being my go-to for NYC.

susanc

I'm staying here next weekend on a BOGO also. Did you request the Destination Fee be waived or was it done proactively? Was the Destination Fee listed as a charge on your initial booking information?

patmcpsu

The destination fee was shown on the booking screen (and the reservation). When I checked in, the agent made no mention of the destination fee, so I brought it up and he said it was waived due to BOGO (and that I didn't get the resort fee benefits because of this). I was surprised to hear that and even followed-up with the Ambassador desk the next day (they confirmed it was waived). When I checked out, the fee was not present on the bill. 100% proactive, even though the fee is shown during booking.

beachfan

How does entry level room size compare to the intercontinental times square?

Have a one night uncapped Chase cert that I want to use before I move to the suite I have locked in at the Andaz.

patmcpsu

With all else being equal, and knowing it would be an entry level room with no chance of upgrade, I would opt for Times Square. The rooms in TC TS are mostly the same (somewhat generous by NYC standards) size and upgrades pertain to your view. The base rooms at the Barclay would be noticeably smaller.

If you're basing your decision on strictly room size, go for Times Square. I prefer The Barclay in every other regard.