Do you live an Intercontinental life?
 

Suppose we all started out somewhere with regards to our Intercontinental Life. What's your story?

I recall the commercials back in 2006 when as a young junior consultant on training assignment in Miami staying at the horrific Continental Hotel on Biscayne Blvd, first thinking my new employer had put me in the Intercontinental next door.
No such thing. I recall how I aspired to one day stay at the real intercontinental, dreaming of the luxury and pampering. The commercials back then clearly affected me. I set a goal to stay at that property for work or vacation within 5 years.

I took a little longer, 8 years to be exact in 2014 on my third year as RA. By that time I had seen more of the world and stayed in better IC's and more high end hotels. However, it was a great feeling entering the lobby with two young boys, a gorgeous wife carrying our third baby and being treated as RA's should (Points stay, upgraded to Town House Suite, Club access and all other perks). Compare that to 8 years earlier staying in a moldy room with a foul smell and worn tired fittings. :D

The point being, it is probably due to circumstances that I am loyal to the IC brand. The loyalty program has its failings, however some 7-8 years after becoming an IHG/IC regular I still find the RA program useful and with benefits.

To me the puzzle is why non-RAs/non-Ambasadors are prepared to pay so much money to stay at some of the IC hotels.

And it raises the interesting point of what I'm going to do when I inevitably slip out of the top spot and down the slippery slope towards no recognition at all...
... I've given up hoping for the introduction of RA-for-life.

I just had my first stay in an intercontinental. It was quite enjoyable, and a very good redemption of my IHG points at almost 1 cent a point. I won't soon be a RA, but I was a Spire Ambassador which is next best. I'll definitely consider IC for my next stays.

sorry,yes, I should have included Ambassador status - which can give a significant lift to a stay.

My earliest memory of InterContinental as a brand was seeing advertising for the Six Continents Club in various airline magazines and at airports, thinking the marketing was premium and the benefits like free minibar quite special.

As with any chain, there are great InterContinental Hotels and those that are less so.

The highlight of my InterContinental Life to date is a week on points at the InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa, which I think will be hard to top. A close runner up is the former InterContinental Berchtesgaden Resort (now under the Kempinski flag) and their superb outdoor pool with mountain views.

Have had good experiences at the IC Bali, IC Paris Le Grand and IC Singapore with properties like IC Prague being a little dated (but excellent redemption value on points at the time).

Next month I'll be having my maiden stay at the IC Amstel Amsterdam so am pretty excited :D

Yes agree. IC PL is one of my most regular places. They are asking for rather high rates for a standard room. Without RA I see very poor value.

You should try the Pearl Continental in Islamabad.:D

Having just had another great stay at Paris Le Grand as an RA, its not only how they treat you on check in, but how they deal with problems. I had issues with the 2 rooms booked by my wife and I, both using our weekend certs, but G in the lounge sorted it out without any fuss, just saying leave it to me Monsiour, it will all be good, and it was.

I have stayed at many IC's around the world and find the program suits me as an RA.

Writing this post from my ICPL room as it turns out. As a Spire Ambassador, I did get a one-category upgrade on an award stay, technically not done by the rules. Subsequent service issue resulted in comped breakfast for both mornings, which I suspect had Ambassador coming into play (in addition to a bottle of wine delivered).

I was 26, getting ready to leave for my first ever solo trip to Asia. First stop was to be in Korea, and while looking for hotels through Hotwire, my father recommended I stay at the Intercontinental Seoul Parnas for at least a night, preferably the night before I leave to take advantage of the City Air Terminal. I've never had to travel for work, so forking over more than $200 a night was a little disheartening at the time, as I was used to booking rooms in the $100 range. In the end, I believe I spent a total of 3 hours in the room on my last night in Korea, and barely made my flight the next morning with a massive hangover. Having access to the City Air Terminal so close by paid for the room in spades. That was my first ever experience at a "luxury" hotel. These days I'm married and make enough to comfortably afford some of the finer things in life. Though I prefer Conrads for the most part, I will always check prices at Intercontinentals when booking. And when in Korea, I'll always book at least a night at Seoul Parnas. Though it's a bit run down now, it'll always hold a special place in my heart.

I'm more of a traveler than a person that has to have this name brand or whatever. Honestly, a comfy pillowtop mattresses with black out shades in a clean room and I'm happy. But, I remember the first time I really came to understand why I used my points each year to renew ambassador... was in NYC busy time of year exhausted from travel and the check in line was out the door. But, I remembered the location of the ambassador desk in the back of the Barclays lobby so I just walked there. But, it was gone no longer there and at that moment I went aghhhhh to myself. Then a bellhop asked me if could help ( i was carrying my own little carryon) and I asked about the desk; he took me right to a check in person who apologized for the change then offered me an upgrade to a suite getting me checked in very quickly. I've never gone from aghhhh to ahhhhh so quickly, and when I got upstairs opened my rooms door & realized I had a two room corner suite with windows that opened so I could hear the sounds of Manhattan while laying in this bed that felt like I was floating : )))))))


it's been a good 10 years or so and kinda sad to be letting this go with the overall IHG program devaluation ( also asking 40k to renew which I doubt I will ) as I have shifted my loyalty to MR to earn their 4pm checkout status. Maybe from time to time I'll book a paid IC club rate as there are some really nice properties!!!

Last 7years or more I have gone out of my way to visit cities on city breaks on my own dime that have nice IC, eg Cairo, HCMC, Hanoi, Da Nang, Berlin, Budapest, Kiev etc. So maybe I did follow IC life for a few years. The old 60/20 target I was getting in 40 IC nights (or more)

That is now a thing of the past, and come Jan2019, I will be letting my RA status slip, as is no longer the value to me it used to be. I seem to have moved stays to MR program in last 9months.

IC life.. it's been pleasure for 8 years with RA benefits. Usually ICs are similar rate with Sheraton or Westin, but offering higher services, hardware, etc..
I usually felt like home when I checked-in and got in to the room, especially, the moment of grabbing something from minibar. :)

I am Ambassador (regular one) this year and I also cannot justify staying at ICs at all. I am having considerable number of stays at ICs this year just for the sake of experience, and while hotels are nice and service is pleasing, I'd get much better treatment and pay less staying in Marriott/SPG properties. Given pathetic coverage of IC brand and increased Ambassador membership price, don't see any point to extend. By the way, weekend certificate is a complete waste, unless one plans to book a suite.

Even though SPG is ruined and becomes meaningless for most people, Hilton is still there: lower cost, better benefits than IC Ambassador. It's a wonder how the IC program exists so far at all.

Sad -- that's the one downside to this program. I am loyal to a great extent because of the RA program, of which I have been a member for 20+ years (initially the as the 6 Continents Club program before the merger with HI). I end up staying at ICs because of RA; without RA, half the time, I would find other hotels either a better deal or more luxurious. So the loyalty program easily doubles the number of IC stays.

At some point I may stop staying as much and may drop out despite having 100+ free RA nights in the bank (though continuously depreciating as they ratchet up the redemption rates). It would be nice to have RA for life in retirement; the least they can do for having spent well over 1000 nights in ICs. I'll hit GS for life in a few years and have AF/KL Platinum for life and AA silver, but no lifetime hotel status. Sad.