Please post your Ambassador Experiences 2019
Jan 21, 2019, 7:23 pm
#16
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: The Dakotas
Posts: 608
IC Presidente Cozumel
Booked 2 rooms on points from separate Ambassador accounts with the same last name (Pool view standard). Prior to arrival website website showed each room upgraded to Luxury Ocean View (1 with king bed and the other with 2 queens). The set up of these rooms was very convenient as a the two rooms were in a small foyer off the main hallway. There was a separate door that could be closed off from the main hallway and locked. The key cards from each room opened this. This essentially allowed us to have a 2 room suite. This was a pleasant surprise especially since we had no prior communication with the hotel requesting that the reservations be linked in any way. The rooms were very well appointed and spacious. Housekeeping was excellent.
No executive lounge.
Property was beautiful. Ate at 3 of the 4 onsite restaurants and all were very nice with good food Enjoyed nightly happy hour at each of the 2 bar venues onsite. The only downside was that we were unable to fully take advantage of the onsite spa. As we were staying on the opposite side of the resort we didn't happen upon it until day 3 of our 4 night stay. When we stopped in we were given coupons for $40 off any spa treatment. We were able to schedule treatments for 2 of our party but due to excursions we had planned could not fit the rest of us in during our stay.
50,000 points per night with 4th night free with IHG card. Good value.
Booked 2 rooms on points from separate Ambassador accounts with the same last name (Pool view standard). Prior to arrival website website showed each room upgraded to Luxury Ocean View (1 with king bed and the other with 2 queens). The set up of these rooms was very convenient as a the two rooms were in a small foyer off the main hallway. There was a separate door that could be closed off from the main hallway and locked. The key cards from each room opened this. This essentially allowed us to have a 2 room suite. This was a pleasant surprise especially since we had no prior communication with the hotel requesting that the reservations be linked in any way. The rooms were very well appointed and spacious. Housekeeping was excellent.
No executive lounge.
Property was beautiful. Ate at 3 of the 4 onsite restaurants and all were very nice with good food Enjoyed nightly happy hour at each of the 2 bar venues onsite. The only downside was that we were unable to fully take advantage of the onsite spa. As we were staying on the opposite side of the resort we didn't happen upon it until day 3 of our 4 night stay. When we stopped in we were given coupons for $40 off any spa treatment. We were able to schedule treatments for 2 of our party but due to excursions we had planned could not fit the rest of us in during our stay.
50,000 points per night with 4th night free with IHG card. Good value.
Jan 26, 2019, 11:48 am
#17
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Yorkshire, UK
Posts: 234
IC Le Grand Paris
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked club room, upgraded to executive as shown in the app about 6 days before arrival. On arrival, upgraded to a spacious junior suite with excellent bathroom, separate bath and shower and a walk-in wardrobe.
How are the rooms?
Excellent. View of the winter garden not Opera but a lovely, big room. Super king size bed and a sofa. Don’t think this is one of the refurbished rooms but it’s in excellent condition.
How is the exec. lounge?
The best! Attentive staff, alcoholic drinks including champagne available all day. There’s a breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and evening buffet service. Excellent quality food, premium spirits on an evening and lovely coffee and hot chocolate.
What was good and what was bad?
Although our room wasn’t ready when arrived at about 1530, we were quite comfortable in the lounge and being told about our double upgrade. The only negative I had in mind was that the shower wasn’t very powerful. And then I learnt how to use it!
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
This was an Ambassador certificate stay of which we paid Ł460 for the first night (club double). The double upgrade and the lounge access have added incredible value to our stay; we’ve easily drank enough champagne and gin! The hotel also comped a bottle of champagne for our anniversary although we had to leave it behind having travelled HBO!
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked club room, upgraded to executive as shown in the app about 6 days before arrival. On arrival, upgraded to a spacious junior suite with excellent bathroom, separate bath and shower and a walk-in wardrobe.
How are the rooms?
Excellent. View of the winter garden not Opera but a lovely, big room. Super king size bed and a sofa. Don’t think this is one of the refurbished rooms but it’s in excellent condition.
How is the exec. lounge?
The best! Attentive staff, alcoholic drinks including champagne available all day. There’s a breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and evening buffet service. Excellent quality food, premium spirits on an evening and lovely coffee and hot chocolate.
What was good and what was bad?
Although our room wasn’t ready when arrived at about 1530, we were quite comfortable in the lounge and being told about our double upgrade. The only negative I had in mind was that the shower wasn’t very powerful. And then I learnt how to use it!
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
This was an Ambassador certificate stay of which we paid Ł460 for the first night (club double). The double upgrade and the lounge access have added incredible value to our stay; we’ve easily drank enough champagne and gin! The hotel also comped a bottle of champagne for our anniversary although we had to leave it behind having travelled HBO!
Jan 26, 2019, 1:42 pm
#18
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: SNA/LAX
Programs: Hertz PC, Hilton DMD, IHG Spire Amb, Bonvoy Titanium Elite & WoH Globalist
Posts: 8,076
IC Bangkok 10-15 Jan. 2019
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? Booked two rooms for 4 nights on points and two nights redeeming the Chase CC free night. Received an email upgrading us as follows: one King Grande Deluxe and Double Grande Deluxe. Contacted Club personnel and further upgraded for a fee ($100++ per night) to a corner suite with Club benefits.
How are the rooms? Dated but clean and comfortable and being on the 31st floor minimum noise from central Bangkok hustle and bustle. Was provided with an attached double for the second room and both were on the 31st floor overlooking 180 degree of central Bangkok views facing the polo club and the Waldorf Astoria skyscraper. When we opened the connecting door, we had a vast apartment-like space that took the entire corner of the hotel for that floor.
How is the exec. lounge? Attentive service and great offerings at breakfast, teatime and happy hour. Wife and children partook happy hour at the Balcony Lounge on the first floor due to alcohol serving at the 37th floor IC Club.
What was good and what was bad? Breakfast at Espresso was also good and the treatment overall was excellent. The concierge is a history major with excellent knowledge about hard to find facts about the city and its history. Nothing bad really.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? Great value for what we got. Burned 240K IHG points + 2 award nights + $590 for the cash upgrade to get a suite and an attached double room for final 5 days of bliss in Bangkok. IHG will refund 48K IHG points (20%) due to Ambassador status and the credit card.
View from the room
Steak and Eggs Benedict for breakfast at the IC Club
Delicious 1/2 BBQ Chicken with French Fries & garlic sauce was an extreme value for $8 for room service
Afternoon tea service at the IC Club
Bird's eye view of Bangkok from the IC Club on the 37th floor
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? Booked two rooms for 4 nights on points and two nights redeeming the Chase CC free night. Received an email upgrading us as follows: one King Grande Deluxe and Double Grande Deluxe. Contacted Club personnel and further upgraded for a fee ($100++ per night) to a corner suite with Club benefits.
How are the rooms? Dated but clean and comfortable and being on the 31st floor minimum noise from central Bangkok hustle and bustle. Was provided with an attached double for the second room and both were on the 31st floor overlooking 180 degree of central Bangkok views facing the polo club and the Waldorf Astoria skyscraper. When we opened the connecting door, we had a vast apartment-like space that took the entire corner of the hotel for that floor.
How is the exec. lounge? Attentive service and great offerings at breakfast, teatime and happy hour. Wife and children partook happy hour at the Balcony Lounge on the first floor due to alcohol serving at the 37th floor IC Club.
What was good and what was bad? Breakfast at Espresso was also good and the treatment overall was excellent. The concierge is a history major with excellent knowledge about hard to find facts about the city and its history. Nothing bad really.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? Great value for what we got. Burned 240K IHG points + 2 award nights + $590 for the cash upgrade to get a suite and an attached double room for final 5 days of bliss in Bangkok. IHG will refund 48K IHG points (20%) due to Ambassador status and the credit card.
View from the room
Steak and Eggs Benedict for breakfast at the IC Club
Delicious 1/2 BBQ Chicken with French Fries & garlic sauce was an extreme value for $8 for room service
Afternoon tea service at the IC Club
Bird's eye view of Bangkok from the IC Club on the 37th floor
Jan 31, 2019, 4:00 am
#19
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: SFO
Posts: 487
IC Dusseldorf
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? Booked superior, upgraded to Deluxe
How are the rooms? The difference between superior vs deluxe is hardly noticeable.
How is the exec. lounge? No access as Ambassador
What was good and what was bad? Great location, walking distance to city center. Sixt car rental agency located inside the hotel.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? Value for $ is good vs other 5 star hotels which costs substantially more. Yes, would return, but may also look into the Hyatt House Dusseldorf
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? Booked superior, upgraded to Deluxe
How are the rooms? The difference between superior vs deluxe is hardly noticeable.
How is the exec. lounge? No access as Ambassador
What was good and what was bad? Great location, walking distance to city center. Sixt car rental agency located inside the hotel.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? Value for $ is good vs other 5 star hotels which costs substantially more. Yes, would return, but may also look into the Hyatt House Dusseldorf
Feb 4, 2019, 9:43 am
#20
In Memoriam, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Durham, NC (RDU/GSO/CLT)
Programs: AA EXP/MM, DL GM, UA Platinum, HH DIA, Hyatt Explorist, IHG Platinum, Marriott Titanium, Hertz PC
Posts: 33,857
Intercontinental Boston
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? Booked a Two Queen Premier City View. Upgraded to a Two Queen Superior Suite
How are the rooms? The suite was one of the best hotel rooms I've stayed at in my life. Huge living room with couches and chairs, a massive dining table with four chairs, desk with chair, powder room, larger bathroom with two sinks, stand in shower, sunken tub and upgraded Gilchrest and Soames toiletries plus a large bedroom with two beds.
How is the exec. lounge? No access as Ambassador.
What was good and what was bad? The staff were very friendly to me at check in. Thanking me for my status, explaining hotel features etc. There's a good bar in the lobby with friendly staff as well. As to the bad, the location isn't the best for touring Boston and the Wifi wouldn't let me connect with my last name and room number, I had to call down for an access code.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? The hotel is expensive, my rate was $290 pre-tax. But for the treatment and the rooms I'd come back.
How are the rooms? The suite was one of the best hotel rooms I've stayed at in my life. Huge living room with couches and chairs, a massive dining table with four chairs, desk with chair, powder room, larger bathroom with two sinks, stand in shower, sunken tub and upgraded Gilchrest and Soames toiletries plus a large bedroom with two beds.
How is the exec. lounge? No access as Ambassador.
What was good and what was bad? The staff were very friendly to me at check in. Thanking me for my status, explaining hotel features etc. There's a good bar in the lobby with friendly staff as well. As to the bad, the location isn't the best for touring Boston and the Wifi wouldn't let me connect with my last name and room number, I had to call down for an access code.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? The hotel is expensive, my rate was $290 pre-tax. But for the treatment and the rooms I'd come back.
Feb 5, 2019, 6:06 pm
#21
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Amsterdam&Stuttgart& Edinburgh
Programs: IC Amb.,FB,Hertz,Sixt
Posts: 775
IC Berlin
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Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
I booked a club deluxe for three nights inc weekend voucher ,upgrade showed as club junior, then changed to club senior on check in I given 800 the Park suite
How are the rooms?
As the second biggest suite in the hotel with 150Sqm it was very impressive, slightly odd having a meeting room for 6 and a dining table for 10 near each other. The tub with view over the park to Mitte is rather special
How is the exec. lounge?
The lounge is still well run and a nice place to relax with a coffee. After five it gets busier as the Champagne ,booze and canapes come out even with the bread and cheese it is not enough for dinner though some seem to try. I was happy enough to call room service this time
What was good and what was bad?
The staff were all friendly and attentive
There was the end of an IHG senior management congress on when I arrived and a German hotels congress when I was leaving, it does spoil the lobby and bar
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? For the price I paid it was a bargain, though I do kind of prefer some of the Club senior suites.
I spend about 30 nights a year in the hotel so yes I'll be back
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Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
I booked a club deluxe for three nights inc weekend voucher ,upgrade showed as club junior, then changed to club senior on check in I given 800 the Park suite
How are the rooms?
As the second biggest suite in the hotel with 150Sqm it was very impressive, slightly odd having a meeting room for 6 and a dining table for 10 near each other. The tub with view over the park to Mitte is rather special
How is the exec. lounge?
The lounge is still well run and a nice place to relax with a coffee. After five it gets busier as the Champagne ,booze and canapes come out even with the bread and cheese it is not enough for dinner though some seem to try. I was happy enough to call room service this time
What was good and what was bad?
The staff were all friendly and attentive
There was the end of an IHG senior management congress on when I arrived and a German hotels congress when I was leaving, it does spoil the lobby and bar
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? For the price I paid it was a bargain, though I do kind of prefer some of the Club senior suites.
I spend about 30 nights a year in the hotel so yes I'll be back
Feb 9, 2019, 12:40 am
#22
Moderator: Hyatt Gold Passport & Star Alliance
Join Date: May 1998
Location: London, UK
Programs: UA-1K 3MM/HY- LT Globalist/BA-GGL/GfL
Posts: 12,081
IC Berlin
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Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
I booked a club deluxe for two nights. Not upgraded
How are the rooms?
Big bathroom with a large tub, separate shower and toilet and lots of hanging space. The annoying sound of water from the drain in shower much of the time. Only two creamers offered with coffee machine making only one cup possible. Great view of city from room. Comfortable bed. WiFi is OK but not spectacular.
How is the exec. lounge?
They have gutted the evening service, limiting it to three pre-ordered appetisers or cheese. Breakfast is the total opposite with a menu where you can order freshly prepared eggs (including eggs benedict). Lots of ham, cheese, bread, pastries and sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes on the hot plate.
What was good and what was bad?
Had a ten minute wait to check-in at 5pm on a Friday. Lifts are slow and so get really busy. And the evening lounge service is a disgrace.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? I have stayed at this property once per year with me Ambassador coupon for many years. It's my treat and I really enjoy its location.
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Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
I booked a club deluxe for two nights. Not upgraded
How are the rooms?
Big bathroom with a large tub, separate shower and toilet and lots of hanging space. The annoying sound of water from the drain in shower much of the time. Only two creamers offered with coffee machine making only one cup possible. Great view of city from room. Comfortable bed. WiFi is OK but not spectacular.
How is the exec. lounge?
They have gutted the evening service, limiting it to three pre-ordered appetisers or cheese. Breakfast is the total opposite with a menu where you can order freshly prepared eggs (including eggs benedict). Lots of ham, cheese, bread, pastries and sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes on the hot plate.
What was good and what was bad?
Had a ten minute wait to check-in at 5pm on a Friday. Lifts are slow and so get really busy. And the evening lounge service is a disgrace.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? I have stayed at this property once per year with me Ambassador coupon for many years. It's my treat and I really enjoy its location.
Feb 14, 2019, 7:05 am
#23
Moderator: InterContinental Hotels and Germany
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 6,552
I have moved the post related to the discussion about @Markie IC Berlin experience to the master thread of this property https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/inte...01-2013-a.html
FLYGVA
Co-moderator IHG Forum
FLYGVA
Co-moderator IHG Forum
Feb 25, 2019, 10:44 pm
#24
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: YVR
Programs: Air Canada Super Elite 2+ Million Miles
Posts: 2,478
IC KUL
2nd stay at this property - previous visit last year quite good experience. On this 5 day visit, initial service failures regarding room readiness took few days to resolve.
Eventually room comfortable (although mattress bit hard for my taste), and breakfast sufficient. Location good relative to key business center and attractions.
Issue resolution efforts by Front Office not well executed (see photo - hilarious), although final follow-up acceptable. Will report again after next visit - assured by Front Office that should be seamless.
2nd stay at this property - previous visit last year quite good experience. On this 5 day visit, initial service failures regarding room readiness took few days to resolve.
Eventually room comfortable (although mattress bit hard for my taste), and breakfast sufficient. Location good relative to key business center and attractions.
Issue resolution efforts by Front Office not well executed (see photo - hilarious), although final follow-up acceptable. Will report again after next visit - assured by Front Office that should be seamless.
Mar 1, 2019, 10:47 am
#25
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: UK
Programs: BA Blue, IC Spire Ambassador
Posts: 5,227
IC Lisbon
IC Lisbon
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked Club Room and initially received a Club Room. No mention of upgrade was made at check in though I was welcomed as a Spire Amb and given a drinks voucher. I assumed I would have been upgraded so decided to see what the room was like.
To be fair, the Club room was nice enough, looked fresh & had a shower but no bath. I think it had Agraria toiletries.
Fruit, mineral water, and a letter with my name on was in the room.
As soon as I got to the room I checked the App which still showed me as being in a Club room (ie same category). I then did a dummy booking, and they were selling Junior Suites (next category - I’ve stayed in this before & it was what I was expecting) as well as higher suites.
Thought this was strange so I went back to reception to ask what upgrade I had received. The lady tapped on her keyboard for a while, looked confused and went off to speak to the Front of House Manager who said they had nothing available but he did think he had a renovated Duplex Suite that hadn’t officially been put back into the system yet, and could I give him five minutes whilst he went to check it was ready? Anyway, true to his word I ended up in a renovated Duplex Suite on the 18th floor (with a letter about construction noise. Anyway, I barely heard anything so no problem.)
How are the rooms?
Overall, I thought that the suite was a decent 1 bedroom suite, if a bit sparsely furnished / could be anywhere decoration.
As you enter, there is a WC and basin in a room off to the left, and closet space to the right. Once through to the lounge area, there is a sofa, table, desk and large wall mounted TV with usual satellite channels. The windows are double height so there is plenty of natural light. There is also a Nespresso machine with 6 capsules, which were refreshed daily.
Up the stairs, you find the bedroom - king bed, another flatscreen, more closet space, and a small shower room. Again, a shower, no bath. The shower runs on a push button on / off mechanism, which is fine per se but I felt the water pressure could have been higher. I couldn’t work out the temperature control - it didn’t seem to have any impact when adjusted but that could just have been me being thick! I was standing in the shower one day and part of the shower fitting just fell onto the floor without warning. I don’t know where it came from and clearly neither did housekeeping as it was still there 3 days later when I checked out! Toiletries are Castelbel from Porto (same as at the IC Porto in suites there).
I also couldn’t get the upstairs AC to blow cold air - it seemed to be stuck in a different mode. The bedroom temp stayed at c.24c throughout my stay. Any warmer and I’d have said something, but having made a nuisance of myself once already, I didn’t want to be picky but it did annoy me. Again, I hoped this is something housekeeping would have noticed.
Water & fruit turned up on day 2, which was good (as noted, it was there in my original room). Fruit and water were replenished daily, which was appreciated.
Thought it odd that they renovated the rooms but didn’t add bedside USB (or wireless!) charging.
How is the exec. lounge?
This is in the lobby level. It has no windows. The best thing is the staff who were all delightful & did their very best. There were never more than 4 other guests in there when I was in there (including during cocktail hour) which I found a bit odd. It did make it lack a bit of atmosphere but that’s not the hotel’s fault.
Breakfast is a fairly extensive continental spread, along with made to order eggs - which were very good. Another bonus, for leisure travellers perhaps, or those on a different timezone, was that even during the week breakfast ran until 11AM.
I didn’t go in for the afternoon tea service but cocktails were 5-7pm, I believe. The staff served the drinks and there was a self-service buffet which had hot and cold canapés.
What was good and what was bad?
Good
All the staff there were friendly and did their best. Bar staff very good.
I sent some shirts for next day laundry and they were back within about 3 hours.
Upgrade was generous from Club Room to Duplex (I’ve previously had Club —> Junior Suite).
Bad
I don’t know what the issue was with check in at this hotel / why I wasn’t upgraded initially. I didn’t really understand the issue but the fact it wasn’t mentioned initially & they waited to see if I’d notice left a bit of a sour taste - I shouldn’t have to ask for benefits.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
I paid about €205 / night in the sale. Yes, I think it was value for money. I would return (as in, I think it’s an ok property) but I think I might try somewhere else next time.
Could not get this to enter cooling mode
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked Club Room and initially received a Club Room. No mention of upgrade was made at check in though I was welcomed as a Spire Amb and given a drinks voucher. I assumed I would have been upgraded so decided to see what the room was like.
To be fair, the Club room was nice enough, looked fresh & had a shower but no bath. I think it had Agraria toiletries.
Fruit, mineral water, and a letter with my name on was in the room.
As soon as I got to the room I checked the App which still showed me as being in a Club room (ie same category). I then did a dummy booking, and they were selling Junior Suites (next category - I’ve stayed in this before & it was what I was expecting) as well as higher suites.
Thought this was strange so I went back to reception to ask what upgrade I had received. The lady tapped on her keyboard for a while, looked confused and went off to speak to the Front of House Manager who said they had nothing available but he did think he had a renovated Duplex Suite that hadn’t officially been put back into the system yet, and could I give him five minutes whilst he went to check it was ready? Anyway, true to his word I ended up in a renovated Duplex Suite on the 18th floor (with a letter about construction noise. Anyway, I barely heard anything so no problem.)
How are the rooms?
Overall, I thought that the suite was a decent 1 bedroom suite, if a bit sparsely furnished / could be anywhere decoration.
As you enter, there is a WC and basin in a room off to the left, and closet space to the right. Once through to the lounge area, there is a sofa, table, desk and large wall mounted TV with usual satellite channels. The windows are double height so there is plenty of natural light. There is also a Nespresso machine with 6 capsules, which were refreshed daily.
Up the stairs, you find the bedroom - king bed, another flatscreen, more closet space, and a small shower room. Again, a shower, no bath. The shower runs on a push button on / off mechanism, which is fine per se but I felt the water pressure could have been higher. I couldn’t work out the temperature control - it didn’t seem to have any impact when adjusted but that could just have been me being thick! I was standing in the shower one day and part of the shower fitting just fell onto the floor without warning. I don’t know where it came from and clearly neither did housekeeping as it was still there 3 days later when I checked out! Toiletries are Castelbel from Porto (same as at the IC Porto in suites there).
I also couldn’t get the upstairs AC to blow cold air - it seemed to be stuck in a different mode. The bedroom temp stayed at c.24c throughout my stay. Any warmer and I’d have said something, but having made a nuisance of myself once already, I didn’t want to be picky but it did annoy me. Again, I hoped this is something housekeeping would have noticed.
Water & fruit turned up on day 2, which was good (as noted, it was there in my original room). Fruit and water were replenished daily, which was appreciated.
Thought it odd that they renovated the rooms but didn’t add bedside USB (or wireless!) charging.
How is the exec. lounge?
This is in the lobby level. It has no windows. The best thing is the staff who were all delightful & did their very best. There were never more than 4 other guests in there when I was in there (including during cocktail hour) which I found a bit odd. It did make it lack a bit of atmosphere but that’s not the hotel’s fault.
Breakfast is a fairly extensive continental spread, along with made to order eggs - which were very good. Another bonus, for leisure travellers perhaps, or those on a different timezone, was that even during the week breakfast ran until 11AM.
I didn’t go in for the afternoon tea service but cocktails were 5-7pm, I believe. The staff served the drinks and there was a self-service buffet which had hot and cold canapés.
What was good and what was bad?
Good
All the staff there were friendly and did their best. Bar staff very good.
I sent some shirts for next day laundry and they were back within about 3 hours.
Upgrade was generous from Club Room to Duplex (I’ve previously had Club —> Junior Suite).
Bad
I don’t know what the issue was with check in at this hotel / why I wasn’t upgraded initially. I didn’t really understand the issue but the fact it wasn’t mentioned initially & they waited to see if I’d notice left a bit of a sour taste - I shouldn’t have to ask for benefits.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return?
I paid about €205 / night in the sale. Yes, I think it was value for money. I would return (as in, I think it’s an ok property) but I think I might try somewhere else next time.
Could not get this to enter cooling mode
Last edited by IAMORGAN; Mar 2, 2019 at 3:29 am
Mar 1, 2019, 11:17 pm
#26
Join Date: Dec 2018
Posts: 10
IC Dubai - Marina
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Standard King room (marina view) redeemed points, received a suite on the 19th floor with a partial marina view, balcony, kitchenette, nespresso machine, and a huge walk in shower
How are the rooms?
Well kept and modern
How is the exec. lounge?
The lounge is on the 39th floor, was told this is only for RA guests, or could purchase access for 350 AED, which would include breakfast buffet. Maybe its "Club Experience"?
If I used it daily maybe the 350 AED wasn't a bad price, i'm sure the view would be good, my room key didn't allow access to 39, since I declined the offer.
What was good and what was bad?
Good, location, its in a quieter part of the marina, it does take some walking to access to the livelier areas of the marina, marina mall, or JBR Marina Beach, however the IC is in the middle of all these sites, IC Marina is positioned directly across from the Dubai tram at stop JBR 1, for 3 AED you can go to JBR 2, which is closer access to the beach area, or get off at marina mall stop. Trams run 5-7 minutes apart.
Bad, not much.
Standard King room (marina view) redeemed points, received a suite on the 19th floor with a partial marina view, balcony, kitchenette, nespresso machine, and a huge walk in shower
How are the rooms?
Well kept and modern
How is the exec. lounge?
The lounge is on the 39th floor, was told this is only for RA guests, or could purchase access for 350 AED, which would include breakfast buffet. Maybe its "Club Experience"?
If I used it daily maybe the 350 AED wasn't a bad price, i'm sure the view would be good, my room key didn't allow access to 39, since I declined the offer.
What was good and what was bad?
Good, location, its in a quieter part of the marina, it does take some walking to access to the livelier areas of the marina, marina mall, or JBR Marina Beach, however the IC is in the middle of all these sites, IC Marina is positioned directly across from the Dubai tram at stop JBR 1, for 3 AED you can go to JBR 2, which is closer access to the beach area, or get off at marina mall stop. Trams run 5-7 minutes apart.
Bad, not much.
Mar 3, 2019, 6:33 am
#27
Join Date: May 2016
Programs: BAEC - Gold, IHG - Spire Ambassador
Posts: 574
IC Bucharest
IC Bucharest
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? We booked the cheapest room and were upgraded to a Club room with lounge access, which was great. This is only the second time we have been given complimentary Club access, previous time was IC Miami.
How are the rooms? Clean but old fashioned, a bit like staying with your granny. The armchairs were red and gold, the furniture was very DFS flat pack style. The mattress was excellent quality and we both had a very good sleep.
How is the exec. lounge? The view was sensational. It is located on the 21st floor. Best of all it was free of charge!
What was good and what was bad?
Good - Upgrade to Club floor with lounge access, which represents real value to us. Much prefer this to a bigger room. We had booked the weekend escapes rate which included breakfast so we ate in the restaurant not the lounge, owing to a better choice. Breakfast was fab, eggs to order, a juicing machine, a barista and a huge selection of everything you could imagine.
The in room coffee was a Nespresso machine with a section of capsules. Welcome points posted overnight. There was a slate with fruit (grapes, strawberries and passion fruit) and chocolates. There was a large bottle of sparkling mineral water and two small bottles of still. Our gift was a bottle of red wine. Bathroom amenities were my favourite L’Occitane. Shower/bath combo but we had a bidet.
The leisure suite on 22nd floor was great. We used the gym and the pool/hot tub. We were the only guests in the gym and pool.
Room decor aside, there was nothing bad. We could not get the TV to work but as we both had iPads this wasn’t a problem.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? The room cost €101, which we thought was excellent value for money so we treated ourselves to a limo transfer from OTP which was €23 each way.
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive? We booked the cheapest room and were upgraded to a Club room with lounge access, which was great. This is only the second time we have been given complimentary Club access, previous time was IC Miami.
How are the rooms? Clean but old fashioned, a bit like staying with your granny. The armchairs were red and gold, the furniture was very DFS flat pack style. The mattress was excellent quality and we both had a very good sleep.
How is the exec. lounge? The view was sensational. It is located on the 21st floor. Best of all it was free of charge!
What was good and what was bad?
Good - Upgrade to Club floor with lounge access, which represents real value to us. Much prefer this to a bigger room. We had booked the weekend escapes rate which included breakfast so we ate in the restaurant not the lounge, owing to a better choice. Breakfast was fab, eggs to order, a juicing machine, a barista and a huge selection of everything you could imagine.
The in room coffee was a Nespresso machine with a section of capsules. Welcome points posted overnight. There was a slate with fruit (grapes, strawberries and passion fruit) and chocolates. There was a large bottle of sparkling mineral water and two small bottles of still. Our gift was a bottle of red wine. Bathroom amenities were my favourite L’Occitane. Shower/bath combo but we had a bidet.
The leisure suite on 22nd floor was great. We used the gym and the pool/hot tub. We were the only guests in the gym and pool.
Room decor aside, there was nothing bad. We could not get the TV to work but as we both had iPads this wasn’t a problem.
Value for $ or Priority Club Points? Would you return? The room cost €101, which we thought was excellent value for money so we treated ourselves to a limo transfer from OTP which was €23 each way.
Mar 12, 2019, 2:50 pm
#28
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: San Jose, California, USA
Programs: AS 100K, UA MM, AA MM, IC Plat Amb, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 3,146
Intercontinental New York Times Square
Intercontinental New York Times Square
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked a 1 King Bed Sky View Corner and received a 1 King Bed Sky View Corner. At check-in, I was informed that this hotel no longer upgrades to suites; instead, I was offered the new Ambassador Benefit Guarantee of 10,000 points or $50 in food and beverage credit (took the points).
How are the rooms?
The rooms at the IC NY Times Square are very small, which is why the no-longer-provided suite upgrades are so important. There is no sofa nor any relaxing place to sit and have a coffee or eat (except for a lonely chair with no table). If you want to share a meal, you'll have to sit in the office chair right in front of the wall where the TV is mounted.
How is the exec. lounge?
This property does not have a lounge.
What was good and what was bad?
The good:
Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
Booked a 1 King Bed Sky View Corner and received a 1 King Bed Sky View Corner. At check-in, I was informed that this hotel no longer upgrades to suites; instead, I was offered the new Ambassador Benefit Guarantee of 10,000 points or $50 in food and beverage credit (took the points).
How are the rooms?
The rooms at the IC NY Times Square are very small, which is why the no-longer-provided suite upgrades are so important. There is no sofa nor any relaxing place to sit and have a coffee or eat (except for a lonely chair with no table). If you want to share a meal, you'll have to sit in the office chair right in front of the wall where the TV is mounted.
How is the exec. lounge?
This property does not have a lounge.
What was good and what was bad?
The good:
- The modern-styled room was in good shape.
- The location is excellent, with many restaurants (and a subway) right near the hotel lobby.
- The cocktails in the hotel bar were strong and delicious (although I went there only to use up the $20 food and beverage credit from the hotel's $30 "destination charge").
- The hotel offered a turn-down service in the evening.
- The standard rooms (as in many NYC hotels) are very small, and the hotel offered a poor substitute for the "guaranteed" room upgrade (which would have been to a suite).
- The hotel charges a $30 (plux tax) "destination fee" with benefits that I would not have paid for. (I used a BOGO, and this was charged on both the paid and the free nights.) At first glance, the $20 food-and-beverage credit sounds like a good give-back, but it doesn't stack: It expires at 12 midnight each day, so you have to use it up every day or you'll lose it.
Last edited by mikew99; Mar 14, 2019 at 8:10 pm Reason: Correct the points given by the Ambassador Benefit Guarantee
Mar 13, 2019, 8:02 am
#29
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: UK
Programs: IHG
Posts: 1,316
"I was offered the new Ambassador Benefit Guarantee of 50,000 points or $50 in food and beverage credit (took the points)."
Sorry, is this correct that you received 50'000 points? In the new rules it said 10'000 points..
Sorry, is this correct that you received 50'000 points? In the new rules it said 10'000 points..
Mar 14, 2019, 8:13 pm
#30
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: San Jose, California, USA
Programs: AS 100K, UA MM, AA MM, IC Plat Amb, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 3,146
Thank you for the correction! I've updated my report accordingly. FWIW, I was happy that the points posted right away (even before I checked out) so I didn't need to remember to track them down later.