travelpye

GREAT! Thanks!

mitpat474

Depending on what room you have booked, however I was also told any room above "London king executive" includes club access.

I had also asked regarding paid upgrades (regardless and/or including ambassador membership);

from a classic upwards

- Superior room is a available for a supplement of £30.00 + VAT per night
- Deluxe room is available for a supplement of £60.00 + VAT per night
- Executive room is available for a supplement of £100.00 + VAT per night
- Studio Suite is available for a supplement of £240.00 + VAT per night

Lon executive (inc club access) £180 +VAT

I am staying on a BRG so will either purchase lounge access and/or room upgrade.

EDIT: I have just received a further email stating if i was to be upgraded into the london executive (via Ambassador comp upgrade) the club lounge access would not be inclusive therefore, would need to book a minimum of london executive room to get club access or pay the rate of £78 (without any upgrade ofc).

travelpye

Thanks so much, mitpat474!

This gives me more to think about and consider.

I am booked on points in a superior room. I am traveling with a friend this time, so we need twins and not a king. I wonder if an upgrade would factor into the ability to have twin beds? I would not want to lose that option. I guess I need to email them back and ask that question about upgrades directly.

I had not thought of asking about upgrades, paid or otherwise previously. I just asked to confirm that we would have twins, and got a reply saying that they had noted my request. And they ignored my question regarding option to pay supplement for lounge.

mitpat474

Have Pm'ed you to discuss.

lrb76

I signed up to amb at check in yesterday, sold to me as a guaranteed 2 level upgrade which it seems is not the case. I might make a call to member services for their thoughts on that practice.

mitpat474

What upgrade was you given?

scubaccr

Just to clarify,

Do you mean IC-PL desk agent led you to believe that buying Ambassador status would give you 2-level upgrade at evey worldwide IC?

Did checkin agent say if you buy now, here at IC-PL, It guarantees you 2level upgrade for this booking that I am checking you in for right now?
OR
maybe said something like
"If you buy now, you will get (I can give you) a 2-level room upgrade" which you got, but which you alas interpreted to
mean always 2-levels, and at all IC's ?

Did you get a 2-level (or greater) boost at your IC-PL checkin? Which room did you book, which type were you given?

Geoggy

stayed here at weekend on points. got upgraded as RA to an Executive room. Asked about a suite upgrade and was told they had none available.

which was a lie given that they were selling them all weekend online

best thing to do for suite upgrade here is do 1 night on points and one paid. i've had 3/3 suite upgrades doing that before this stay

Land-of-Miles

I have stayed at this property a few times. I have had London Exec rooms and several 1 bed suites. I preferred the London Exec room, which in many ways is more spacious and usable than the typical 1 bed suite at this property. Some of the suites are tiny one memorable suite has a "living room" containing a single chair and table. The suites have VERY small TV's. I haven't had a studio suite so that might be better but I would prefer to stay in a King London Exec which has a comfy sofa and a decent sized TV than in a suite.

I am thinking of booking a London Exec Room for an upcoming stay next month but do not want to be upgraded to a suite which in my view isn't as nice as the London Exec room. Is there a way to decline an upgrade as a RA?

tangey

After you book, phone them and tell them you don't want any upgrade, would be the obvious answer.

Even better, phone them in advance and see if you can come to an arrangement to have the room you want at a lower rate, in lieu of an upgrade.

Geoggy

there are suites and suites. The stuido suite is "one big room" with a huge bathroom.

The 1 bed suites are much bigger if you get one with a balcony. Room 762 a particular favourite of mine and would take over and Exec room any day

uggboy

JUNE 2013 || InterContinental London Park Lane Review: ^




London is one of our favorite cities, and we've been there between twenty and thirty times by now. It never takes a lot of convincing to fly there.


Researching Odaiba in Tokyo led to the discovery of Kua'Aina, a Hawaiian burger restaurant. They have two branches in Hawaii , one in Tokyo and one in London . The menu was so tempting we decided we had to go to London , our nearest location.

Of course we could have simply made a day trip, but since we love London we thought it would be better to spend a weekend there.

Our budget - there are preparations for a longer travel in August - allowed us to buy a flight, but there wasn't much left for a hotel. We had two choices:



1. We could take a very cheap hotel, which didn't fulfill our wishes and needs.



Or



2. We could use points at the different loyalty hotel programs we had left.



Investigating this, we decided to go for the Intercontinental Park Lane . We had wanted to stay there for at least ten years, but somehow had never managed it. We used 50.000 Points for a night in a Superior Room, which is newly renovated.



We arrived with Aer Lingus at London Heathrow and took the Tube. The nearest Tube stop for the Intercontinental Park Lane is Hyde Park Corner on the Piccadilly Line, which connects the airport to the city. There is no need to change lines, so it's ideal.

We bought two single tickets to at 5.50 GBP per person (ca. 6.50 Euro / ca. 8.55 USD).



This time around the Piccadilly Line was upgraded, so there was no service between Boston Manor and Hammersmith, but there was a free bus connection between the stations. We enjoyed the ride and saw it as a bit of an adventure. The wait for the bus was longer than the transportation itself (ca. 15 minutes). We realized Hammersmith is an interesting area.


[ HAMILTON PLACE NUMBER ONE ] by || UggBoy♥UggGirl || PHOTO || WORLD || TRAVEL ||, on Flickr

^ Facade of the InterContinental London Park Lane



We arrived after 3 PM at our hotel. The door man asked if he could help us. We said we had a reservation, so he opened the door promptly for us and wished us a pleasant stay.



We were directed by one of the bell boys to a free receptionist. Check in was very quick and painless. We had been unexpectedly upgraded to a renovated Deluxe Room on the 6th floor, overlooking the Wellington Monument and in the distance Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

We had expected courtyard views, so we were delighted.


[ SPACE FOR LIFE : DELUXE ROOM ] by || UggBoy♥UggGirl || PHOTO || WORLD || TRAVEL ||, on Flickr

^ The writing table, outlets and space, very elegant indeed



The room was medium sized. It was classic with modern touches. The colors were mostly brown, blue, cream, ivory and beige.

There was a small hallway with one door leading off to the bathroom.

The room was equipped with a king sized bed, a wardrobe with safe and hair dryer, two night stands, a coffee table, a plush club chair and a writing desk.

The flat screen TV and Bose wave radio was integrated into a stylish storage unit that included bookshelves with books about London.


[ IN TUNE : DELUXE ROOM ] by || UggBoy♥UggGirl || PHOTO || WORLD || TRAVEL ||, on Flickr

^ BOSE WAVE Radio in our Deluxe Room

The artwork was interesting. It was part mirror, part print, part model of a local landmark.

When we entered the room the radio was already on, tuned to a Classic channel. We like Classic music, so it was a pleasant surprise.

The TV channel selection was good with a wide choice of international channels such as CNN or BBC world, business channels and the largest selection of Middle Eastern channels I've seen so far.

In Room Dining is available 24 hours a day and also has a section with Arabic cuisine.

There is also a mini bar, Nespresso Coffee machine and a kettle.



The bathroom was small, but had enough space for our toiletries. There was a bathtub/shower combination with a large round rain shower head, toilet and sink. The amenities were from Agraria.

The shower pressure was very good - there seems to be never a problem, when staying at an Intercontinental Hotel Group hotel - and the bath tub extremely comfortable.



While we were still exploring the amenities of the room, we received a welcome gift, consisting of fresh strawberries from Kent , a large bottle of still water and Dean's chocolate shortbread. There was also a card, greeting us as Ambassadors - this is the name of the loyalty program for Intercontinental Hotels - and please don't confuse Ambassador with Intercontinental Hotel Group's Priority Club.

Ambassadorship carries a yearly fee of 200 USD. There are some benefits included like a free night certificate, automatic Gold status at Priority Club, room upgrades, welcome gift, late check out up to 4 PM, promotions, where members receive higher points than usual (Normally 2000 points at an Intercontinental Hotel for Priority Club members, no matter how long the stay is or how much the guest spends.) and other things.

We aren't Ambassadors, but the amenities were definitely for us, since the gentleman from room service greeted me by name.

We felt spoiled by now - considering we had used points.

The shortbread was the best we ever had and the strawberries were sweet and bursting with flavor.



During our stay we used the complimentary shoe shine service, ordered a wake up call and requested more soaps and shower gel.

All was delivered promptly, punctual and with a smile.



Turn down service was provided and didn't include any chocolate or water, but the weather forecast and hints where you can visit different film locations in London , i.e. Bridget Jones Diary, Notting Hill, Harry Potter and so on.



The bed was very comfortable too and guaranteed a good nights rest.



The Intercontinental feels very glamorous. When entering the reception is immediately in front of you, when turning right, there is Theo Randall's, turning left leads to the concierge corner, the lifts, the Arch Bar, Wellington Lounge and the Cook Book Cafe.

The spa and fitness center are located on the first floor.



We had breakfast the next morning at the Cookbook Cafe. While the food quality was outstanding, the restaurant was too busy and enjoying breakfast was difficult.

The furniture quality and the design of the Cookbook Cafe seem to be also lower than at any other part of the hotel.


[ SUNDAY MORNING : COOKBOOK CAFE @ THE INTERCONTINENTAL LONDON PARK LANE HOTEL ] by || UggBoy♥UggGirl || PHOTO || WORLD || TRAVEL ||, on Flickr

^ Our A la Carte Breakfast @ Cookbook Cafe

We choose the a la carte option with 2 cappuccinos, 2 orange juices, a bakery basket with yummy pastries, scallion and corn pancakes with scrambled egg and rocket salad and pancakes with berry compote, maple syrup and cream.

It was really delicious.

The bill came in at 40.50 GBP including VAT and service charge, ca. 48 Euro or ca. 63 USD.

Next time, though, we are going to use the in room dining option.



Check out was swift and the bill correct.



We loved how detailed the hotel was, for example the strawberries were served in a designer glass bowl.

The shoe shine service delivered even before the stated time, early in the morning. Since there was a "Do not disturb" sign hanging on the door knob, the shoes were left in a whicker basket, carefully wrapped in paper and a bow.

The shoes were returned shiny and good smelling.



All staff was friendly and efficient, some had even time for a little chat. We felt very welcomed and well treated.



It is only a natural choice to stay there again in the future.


[ ICONIC VIEWS : DELUXE ROOM ] by || UggBoy♥UggGirl || PHOTO || WORLD || TRAVEL ||, on Flickr

^ Wellington Arch view from our Deluxe room

Would we recommend this hotel to a friend? YES! ^
Would we stay in this hotel again in the future? YES! ^

uggboy

Some more images from our stay @ the InterContinental London Park Lane || June 2013 || Including: ^


[ URBAN LANDMARK FACADE ] by || UggBoy♥UggGirl || PHOTO || WORLD || TRAVEL ||, on Flickr

^ The Hotel facade


[ SPACE FOR LIFE : THE FLOOR ] by || UggBoy♥UggGirl || PHOTO || WORLD || TRAVEL ||, on Flickr

^ The 6th Floor


[ DESTINATION, INSPIRATION : DELUXE ROOM ] by || UggBoy♥UggGirl || PHOTO || WORLD || TRAVEL ||, on Flickr

^ One of the London books in our Deluxe room


[ GRAND WELCOME : DELUXE ROOM ] by || UggBoy♥UggGirl || PHOTO || WORLD || TRAVEL ||, on Flickr

^ Welcome Gift


[ ICONIC VIEW : DELUXE ROOM ] by || UggBoy♥UggGirl || PHOTO || WORLD || TRAVEL ||, on Flickr

^ More views from our room

More photos from our stay incl. bedroom, bathroom and breakfast:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uggboy/...7634049915283/

Safe travels.

Shanye2233

That is a very helpful and detailed TR can't wait to stay there in about 3 weeks.

Thank you.

tangey

According to the room details, minimum room type that provides free club access is exec room (not london exec). That would be in keeping with its exec name.

Looking at your upgrade pricing, if your BRG is for a classic, and you did a paid upgrade to exec, does that then get club access ? One assumes that paying to upgrade to a particular room type gets you all the benefits of that room. If so then surely that's the way to go.

Your £78 figure, I assume that's club access pricing.
Anyone know if there is a discounted rate for RAs ?