tangey

My one experience (as an amb) was an upgrade from superior to city view intercontinental suite, without lounge access. Hotel should have been quite busy that night, the london marathon was on the following day and there was a concert in the O2 that evening.

So possibly the difference between RA and AMB upgrade is RA always get club, but the room upgrade is inconsistent ?

going OT, I *thought* there was a IC norm that if you got an upgrade to a room that normally came with lounge access, you got the access. Did I just imagine that ?

Land-of-Miles

I think this is a bit like the IC PL, there are no designated "club rooms" just rooms and suites. The club version of each bumps up the minimum level and adds club to an otherwise standard room.

However I am not sure about that rule as for instance at the PL all suites get club access but I have never had it when upgraded to a suite.

mitpat474

Im there next week, booked a king club room, which is the second highest ££ from the top. the next room up has to be the club suite in my opinion based on ££££

Land-of-Miles

The issue here is what they call suites. I am sure you will get some sort of suite but this is likely to be the circa 60sqm suite. You are better off here as a RA booking a more expensive room type and not booking club, so long as they continue to give club to RA's which is a very smart move on their part I think.

mitpat474

Surely you must have been lucky with that upgrade? and yeah it is but i think that's for RA... even though i don't particularly agree with it..

mitpat474

the higher room category above this is the intercon suite @ 60sqm? what was the name of the 100sqm (ish) suite you had?

I think only the 40 and 60sqm are available to book.

Deluxe suite being - 40sqm

intercon suite being 60sqm

scubaccr

No such luck! Whether at IC, CP, HI with a Club Lounge, IHG hotels are not required to give Lounge access foc with a room upgrade.
The only exception is for RA elite status, whom if upgraded to a Club Room must be given the associated Lounge access added only in April2013. If RA upgraded to a Suite the IC does not have to allow Lounge access.

RA's guaranteed upgrade to either Club-room, Exec-Room or Suite-Room. RAs have a good idea which IC will give Lounge Access and which not and we book our initial rooms accordingly or know we need ask for upsell Lounge at checkin.
Some IC's are even known to give a choice of either 1-cat+Lounge or 2-cat upgrade choice to RAs, eg IC Vienna.

As RA at an IC with Lounge, I am often upgraded to a Junior-Suite and asked to purchase Lounge access, rather than hotel bumping to a lesser Club-Room.
It is hotels choice not the RA, about which upgrade hotel gives, I guess many IC's look for extra revenue by upselling Lounge to RAs this J/S upgrade way.

It is no doubt a sore point for Ambassadors, but booking 1-cat below Club-room does not result in Lounge access. Easy solution for Ambassadors to this scenario is simply don't book 1-cat below Club-room
The IC hotel is enitled to, and most will upgrade to Club-room w/o lounge access.

Land-of-Miles

No I booked the Intercon suite and got the larger type, a full 2 room suite with a very large living room, dining table 2 sofas, seperate cloakroom and very large bathroom. The bedroom was a good size but not huge. I didn't book a club suite though and I did get club too.

The Deluxe Suite isn't really a suite, I think the Intercon Suite is more of a Junior Suite (albeit bigger than most suites at the IC PL).

Land-of-Miles

Just to add that beyond IC, even RA's upgraded to a club room do not necessarily get club access at other IHG properties. I found myself earlier this month in a club room at the CP Chester without club access. This is quite rare in my experience and indicative of a poor property.

mitpat474

that's ihg thought not IC hotels, however at IC PL if you git put into a king lon exec (essentially a club room) you wouldn't get free access.

mitpat474

so you got a room that's not bookable online?

Land-of-Miles

I thought those rooms were bookable online but I guess so. It was definitely a lot bigger than 60 sqm.

mitpat474

60sqm its pretty big in my opinion - comparable to a luxury suite at PL

tangey

I'm not sure what the circumstances were that got me from a basic to a full suite, it was definitely an unexpected bonus.

Ah, that was it, it's still in my memory from the couple of years I was an RA referral

Their naming is a bit confusing
"king club IC" is appears to be the standard club access room

city view/ river view intercontinental suite is the the full 2-room 1.5 bathroom suite, which is the one I got. Stated as being 60 sq ms

You can see the vids of it here:-
http://www.goingonrewards.com/2016/0...-o2-suite.html (declaring that as a link to my blog, as per the FT rules)
Do those vids match your experience ?

As far as I know, those are the only rooms with "IC" or "intercontinental" in their title. The deluxe suites don't come with lounge access.

According to the link below:-
http://www.greenpen.london/blog/intercontinental-hotel

17th floor has a total of 6 rooms. I don't know if that is where all the bigger suites are, but if so I'd guess 3x60sqm, 2x110sqm and 1 penthouse.
On the few searches I've done, I've not seen the terrace suites available for booking

Land-of-Miles

That is not the suite type that I had. The suite I had, had a much bigger living room more than twice the size of that one with a desk area off in the L between the living room and bathroom, it also had significant glass to 3 sides of the room. I have some pics somewhere but not easily hosted to add in here.

I think the suite was on the 12th floor but may be wrong about that.