I am a Platinum Ambassador and have stayed at four different InterContinental hotels this year and Jiuzhai Paradise has been the most disappointing.

From the outside and inside the eco-lobby, the hotel appears impressive and that was the reason why my girlfriend wanted to stay here for the last two nights of our trip. We arrived around 2 PM and parked our car. The attendant gave us directions to the check-in desk, but did not help us with our luggage because he said that he was the only one working. Anyone who has stayed here knows that the front desk is not close to the entrance so it was a bit of an inconvenience. And not having someone help with luggage is highly unusual for any 4 or 5 star hotel.

Upon checking-in at the Ambassador desk, I was given an upgrade to a suite on the club floor which sounded exciting until I enter the room. The suite was old and dated in appearance with the furniture and small TV. It was quite disappointing since we just spent two nights at the Hilton Resort where our suite was 3-4 times as big and cost less. We also found a hair on the bed, so we called housekeeping to change the sheets. When housekeeping arrived, she said that she just changed the sheets and the hair was probably her’s. It didn’t matter whose hair it was because it’s not something you want to see when you check into a room. She begrudgingly changed the sheets.

Although we were on a non-smoking floor, the hallway still smelled like smoke but luckily the room didn’t. But unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said of the men’s bathroom on the first floor. When I walked in, I found it difficult to breathe and didn’t have a choice to use it since it was the closet toilet to the club floor and lobby. As a non-smoker, I’m very sensitive to smoke and would not come back to the hotel for that issue alone.

Another disappointing thing was that there is an indoor swimming pool, but you must pay to use it because it’s part of the spa. The eco-lobby is also very hot during the day because it’s covered in glass. That maybe a good thing when it’s cold outside, but it’s very uncomfortable during the summer. Even the comforter in the room was too warm for the summer. Check-out also took a long time because the girl kept typing in the wrong number on the credit card machine. She had to get a manager to help figure out the problem. Another disappointment since the Ambassador desk is usually staffed with more experienced personnel.

The positive things about the hotel is the eco-lobby is impressive with the architecture and the animals. The evening show was also entertaining. I also found the club happy hour and breakfast decent and the club staff to be attentive. But unless they do a major renovation, it doesn’t deserve the InterContinental name. With the Hilton being open and the Ritz-Carlton opening soon in Jiuzhai Valley, this hotel should do better and not rest on its past reputation.

Check In

Surprised that we didn't get help with our luggage. The front dek check-in was straight-forward although the personnel did not speak English well. The upgrade to a club room was nice especially since that included club lounge access.

Room

The suite we were in wasn't that big and it looked old. The furniture was dated and the TV was small. The balcony was also small.

Service

The parking attendant didn't help us with our luggage. Housekeeping didn't seem happy to change the sheets when we found a hair on our bed. The person working the Ambassador desk didn't seem experience since she kept putting in the wrong number in the credit card machine on check-out.

The Club lounge staff were very attentive and the service was good there.