[Anonymous]

[uggboylovestravel]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

For more photos of the hotel incl. room, view, bathroom, face and breakfast:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/uggboy/sets/72157634049915283/

[uggboylovestravel]

January 2014, one night stay

After having stayed at the Intercontinental Park Lane last year we decided to return and use our Priority Club Points of the IHG’s frequent traveller program, so I won’t describe the hotel in full detaile in this review.

At check in we were recognized as return guests and offered an upgrade to the Executive Club for 140 GBP (ca. 170.50 Euro or ca. 233.35 USD).

We were only staying one night and were more out and about, so we thought we wouldn’t need it. We were also asked what kind of newspaper we would like to have the next morning “light reading” or business. We decided to have the Financial Times. Late check out at 2 P.M. was offered pro-actively.

Our Superior Room was facing the Four Seasons Hotel on the opposite and was smaller than the Deluxe Room we had during our previous stay. It was also more classic and had a more homey feel. On our bookshelf were classics, like books by D.H. Lawrence and William Thackeray. There were different sketches of London landmarks, for example the Bank of England.

The bed and arm chair with ottoman were comfortable. There was space for two chairs at the writing desk, but only one was supplied.
The bathroom was of a small size. As always Agraria amenities were supplied, which we love to use.

When we returned from a trip to Harrods, English Braeburn Apples and a bottle of Welsh still water were waiting for us as welcome amenities. I was happy, because they are my favourite type of apples.

After a restful night we ordered the healthy breakfast from in room dining. We chose white and green tea, ginger lemon juice, egg white omelette with herbs, onion and pepper, granola, cereal, yoghurt, whole wheat toast and Frank Cooper jams.

Everything was delicious. We enjoyed especially the bread and omelette.

The breakfast was delivered on a table, which was too tight for the room. Neither of us could sit at it, so we had breakfast at the writing desk and arm chair. Maybe a smaller table or trays would be better in this case.

The cost was 67.50 GBP (ca. 82.20 Euro / ca. 112.50 USD) including service charge.

Soon it was time to check out. It was done quickly, effiecient and in a friendly manner.

Next time when we stay at the IC Park Lane, we are going to book the Deluxe Room or above categories, because these rooms are larger and more to our taste in terms of views, size and feel.

Overall, for a one night stay, being mostly out and about this time around, it’s a great hotel in a great location.

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

[SergeantMajor]

I stayed here in between business trips for a number of weekends when I was having my London home remodelled.

It’s a terrific property, and the Club Lounge is one of the best I’ve sampled – you can have a peek into the gardens of BP, too!

I’d strongly recommend signing up the IC’s Ambassador scheme if you’re an IC regular:

http://www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/gb/en/ambassador

There are various sign up codes for ICHG’s Priority Club Scheme which can hugely increase the number of points you can earn per stay – worth doing some research before your next ICHG stay.

[LuganoPirate]

Always enjoy your reviews Uggboy, thanks. I know the hotel well, though I’ve never stayed there, but when I had my business in London we’d use the IC for our meetings and put guests there. It was also a favourite haunt for lunch as well.

[esselle]

The Theo Randall restaurant is also well worth a visit.

[stevescoots]

I had a bad experiance all round here a couple of years back with terrible service all round and it certainly put this Inter at the bottom of my list compared to many of the other ones I have stayed at. Maybe they have upped their game so should give it a try

[uggboylovestravel]

October 2015, Our 1 night / 2 days stay

Our first port of call when arriving in London was our hotel, the Intercontinental Park Lane, where we stayed for a night on a points and cash rate. This was our third stay in three years.

We were recognized by the greeter and at check in as returning guests. To our big surprise we were upgraded to a London Room on the 8th floor with courtyard view. We had considered booking this room type for some time now, so we were very happy to have received the upgrade and we weren’t disappointed.

The room was medium sized, but very detailed furnished and beautiful throughout.

There was dark wooden furniture and the color scheme was grey, blue, brown and gold tones, which was a nice contrast and added elegance.

The carpet had a beautiful plant print.

The large and extremely comfortable king size bed took in most of the space.

There was also a seating area with a coffee table and a club chair, a writing desk with a leather chair and stylish lamps.

Artwork depicted Apsley House and the Wellington Arch and reading material was the Where in London Magazine, which we enjoy.

The bathroom was small but well thought out with a sink, toilet, shower/bath combination and Agraria amenities.

The minibar was fully stocked and the Flat Screen TV offered regional and international channels.

We had ordered our lunch from the in room dining menu. It had changed since our earlier stays and was getting more health conscious and exciting. We had of course to try out the Wellness – “I’m worth it” by Neuropath Elisabeth Peyton-Jones Spa Bento Box. It included grilled chicken on Baby Gem, lemon and yogurt dressing, watermelon, mint and feta salad, salmon sashimi and couscous with moutabel. We also had drinks from the range, the Stamina and the Vitamin Shot. All was beautifully presented and tasty.

Later we had dinner at Theo Randall’s. A review is going to follow about it at a later stage.

The next morning it was hard to get out of the comfortable bed. Our next adventure was waiting, though, and we had to get ready for breakfast and our train journey to Birmingham.

We shared a Wellness “I’m worth it” Healthy Start breakfast with green tea, an Energy Jolt, a fruit salad, granola and bran flakes with soya milk and wholemeal toast. It was delicious.

Afterwards our check out was quickly dealt with and we were on our way.

We are looking forward to stay at the Intercontinental Park Lane again in the future.

Would we recommend this landmark hotel to a friend? YES!
Would we want to stay again at this landmark hotel in our future? YES!

[Charles-P]

Intercontinental Park Lane has long been my hotel of choice when staying in central London and my wife and I continue to find the quality excellent. A particular mention is due to Oscar the Head Concierge who has helped me out of problems on many occasions and found me tickets to a London show I was told were “sold out” by every agency I contacted.

[MrMichael]

Not stayed at this hotel, but have attended an annual awards dinner last few years. Out of all such venues in London I have always found this one to be most agreeable. Food, service and organisation is always first class. Just wish they would move on the ladies of the night to be found outside as one hails a cab……or in my case look for my Uber.

[uggboylovestravel]

June 2016, our 1 night/2 days stay

In June 2016 we stayed for the fourth time in four years at the Intercontinental Park Lane London. We had enough IHG Priority Club Rewards Points left, so we used them to pay for our stay. When we made the reservation we made a mistake and noted there would be three persons sharing a room instead of two. I called the hotline to rectify it and promptly received a new reservation, stating two guests.

During the weekend the Queen officially celebrated her 90th birthday, so London was very busy and we had the chance to sign the congratulatory book at London Heathrow’s Queen’s Terminal. In exchange we received Union Jack flags and a paper crown as a keepsake.

When we arrived via the Tube at Hyde Park Corner we were surprised to see lots of naked cyclists. The cycling event takes place annually. Navigating through the throng of bikers wasn’t easy, but at least I had some eye candy, while he was fed up within a few minutes. Having finally made it to the Intercontinental we were warmly greeted by the door man and the greeter. Check in was a breeze and done in a friendly and personal manner. The receptionist did even know we were celebrating our anniversary and this was one of the reasons to stay at the hotel.

The check in sheet showed that there were three persons staying, so it seems the information hadn’t been passed on to the hotel directly. It wasn’t a problem. The receptionist promised to send a member of staff up to remove the rollaway bed, since we didn’t have a need for it. We had been upgraded from an entrance category room to a London Room. He also handed us vouchers for two glasses of Prosecco at Theo Randall’s. We were surprised by this because normally they are only given to either to Intercontinental’s loyalty program’s Ambassadors or highest tier members of the IHG Priority Reward program. It was a nice touch and we felt spoiled.

It was our second time we had received a London Room. The two were identical, only the views and layout were slightly different. This time we had Hyde Park view, which was very much appreciated.

As always the room was comfortable and even with a rollaway bed it wasn’t very cramped. The color scheme in blue and brown was to our taste too and felt fresh and elegant at the same time.

We were around 15 minutes in our room, when housekeeping arrived to take away the rollaway bed, which looked comfortable too. We hadn’t tested it, while waiting, so we can’t comment.

There was a book on the room, called “Love London”.

We used the shoe shine service and received the Financial Time as complimentary newspaper as requested. Both services were reliable as usual.

We had in room dining twice. Once we had late lunch with a Stamina Boost and a Vitamin Shot, the Spa Bento Box, which all came from the Wellness – “I’m worth it” section and a little indulgence, a massive Chocolate Brownie and Dark Cherry Sunday. It was all high quality and of course the dessert left as always a lasting impression.

In the morning we had the Wellness – “I’m worth it” The Healthy Start breakfast. It included green tea, one Energy Jolt juice, organic low fat yogurt, fruit salad, all bran with soy milk and multigrain toast.

The late lunch cost 67.50 GBP (ca. 75.70 Euro / ca. 82.75 USD) and the breakfast 22.50 GBP (ca. 25.25 Euro / ca. 27.60 USD), since the portion was generous we shared one set.

We also had dinner for our 2nd time at Theo Randall’s (review to follow), which we enjoyed.

Another nice touch was the cake that was delivered to the room due to our anniversary.

We had to check out fairly early, since the second reason for our stay was an exhibition visit, called Cycle Revolution, at the Design Museum at their former location at Shad Thames near the Tower bridge before it closed and moved to their new location in Kensington. While checking out we had a chat with the receptionist about the exhibition, since he was a cycling enthusiast, but hadn’t heard about the event.

We would stay at the Intercontinental London Park Lane again, since we were always well treated.

Would we recommend this landmark hotel to a friend? YES!
Would we want to stay with them again in our future? YES!

[SGJNI1961]

We stayed here for the first time a few weeks ago on the eye wateringly expensive Harry Potter package. Was pleased by the early check in and the room upgrade as an Ambassador member was fine although compared with the Intercontinental Greenwich, the room was small and the decor a little dated. On the other hand, the staff here were very keen to please and were very helpful at all times we encountered them. The two hotel’s breakfasts were almost equally good but unless there was a compelling reason tho stay at this location, I’d prefer the Greenwich hotel with it’s more modern feel, it’s small pool and easy connections to Waterloo, Stratford and LCY.
By the way, the Harry Potter play is truly superb with a very clever plot to appeal to dedicated Potterheads and universal themes to appeal to all. The audience on the Saturday we went were mostly over 25 years old with a slight majority female. 5 hours just flew past but some of that may have been a few too many cocktails in The Ivy during the break!

[Author]

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