Intercontinental Park Lane London, United Kingdom

In June 2016 we stayed for the fourth time in four years at the Intercontinental London Park Lane. 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.

©2016

The Intercontinental Park Lane London, United Kingdom

Our first port of call in October 2015 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 8^th 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.

 

 

©2016

Intercontinental Park Lane, London, United Kingdom

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 detail 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.

© 2014