So now that many of you will now have read one of my Asian hotel reviews I thought it was about time to write about some luxury closer to home. Something more of you can get to easier should my reviews be powerful enough to sway your decision!

London has one of the largest selection of hotels in the world and choosing one is certainly very hit and miss. The so called luxury hotels in London can be just that or they can be very poor. Having experienced excellent service and properties in the Far East it was difficult to find a property to rival any of these closer to home until I discovered the Intercontinental Park Lane.

After staying in a variety of different properties I finally discovered the IC and plumped up for a stay here. Since then I have not been to another hotel in the capital. It really has ticked all my boxes which is no mean feat!

Let me share with you why this is the case as you come and experience the IC for yourselves.

Booking

I always book my stays via the hotel website. It is easy and now that I am an Intercontinental Ambassador member (more on this later), my profile is retained and booking is a breeze as all my room preferences and billing information is retained online. I booked a room for September on a Saturday night. The room booked was an executive room and cost £180 for the night based on the promotion that was one. This is the cheapest I have seen this room rate and depending on the time of the year the rate could be as much as £480 for this room. Remember it’s London people!!

Intercontinental Ambassador

The Ambassador program does not entitle you to an endless supply of ferrero rocher, but more importantly hotel benefits that are actually some use to you should you regularly stay at IC properties around the world or any Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn or Hotel Indigo.Ambassador membership costs $150USD per annum and in return you get the following benefits.

• Guaranteed room upgrade for each and every stay
• Complimentary weekend night certificate (Pay for Friday get Saturday free)
• Additional bonus points on each stay
• Welcome gift
• Complimentary film rental
• Discounts on in-house movies
• Guaranteed 4pm late check out

The most valuable items are the upgrades and free weekend stay. The free weekend voucher makes the membership pay for itself and then the upgrades are also excellent. The differences in room categories can be upto £100 a jump so after one stay you have already made your money back. I have found it priceless and it gets me premium recognition in many of the other hotels in the IHG portfolio as listed above. Well worth it!

Arrival

Whenever I visit London I drive. You may think I’m crazy but I just hate the tube and traveling by train and the idea of a coach journey makes me want to stick needles in my eyes so I use my own transportation to get me there. No luxury limousines this time, unless you count my own car hehe. So after my short two hour drive down the M1 I arrived on Park Lane. The hotel is situated on Park Lane at Hyde Park Corner and is easily found. Although it looks a bit 1960’s architecture from the outside do not be fooled! Once I had driven round to the driveway I was greeted by the doorman who took my luggage from the car and whisked my car of to the basement car park for the princely sum of £50 per night. Not cheap but this is Mayfair and when the petrol and parking is combined its still cheaper than a train ticket!

Check In

As you first enter the lobby you are greeted by a warm and welcoming reception desk, staffed with some of the finest receptionists. There is a special ambassador lane for members which I was entitled to use so made my way forward. The young Australian receptionist asked for my details and then took the authorization of my credit card before discussing my room with me. I had been upgraded to a one bedroom suite with views of Hyde park. As I was paying £180 for a room that would now have cost around £600 I was actually quite happy!

The young lady gave me excellent information about the menu in the two restaurants that evening before guiding me to the elevator to make my way to my room. Although the hotel did not provide a personal check in of the sort you would find in Asia, I have still found this to be the best check in experience in the UK so far.

The Room

As usual the anticipation of what would be in the room took hold and I opened the door to be greeted by a small lobby that led to a lounge area. The lounge had a sofa and two armchairs, writing desk with complimentary broadband connection and a drinks table with minibar. There was also a Bang and Olufsen TV mounted to the wall in a magnificent piano black. The room was full of subtle colour and felt very English and homely without being over doing it so much as to make it tacky.

Off the lounge was a set of huge double doors that when opened revealed the bedroom. Inside was a huge bed with the finest Irish linens that felt crisp and yet another Bang and Olufsen TV mounted to the wall. In addition I found a Bose Wave stereo system on the bedside table that was a luxury addition!

The bathroom was extremely bright and was fitted with bath, shower, toilet and his and hers sinks. The design was flawless crafted out of the finest marbles and supplied with the finest Elemis toiletries, Egyptian cotton towels and fluffy bathrobes. I was in heaven!

This was certainly a true Suite experience and at £180 I could not complain one little bit.

My sleep that night was excellent and I took advantage of the late check out the next day to get over my hangover!

Club Intercontinental

On the eighth floor of the property is London’s most prestigious club lounge. Nothing can beat the views that this lounge commands with its huge glass windows that view out onto Hyde Park Corner, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London eye, must I continue?

The lounge is accessed by guests staying in all executive level rooms and suites or can be purchased for an additional £80 per day for all other guests.Guests will receive,

• Complimentary breakfast served in the lounge each morning
• Complimentary traditional afternoon tea.
• Complimentary cocktails and canapés between 5:30 and 7:30 each evening. This is the best selection of liquor, champagne and beer I have ever seen in an executive lounge. Truly magnificent!
• Access to complimentary laptops and computers / fax machines
• Selection of international newspapers and magazines

The lounge is a serene place to relax and is enjoyed by all guests and always has a good atmosphere. The service is impressive with table service provided to all guests. The staff really do endeavour to deliver truly amazing service. I enjoy the lounge so much!

Restaurant/Bar

The hotel has two restaurants and one bar. The main restaurant is from acclaimed celebrity chef ‘Theo Randall’ who hosts his Italian London restaurant at the Intercontinental. This has to be one of the finest restaurants in the capital and always seems busy. The menu is typically Italian but of a standard that could not be found in Bella Italia! Food is upmarket and the wine selection matches. I have always had an excellent meal here and although very posh, it’s very good value. Dinner for two with wine cost us £80 last time. Not bad considering!

Cookbook café is the alternative restaurant to Theo Randall. This offers an international menu typically found in any hotel however it is delivered to a five star standard. The menu is international and in the week a buffet is also available. Pricing is good for London and the restaurant is always lively with a good atmosphere. Well worth a visit, do try the burger!

Finally there is Lobby Lounge, the hotel’s bar which spreads out from Reception to the bottom of the hotel. An wide open area but still intimate enough to have a drink with a selection to please any hardened drinker. Prices are average for London but it is a pleasant enough way to begin your evening or end it.

Facilities

The hotel can cater for conferences and banquets and has a selection of rooms and suites to accommodate all manner of events. This is a luxury property and events will be expensive to be held here so there is no need to worry about meeting a selection of traveling salesmen here for their latest conference. If there is an event on it will be high brow!

The first floor houses a recently renovated gymnasium which is spacious and filled with top end equipment that would rival your local David Lloyd. There is also a Spa should you wish to book any treatments to relax after a hard day at work or play in the Capital.

Finally there is a selection of business services available from the business centre. Secretarial work, computers, faxes, boardrooms etc should you need any of these during your stay.

Breakfast

I took my breakfast everyday in the club lounge. The continental selection is fantastic and you can order a wide selection of English or American choices from the menu. The products used are all of the highest standards and the poached eggs are marvelous. I can recommend them!

Check out

Although I had enjoyed my weekend in London the time had come to sail back up the M1 to home. As much as I love going to London I love leaving. It all gets a bit too much sometimes! Leaving the IC was a different matter. I returned to the reception to settle my bill and was greeted outside by my car waiting for me to drive off. Goodbye IC Park Lane, see you soon!

Summary

Intercontinental is one of the largest hotel chains in the world and provides luxury five star properties all over the world. Their London property was completely renovated and reopened in 2007 and it is clear a lot of money has been invested here.

A stay here will see you relaxed and happy with the price of the room as it is not over inflated for what it is. Here you get what you pay for and they do really deliver.

I would encourage anyone looking for five star luxury in London to consider the IC. You will struggle to be disappointed!

Stay completed September 2009. Booked online via

http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/intercontinental/en/gb/locations/overview/london-parklane

Enjoy your stay!