The thing about an InterContinental is you know what you are going to get – comfortable surroundings, decent location and attentive staff. Being an Ambassador member means late check out and usually an upgrade to a better room, and being part of the IHG Rewards Club allows pretty decent redemptions. All in all, it is often the first place I will look when scoping out a room somewhere.

Hong Kong has two InterContinentals – the main one at the bottom of Kowloon by Tsim Sha Tsui and the Grand Stanford further east about 1km along the harbour. The former is older and more expensive; the latter perhaps less formal and more generous with room sizes.

We opted for the InterContinental Hong Kong on the basis of the location and the view; being right on the waterfront means uninterrupted harbour views of the iconic Hong Kong skyline. The same cannot be said for The Peninsula which has lost its waterside location thanks to the relentless reclamation projects in the territory.

We booked a Deluxe Harbour View club room using an Ambassador Weekend certificate, giving two nights for the price of one (strictly speaking, it is not quite 2 for 1 as the rate is higher than the best available). The third night was booked using a Barclaycard Free night voucher which books into the basic room category. I tried to get the hotel to keep us in the same room, even offering to give up my upgrade for the first two nights so we didn’t have to change, but they wanted about £150 for the pleasure so we politely declined.

The Rooms

The first room was big for Hong Kong and had plenty of space. I really liked the decor and the bed was very comfortable.

By the TV, which included a Bose sound bar, was the welcome fruit platter and a kettle. I would have liked to have had an espresso machine, but the ability to make tea was a bonus.

There was a dressing room with the essential fluffy robes.

The bathroom was huge, with separate shower and toilet out of shot.

All of that was great, but in reality it was the view that was what made this room special, and it did not disapoint!

After two nights, we moved to the upper floor on the other side of the hotel into an InterContinental Deluxe Room – it should have been a Superior room but they gave us an Ambassador upgrade too. The layout was basically the same, with a slightly smaller bathroom and dressing room on the other side of the door.

It looked out north and we had a good view of the pool.

The Pool

Given the premium that space has in Hong Kong, having such a large pool was a luxury. Service was great, with the pool team bringing cold towels and misting spray on arrival.

There is also a jacuzzi which looks out to the east towards the old Kai Tak airport.

The food served by the pool was very tasty, although quite expensive. We had two HK$135 vouchers given on check-in (one for being Spire and one for being Ambassador, I  think!) but we couldn’t use them together so I asked for the lunches to be on two separate checks and they happily obliged!

The Gym

Keen to ensure that all the flying and fine dining didn’t ruin my waist line, and in an attempt to fight off jet lag, I tested out the facilities. They were everything I wanted in terms of a hotel gym – modern equipment, empty and with towels and water.

The Club Lounge

Having burnt off a whole load of calories, it was necessary to refuel. For the first two days we had Club access and made the most of it. Breakfast was available in the form of an extensive buffet and made to order dishes.

In the afternoon there were some delicious snacks and cakes, and the evening had canapés and alcoholic drinks served at seat by the very attentive staff.

The only downside was the dress code in the evening was long trousers, so I was sent packing in my delightful yellow chino shorts!

The Cost

The value that InterContinentals offer, when stacking free nights and Ambassador status is exceptional. We paid about £550 for the three nights which included breakfast on two days, afternoon tea and canapés on one day, evening drinks in the bar and lunch by the pool, with a room that had the iconic skyline view and a late check out which suited our plans perfectly.

Paying for them straight up would have been in excess of £1200. I earned about 13,000 points from the stay, plus another 2,200 for paying using my IHG Rewards Club. Given that a room in this hotel is 60k points, that is a reasonable rebate.

The overall impression

I have stayed in lots of InterContinentals and I still really love them! The service at this one was exceptional from start to finish, and from every single member of staff. I would definitely return to the hotel and highly recommend it.