IHG Hotels that recognise status

[markis10]

Even other IHG staff don't rate the Flinders location much (unlike the Little Collins location which they highly recommend)

I liked it as a HI but have not stayed in ages, IHG is not my preferred chain in Mel

 

[ShrinkWrapped]

Guessing they still don't have chilli flakes to go with their eggs either. Even other IHG staff don't rate the Flinders location much (unlike the Little Collins location which they highly recommend)

literally I had a meeting that corner of town and felt lazy.... never again

no chilli flakes still

back up my voco/indigo little collins I think

 

[kerfuffle]

literally I had a meeting that corner of town and felt lazy.... never again

no chilli flakes still

back up my voco/indigo little collins I think

Ugh. I was hoping a restaurant change would mean chilli flakes. I'd rather pay extra and stay at IC/voco/Little Collins. Or even try out CP Southbank before it turns into an IC

 

[The-Aviator]

Hotel: InterContinental Kuala Lumpur
When: June 2026
Status: Platinum Ambassador
Rate: RM875/night (Visa cardholder rate)
Booked: 1 Super King Premium Club Lounge Access
Received: 1 Bedroom Suite (one-category upgrade)

First stop on a multicity, three-country visit to Asia and the IC KL certainly set the bar high!

Arrival
Pre-arrival comms were good with emails advising club benefits and other amenities included in the stay. I emailed the hotel concierge a few weeks out regarding an airport transfer and received a prompt and detailed response outlining the options. Booked the cheapest vehicle available (EV Premier) and was pleasantly surprised on arrival at KLIA when I was escorted to a waiting BMW, one of their more expensive transfer options at no extra charge. Experience on arriving at the hotel was excellent, I was greeted at the driveway and taken straight up to my suite to complete check-in formalities from the comfort of the room. Given I had Club Access they suggested taking points as the welcome amenity which I was fine with.

Room
My suite was located on the 29th floor and was modern, nicely decorated and had all I needed for a three-night stay, from the looks of the floorplan the suite I was allocated was one of the larger ones and would be a bit more than 2x the size of a regular room. The lounge where you entered had comfortable seating, a coffee table with magazines and a TV, the bedroom had two desks, another TV and a chaise by the window. The King beds at this hotel are actually Super Kings and are HUGE although a little firm. The TVs had a variety of local and international channels (including ABC Australia) plus Chromecast, however I sometimes struggled to get the remotes working. Air-conditioning had separate thermostats for the lounge and bedroom and worked fine although some may prefer for it to be a touch cooler. The minibar was stocked but unfortunately only had drinks, no snacks. A shame as I could have used my Ambassador credit on a few snacks to take with me!

There is a walk-in wardrobe which can be accessed via the bedroom or bathroom, the bathroom was huge with separate shower and bath, a double vanity and Japanese washlet. The bathroom even had a window and if you really stretched you could see the world's second-tallest building, Merdeka 118 in the distance!

Housekeeping was good and there was always more than enough bottled water on hand. Some welcome sweets and fruits were also waiting in the room on my arrival. My only criticism would be the door to the suite, it was a double door and didn't seem to lock securely unless you really slammed it.

Club Lounge
The club is located on the 26th floor and is an expansive space with a loft section as well as a small outdoor section (presumably for smokers). The space is open to guests from 7am-11pm daily with breakfast from 7-11am (alternatively you can have the buffet at Serena Brasserie from 6-10.30am), afternoon tea from 2.30-4.30pm and evening coughtails from 5.30-7.30pm. There are a variety of seating options to suit all group sizes and preferences and there are nice views in multiple directions.

I had breakfast in the lounge on my first morning, there is a small buffet of salads, fruits, cold meats, cheeses, yoghurts, a couple of random hot items and a huge pastry/bakery selection, supplemented by an a la carte menu of various items made to order. I ordered the Nasi Lemak which, although plated in a pretty weird way, tasted good.

Afternoon tea is a tiered tray featuring sandwiches, cakes, scones and some Malay sweets in addition to your choice of coffee, tea or other non-alcoholic beverage. An iced teh tarik was a great choice on a hot, humid day and the tiered tray was very substantial, more than enough to justify skipping lunch if you wanted to.

The evening service again included a small buffet of cold items and from the kitchen you could order a plate of three hot canapés which rotated from day to day but typically included a mix of Western and Asian flavours. For drinks they had red, white and sparkling wine, beer (Tiger or Heineken), standard spirits and a list of coughtails and mocktails. Service was friendly and attentive.

F&B
The hotel has an extensive variety of dining options including Tao for Chinese, Tatsu for Japanese, Bentley's English Pub and the all-day Serena Brasserie. During my stay the only restaurant I tried was Serena for the breakfast buffet on two days. The buffet is extensive with Chinese, Japanese, Malay, Indian and Western options. Juices are self-serve and the staff will assist with any other drink orders.

Amenities
The hotel has a large gym and an outdoor pool, not much of a view to speak of from the pool as the hotel is surrounded by other highrises.

Those on a Club rate can access complimentary laundry for 3 pieces per day or you can accumulate and do 9 pieces every 3 days, this worked out better for me and same-day service was provided.

The hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service to KLCC and Pavilion KL however it only operates three times a day and is for drop-off only. I can't imagine it is of a lot of use to most guests, but nice that they offer it.

Location
There are other hotels which might have more nearby, but overall as a leisure guest I was happy with it. The hotel is about 10-15 minutes walk from the Petronas Towers; the path is well-lit, safe and busy with office workers during the day and into the evening.

There is a metro station just outside but Grab was super cheap and I think most will find that a better option than relying on public transport.

Immediately as you step out the front door on the left is a 24-hour convenience store called myNEWS, perfect if you need to grab a snack/drink etc.

KL's rooftop bars are renowned and there is a pretty good one just a few minutes walk down the road, Troika Sky Dining of which I visited Fuego which had views of not just the Petronas Towers but also KL Tower and Merdeka 118.

Some advice if you need to withdraw cash, there is a Euronet ATM in the lobby but it charges an exorbitant fee of RM18 regardless of your withdrawal size. Avoid this by walking into the UOB Citibank office building immediately next door, the ground floor is actually a retail banking branch and they have guarded ATMs available for fee-free withdrawals from early in the morning through to midnight or 1am.

Final Thoughts
At just over AUD $300/night for a suite with club privileges, I was very happy with the stay. KL seems a very nice city too, reminds me of Singapore but with a lot more value for money. Hope to return some day!

 

[markis10]

IC KUL has been on my black list for 10 years. Expensive and very tight on upgrades as a Royal Ambassador. The Element across the road offers much newer rooms at 1/3rd the price, while the Double Tree down the road has an excellent mall/supermarket and food hall similar to the Element in price.