IHG Hotels that recognise status

[bussyboy]

So does anyone know if there's any option to extend the Ambassador weekend certificate expiry? Turns out I've had few weekends near an IC this year and never with availability :/ The complimentary Platinum status has been well worth it though.

 

[kerfuffle]

Hotel: voco Gold Coast
When: June 21-22
Status: Diamond Ambassador
Rate: Advance Saver Member Exclusive at $205ish/night plus 15% cashback via TopCashback
Booked: 1 King Standard City View
Received: 1 King Premium Mountain View
Amenity Offered: Breakfast, drink or 600 points. Took the breakfast.

Excellent location; right next to the light rail stop and near bus stops. Still no Chromecast (there's Pay TV channels though)

 

[The-Aviator]

Hotel: ANA InterContinental Tokyo
When: June 2025
Status: Platinum Ambassador
Rate: JPY¥53,200/night (Visa partner rate)
Booked: 2 Single Premium
Received: 2 Single Kaze Suite Club Lounge Access (used Confirmable Suite Upgrade reward, prior to CSU use the hotel had allocated a standard one-category upgrade to 2 Single Premium High Floor)

First time back at this hotel in many years and being a four-night stay I was very keen to apply a CSU, so much so that I woke up in the middle of the night to call IHG the moment the upgrade window opened! Pre-arrival experience was good with emails from the Club InterContinental team to confirm arrival details and provide some detail on the club offerings. Check-in experience upon arrival at around 2230 from Sydney was great, however as I found across Japan they were quite strict with their welcome drink amenity of one drink even if there are two guests - pretty much everywhere else I've stayed they have provided at least two! An additional Ambassador welcome amenity of some curry-flavoured rice crackers was provided, it was surprisingly good!

The Kaze Suite is one of the larger suites on offer at the hotel and is indeed impressive with more than enough space to spread out and all the features you would expect from a freshly renovated room. Although the regular rooms have Byredo toiletries, in the suites they have Thann products which were very good. Probably the only gripe with the room would be the frosted glass panel between the bathroom and bedroom, which lets in unecessary light. Housekeeping was good and they provided plentiful bottled water; turndown service was also included with a couple of chocolates left by the beds each night. Prior to arrival I had noted a preference for a Tokyo Tower view and that was what they provided, it didn't disappoint!

From what I understand the Club is split across two floors however on our visit only the 35th floor was open, or that was all we had access to (by way of annual lounge pass). The lounge is expansive with various seating options and beautiful views of Tokyo. The lounge is open all day with light snacks and non-alcoholic drinks available outside of usual service hours. Breakfast consisted of a small continental buffet and a menu of à la carte items, the afternoon tea was a tiered tray and the evening service consisted of a small buffet with hot tapas brought to the table. We were impressed with the F&B offering in the lounge although it certainly catered to an international audience with minimal Japanese offerings on the menu. They were happy to provide refills of the hot items but in a city full of good (and often very affordable) food we were happy to stick with just one plate and go explore the city for dinner after!

Although the club breakfast was enjoyable we were also able to have breakfast at the hotel's main all-day restaurant the Cascade Cafe, a huge space with an expansive international buffet. We preferred breakfast here so ended up having breakfast in the restaurant on 3 of the 4 days. There are lots of bars, cafes and restaurants within the hotel, the other places we tried was the MIXX Bar to use the free drink voucher (great views on the 36th floor but otherwise very mediocre) and the Brewer's 2 Go coffee shop in the lobby, where we put our JPY¥2,000 Ambassador F&B credit to very good use by stocking up on snacks and drinks on our day of departure for the Shinkansen ride to Kyoto.

The hotel has a well-equipped gym and a nice outdoor pool area for those looking to relax. The location in Akasaka is convenient with lots to see and eat nearby as well as good connectivity to other parts of Tokyo. Tameike-sannō is the closest subway station with an exit just metres from the hotel. For the Aussies missing home we even spotted a Guzman y Gomez nearby!

Overall a really enjoyable stay made even better by the suite upgrade. Would definitely return.

 

[The-Aviator]

Hotel: ANA Crowne Plaza Osaka
When: June 2025
Status: Platinum Ambassador
Rate: 36,666pts/night (reward night)
Booked: 1 Queen Standard
Received: 1 Queen Premium Lounge Access High Floor (initially upgraded to 1 Super King Standard about two weeks before arrival and upgraded again a couple of days before, room types are a bit odd here but probably a 3-4 category upgrade depending how you look at it)

This hotel holds sentimental value for me as the first hotel I ever stayed at in Japan when visiting with my parents during high school, so naturally I'm very sad that it is set to be demolished later this year! Perhaps this review is more for the archives than anything else.

A points booking is particularly good value here due to the wide variety of room types starting with a tiny single bed room. With points bookings you can get up to a queen room (which typically costs a fair bit more than a single) for the same points rate as the single!

We arrived at around 12:30pm after a short train ride from Kyoto and they were kind enough to provide access to our room immediately, not sure if status had anything to do with this as there were plenty of other guests (and for some, just their bags) waiting in the lobby. The receptionist provided a letter outlining the Club beneefits and issued a welcome drink voucher, she even said if we didn't use the voucher to bring it back and she'd swap it for points.

The rooms are on the older side but still in great condition, the bed was comfy and we had a nice view looking towards Osaka Station. Bathroom was good and had the brand-standard Antipodes toiletries. Complimentary bottled water was provided and replenished daily. The only English-language TV channel was CNN and I thought it was a nice touch that they provided details on how to access it on the welcome letter.

We had Club Access by way of our annual lounge pass and it is apparently one of the largest in western Japan. Located on the 24th floor with views to the south. It is open all day with breakfast from 7-10.30am, afternoon tea from 3-5pm and evening coughtails from 6-8pm, with non-alcoholic drinks and nibbles available outside of these times. All the meal services are self-serve except for a small list of à la carte items at breakfast. While certainly less flashy than the club at the ANA IC in Tokyo, it made up for it by feeling more homely and having a much better Japanese offering. I would say breakfast was the best of the three meal presentations, loved their French Toast! I'd also note that the afternoon tea only had sweets/cakes, no savoury items.

The hotel has a nice gym and pool area which I went to have a quick look at but didn't otherwise use. I also visited the hotel's Library Bar to use my drink voucher and was able to put it towards a house whiskey which was nice.

Location is pretty convenient and there are like half a dozen train stations within walking distance. The bus stops for the airport limousine bus to KIX and ITM are also close by.

Staff were great all-round - it seems most guests are either Japanese or package tour / airline crew (including Jetstar who stay before heading back to BNE/CNS/SYD!) but they certainly put in the effort to make English-speaking visitors feel welcome. Special mention to Nabin who was working in the club lounge, great guy and he is even mentioned on their website, deservingly so!

I have no doubt that the hotel will keep up the high service standards all the way to the end and I hope the staff are assisted in finding somewhere else to work. I was happy to be able to visit one last time and if you get a chance to visit between now and their closure in October, I'd recommend it!

 

[The-Aviator]

Hotel: InterContinental Singapore
When: June 2025
Status: Platinum Ambassador
Rate: SGD $405.10/night (Visa partner rate)
Booked: 1 King Corner City View
Received: 1 Bedroom Suite (a rare two-category upgrade! Initially upgraded to a 1 King Junior Suite visible in app a couple of days out, then advised on arrival that I had been upgraded again)

Back at the ICS after just over a year for my third stay overall at the property, this time with lounge access again by way of annual lounge pass. Would say it was my favourite stay so far!

Arrived more or less at check-in time after an enjoyable Jetstar Asia flight from Okinawa (sadly one of their last!) and was checked in by Zin who noted it was my third stay and confirmed that due to the small number of junior suites I had been given a double upgrade to a 1 Bedroom Suite.

The suite was huge, with far more space than I required just for myself. There was even two full bathrooms! This is one of the few hotels I've stayed at where I would describe the decor as truly 'timeless' - they don't look dated to me and I would be happy if they just maintained this style. Plenty of bottled water and the two TVs had a good variety of channels as well as Chromecast. The bathroom/s had separate shower and bath and were stocked with the usual Byredo amenities. Housekeeping was really good throughout the stay with both morning service and evening turndown, if anything they were a bit too good as I would return to the room in the afternoon to find all my shoes / slippers neatly lined up against the wall and bedside cables tidied up! I also really liked the Singapore-inspired bookmarks left on the bed at turndown, they made for a very nice souvenir to take home.

A fruit platter was delivered to the suite as an additional welcome amenity, a nice thought but not something I made any use of and I personally preferred the pandan cake that was provided on my last stay.

Located on the 2nd floor, the Club InterContinental lounge is a large space with lots of seating and is open from 0630-2230. Breakfast consisted of a continental buffet as well as a menu of à la carte items, afternoon tea was a tiered tray and for the evening service there was a buffet of cold items plus one hot item, and on top of this you could order what was essentially a main-sized hot dish which could easily serve as a dinner replacement. Menus in the club had been replaced by a QR code which took you to the Club's Linktree page, this worked well as they rotated some of the breakfast and evening items on a daily basis, for example including a daily local special for breakfast. I was impressed with the selection and the staff were super friendly, greeting me by name from the get go and remembering where I liked to sit and what I liked to order. Special shout out to Harry who was a star.

The hotel has a well-equipped gym and a nice outdoor pool area for those looking to relax. The location above Bugis Junction shopping centre and Bugis MRT station is excellent, with access to both the East-West (Green) and Downtown (Blue) lines. The East-West line makes it super easy to get to the airport. Lots of shops and restaurants in the shopping centre.

Unfortunately I ran out of time to use my Ambassador F&B credit and welcome drink voucher, I had hoped to use both at the Lobby Lounge on my last night but they had live music and no space left for walk-ins. Unfortunately minibar seems to be excluded for the F&B credit at this particular hotel, otherwise I would have grabbed a few snacks to bring home.

Was impressed with the service on this visit compared to prior visits, it felt warmer and more personal than it has before. Hope to return soon!

 

[#flying]

Hotel: InterContinental Singapore
When: June 2025
Status: Platinum Ambassador
Rate: SGD $405.10/night (Visa partner rate)
Booked: 1 King Corner City View
Received: 1 Bedroom Suite (a rare two-category upgrade! Initially upgraded to a 1 King Junior Suite visible in app a couple of days out, then advised on arrival that I had been upgraded again)

Back at the ICS after just over a year for my third stay overall at the property, this time with lounge access again by way of annual lounge pass. Would say it was my favourite stay so far!

Arrived more or less at check-in time after an enjoyable Jetstar Asia flight from Okinawa (sadly one of their last!) and was checked in by Zin who noted it was my third stay and confirmed that due to the small number of junior suites I had been given a double upgrade to a 1 Bedroom Suite.

The suite was huge, with far more space than I required just for myself. There was even two full bathrooms! This is one of the few hotels I've stayed at where I would describe the decor as truly 'timeless' - they don't look dated to me and I would be happy if they just maintained this style. Plenty of bottled water and the two TVs had a good variety of channels as well as Chromecast. The bathroom/s had separate shower and bath and were stocked with the usual Byredo amenities. Housekeeping was really good throughout the stay with both morning service and evening turndown, if anything they were a bit too good as I would return to the room in the afternoon to find all my shoes / slippers neatly lined up against the wall and bedside cables tidied up! I also really liked the Singapore-inspired bookmarks left on the bed at turndown, they made for a very nice souvenir to take home.

A fruit platter was delivered to the suite as an additional welcome amenity, a nice thought but not something I made any use of and I personally preferred the pandan cake that was provided on my last stay.

Located on the 2nd floor, the Club InterContinental lounge is a large space with lots of seating and is open from 0630-2230. Breakfast consisted of a continental buffet as well as a menu of à la carte items, afternoon tea was a tiered tray and for the evening service there was a buffet of cold items plus one hot item, and on top of this you could order what was essentially a main-sized hot dish which could easily serve as a dinner replacement. Menus in the club had been replaced by a QR code which took you to the Club's Linktree page, this worked well as they rotated some of the breakfast and evening items on a daily basis, for example including a daily local special for breakfast. I was impressed with the selection and the staff were super friendly, greeting me by name from the get go and remembering where I liked to sit and what I liked to order. Special shout out to Harry who was a star.

The hotel has a well-equipped gym and a nice outdoor pool area for those looking to relax. The location above Bugis Junction shopping centre and Bugis MRT station is excellent, with access to both the East-West (Green) and Downtown (Blue) lines. The East-West line makes it super easy to get to the airport. Lots of shops and restaurants in the shopping centre.

Unfortunately I ran out of time to use my Ambassador F&B credit and welcome drink voucher, I had hoped to use both at the Lobby Lounge on my last night but they had live music and no space left for walk-ins. Unfortunately minibar seems to be excluded for the F&B credit at this particular hotel, otherwise I would have grabbed a few snacks to bring home.

Was impressed with the service on this visit compared to prior visits, it felt warmer and more personal than it has before. Hope to return soon!

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Nice review of one of my favourite ICs!