intercontinental

InterContinental Launches iPad App

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has launched its new free Concierge Insider Guides app designed specifically for the iPad. InterContinental is the first major hotel brand to offer consumers a concierge-centered iPad app. The app allows both current and future guests to tap into the collective knowledge and experiences of InterContinental Concierge Teams in more than 120 destinations.

The app includes concierge videos; interactive maps; recommendations and suggested itineraries for a concierge's perfect day (morning, afternoon and evening) for each location. Once the app is downloaded the guest can view all of the content without a wireless connection (with exception of streaming video). The iPad app also facilitates online booking and offers detailed information and images about individual properties. The InterContinental Concierge app is now available in English on the App Store on iTunes.

Tags: concierge, intercontinental, ipad, ipad app

InterContinental Launches Luxury Boutique Brand in Asia-Pacific

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHC) has opened a Hotel Indigo, its upscale boutique brand, in downtown Shanghai, China.

"The decision to introduce Hotel Indigo into China demonstrates our commitment to the booming hotel industry here while taking our leadership position to the next level," says Keith Barr, managing director of IHG Greater China.

Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund, is first Hotel Indigo to open thus far in the region. Centrally located at the southern end of the Bund, sitting directly on the Huangpu River front, Hotel Indigo offers a unique space that adds to the local neighborhood and culture in a creative, sustainable fashion. The 184-room property on waterfront property features spectacular views of the historic Bund, Yu Gardens and the ultra modern Pudong new area, all first-class dining, entertainment and shopping destinations.

Gallery: Hotel Indigo opens in Shanghai

Tags: boutique hotel, China, Hotel Indigo, intercontinental, intercontinental hotels group, luxury hotels, Shanghai, travel

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Hotels Shoulder Checked Bag Fees To Entice Travelers

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Additional charges are a lot about perception. It's not always about the money as much as it is about the idea that you are paying for something you should get for free. We've seen this with the backlash against resort fees and now some hotels are taking on another common traveler complaint, fees for checked baggage. USA Today reports that some hotel companies are offering to pick up checked-baggage fees as an incentive for guests. InterContinental hotels including the Holiday Inn, Hotel Indigo and others are now offering a "Check It Free" promotion. It's a little complicated. To be reimbursed you have to fill out an online form and mail in receipts of both the hotel stay and bag-check fees. After that InterContinental will mail the reimbursement on a Visa debit card.

It's a little easier over at the Kimpton chain of boutique hotels. Their "We've Got Your Bag" promotion requires proof of an airline baggage charge when you check in at any Kimpton Hotel in the country. They pay up to $25 per room but the deal is valid only with Best Available Rate booking and not valid for discounted or negotiated rates or groups.

The USA Today article says that these types of deals are aimed at vacationers and more occasional travelers who may not have amassed the frequent flier perks that allow some to dodge these fees. The point of these deals isn't so much about the savings as it is the sense of goodwill and camaraderie engendered. A variety of hotels have offered these deals in the past. It's an inexpensive way to get a little publicity and it has some appeal for travelers. What we haven't seen yet is third-party travel sites offering to pick up the tab. That might have even more impact.

Tags: checked bag fees, hotels, intercontinental, intercontinental hotels group, kimpton hotels, travel

InterContinental Times Square Opens In New York City

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

It's the summer of hotel openings in New York City. We saw the Andaz Wall Street recently throw open its doors and Cassa's opening is set for August. The 607-room InterContinental New York Times Square has opened for business with an official grand opening for July 29. The 36-story hotel is located along 44th Street and is the largest hotel in New York City to have LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

The rooms features panoramic views of Manhattan and have floor-to-ceiling windows. The average guest room size is 350 square feet and rooms have walk-in rain showers and 42-inch flat-panel televisions. The hotel has 25 Panoramic Avenue suites and a three-bedroom, bi-level penthouse suite. The hotel will also be home to Todd English's newest restaurant concept, Ca Va, a French bistro-inspired restaurant. Other amenities include 24-hour business and fitness centers and a courtyard viewing garden in the lobby complete with a reflecting pool and sculptures.

Hotel Chatter has sneak peek images from the hotel. Rates start around $300 a night.

Tags: intercontinental, new york city hotel, new york city hotel opening, new york city hotels, new york city real estate, times square bomb attempt, todd english

Sleep Over Ocean Water in Bora Bora

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

When you visit Bora Bora, in French Polynesia, the thing to do is to book a stay in an over-water bungalow.

Now, no ancient Tahitian lived in an over-water bungalow -- it would have been the height of stupidity, with the problems of the occasional and at that point in history, entirely unpredictable tsunami and cyclones. (Besides, the ocean was considered a God and if you polluted the water you'd be messing with something that might introduce your midsection to a spear, although a person of status could likely get away with it. This I learned from anthropologist Mark Eddowes, aboard the m/s Paul Gauguin, but that's a story for a different day.)

Interim conclusion: Ancient Tahitians preferred to live on higher ground.

Historically accurate in location they may not be -- in fact, over-water bungalows were an import from Southeast Asia some years ago -- but the style of house, called a fare, with its distinctive thatched roof, is definitely traditional. In any event, it's definitely what you want to book, and the InterContinental Bora Bora & Thalasso Spa has rooms of this sort that are so lovely that it's wrenching to leave.

The bungalows are arrayed in two horseshoes, to maintain some privacy while affording a view of the steep greenly mysterious Mount Otemanu, which defines Bora Bora's geography.

Gallery: InterContinental Bora Bora Resort

Tags: awards-main, bora bora, BoraBora, french polynesia, FrenchPolynesia, hotels, intercontinental, luxist-awards, winter-travel-awards, winter-travel-main

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InterContinental Hotels In China Offer Traditional Chinese Medicine Spa Experiences

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

Travelers in China looking to experience a bit of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can enjoy two Signature TCM spa treatments at the InterContinental Hotels & Resorts in Greater China. The treatments were created by Eu Yan Sang, a leader in the TCM industry and are inspired by the basic TCM principles of Yin and Yang - complementary opposites within a greater whole, creating a dynamic balance of all things. Eu Yan Sang created a range of pre-packed herbs selected based on the principle of Yin and Yang for relaxing and energizing which the spa then mixes with either oil or water during its treatments.

The relaxing Yin ritual includes fragrances like geranium, lotus and peppermint. A body scrub is enhanced with herbs like wolfberry bark (di gu pi), coix seed (yi yi ren), ampelopsis (bai lian) and sea salt (hai yan). The oil for the relaxing massage includes geranium, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sweet almond and grape seed (Mi Die Xiang / Xun Yi Cao / Tian Xing Ren You /Ma Yu Lan / Pu Tao Zi You). A body wrap of lotus leaves and pearl powder helps release water retention and a relaxing tea caps off the experience.

The Yang ritual is designed for energy. It starts with an exfoliation with energizing herbs like garden balsam stem (tou gu cao), mulberry twig (sang zhi), acorus rhizome (shi chang pu) and clove (ding xiang). The body wrap uses salvia root (dan shen), atractylodes rhizome (cang zhu), sappan wood (su mu) and tangerine peel (chen pi) to boost circulation and improve the flow of energy. The massage oil for this ritual is full of invigorating herbs such as black pepper, lemongrass, rosemary, lemon, sweet almond and grape seed (Mi Die Xiang/ Ning Meng/ Hei Hu Jiao/ Tian Xing Ren you/ Ning Meng Xiang Cao/ Pu Tao Zi You). To complete the experience a tea that includes red ginseng root (hong shen xu), licorice root (gan cao) and dried ginger (gan jiang) and patchouli (huo xiang) powers up the system.

Both treatments can be found at a variety of Intercontinental Hotels in China.

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Tags: china, intercontinental, intercontinental hotels group, IntercontinentalHotelsGroup, spa, spa experience, spa ritual, SpaExperience, SpaRitual, traditional chinese medicine, TraditionalChineseMedicine, yang, yin

InterContinental Hotel Group's Imaginary Green Hotel

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Green

Hotels all around the world are pushing hard to go green and tell their customers all about it. The InterContinental Hotels Group has created a whole website devoted to the project. The solar powered 'Innovation Hotel' will include a variety of green features including the forwarding of all unused non-perishable food to charities or food banks, solar panels on the roof to heat water, a rainwater harvesting system to supply water to toilets, a roof garden rich in shrubbery to provide extra insulation, windpower to generate electricity for the hotel, recycled glass windows, furniture and fittings made entirely from recycled materials and household waste to provide heat and power. The plan is to use the virtual property if the Innovation Hotel to gradually roll out to all HG brands within the next few years.

Th Innovation Hotel has a green roof planted with low-maintenance plants which helps keep it cool in warm weather and insulate it in winter. Also on the roof there will be solar panels. Natural lava stone signage at the entrance and on the lawns replaces traditional plastic and metal signs. The decor is low emission paint, all the artwork produced by local artists to ensure a low carbon-footprint and there are recycling bins for guests to use. Left over food scraps are composted to create a fertilizer for use on hotel plants and lawns. Bathrooms feature low-flow showerheads and dual flush toilets. The hotel is more of a prototype of what green could be rather than the design for any specific hotel but it is an intriguing look at the variety of green options available for hotels.

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Tags: green hotel, GreenHotel, innovation hotel, InnovationHotel, intercontinental

Club Bar Opens in Sydney

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

More and more hotels are creating members only clubs. The Club Bar in the InterContinental Sydney in Sydney, Australia offers a striking view across the harbor for their members. Club Bar was just opened this week and enjoys and enviable location on the rooftop of the InterContinental Sydney. Members will have unlimited nightly access and be able to entertain their guests on the wraparound terrace. Services include top shelf alcohol, a members only reserve wine list, 24 hour personal concierge service and use of a private function room. There is also a stocked humidor and a late night supper menu. Club Bar memberships are by invitation only.

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Tags: club bar, ClubBar, intercontinental, sydney

InterContinental Hotel Comes to Nashville

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The best hotels in Nashville, Tennessee tend to be on the classic side. That's set to change when the InterContinental Nashville is completed. The new luxury hotel will be located on West End Avenue and there will also be an office tower, condos and retail space. The $250 million project will begin in June and the hotel is set to open in late 2008 or early 2009. The entire project will be two towers, one 23 stories tall and another 25 stories tall. The hotel will be at the bottom of the shorter tower with 70 condos above. Both towers will share a ground floor building with shops and restaurants.

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Tags: hotel, intercontinental, nashville, new hotels, tennessee

InterContinental Resort and Thalasso-Spa Bora Bora To Open Next Month

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

A while back I mentioned the St. Regis in Bora Bora which was supposed to open this month but now is opening in late June. Another idyllic getaway in this remote location will be the InterContinental Resort and Thalasso-Spa Bora Bora. The $70 million resort should open in May. It has a great feature, an eco-friendly air-conditioning system which uses a 7,874 foot pipe (the deepest ocean pipe in the world) to pump deep sea water through a titanium heat exchanger, which transfers the cold from the sea water into the fresh water circuit that powers the air conditioning throughout the hotel. The water is then returned to the ocean (rerouted to avoid hurting the ocean ecosystem). The resort has 80 over water bungalows. The resort’s Thalassotherapy Deep Ocean Spa which will open in September will use mineral-rich deep seawater extracted from 2,500 feet below sea level in its treatments. It will also have what may be one of the most romantic settings for a wedding, an over water chapel with a glass bottom floor.

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Tags: bora bora, BoraBora, french polynesia, getaway, hotel, intercontinental, resort, vacation

InterContinental To Build Heart Health Hotel

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

One of the trends that I have been watching is the integration of luxury resorts with health care and the rise of high-end medical tourism. As the wealthy age, this is becoming a bigger and bigger market. InterContinental Hotels Group which runs the hotel at the prestigious Cleveland Clinic has now announced that they will be opening the InterContinental Resort & Spa in Krems, Austria. The 119 room hotel will be next to a healthcare clinic, the Austrian Heart Center, which will have five operating theaters and will specialize in heart diseases. The resort is designed for recovering patients and families and will have a spa with an indoor pool, restaurant and bar. The location, in the scenic Wachau Valley near the city of Krems on the Danube River is a place of restful beauty sure to charm medical tourists. The hotel and clinic are set to open in Autumn 2008.

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Tags: austria, austrian heart center, austrian hotel, cleveland clinic, european hotel, heart clinic, HeartClinic, intercontinental, luxury, luxury medical care, medical tourism

Massive Orlando Hotel Complex Announced

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The InterContinental hotel chain has announced a massive new project for Orlando, Florida. The Palazzo del Lago will be an $800 million project in the Lake Buena Vista area on Lake Bryan and will be the largest InterContinental project. The project includes both a 1,260-room hotel and a 994-unit villa condo project. There will be meeting space, a spa, a beachside swimming area and five restaurants in the complex. Prices for the condo units will start in the $300,000s and the project will open in 2009.

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Tags: condominium complex, florida, hotel complex, intercontinental, orlando