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APRIL 2020 businesstraveller.com

TRIED AND TESTED HOTELS

BACKGROUND First opened in 1975,

the Intercontinental has been through

numerous refurbishments in the intervening

years, and recently won Best Business Hotel

in the UK at the Business Traveller Awards.

The latest multimillion-pound renovation

is by RPW Design and is just reaching

completion this spring.

WHAT’S IT LIKE? No matter whether

you are checking in, meeting someone or

dining at one of the restaurants, at least two

liveried and friendly doormen are there to

greet you. Before you’ve taken a few steps

into reception, there’s someone else smiling

as they enquire if they can help, so that’s

good security, but also a great welcome. The

long reception desk is immediately ahead,

the Theo Randall restaurant is to the right,

and the lounge and bar to the left. Check-in

was quick and we were in the room only

two minutes after entering the hotel.

WHERE IS IT? On Hyde Park Corner

at the junction with Piccadilly and Park

Lane, although the entrance is around

the back on the quieter Hamilton Place.

The hotel is well located for transport

connections west to Knightsbridge and,

ultimately, Heathrow, via the Piccadilly Line

(45 minutes), while a short walk or bus ride

will take you to the shops.

ROOMS There are 449 rooms and suites, of

which 135 have been renovated (all on floors

three and four) and are now distinguished

by being part of the “Mayfair Collection”.

Intercontinental London

Park Lane

BEST FOR

An unbeatable location

DON’T MISS

The Club Intercontinental

PRICE

Internet rates for a flexible midweek stay

in May started from £294 for a Classic

room and £330 for a new Mayfair room

CONTACT

1 Hamilton Place;

tel +44 (0)20 7409 3131;

parklane.intercontinental.com

depends on room layout). For Executive

rooms and suites (and also for a payment

of £145 plus VAT), there is access to the

newly refurbished Club Intercontinental

lounge on the seventh floor.

FOOD AND DRINK The hotel has two

fine-dining restaurants: Ella Canta for

Mexican food (see businesstraveller.com for

a review) and Theo Randall for Italian. Just

off reception is the Arch Bar, which has live

music in the evenings, and the Wellington

Lounge for afternoon tea.

LEISURE FACILITIES There is a

good-sized, well equipped and modern

fitness centre on the first floor.

MEETINGS The mezzanine floor has a

wide range of rooms, from seating a dozen

people to a ballroom holding 750 people

for a banquet.

VERDICT An excellent refurbishment of

these rooms, and the Club Intercontinental

now makes the most of the great views

over Hyde Park Corner. Tom Otley

Thenewroomshavea more

muted and modern look to

them,withnaturaltones

Other rooms start (in terms of price) with

the entry-level Classic rooms (18 sqm),

which look into the inner courtyard, Superior

(20 sqm), Deluxe (22 sqm) and Executive

(29 sqm). Those that have been redesigned

start with the Mayfair room (21.4 sqm) and

then the Mayfair Deluxe at 22 sqm and

upwards in terms of price and size.

The new rooms have a more muted and

modern look to them, with “natural tones,

luscious textures and organic materials”.

There’s also a “suite style”, which means

they feel as spacious as possible and also

more like an apartment or high-end home

(residential, in other words).

The surrounding Royal Parks – Hyde Park

and Green Park – are the inspiration, so you

see an embroidery pattern of the plane tree,

prevalent in the parks, on the headboard of

the beds, a carpet design inspired by the

veins of leaves at autumn time, bedside

tables with bronze handles in the shape

of a leaf, and a metallic resin sculpture

representing a tree trunk.

All of the rooms have king beds, good-

sized desks, free wifi, USB ports, and UK/

US/EU charging points. Rooms also have

marble bathrooms with showers, Mitchell

and Peach amenities, a Nespresso coffee

machine and a kettle with a selection of

teas, as well as a widescreen TV (exact size