TIPS:

 

Basics:

Sign up for IHG Rewards Club.  Earn points for future stays and to achieve elite status.   Membership is free and offers free internet in most IHG hotels.

Earn multiple points for purchasing stays:

• Citibank Thank You Prestige or Premier Card:  3X for every dollar on hotel stays and services
• Chase Sapphire Reserve:  3X for every dollar on hotel stays and services
• Chase Sapphire Preferred:  2X for every dollar on hotel stays and services
• American Express Blue Business Plus Credit Card:  2x for every dollar upto first $50,000 annually
• Chase IHG Rewards Club Select Card:  5X for every dollar on IHG stays and services.

Advanced:

Citibank Prestige refunds fourth night stay of at least 4 consecutive nights at most hotels when booked through their concierge service until July 23, 2017, when the refund for the fourth night is based on average nightly cost, not including taxes.

Purchase Ambassador Membership from IHG.  $200 for first year and $150 each renewal year.  Automatic upgrades on paid stays.  Welcome gift.  Late checkout.

POINTS AND MILE SCIENCE:  

Cost:

4 Nights Purchased  x  $227.91 Per Night = $911.61 – 227.91 (Fourth Night reimbursed thanks to Citi Prestige 4th Night Credit =  $683.70 / 4 Nights = $170.93 Per Night

No upgrade received.

Earned:

Paid with Citibank Thank You Prestige card:  Earning at least 2,733 Thank You points.

11,450 (Paid Stay) + 5,000 (Current IHG Accelerate Program) = 16,450 IHG Points

HOTEL REVIEW:

This being my first time in Hong Kong and knowing I would not be able to afford staying at the Intercontinental Hong Kong or any waterfront hotel on Hong Kong Island in the SPG, IHG, Hilton or Hyatt chains, I decided to give the Intercontinental Grand Stanford a try.  Why not make use of my platinum status that the Chase IHG Rewards Club Select Card gives you.  At least I knew I was going to get a free bottle of water everyday.  Since I was going to stay for nights, I booked the four nights through Citibank Prestige Concierge and received my fourth night free with a statement credit thanks to the Citibank Thank You Prestige Card.

Intercontinental outdid themselves in this hotel.  As soon as arriving at the front doors, the two doormen welcomed me with a smile and opened the doors to a palatial lobby.  A luggage attendant took my luggage and walked me to the front desk where the front desk staffed welcome me.  I alerted the front desk two day earlier that I would be arriving late, and they had my door cards ready and a welcome and thank you letter for being an IHG Rewards Club platinum member.  The luggage attendant walked me to the elevator and then my room.

The rooms are spacious and beautifully and thoughtfully detailed.  The king bed was soft and firm.  I had no problems sleeping that night.  Almost didn’t even want to get up the next morning.  This hotel also features a pillow menu, which you can call down and have them send up as many pillows as you would like.  I did not make use of this feature as the pillows provided came with both a semi-firm and soft per set and was perfect for me.  The view of Hong Kong Island was amazing at first sight.  Unfortunately you could not watch the nightly light show from this room, but the view of the island at night was still great.

The bathroom was spacious and modern.  Showering was easy in the walk-in shower.  It even features a bench to sit on if you need it.  The Agraria amenities were all lemon scented.

The room amenities were vast and greatly appreciated.  Upon arriving there were three bottles of water available at no cost.  After my initial scan of the room, I thought there was no mini-bar.  After viewing the closet, it seemed like alot of space was taken for the closet, even though it was only regular size.  Too my surprise, the mini bar was hidden there.  Nothing was free, so I never opened it again during my entire stay.

The technology amenities have been these best I have ever encountered.  The breakout box and communications hub to the right of the desk  was a wonderful surprise.  I was able to plug in my laptop into the HDMI port and watch everything from the comfort of my bed.  The nightstand was another pleasant surprise.  Besides having the all the light controls to the entire room from the side of you bed, you can charge you cell phone right from the alarm clocked.

My greatest surprise was the use of a Alcatel cell phone.  You were able to make unlimited local calls and some internationals to select countries for free.  I called my brother in United States just because I could.  It also acted as mobile hotspot if you wanted to connect your regular phone or supply internet for free to the people you are travelling with.  I put my cell phone in the in-room safe and didn’t touch it until the day I left.

To be continued in a few days.  Please check back.