Amstel or Le Grand?

[qc]

BA Flyer IHG Stayer wrote:

AMB weekend rate has always offered a range of rooms to select from from the most basic to the presidential suite.

It’s not an “intern” rate.

I think the OP is talking about Free Nights not AMB Weekend booking.

[VALittleRed]

Not stayed at the Amstel, but got the impression it was dated? Possibly from the most recent HfP review on it? Or is it a bit of an unfair impression?

[NorthernLass]

Honestly, I thought that was clear from my initial post! (Which starts “Two IHG free night certificates”) 🤣

[Rob]

The basic rooms at LeG are VERY small but are easily avoidable when booking with a cert.

I believe that Ambassador availability at the Amstel has been MASSIVELY restricted due to the refurbishment work which has taken out a lot of rooms, and they only had around 100 to start with! The Vermeer exhibition has also sent hotel demand sky high in recent weeks.

I am very fond of both hotels but they are entirely different beasts. LeG has an astonishing location, amazing building, good lounge and very good rooms once you get above the base level ones.

Amstel has ‘eclectic’ decor and is a little out of the centre (only a little) but you get water views, the restaurant, the lovely pool and the general sense of calm from having such a huge building virtually to yourself most of the time.

They are the two best ICs in Europe in my book but for different reasons.

[NorthernLass]

Thanks Rob, I haven’t actually tried making an Ambassador booking, but the credit card free night certificate (following the FOS intervention) opens up about 4 different categories of rooms at the Amstel. There doesn’t seem to be any reference to the refurb on their website, I wonder how long it’s planned to go on for?

[VALittleRed]

Sorry to sort of hijack your thread, but due to stay at the LeGrand next weekend and see all rooms are sold out now and wondering if I’ll still get an upgrade as ambassador on a reward night booked when we had the IHG 40k night deal and am now sort of dreading being stuck in the most basic room? What are peoples experiences of getting more an ambassador upgrade of one category or even more? Should I enquire now or at checkin if any supplements to better rooms are available?

[NorthernLass]

You can always check but I think they’re actually allowed to just give you 10k points instead of an upgrade so that may be what you get. But 40k is an amazing deal at that hotel – I have the same at the IC PL in July and am looking at an upgrade as a bonus if it happens as even the cosy rooms are £800 pn that weekend!

[VALittleRed]

NorthernLass wrote:

You can always check but I think they’re actually allowed to just give you 10k points instead of an upgrade so that may be what you get. But 40k is an amazing deal at that hotel – I have the same at the IC PL in July and am looking at an upgrade as a bonus if it happens as even the cosy rooms are £800 pn that weekend!

Ok just checked again and seems rooms have become available again for my dates, might chance and see at check in. 10k points is a real cop-out, it should be the equivalent no of points for a night stay then they might think twice not honouring ambassador benefits

[VALittleRed]

NorthernLass wrote:

You can always check but I think they’re actually allowed to just give you 10k points instead of an upgrade so that may be what you get. But 40k is an amazing deal at that hotel – I have the same at the IC PL in July and am looking at an upgrade as a bonus if it happens as even the cosy rooms are £800 pn that weekend!

£800pn is crazy. I did do a voucher stay there a few weeks ago and you may find the supplement prices to better rooms worth it assuming it hasn’t changed

[Lyn]

@VALittleRed, the IC Le Grand does usually give an upgrade with Ambassador, and often a further upgrade with Diamond, but having said that they do have quite a few categories above the most basic room.

I would honestly be surprised if you ended up in one of the smallest rooms even if they are fairly full. They do take Ambassador seriously. You may, or may not, see a change in the room type from “Cosy” in your booking about 3 days before, around about the time IHG sends out their usual welcome e-mail.

Club Lounge access is usually available as a fairly expensive paid option (slightly less for Diamonds), and it is a very nice lounge, but the problem with this is that Club access doesn’t actually give a room upgrade per se. I don’t know if any other paid upgrade options might be available.

[VALittleRed]

Lyn wrote:

@VALittleRed, the IC Le Grand does usually give an upgrade with Ambassador, and often a further upgrade with Diamond, but having said that they do have quite a few categories above the most basic room.

I would honestly be surprised if you ended up in one of the smallest rooms even if they are fairly full. They do take Ambassador seriously. You may, or may not, see a change in the room type from “Cosy” in your booking about 3 days before, around about the time IHG sends out their usual welcome e-mail.

Club Lounge access is usually available as a fairly expensive paid option (slightly less for Diamonds), and it is a very nice lounge, but the problem with this is that Club access doesn’t actually give a room upgrade per se. I don’t know if any other paid upgrade options might be available.

Thanks for this useful info Lyn, I will report back on what included upgrades I get. Would be nice if got a reasonable size room, ideally with a bath as don’t have one at home!

Not sure I really value the lounge as will have the breakfast included with diamond and I thought the lounge now has taken a bit of downgrade (from recent Hfp review) in terms of the view and food/drinks offering not being as extensive as it was before?

[VALittleRed]

Good morning all from the LeGrand. Unfortunately it is raining this morning however made up for with the lovely room I got upgraded too as Diamond Amb, twin classic with opera view, think this is at least a double upgrade from the cosy room booked on points. When I checked in, I queried about paying a supplement to upgrade the room which I was told it was not available/possible despite some better rooms still being on sale for cash on IHG. Bit strange as they could have made more cash out of me.
Must say the hotel is stunning, well exceeded expectations. However got presented with a bill for breakfast at the restaurant and was told this would be wiped by reception, so will have to make sure of that. Could they just not include me on the list for breakfast like the PL one did? Seems they all have different ways of handing the diamond benefit. Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

[Lyn]

Hope you enjoy your stay @VALittleRed, despite the weather. We’re here at the moment as well. Found some lovely tulips at Monoprix of all places so our room feels very much like Spring. Your Opera view room sounds like a double upgrade, one for Diamond and one for AMB. Customer service is usually very good here, but if you are concerned it might be worth talking with reception before you actually check out.

[Michael C]

Possibly not the target market…but could I book for 2 adults/1 child at the lower end
of either of these with Amb/diamond? Obviously a Grand Cosy wouldn’t swing it…so would
I just book in the lowest room that allows for 3? (Never used a cer., sorry!)

Lyon would def. be an option – good reports from hotel?
Rome is off the list until we have the first HfP reader actually posting from inside a room!!!

[Anna]

Hi Michael, yes you can usually book any category of room if using the Ambassador cert, then of course you should get an upgrade on top of that unless you’ve booked a category which doesn’t upgrade as per hotel’s Ts & Cs.
I would love to stay at Lyon but until someone reinstates a direct flight from the north it would be too much of a faff for a weekend! I’m sure Rob has said it’s one of the best ICs.

[JDB]

Anna wrote:

Hi Michael, yes you can usually book any category of room if using the Ambassador cert, then of course you should get an upgrade on top of that unless you’ve booked a category which doesn’t upgrade as per hotel’s Ts & Cs.
I would love to stay at Lyon but until someone reinstates a direct flight from the north it would be too much of a faff for a weekend! I’m sure Rob has said it’s one of the best ICs.

Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux and Paris each have very good long term focussed French owners; makes a huge difference to the quality of the hotels. Trouble with IC is it has too many rather less good owners so the IC brand has little integrity.

[Michael C]

@Anna @JDB , just following on with the Lyon theme,
my BA pilot pal, who spends her days swanning around Europe
eating at lovely restaurants, says this place
https://agastache-restaurant-lyon.fr
was amazing and incredibly reasonable!

[Lyn]

@Michael C – we’ve never booked anything except a basic room at Le Grand and have always been upgraded, as Spire/Diamond AMB, whether with points, AMB weekend certificate or via Emyr. Early on we were always given rooms that were basic large rectangles deemed suitable, and which were certainly large enough, for 3 people. I would imagine these are still available with a double Diamond/AMB upgrade from the basic rooms. I can’t actually confirm that because in our case we gradually found our favourite rooms which are charming, somewhat outside the box, and spacious but definitely not Opera view and which probably wouldn’t work for 3 people, although they work very well indeed for us. It would probably be worth asking the hotel, as it is a lovely hotel and very well located. There always seem to quite a few, rather well-behaved, children staying.

[Rob]

Opera is still covered in scaffolding I think so don’t pay for that!

Fire regs usually mean, as with any hotel, there is a difference between number of kids allowed in a room and number that would fit.

Ambassador voucher lets you book most room categories though so shouldn’t be an issue – book one category below what you need and the AMB upgrade should see you right.

[Michael C]

Thanks all for top tips! Also looking at Regent Shanghai now, as it’s
Easter ’24 booking time…

[Lyn]

Yes, the Opera is still covered in scaffolding. The rooms with an Opera view tend to be noisier also, if that matters, especially on the lower floors.

[VALittleRed]

Rob Burgess wrote:

Opera is still covered in scaffolding I think so don’t pay for that!

Fire regs usually mean, as with any hotel, there is a difference between number of kids allowed in a room and number that would fit.

Ambassador voucher lets you book most room categories though so shouldn’t be an issue – book one category below what you need and the AMB upgrade should see you right.

The View from my room didn’t seem to bad with the scaffolding. Yes there is some but I don’t think it ruined the view entirely, it’s not like you could not see any of the Opera. And a lovely stay by the way, sad to be back!