The Intercontinental brand has long been synonymous with luxury. Intercontinental Adelaide is a self – rated 5 star hotel by the IHG group and thus it has high expectations to meet and maintain. Regarding this, I feel that the hotel does not disappoint, especially with its world class concierge and the array of services that they provide.

Date of stay: July 2013

Address

North Terrace
Adelaide SA 5000
Australia

Location
Intercontinental Adelaide is located right at the CBD area of Adelaide, Australia. It boasts close proximity to various corporate offices and government buildings, such as Government House, which is a mere 300 meters away from the hotel. Intercontinental Adelaide also prides itself as being a hotel that is located close to many of the natural and cultural attractions of the city. This is clearly evident as the hotel is located just along the bank of River Torrens. Guests can expect to spend plenty of time by the river, be it jogging and breathing in the fresh air that the area has to offer, or just relaxing by the river and enjoying the beautiful sight while sipping on a drink or enjoying some ice cream from the numerous kiosks found along the river. A 15 minute walk will take you to Adelaide Zoo, which is one of the most popular attractions in the city, as it houses Australia’s only panda bears. Kids will also be entertained at the Children’s Zoo so there is definitely something for everyone. Guests can also look forward to visiting the Botanic Gardens, which boasts beautiful plants all year round. Staying at this hotel also grants guests easy access to many cultural and historical attractions in Adelaide, such as the Migration Museum, the Art Gallery of South Australia and Museum of South Australia.
Shopping lovers will not be disappointed as well, as the hotel is located rather close to a reasonable amount of shopping places. For instance, a short 5 minute stroll will take you to Rundle Mall, a large shopping pedestrian area home to a plethora of famous brands and department stores. A short 10 minute drive also takes you to King Williams Road, where branded boutiques are abundant.
Despite being located nearby to all these attractions, the major flaw of the hotel is that there is no nearby mode of public transport. This is rather inconvenient especially for those who wish to travel further. However, the friendly hotel staff would be pleased to assist in arranging your transportation, be it booking a taxi (which is really expensive in Australia), or hiring the hotel’s luxurious limousines.
Room
The main door opened to a rather spacious and roomy room. I would say that this room at Intercontinental Adelaide was just slightly larger than the rooms of other hotels of the class. However, the general furnishing and décor of the room was quite plain and boring, and it surely loses out when compared to other newer hotels, many of which having rooms that boast interesting colour tones and textures or even eye catching artwork that blends in well with the themes of the rooms.
Nonetheless, the room was still comfortable albeit lacking the cosy touch that guests on a long stay would prefer. I also appreciated the fact that the hotel kept things really simple in the room, providing what was needed, such as some refreshments and other standard amenities like an ironing board, without making the room seem cluttered or compromising the available space inside the room.
The bed was not the most comfortable one, but it was of acceptable quality. I was also pleased by the clean sheets and fresh-smelling pillow cases. Also, this is one of the hotels that actually made use of a bed sheet with a slightly different colour combination for the bedding. This added a nice touch to the room, making it less dull. There were also two very bright lamps located by the bed and the lamps provided more than adequate lighting for guests to enjoy some might reading. However, there is actually a chance that some might find the lamps too bright and too glaring for their liking. Thankfully, there was a knob which enables guests to adjust the brightness of the lamps effortlessly.
I found the place of the television set a little weird, as it was positioned by the side of the bed. This is probably due to the layout of the room. I felt that the hotel could have done better in positioning the TV set, such as mounting it on the wall instead of placing it on a table beside the bed. After all, all guests would want to be seated comfortably on the bed leaning against the back rest and enjoying television programmes instead of sitting uncomfortably on the edge of the bed. I was indeed disappointed to find such a design flaw in a 5 star hotel, and it would make guests feel as though there was no attention and effort put to detail.
Being a hotel located in t he CBD area, many of the hotel’s guests are businessmen and thus, I had high expectations for the work desk in the room. However, I was sad to say that I was disappointed in what was provided. The work desk was simply sparse, and pretty much lacked even the basic amenities that one needs to do some simple work.
The desk was so simple, and was equipped with only a pen and a tiny notepad. I would expect at least a planner or more stationery to be provided. Furthermore, wifi was not included and you can only have it at a certain fee, and this definitely does not help those who wish get some work done in the comfort of the room.
Thankfully, the design of the table fitted rather well into the room and was pleasing to the eyes. Also, the adjustable lamp on the work desk also made it much easier for reading of documents. Also, the desk was placed in front of the only window in the room, offering an acceptable view. Unfortunately for me, there was some construction going on around the area during my stay, and a part of my view was obstructed by unsightly cranes and concrete blocks. Nonetheless, I was still able to catch glimpses of River Torrens as it was not impeded by the construction work.
One thing which I really enjoyed about the room was the well appointed mini bar and pantry. It was indeed refreshing for me to discover that all my snacking needs have been met. The large assortment of tidbits, finger foods and drinks will ensure that guests will not starve. Even if the snacks are not to your liking, there is 24/7 room service, with food being cooked fresh from the hotel’s two award winning restaurants.
The whole package was completed with the soft capacious sofa in the room, where guests can sit and enjoy a drink with their choice of snacks.
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