Having spent three days in Bogota I took a flight to Medellin for the rest of my trip. The JW Marriott Bogota was nothing to write home about, but the InterContinental Medellin was a good surprise. I started off the day on the wrong side of the bed though – right before my flight I opened the IHG app and noticed I booked the wrong date, but thankfully there’s still award night availability so I managed to rebook – I was monitoring price drop regularly and I think the error happened one of the times when I rebooked.
Most tourists choose the Poblado area when staying at Medellin. It is indeed a nice area but the selection of hotel chains is quite limited and they don’t have the best location. The InterContinental might be your top pick, which is 20 minutes to the centre down the ramp.
After a 30-minute’s Uber ride I arrived at the hotel. Beware that the road in front is one-way, so heading to the centre requires going round in a big circle.
Lady at the front desk was amused when I told her about my mistake, and then bombarded me with sweet surprises. She upgraded me a suite; I wanted to opt for breakfast as Diamond amenity but she told me it’s included anyway; and then she told me access to the club lounge is included!
I’ve never pulled club lounge access at any InterContinental hotel, and with the new IHG One policy it’s only got harder unless you have the annual lounge pass. As an Ambassador member, I’m given $20 on-property credit as well.
The hotel is undergoing a major renovation, but the lobby doesn’t seem to have been worked on yet. My suite is on the top floor (7th). It is actually named a junior suite, and here’s the living room:
The living room is unfortunately a waste of space as I only use it to place my suitcase.
The furniture is showing their age. This kind of high bed appears to be quite common in Colombia, and I really enjoy sleeping on the deep mattress. Bathroom:
As the living room and bedroom are separated, I reckon it’s a “senior” suite not a junior one 😛 As I was well aware of the aging issue it didn’t come as a bad surprise. I’m grateful for the suite upgrade and won’t complain!
The club lounge is at the same floor.
The club lounge seems to be a conversion from regular guest rooms, so I guess they didn’t plan a club lounge in the first place. A couple of rooms are converted into office or meeting room.
And the actual lounge is small with a few tables:
However, there’s a massive outdoor terrace which is a great viewpoint.
It’s a shame that they didn’t do more to the terrace. I think it provides a solid foundation for say a garden or an outdoor swimming pool.
Breakfast is served in the club lounge, but due to space restrictions the buffet is limited. I recommend the main restaurant instead.
Snacks and refreshment are served between 2pm and 7.30pm, whereas alcohol is available from 5pm onwards. They have done their best to utilise the space here, and filled all tables with food, including ham, fried pork belly, sauteed beef, pastry and fruits. There’s one hot item that changes every day, such as empanada.
If you don’t want to dine out in the evening, the club lounge is sufficient for a simple meal.
Breakfast is also served at the main restaurant at floor -1. It’s got a good variety, with local specialties and international dishes like fried rice, but quality isn’t the best.
As I mentioned earlier Ambassador members have $20 credit to spend at the hotel. After my day trip to Guatape I didn’t want to venture out anymore so decided to try the hotel restaurant.
I used my welcome drink voucher for a glass of Sangria, and ordered a seafood cheese pot and a steak. It cost me 10-odd dollars after the credit deduction.
Outside the restaurant you’ll find the outdoor (heated) swimming pool, which is surrounded by many trees and plants.
This is one of the largest pools that I’ve seen at the hotel. A bit too large for a clumsy swimmer like me…
They even have two tennis courts!
I believe clay courts are costly to maintain so kudos for their efforts. There’s also a basketball court:
After you’ve broken a sweat, head to the spa for jacuzzi and sauna:
Gym:
Service is not impeccable at the InterContinental, sometimes even chaotic, and I don’t think it’s Colombia’s forte. In one evening they sent five towels to my room, which presumably is for another guest; on the day of departure housekeeping knocked on my door to ask if I needed cleaning; and they billed me one bottle of water by mistake. Staff at the club lounge are very nice though.
Except for being old, the InterContinental Medellin hotel is pretty good and I made the right choice. Good news is they have started refurbishing all guestrooms since March, to be completed by the end of the year. Hopefully the rooms will be much cosier once refreshed.
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