Time to continue the IHG double elite nights run! With the triple points promotion running at the same time, I spent a while deciding on a destination before eventually settling on Lyon. I’d visited more than ten years ago and remembered enjoying it, so it felt like the perfect excuse for a return trip. I was also joined by my “personal photographer”, @Tony, whose work appears throughout this post – many thanks!
My first night was at the Crowne Plaza Lyon – Cité Internationale. I still remember staying here twice back when I had just moved to the UK, solely to take advantage of IHG’s legendary PointBreaks rates of 5,000 points per night. Sadly, PointBreaks has long since become history.
The trip didn’t get off to the best start. The EU’s much-publicised new electronic border system had apparently already become little more than decoration – the automated machines were switched off, so everyone was sent to the old manual queues instead. At such a small airport, waiting over an hour to clear immigration was rather painful.
By the time I got outside, I couldn’t be bothered waiting for the bus, so I ordered an Uber instead. Just over €30 to the hotel felt perfectly reasonable.
The Crowne Plaza sits a little outside the city centre, but several bus routes stop right outside the hotel and head directly into town. You can simply tap your phone or bank card using NFC when boarding, which makes getting around very straightforward.
The hotel is located within Cité Internationale, a large convention and exhibition complex, and forms part of the development itself. It’s also just a short walk from Parc de la Tête d’Or, one of Lyon’s largest parks, so the surroundings are pleasantly green and peaceful.
From the outside, it looks like a fairly standard conference hotel, but the interior is actually rather attractive. Large glass panels make clever use of the surrounding woodland and gardens, creating a bright, airy atmosphere that’s especially enjoyable on a sunny day.
I’d originally been upgraded to a Junior Suite, but switched to a Premium Twin instead. The room itself was perfectly adequate—exactly what you’d expect from a hotel of this standard in Europe. Functional, comfortable, and entirely unremarkable.
There isn’t a club lounge, and as a Diamond member I chose breakfast as my welcome amenity. It was pretty much what you’d expect from a European hotel breakfast: perfectly acceptable without being especially memorable.
From modest to luxurious—it was then time to move over to the InterContinental. Compared with the Crowne Plaza, the location is much better. Sitting on the western bank of the Rhône, right beside the Old Town, it’s within easy walking distance of many of Lyon’s main attractions.
And what a building. Occupying an entire city block along the river, with its grand façade stretching across the boulevard, it looks more like a royal palace than a hotel.
The property was originally known as Hôtel-Dieu, a name that’s still preserved in the hotel’s full title. Built in the 15th century, it served as a hospital for centuries before finally closing in 2010. After an extensive restoration, the complex reopened as a mixed-use development of shops, restaurants and public spaces, with the InterContinental opening in 2019.
Turning left from the entrance takes you to the reception area, which feels more like an elegant private study than a hotel lobby.
To the right are the concierge desk and several beautifully appointed sitting rooms.
Our room wasn’t quite ready when we arrived around midday, so we wandered over to the nearby Musée des Beaux Arts. Before long, the hotel called to let us know everything was ready.
Even the corridors are full of character, with the original stone walls preserved throughout.
We were upgraded to a Premium Garden View Room. At over 40 square metres, it felt pleasantly spacious.
The décor is tasteful without trying too hard. In fact, many modern five-star hotels in Europe, including InterContinental, Ritz-Carlton and Waldorf Astoria properties, aren’t dramatically different in terms of room design.
That said, it did feel rather sparsely furnished. Another table or armchair certainly wouldn’t have gone amiss, and there wasn’t really anywhere convenient to leave clothes or bags.
The welcome gift consisted of a bookmark and a coaster. Nothing extravagant, but a thoughtful touch nonetheless.
The hotel has just one restaurant, Epona, where breakfast is served each morning.
Unfortunately, breakfast was probably the biggest disappointment of the stay. The selection was surprisingly limited, the food was fairly average, and even the coffee came from a bean-to-cup machine. More surprisingly, dishes like Eggs Benedict incurred an additional charge, while only simpler options such as omelettes were included.
And here are a few artistic breakfast shots.
Feeling slightly lazy one evening, we also stayed in for dinner. Overall, the meal wasn’t particularly memorable, although the Parmesan risotto was absolutely excellent and easily the standout dish.
If you’re staying here, one place you shouldn’t miss is its bar Le Dôme. The magnificent dome above the bar is spectacular, and easily one of the hotel’s defining features.
Le Dôme has previously been recognised as one of the world’s best hotel bars, with several award-winning signature cocktails. Drinks are also surprisingly reasonably priced at around €15 each, making it well worth stopping by.
Behind the hotel lies the vast central courtyard of Hôtel-Dieu itself, now home to shops, restaurants, gardens and public spaces. Despite appearances, this area isn’t actually part of the InterContinental.
Learning that was a little disappointing. From the outside, the hotel looks enormous, but in reality only the front section belongs to the InterContinental. The actual hotel footprint is much smaller than the façade suggests.
As a result, facilities are fairly limited. There’s no swimming pool, the gym is tiny, and the club lounge—which once existed—has since closed. To be honest, the room rates feel a little ambitious considering what’s on offer. That said, service throughout the stay was excellent, the rooms were comfortable, and Le Dôme alone is worth experiencing.
Visiting Lyon for a second time only confirmed how much I like the city. It has both rivers and hills, plenty of beautiful architecture, and despite being France’s third-largest city, it somehow retains the relaxed atmosphere of a much smaller town.
One final recommendation: if you’re looking for dinner in the Old Town, don’t miss Carmelo. It’s one of the highest-rated restaurants in the area, and thoroughly deserved in my opinion. The truffle pasta was genuinely outstanding—high praise from someone who usually isn’t particularly enthusiastic about Italian food.
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