InterContinental New York Barclay

I’ll start by saying that the hotel was wonderful. The staff was great, we got to check in early and the room was perfect. Very pleased with the hotel overall. I will say, buyer beware about the breakfast. We were checking out of the hotel and heading to the airport, and rather than stopping at a coffee shop we decided to just grab a quick bite at the hotel. Now, admittedly, I could have done a better job of asking about the price, but when we were seated, the waiter never brought us a menu, so eventually waved him over and asked about it. He told us that it was only the buffet, so we ate real quick and ask for our check, which came to $104!!! $42 per person, plus a mandatory 15% gratuity, and tax. All we wanted was coffee and a quick bite, which we ate in about 10 mins. As I said, I guess I could have ask about about the price, but at any rate, we left the hotel feeling ripped off and it kind of put a dark cloud over an otherwise wonderful stay.

The walls were paper thin we heard out neighbors conversations as if we were in their room. Asked hotel staff for a quiet room and was given attitude, with no help whatsoever. The one thing I can say is the rooms were decorated nicely and the location was great. So if you don’t plan on sleeping, this may be the hotel for you.

We’ve stayed in this hotel many times over the past 30 years and know it well. We’ve stayed there mostly because of its location in the middle of mid-town Manhattan. The only disappointment this time was the size of our room, considerably smaller than we were used to but, given that we got a very competitive rate, we can’t really complain. The rates are certainly not on the cheap side but we believe they are competitive with other comparable hotels in NY.

My room was absolutely gorgeous and sublimely comfortable. Quiet, luxurious and very well appointed. However, due to the UN General Assembly being in town the day before, my room had been stripped for the secret service and my phone was completely cut off; mini-bar empty and locked. I got in late and was starving and had to go downstairs to get food. Now, that's obviously not the end of the world, but I had to talk to the front desk 3 times to get the phone re-instated. I imagine this experience was a one-time thing and I plan to stay here again. Perfect location, wonderful room. But the button on the phone that connects you to "Exceptional Service" should do so at least after the first notification of a problem.

The location of the hotel was convenient for our theatre outings, walking in the park, etc. We did not get an early checkin as we had hoped, but it was not a problem for them to store our bags for us while we waited. We spent a considerable amount of time lounging in the lobby, so it was a good thing that it was fairly comfortable. Here's a tip: if they say they will call you when your room is ready, you should definitely not wait for them to call you; instead, you had better keep bothering them about it until they let you into a room. Those in our party who followed this strategy got their rooms earlier. The room, when we did get it, was ok--on the small side, nothing to write home about, but clean and mostly functional. The shower door didn't close completely which tended to make the bathroom quite messy. The housekeeping was very efficient. If you intend to eat or drink at the hotel be warned that you will pay quite a bit on top of what you paid for the room. The food and drinks we had were acceptable, and we only encountered a few dirty dishes, but the prices were truly stunning. I was not recognized as a IHG rewards member despite having status with them, which I thought was kind of a silly, unnecessary oversight. The staff were generally pleasant.