Intercontinental Kunming — Hotel in Kunming

At a basic level this hotel has some clear strengths - large rooms, nice furnishings, “old” for China hotels of this class at nearly 10 years, but still in good shape. It also has a really grand lobby / entrance area, which at least if you’re me and briefly (not thoroughly) looking into the hotel when booking…seems promising. And I figured with an older suburban location near Dianchi and that resort-like font, it must have great outdoor space too. If you’re coming with a big group and just passing through Kunming, or have some business in this western part of the city…maybe it makes sense. ||But actually getting here…my expectations were sorely disappointed. First off trying to park our car gave us a taste of this pace - its a maze of buildings as part of a larger complex of a meeting hall, offices of some sort, and other locally branded older hotels nearby. Parking as such on a busy meeting day is a free for all - the actual underground lot may be 50 cars, and the hundreds of others scattered across any paved space they could find in between the buildings. I tried to figure out where the green space would be….and gradually realized it was limited…||Walking in you get to see that grand lobby…but after realizing no, it’s not a resort in Bali, you start to recognize it almost feels more like an airport. There are separate check-in counters on each side (one for standard, one for IHG members) and your room is assigned in different numbered blocks (concourses? Terminals?) that you navigate to amidst a number of shops and concessions. ||Sure, as mentioned the room was quite comfortable and the balcony nice to sit out at night. And we had a good view of a walking path with greenery - definitely different than a center city hotel. I do take off points though for hotels in China in 2021 that don’t make bedside cell phone charging seamless - one plug in a two bedroom room doesn’t work. This is solvable. ||The location to me ended up being a major drawback - like a resort, there’s little immediately around the hotel….but it’s very much definitely not a resort. Getting to the city center is ~45 minutes in the evening; obviously plenty of clusters of restaurants 10-20 minutes too. ||Let me be clear - nothing was really “wrong” with this hotel. Kunming is a big volume tourist market, and this hotel works as a comfortable option for groups or business. But as an individual tourist - I don’t get staying here. Either stay closer to the city itself with more in easy access, or get out of Kunming even further and experience...

We really enjoyed this place. My one concern before our stay was that the property would be too isolated but that turned out not to be the case. The area around the hotel is lovely, with access to the big lake and promenade, and lots of interesting wetlands and green areas nearby. There are also various restaurants within walking distance so there is no need to go all the way into the city center and we found the area very relaxing. The mild Kunming weather and beautiful setting made this a great place to unwind from the typical Chinese big city experience. ||We upgraded to a huge and luxurious suite with outdoor private geothermal pool as well as a large indoor bathtub and everything you might need for a restful holiday, really more the size of an apartment than a hotel room. This also included lounge access which was very convenient. Staff at the lounge was very friendly but always seemed a bit understaffed and trying to keep up with things. Also, in the lounge as well as at breakfast in the restaurant, getting vegetarian food was a bit challenging. They put meat or fish in most dishes. I asked whether they could prepare a hot dish for vegetarians (and even prompted them with suggestions like tofu) but after a long wait, they brought out only a bowl of plain steamed broccoli. Most five star lounges I've been to do manage to provide vegetarian options routinely or upon request even in China. ||The breakfast buffet had a wide selection, but again it would have been more enjoyable for me if there was a better choice of items for vegetarians, or at least clear labeling showing what is in the dish. For example, one morning they had "eggplant in soy sauce" but what that really meant (as I found out after taking a lot on my plate) is eggplant and pork sauce. This may not be an issue for for most carnivorous guests but just pointing it out as an area of possible improvement for the hotel.||Staff at the front desk was excellent and they had a completely separate dedicated section for IHG members. The whole facility and the rooms are beautiful and I can't rate this place less than five stars in spite of my suggestions about food offerings. We enjoyed our stay and wouldn't...

My family stayed at the IC Kunming for just one night during April 2019 and it was an absolutely terrific stay. I had already completed the IC post-stay review, but feel obliged to complete another review on TripAdvisor to share my positive experience.||||Firstly, huge thank you to Bobbi Zhang for the excellent reservation process and recognition of my Platinum Ambassador status. Coincidentally, Bobbi was also the one that checked us in to the hotel upon arrival, greeted us and provided lots of information at and around the resort.||||Special thanks to Smulin Li as well for providing guidance of attractions around Kunming. This was our first ever night in Yunnan so the detailed information was much appreciated.||||The hotel is beautiful, with a stunning lobby and a garden that you sit around or casually stroll across the bridge. It is located next to the Dianchi Lake, about 10-15min walk around the hotel. The Longmen on Xishan and Ethnic village are all nearby and we went to both of them on the same day.||||We stayed in the 190sqm Garden Suite which was modern, with a very large sofa and a very large spa bathtub. A children's bed was also nicely set up for my 8 year old girl. The only disappointment was that the pool or hot spring in the backyard had no water in it, apparently due to maintenance repairs. ||||Our Garden Suite was very close to the Club Lounge situated on the south west side of the Resort. The Lounge was split into two sides, spacious and comfortable with a decent outdoor area as well. Both the Club Lounge and Breakfast restaurant offered a wide range of delicious food and snacks.||||At night, we enjoyed the free drink vouchers in the lobby lounge, whilst listening to a live band. The singers looked like they were from the middle east, but had a good voice and created a lovely atmosphere for guests.||||Our first ever stay in Yunnan at the IC was a terrific experience and I hope we can come again to stay for longer next...