InterContinental Warsaw by IHG — Hotel in Warsaw

We arrived at the hotel around 1:30PM just to find out that the room, that was allocated to us, was not ready yet even though we had requested early check-in in our stay preferences. I am aware that early check in is never guaranteed, however the hotel should have been prepared for it, especially when sufficient notice was given. We were offered either room on a lower floor or wait until 3PM. We decided to wait as we were not in rush and the hotel lobby looked comfortable. We tried again at 2:30 and the room turned out to be ready to go. We were checked in by a lady who was very kind, however it seems like she was still in training. I was recognized as a Platinum Elite member and offered a choice of welcome amenity, which included free breakfast. I was quite surprised as complimentary breakfast amenity is available for Diamond Elite members only however I accepted that generous offer. The receptionist started to look for an advice from her colleagues how to process breakfast amenity when another receptionist firmly stated that I am not eligible for free breakfast which was fair enough, however as a fellow IHG employee I believe it should have been handled much better. Our receptionist seemed to be embarrassed with her mistake and started apologising to us. That awkward situation could have been avoided, as the breakfast offer was already made, it should have been complimentarily upheld and the trainee to be reminded that only Diamond Elite members are eligible for free breakfast. On the side, not in front of the guest. I also queried IHG employee discount for F&B which is unavailable in that particular hotel. It is quite disappointing as your staff would receive 50% discount in most hotels when staying on employee rate, including the one I work for. You must admit it is quite unfair.

I booked a classic room on a high floor and I was complimentarily upgraded to the room with the Palace view. I must say the differences between room categories are pretty much subtle. Anyway the room was spacious, well maintained, with a good view. The bathroom had heated tiles which was quite pleasurable.

In the evening we decided to dine in the Downtown restaurant. It is a very pleasant place, however a bit coldish. The restaurant staff is very polite, especially lovely Wiktoria who kindly served us. Zurek was delicious, however I would not mind a little bit bigger portion. Wiener schnitzel was good but not amazing, and pierogi were also exceptional. Overall I rate it 8/10.

The next morning I woke up with an attempt of unauthorised charge for the amount of the restaurant bill. I went down to the reception to get this sorted as this is not a case in most hotels and, on arrival it was not explained to me. Also I was not asked to authorise any card for room charges (They wanted to authorise the card I paid for the accommodation, when I preferred to pay with the card I made the reservation with). The receptionist I spoke to, senior female member of staff, was very rude when saying that "The hotel's been here for 20 years so they know what they do". I found the answer very cheeky. Later on I went down the the recepetion with another query and encountered her again. Her attitude did not change so for the rest of the stay I decided to avoid any interaction with her. If that is what your customer service standards are then good luck with that. The rest of the hotel staff were far more pleasant, including an older gentleman in the reception, who happily recognized me as an IHG Employee, a helpful concierge, and the restaurant staff, as mentioned above.

Another thing is that apparently the hotel does not provide sanitary pads for ladies, which is quite shocking, as all hotels I have ever been or worked are prepared for this sort of emergency. For 5 star hotel this is unacepptable.

During check out we were served by a nice young lady to whom we expressed our feeling about certain member of staff. We were generously offer a free drink as an apology, which we had to kindly refuse as we were about to head to the airport.

Overall, I think my stay was not too bad, however for some reasons I do not think I will stay there again when I am in...

My stay at the Intercontinental Warsaw had several positives but also had several points of improvement.

Let’s start with the positives:

At check in, I was warmly greeted at the front desk by Zuzanna who was a great representative of the hotel and explained everything to me with a smile.

My king classic palace view high floor hotel room was lovely - large, clean, with a bath and shower and situated on the 37th floor with a view of the Palace of Culture and Science opposite.

The pool and jacuzzi on the 43rd floor are worth experiencing - the actual facilities are standard but you are going for the view. You will also need to book a 1 hour slot ahead of your visit but this is easy to do via the link provided by the hotel.

Now onto the negatives:

The week of my stay, I sent an email querying about an early check in (as I was scheduling appointments around my stay), alongside some other questions. I only received a response after following up twice over 3 days, after I had scheduled my plans.

Regarding breakfast, whilst the selection is fairly comprehensive, for a 5 star hotel nothing stands out in terms of quality or quantity.

On my first morning I was placed in a smaller breakfast room (apparently opened up when the main room is too busy) and I was not informed at the point of entry that the selection would be smaller. I would have happily waited for the main room to free up if I had known.

What is also a bit comical is that on my second morning in the main breakfast room the staff kept taking away my cutlery when I was getting another serving from the buffet. Frustratingly, this happened at least 4 times and I had to take cutlery from adjacent empty tables each time.

Also at one point, there was no serving cutlery for the cold meat platters and cut fruit bowls, and I noticed more than one guest using their hands to grab items.

I ended up paying 130 PLN for breakfast when I told by staff this would be 100 PLN. This is because breakfast is more expensive if not paid at check in however this was not made clear and I would have paid upfront if I had known. Additionally, despite my requests, my Intercontinental Ambassador credit of 90 PLN was not applied to my breakfast.

As an Ambassador I had a guaranteed 4pm check out which was confirmed at check in. As I had an evening flight I wanted to utilise my room as close to 4pm as possible but the cleaning staff, whilst polite, knocked at my door no less than 3 times from 3pm until my departure, even though I told them I was still using the room.

As a final point, the staff told me at check out they had sent my invoice via email but this was not the case and I have had to follow up and email the hotel.

To conclude, the key issue with this hotel is the poor communication to guests. For me, all of the minor inconveniences affected my visit, despite some major positives with the hard product.

Whilst some staff at this hotel will happily greet you, many will not, and unfortunately the service across several areas does not come across as 5 star, especially for someone who has loyalty and status with the brand. Please bear this in mind...

Mixed Experience: Beautiful Hotel, but Discriminatory and Unprofessional Check-In

I have been staying at the Intercontinental in Warsaw for three days now, and overall, I am very pleased with the hotel itself. The property is beautiful, clean, and well-maintained. However, my experience during check-in was deeply upsetting and left a negative impression on what could have been an otherwise perfect stay.

When I arrived at the hotel early in the morning after a long and tiring flight, I requested an early check-in, fully understanding that the standard check-in time is 3 p.m. I was informed that this could be arranged for an additional fee of €50 per day, totaling €150 for three days. Although this seemed excessive, I was ready to pay, as I needed rest after my journey. Unfortunately, the behavior of the staff during this process completely ruined my mood and made me reconsider.

One of the front desk assistants, Victoria, was extremely aggressive and unpleasant. When I pointed out that her attitude and approach were inappropriate, she rudely argued with me in front of other guests and stuff instead of resolving the issue professionally. Her hostility set a very negative tone for my check-in experience.

Later, I was told that Katarina, another staff member, could assist me in Russian. I was initially relieved, as communicating in a shared language seemed like it would make the process smoother. However, the situation only worsened. Katarina was introduced to me as a manager, yet her behavior was far from managerial. Upon noticing that my passport identifies me as Russian, she became condescending and smug. Her attitude made it clear that her behavior was influenced by the political tensions between Russia and Ukraine, as she herself is Ukrainian.

While waiting in the lobby, I observed Katarina openly discussing me with her colleagues, glancing in my direction and laughing. Although I could not hear their conversation, their body language and expressions made it obvious that I was the subject of their discussion. This was not only deeply unprofessional but also humiliating.

I want to emphasize that my overall stay has been pleasant due to the high standards of cleanliness and comfort that the hotel provides. However, the unprofessionalism and discriminatory treatment I experienced during check-in have overshadowed these positives.

The Intercontinental brand has always been a symbol of exceptional service and hospitality for me, but this experience did not align with those expectations. It is unacceptable for personal or political biases to affect how guests are treated. Additionally, staff members like Victoria and Katarina clearly need serious training in professionalism, guest relations, and handling sensitive situations without resorting to bias or hostility.

While the property itself is fantastic, I would caution future guests about the potential for such interactions. Respect and professionalism should be a priority in any international hotel, and I sincerely hope the management takes this feedback seriously to prevent similar situations...