InterContinental the Clement Monterey by IHG — Hotel in Monterey

Had some pros and cons on a one night trip at this location for my first visit.

A basic background on the hotel is that it's located prime on the edge of Canary Row, two buildings one on each side of the street. One side will be by the ocean, and the other one, connected on the second floor, has no views besides of the parking garage or street. There are entrances to the second building as well via the ground floor on canary row or via the second floor from an entrance by the parking garage they have (which is $35 self parking with in and out privileges).

Check in process was okay, but the female front desk worker helping me did not have the best attitude. Surprising to see her without a smile on front desk. I was able to check in early, to the 2 Double Premium, at about 11 AM, which was nice. I wasn't able to get any upgrades which was a bit disappointing as a diamond elite ambassador, since they did have a lot of suite rooms available throughout the night as I checked online. I checked to make sure the rooms were available for the night of, and the night after. (1-3 of each types).

The room itself was okay, with a small balcony that has a view of the parking garage on the 4th floor. Room was spacious, and came with water cans, which they use instead of water bottles. At check in, I was told that you would have refillable bottles to fill throughout the hotel, but from asking later on, it turns out that would only be for the guests staying on the building on the ocean/pier side. The bathroom was also big, with a shower, tub, and the necessities. The room comes with a water boiler and a Nespresso machine as well. They have a minibar with small liquors or soda or snacks. The room also comes with a fireplace activated by a switch on the wall, which stays on for a bit before turning off on its own.

The amenities includes a gym, which was pretty empty while I was there. They come with towels and water cans as well in a minifridge, which is nice. They also have a "pool" which is pretty small, which could probably only fit one person swimming laps in the 3-4ft water. They also have a hot tub, which is also extremely small and can't fit too many people. Both are located on the 2nd floor, on the street side building.

The free breakfast at the C restaurant + bar located in the ocean side building was very good. It averages 20-30 for entrees and 5-8 dollars for drinks. With diamond elite, the breakfast was free but the service was amazing and I would definitely pay for breakfast even.

One thing that was pretty annoying and also concerning was that I was locked out of my room upon return from lunch due to my hotel card not working. Prior from leaving for lunch, I did confirm I had the 4 PM late checkout with the front desk. However, upon returning, my card did not work, and I had to get to the front desk to resolve the issue. Then, when I entered my room, the balcony glass door was opened by someone, whereas I was pretty sure it was closed before we left. We also had the Privacy please sign as well put up on our door. When this was brought up at checkout, they said they would follow up on this incidence. (Will update if they do update me) I was not offered any compensation for this as well. This is of course a concern for both privacy and safety sake. However, the 3 males at the front desk who helped me through the late checkout, new keycard, and the checkout incidence were respectful and provided great customer service. One thing that was annoying is that I never got the email at all for the folio, twice. I did ask for a physical copy as well on the second time, but still prefer that email copy that I never got.

Pros good location to access canary row great breakfast + service mostly good service

Cons had not much recognition of status/bad check in had bad experience with getting locked out and room potentially entered while i was not inside...

One-Star Review - Significant Concerns Regarding Billing Practices, Unprofessional Communication, and Invoice Manipulation|My recent experience has unfortunately necessitated this negative review due to unprofessional and unnecessary billing practices, compounded by dismissive and unprofessional communication, and what appears to be a blatant attempt to manipulate the invoice. While an initial prompt response was provided, the subsequent handling of the billing discrepancies was deeply disappointing.||Despite clear communication of my early check-out date, I was incorrectly charged for services and taxes for days the room was unoccupied. The fact that these erroneous charges persisted and were not proactively identified or rectified until I escalated the issue indicates a significant lack of due diligence and attention to detail in the billing department. This oversight is unacceptable.||Furthermore, the attempt to resolve the matter by Catherine Faber, Director of Sales, was highly unprofessional. Her email to me, essentially deflecting my concerns by stating I was not the "contact on record" and directing me to a third party I had no prior dealings with, was dismissive and failed to directly address the billing errors I raised. This approach not only disregarded my direct communication but also demonstrated a lack of ownership and commitment to resolving the issue promptly and professionally.||Adding to these concerns is the highly questionable handling of the invoice itself. Despite initially claiming that I was "not charged for room and taxes for the night of March 8th," the hotel later moved these exact charges to a later date (April 14th) on the invoice. This manipulation of the billing record, after explicitly denying the original charge, is a serious breach of trust and suggests a deliberate attempt to obscure their error. While they did acknowledge and refund a valet parking charge, this does not excuse the misrepresentation of the room charges.||The application of multiple taxes (including occupancy tax, CA Travel & Tourism tax, Monterey County assessment, CCFD tax, and a second instance of both occupancy and CCFD tax) to an unoccupied room remains perplexing and appears to be an unnecessary and inappropriate billing practice. These charges should have been clearly identified, if applicable, as a cancellation fee.||The combination of erroneous billing, the unprofessional manner in which the Director of Sales attempted to resolve the situation, and the subsequent manipulation of the invoice has left me with a profoundly negative impression. I cannot recommend this establishment and strongly urge a thorough review of billing procedures, customer service training, and the professional conduct expected of all staff, including management. Staff that i communicated with Larisa Godick|Sales/Catering Manager, Anne Stroul-Clark Controller(respectful communication from her) Catherine Faber Director of Sales,...

We stayed here for two nights, and are glad it is over. So to start we will talk about SERVICE: Most of the staff are lovely and friendly, no complaints. The man checking us out felt very emotionless and enthusiastically robotic, so that was weird, but other than that all good. THE ROOM: This is where things take a turn for the worse. The room we booked was an ocean view with a fireplace and balcony. The room we got had an obstructed ocean view and the obstruction was a busy street and restaurants. What was supposed to be a relaxing room with a beautiful view, turned into a rowdy crowd outside and constant traffic/loud cars… We did reach out and request an adjustment to what we paid(for an ocean view-not partial) because there are lower(cheaper) rooms that are partial ocean view which is probably what we got if not a less desirable room than that. To say we are disappointed is an understatement, and we will not stay at this property or any other IHG Intercontinental Hotel in any of our future travels.

Unreliable room selection is a no go for us.

Also the shower had cracks on the floor and limescale(or mildew)on the shower head(see pictures) Other than that the room was very clean and had all the amenities any hotel would have. Now let’s talk about ROOM SERVICE: It’s a joke. Like many places to eat in the immediate area other this hotel, the food is expensive and worse than what you would get at a diner. We chose to get two bowls of clam chowder and we got about a 1/2 cup each and a slice of bread to go with it. $50 with a $5 tip. I’m not exaggerating, it’s a total scam. Finally we can talk about what we noticed had the big effect on every establishment by the hotel, LOCATION: CANNERY ROW IS A WHOLE SCAM-DO NOT COME HERE. Unless you are going to the aquarium, then there is no reason to come here. Every place is overpriced with awful tacky offerings. At a restaurant across the street I had a manhattan served in a plastic glass(half full mind you) and paid $42 for 2… it’s grossly overhyped here. It’s more expensive than sf/seattle and you’re given bottom of the barrel product. JUST STAY AWAY. Also the parking is a nightmare and a half. You are being hunted by meter maids and confused by every street having different rules. It really does feel like entrapment, or a bait and switch here. Either way you will feel icky and like you’re being targeted and scammed the whole time. I wish more people knew how strangely backwards this area is and could avoid staying here. Good luck to cannery row, hopefully the city will step in and help restore this slum...