We’ve previously reviewed the best executive or club lounges in London. I am a big fan of the executive lounge at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House for the ambiance and food. The club lounge at the Langham London is also a great lounge with excellent food. But in my humble opinion, the “Club InterContinental” which includes the lounge at the InterContinental Park Lane in London, has the best views of any Club or Executive lounge in London.
Club Lounge Access For Free
Book a standard room at the InterContinental Park Lane, which is one of our partner hotels, via our luxury travel concierge (rates tend to range from £400 GBP to £700 GBP depending on the day and the season) and you will get a guaranteed room upgrade and Club Lounge access free. This has to be one of the best hotel deals in London. In fact, if you want to book any luxury around the world, get a quote from our luxury travel concierge. We almost always offer the best deal.
Club InterContinental
Why do I rank this Club InterContinental lounge so highly? While this lounge is not perfect, it remains my favorite place to work and meet in London. I have seen Tony Blair use this lounge, and Condoleezza Rice is also said to like it. The reasons why I like this lounge so much are listed below.
The View
The view from this lounge, located on the 7th floor of the InterContinental, is phenomenal. Expansive windows that must be 2 storeys in height look down upon the busy roundabout at Hyde Park Corner. This roundabout is a key artery to London’s road network and leads off the famous Park Lane.
As such, it’s always exciting to watch. The double-decker buses look like dinky toys from the 7th floor. You feel like you could pick them up in your hand and drive them about. There are supercars, ambulances, police cars, taxis, and kamikaze cyclists weaving their way around this crazy road network. At night, you feel like you are watching a neon car ballet!
Beyond the roundabout, the views extend over the Bomber Command Memorial and across Green Park. This pretty park surrounds Buckingham Palace and has an interesting history. King Charles II used to pick flowers in the park. Rather than giving these flowers to his wife, he gave them to another woman. In revenge, the Queen ordered that every single flower in the park should be pulled up and no more planted. True or not, there are no formal flowerbeds in the leafy Green Park.
New Look For Theo Randall At The Intercontinental
During my last trip to the Intercontinental Park Lane I learnt Theo Randall At The Intercontinental had been given a make over. I pondered for a moment. Theo Randall is one of my favourite chefs and his establishment at the Intercontinental a favourite restaurant of mine. Should I be concerned? Theo and his team have re-created the restaurant with a more relaxed feel. A central partition has been demolished to open up the restaurant. Walls are now bathed in whites and creams, with small lemon trees scattered throughout. Furnishings are contemporary and bright.
Beyond Green Park, the London skyline extends into the distance. To your left, you can see the London Eye and Big Ben. To your right, the chimneys of Battersea power station. Between these are the distant towers and skyscrapers that sit on the River Thames banks.
Look up, and you can see the flight path and holding pattern for planes coming and going from Heathrow. Spot A380s and Boeing 787s as they lower into their landing pattern. Yes, this is a great view and a reason to book into this lounge in itself.
Ambiance
This lounge is big. It extends almost the length of this large building. It has been designed in a split-level layout with a variety of sitting and dining spaces as well as a large central food and beverage area where breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening canapés and drinks are laid out.
London's Best Hotel Restaurant
If I had to choose my favourite London hotel restaurant Theo Randall at the InterContinental London Park Lane would be a very strong contender. Located in the heart of London's Mayfair Theo's restaurant consistently serves wonderful Italian cuisine, food that made me a fan from the first time I visited. I've been eating regularly at Theo Randall's restaurant since he took up residence at Mayfair's InterContinental nearly a decade ago. I still remember my first visit, excited at the prospect but slightly nervous about entrusting my evenings dining to a new chief.
In the center is the concierge desk, where you can check-out and order business services. To the left and right are further sitting areas and a huge array of papers and magazines. It rarely feels busy. During work hours on weekdays, it can be very peaceful. You can sometimes find yourself alone with only the concierge and staff for company. Somehow, however full or empty, the design, ambient music, and the hum from the two widescreen TVs mean that this lounge rarely feels too busy or empty.
Staff
Another thing I particularly like about this lounge is the staff. Over the many years I’ve been frequenting this lounge, they have consistently been exceptional. Friendly, professional, and, unlike many other club lounges, they offer to bring you food and drinks from the moment you arrive. This table service enhances the whole lounge experience. They also make excellent tea from fresh tea leaves, so you can happily spend all day working without leaving your seat.
Food
The lounge’s food is my one caveat against this lounge being the best club lounge in London. The breakfast and afternoon tea are excellent, but the evening offering is lacking.
The breakfast is a large buffet with a high-quality array of produce, including smoked salmon, meats, cheeses, cereals, and hummus options. There is also a full a la carte breakfast, which you can order from your table. The eggs Florentine, eggs Benedict, and English breakfast are all recommended and come perfectly cooked (yolk dribbles out while the white is fully cooked) and are served to your table.
Afternoon tea is also excellent with an array of tasty sandwiches (egg, chicken tikka, ham), cakes, scones, and cream, as well as a really outstanding selection of teas and excellent coffee options. Everything you could want in terms of cold beverages is available in the numerous fridge cabinets, including sparkling and still waters, cokes, juices, and even innocent smoothies.
Throughout the day, unlimited kettle chips, homemade biscuits, and smoked, salted almonds are available.
In the evening, the food offering is limited. Drinks are available in the early evening, including a nice selection of canapes, but that’s it. Don’t expect a full evening meal. You will need to eat out. On the plus side, Theo Randall’s restaurant downstairs is excellent, and you are missing out if you don’t try his pasta. It’s worth noting that the staff in the lounge are incredibly generous with topping up and supplying drinks. Champagne, cocktails, beers, and wines are available, and expect to be pestered into “just another one” before the bar closes. Staff have often suggested lining up 2 or 3 beers or glasses of wine during happy hour to keep us topped up through the evening and after happy hour closes.
Is this the lounge to end all lounges and the best hotel club lounge in London? Yes and no. I love it but be prepared for the hefty price tag. Intercontinental Ambassador loyalty members are currently charged around £100 GBP per room per night on top of the room rate for up to 2 people (if you are booked into a superior room or above). For non-Ambassador members, the rate is even more. If you book via our concierge, we can get you this Club Lounge free as well as guarantee you a room upgrade.
This lounge is my personal favorite, and I will be back for the kind staff, the table service, the daytime food offering, and, of course, the bird’s eye view of London with my dinky cars weaving around the roundabout.
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