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Which hotel brand is best, InterContinental Vs. Regent Vs. Kimpton? The choice between these three hotel brands varies between individual hotels within each brand.
As a general rule, InterContinental was one of the original luxury business hotels and remains a luxury, if slightly corporate, hotel brand that is present in most major cities. InterContinental hotels are typified by large modern buildings with a generic interior finish and lots of business facilities. Some InterContinental hotels, like the InterContinental Geneva, have very good pools and leisure facilities.
There are 215 InterContinental hotels now open, with 93 in the pipeline. Cities with great InterContinental hotels include London, Paris, New York, Geneva, Maldives, and Bora Bora. Since COVID-19, InterContinental hotels have repositioned themselves slightly because there is less business travel, making them well-priced luxury leisure hotels in most destinations.
You may have noticed that some InterContinental hotels have more recently become Regent hotels, like the InterContinental Carlton Cannes, which is now a Regent hotel. The Intercontinental Phu Quoc, which we personally reviewed, is now next door to the brand new Regent Phu Quoc. It’s possible that the Amsterdam InterContinental will become a Regent too. It seems the Regent brand has taken on some of the jewels in the InterContinental brand to form an ultra-lux brand within IHG’s portfolio.
Kimpton is a boutique brand. Its hotels are usually smaller, and the communal areas are highly style with a fun atmosphere. Kimpton hotels tend to be cheaper and have smaller standard rooms than InterContinental and Regent hotels.
IHG also recently acquired Six Senses, which is helping to jump-start its growth into the luxury sector, so again, this brand is another place to earn and spend IHG points along with the Vignette Collection of independent luxury hotels.
We have outlined the best InterContinental hotels and best Kimpton hotels in case you want to delve further into each hotel brand.
We have broken this comparison down into the different features of various hotels within each brand:
1. Loyalty
Like Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, Hilton Honours, and most other loyalty programs worldwide, the InterContinental IHG loyalty program offers guests the ability to collect points or credits toward free nights. By joining, you get selected free benefits.
InterContinental, Regent, and Kimpton all fall under the IHG brand, so you should be able to earn and redeem hotel stays at all three brands.
It’s worth mentioning that these loyalty benefits are nowhere near as good as the benefits you get by booking InterContinental, Regent, and Kimpton hotels via concierge. If you book with our concierge, you will also get all your usual IHG points during your stay.
Our travel agency partnership with InterContinental, Regent, and Kimpton hotels means that you will also get brilliant free benefits, usually including breakfast for two, prioritized room upgrades (subject to availability), hotel credit, and more if you book with one of our team. Our deals are almost always better than booking directly on the hotel website for these brands.
In Paris, New York, and London, you also get free club lounge access when you book an InterContinental hotel via our agents.
2. Style
InterContinental hotels don’t tend to embrace the local area and usually offer a modern and generic finish, more in tune with the brand than the local area.
In Geneva, the InterContinental is located in a modern concrete block a long distance from the main tourist area.
In London, the InterContinental Park lane is also situated in a modern building, perhaps from the 1980s, although this particular property has the advantage of offering large and windows with fantastic views in the rooms, the fantastic club lounge as well as most of its communal areas. Although the exterior of this property is an ugly duckling from some angles, the views from this building are quite something.
Rooms at the InterContinental London are good. The Mayfair rooms have recently been refurbished and offer oriental cherry blossom-themed designs, which I really like. The look is stylish, although not very “London.”
In Paris, the InterContinental is situated in beautiful, ornately designed buildings. I particularly like the Parisien rooftop views from the top floor rooms at the InterContinental Le Grand in Paris. The views make this hotel feel very Parisien, so this particular property does have a local feel.
Regent hotels offer an ultra-luxurious setting with high-end furnishings and top-notch interior design. We particularly love the Regent Cannes which is now the best luxury hotel in Cannes. This hotel is easily reached; it is just a 30-minute drive from Nice Côte d’Azur Airport.
The Regent Cannes offers a refined blend of high ceilings, calm pantones, artisan fabrics, and every modern luxury to soothe and inspire. Their pool is stylish and fabulous. Their beach club is the place to be seen.
The Regent Hong Kong is very modern, as is the Regent Shanghai. The Regent Porto Montenegro is also recently built and offers modern, high-end furnishings. The Regent Berlin is deeply historic, and the foyer of the Regent Beijing feels almost Vietnamese, with lots of tropical greenery outside massive floor-to-ceiling windows.
Kimpton Hotels wholeheartedly embrace their location. We reviewed the Kimpton London, which offers an outpouring of gorgeousness of British glamour and quirky details. The hotel is located in a Grade II listed iconic landmark building and rather spectacularly overlooks a square.
The luxurious Kimpton guest rooms are dressed in neutral tones with flashes of color to amuse and add a distinctly British touch (We adored the old-style, bright red telephones!).
There are a huge number of boutique Kimpton hotels around the world, all completely unique, including the Kimpton Hotel Wilshire and La Peer in Los Angeles, Kimpton Kitalay Samui, in Thailand, Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok, Kimpton Margot Sydney, Kimpton Marlowe Hotel in Cambridge, Boston, Kimpton Naranta Bali in Nusa Dua Bali, three in Atlanta, Kimpton Palladian Hotel In Seattle, Kimpton Pittman Hotel In Downtown Dallas, Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs, Kimpton Saint George Hotel Toronto, Kimpton San Antonio, Kimpton Seafire Resort Grand Cayman on Seven Mile Beach, Kimpton Shinjuku Tokyo, Kimpton Shorebreak Fort Lauderdale, Oceanfront Kimpton Shorebreak Resort Huntington Beach, Kimpton Surfcomber Hotel on Miami’s oceanfront, Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel, Charlotte, Kimpton Virgilio Mexico City, Kimpton Vividora Hotel In Barcelona and no less than three Kimptons in Key West.
3. Location
The location of each hotel is property dependent, but InterContinental, Regent, and Kimpton all tend to be well located. An exception is in Geneva, where the InterContinental is a long walk from the tourist center and the lake.
4. Size
Although this is only sometimes the case, InterContinental hotels generally tend to be larger in size than Regent and Kimpton hotels. Kimpton hotels tend to be boutique in size.
5. Rooms
Individual hotel rooms at InterContinental hotels are more generic in decor, and the base rooms can be small, so check the room size before committing to the standard room at an InterContinental. The same goes for Kimptons. Kimpton rooms are stylish and fun but can be even smaller than the base InterContinental rooms. Regent rooms tend to be the largest and most luxurious of these three hotels.
6. Pool & Gym
Regent hotels usually have an immaculate pool, gym, and spa. The Regent Cannes even has its own patch of prime beachfront. It is unusual for a Regent property not to have all the facilities.
InterContinental city hotels don’t always have pools. Their facilities can be limited to certain properties. The London InterContinental at Park Lane doesn’t have a pool but does have a spa and a gym. The Geneva InterContinental has a gloriously large outdoor pool.
Kimpton hotels are fun and stylish but don’t usually have a pool. The Kimpton in London has a 24-hour fitness center on-site, with TechnoGym cardio machines, air-conditioning, free weights, bottled water, and towels provided, but beyond the gym, there are not many facilities.
7. Ski
InterContinental Hotel Group has ski hotels but not as part of the InterContinental brand. These include Six Senses Residences Courchevel, Hotel Indigo Silverthorne, Kimpton Taconic Hotel, and a number of inexpensive hotels around Lake Tahoe. There are no Regent ski hotels.
Some of the best ski hotels in the world are Four Seasons.
8. Club Lounge
InterContinental hotels usually have club lounges. In Paris, New York, and London, you also get free club lounge access when you book an InterContinental hotel via our luxury concierge. We have reviewed the club lounge at the InterContinental London and the club lounge at the InterContinental O2. Intercontinental club lounges are brilliant.
Kimpton and Regent hotels don’t tend to have club lounges.
9. Family Facilities
Regent hotels have the most facilities, so they are best for families. InterContinentals with club lounges are also great if you have a family. The Kimpton rooms can be small, so they are less suitable for families.
10. Price
Regent hotels are almost always more expensive than InterContinental hotels. We have reviewed the cheapest InterContinental hotels. Kimpton hotels offer smaller rooms and, usually, cheaper prices.
11. Conclusion
Both of these hotel brands offer magnificent hotels. InterContinental hotels tend to be more business-oriented than Regent and Kimpton. Regent hotels tend to offer the most luxurious setting and better facilities, particularly when it comes to a pool.
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