Review: Intercontinental Barclay New York City

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Hello, newly Renovated Intercontinental Barclay

Our stay at the Intercontinental Barclay was part of a larger trip through the Holy Land and ultimately came to fruition due to United business class award space opening up out of New York direct to Tel Aviv on the Tuesday after Easter. It provided a great opportunity to spend Easter in Indiana and then position ourselves to New York the night before our flight on Monday and enjoy the city via two hotels. Two? Yes…we ended up booking one room at the St Regis with 60k Marriott Rewards, and then a night at the Intercontinental Barclay using an IHG Rewards Select free night certificate. Both hotels are full of history and have been on my list to check out for quite some time.

In fact, it was only two weeks prior that I stayed The Peninsula New York and Palace over a crazy weekend that took me through New York twice and England all in one weekend. Oh, and I got engaged. It was quite a couple of weeks.

Anyways…Let’s delve into the Intercontinental Barclay

A little history on the Intercontinental Barclay…In 1926, The Vanderbilt family funded the construction of the Barclay. Coincidentally, another famous and wealthy New Yorker, John Jacob Astor, built our other hotel in 1904, The St. Regis. Both hotels are within walking distance of each other, roughly 10 minutes, and you can’t really go wrong with either hotel’s location. I lived in NYC for a couple of years after college on 61st and Lex, not far from the hotel, so I’d often walk by the Barlcay and the Waldorf ( across the street ) and think about staying here one day. That day came, and post reno, which has been very well executed. It now features 702 rooms and 31 suites across 13 floors. In 2017, I stayed at the Times Square Intercontinental so I was intrigued by staying in its sister property across town as a comparison.

Here’s a look at the lobby which features a nice open concept bar off across from check-in.

Stay Details:

• When: April 2019
• Where: Intercontinental Barclay
• Cost: Chase IHG Select Free Night Certificate
  • 70k per night otherwise
• Loyalty: Intercontinental Ambassador
• Upgrade/Benefits: Upgrade to Barclay Room and $20 dining credit once during stay

Check-in

I’ve written about Intercontinental Ambassador status and the value it gives my family with upgrades, free nights, etc. Expedited check-in is another perk and the Intercontinental Barclay actually offers a private room to check-in via Guest Relations, next to their Concierge. I didn’t see the sign and waited in the normal check-in line, so perhaps this could be more visible when you enter the lobby. Regardless, I only waited a few minutes, but I was informed that I could have checked in here.

The Room

I was given an upgrade from a standard Superior to a corner Barclay room. As advertised on their webiste, this is the best, non suite, room that they offer, and getting a multiple category upgrade on an award booking is fantastic. All of the rooms measure in around 300 sq feet, and by looking at the website I can’t really see a big difference in how the rooms are appointed from the standard Superior to the Barclay, aside from having more light, a small table, etc. Having two windows was incredible and filled the room with tons of light. It is worth noting that some Executive rooms come with fireplaces which would be really cool if you’re visiting in the winter.

Walking into the room there is a small mini bar to the left and closet to the right.

The bathroom was modern with subway tiles, and a stand alone sink. With just 300 sq ft to work with, removing the tub, and providing a large, bright shower was a great move.

Standard Agraria products

Gym/Business Center

There is a nice, modern gym, albeit small for a hotel with 702 rooms that features treadmills, free weights, and several brand new nautilus style machines. Just outside the gym is a 2 desk business center with copy/fax/print station.

Overall:

I wouldn’t hesitate to stay at the Intercontinental Barclay again, and it offers a far more calm and serene experience than does its sister across town, the Intercontinental Times Square ( but if you’re going to NYC for theatre…it’s a great option ).

You can often snag the Intercontinental Barclay for under $350 a night, which is a great deal in NYC, and this hotel shines in that price range. NYC is super expensive. However, there are many times I’ve looked at the hotel and seen prices north of $500. At those rates, and this largely depends on the what the competition is offering, you can stay in better hotels paying cash. It’ll be interesting to see what the Waldorf Astoria does to the Barclay’s pricing. It’s currently being renovated, directly across the street, and I have a feeling it’s going to be absolutely stunning with prices north of $1k a night. Will that drive prices up? Who knows, but I think south of $350 is a nice sweet spot for the hotel in off-peak travel times.

Using points during peak? Great deal, especially if you’re staying for 4+ nights and making use of the 4th night free benefit offered by the Chase IHG Premier. That’s 210k points for 4 nights. Hard to beat. If you’re a multiple year Ambassador and receive 10% back as a renewal benefit, you’re snagging this bad boy for just 189k. You could pick up all those points during a sale for roughly $950 – how bout that for a 4 night stay in a dope hotel in price location NYC.