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On our trip to Elton John’s farewell concert, I decided to use my IHG Anniversary Free Night certificate obtained from the Chase IHG Premier Credit Card to redeem for one free night’s stay at the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront. It’s located just merely 10 minutes easy walk to the Xcel Energy Center where the concert took place.
It’s worth mentioning that there is also a Holiday Inn, St. Paul Downtown, located just a few steps away from the Xcel Energy Center. Still, we decided to go with the InterContinental brand instead for a more comfortable and luxurious experience.
The verdict is InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront fails to deliver as a luxury InterContinental brand as it shows its age and needs renovation.
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| InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront |
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Location
If you are in town to explore Saint Paul, Minnesota, the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront offers a good central location. It’s situated right across from the bridge and the path for the river promenade. If you are in town for a concert or an event at the Xcel Energy Center, it’s only a 10-minute easy flat walk to the center.
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| Xcel Energy Center Is Within Walking Distance of InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront |
Room Upgrades
I redeemed the IHG Anniversary Free Night certificate for one free night’s stay at the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront. The certificate reward night is booked directly into its guest room with private access. The room used to be categorized as an executive king room, and it’s now referred to as a King Classic room with Private Access.
Upon arrival, it appeared that I had received an upgrade to the corner room that has a partial river view and the city view of Saint Paul. The upgrade results from my IHG Platinum Elite status, complimentary of being a card member of the Chase IHG Premier Credit Card.
King Classic With Private Access Room Review
We were assigned to the King Classic with a Private Access room at InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront. The room was a corner room that offered lovely partial river and city views – the best of both worlds.
The only complaint I have for this InterContinental hotel is that the property really shows its age. The carpet wasn’t thoroughly cleaned and looked dated. Overall, it didn’t deliver the luxury experience that I had at other InterContinental hotels and resorts.
Private access simply refers to the higher floors and requires the room key to operate the elevator to those floors.
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| Corner View Room |
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| King Classic with a Private Access |
InterContinental Club Lounge
InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront has a club lounge located in the lobby by the front desk. I only have IHG Platinum Elite status, and therefore, I did not have access to the lounge.
You can access the InterContiental Club Lounge by simply joining the InterContinental Ambassador Program and paying for the membership program with $200 or redeeming 40,000 IHG points. From time to time, the InterContinental Ambassador Program also offers discounts and promotions to get you started too.
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Welcome Amenity
I wasn’t offered the welcome amenity points at check-in or was acknowledged by the front desk receptionist as an IHG Platinum Elite member. However, shortly after I checked into my room, I received an email from IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) about my welcome amenity points of 1,000 IHG rewards points as an IHG elite member.
Food & Beverage Credits
There are no food and beverage credits for IHG elite members for stays at IHG Hotels and Resorts. However, with the new improved IHG One Rewards program, IHG Platinum Elite and IHG Diamond Elite members can receive points or snack/drinks credit, up to free breakfast for Diamond.
Breakfast
There’s also no complimentary breakfast for IHG elite members for stays at IHG Hotels and Resorts. However, with the new improved IHG One Rewards program, IHG Diamond Elite members can receive free breakfast as part of the welcome amenity at check-in.
InterContinental St Paul Restaurant & Dining
InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront has an on-site restaurant, coffee shop, and bar. They are all located down at the lobby level.
Go to the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront website for more dining information.
Resort Fee
There’s no resort fee at InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront.
InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront Parking
Self-parking at the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront is available for $24 per day. There’s no free parking.
Housekeeping
Daily housekeeping is available, but we did not utilize it as we stayed only one night for Elton John’s farewell concert.
Internet/Wi-Fi
I did not test out the Internet/Wi-Fi speed. There was a code provided by the front desk on the room key packet, but we only used our unlimited cellular data the whole time there. InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront offers free Wi-Fi for all guests, whether the guest has elite status or not.
Late Check-out
The InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront wasn’t busy when we stayed there, and I bet late check-out would have been okay for an IHG Platinum Elite member. Friendly staff there.
However, I did not request the late check-out because we had to leave early morning to meet up with a friend at the mall of America and check into the JW Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America.
Spa
There’s no spa at the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront.
Gym/Fitness Center
Yes, InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront has an onsite gym/fitness center, but we did not use it.
Swimming Pool
InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront does not have a pool.
Contact
- InterContinental St Paul Riverfront Phone Number: 651-292-1900
- InterContinental St Paul Riverfront Website: InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront
- InterContinental St Paul Email: [email protected]
Points Booking
InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront is part of the IHG One Rewards program. The program has fully moved to dynamic award pricing, so the points rate required per night varies based on the nightly rate and availability.
I redeemed the IHG Anniversary Free Night certificate for one free night’s stay at the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront. The free night certificate is an annual benefit of my Chase IHG Premier Credit Card that gives me one free night reward certificate up to a redemption level of 40,000 points per night each membership year as long as I remain the cardholder. The great thing about the IHG Anniversary Free Night is that you can now top up the free night with IHG Rewards points for IHG properties that require more than 40,000 points per night. During a concert event like the Elton John’s concert that we went to can really drive up the hotel’s room rate in the area, so using points or a free night certificate to get a free room is great!
If you’d like to receive any upgrades at InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront, consider getting complimentary IHG Platinum Elite status, only one below Diamond Elite in the IHG One Rewards program. You simply need to be a cardholder of the Chase IHG Premier Credit Card or Chase IHG Premier Business Credit Card. Upon approval of the credit card, you will receive the elevated Platinum Elite status without meeting any stays requirements each year.
I am a dedicated travel enthusiast with a deep passion for miles and points. Always willing to share my expertise, I possess a wealth of knowledge on miles and points, extensively researching and staying up-to-date with the latest strategies for maximizing travel rewards through credit cards and loyalty program promotions.
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Earn 25,000 Marriott bonus points on all-inclusive stays.
Must book by August 31, 2024 and stay through January 31, 2025.