InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel [In-depth Review]

New York City can be an expensive place to visit, especially if you want to stay in a luxury hotel. It’s a place I’ll travel to any chance I get, and this was actually my second trip there in as many months. It’s a quick 1-hour flight from where I live in Columbus, so it doesn’t take much convincing to get me to head to The Big Apple for a weekend.

This trip had 1 purpose — to visit The Golden Girls Kitchen, a pop-up restaurant experience based on the classic 1980s sitcom, at the South Street Seaport. In case you were wondering, it was totally worth it, but that experience is best left for a different article.

Let’s get to the matter at hand — a review of the InterContinental New York Barclay hotel. In this post, I’ll show you all around this hotel, including its location, rooms, dining, and amenities. Plus, I’ll share how you can book it with IHG One Rewards points.

Location

One of the reasons to stay at InterContinental New York Barclay is its location. Centrally located in Midtown East, right off of Park Avenue, it’s convenient for getting to many of the most popular things to do in New York City, including the Theater District, the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, museums, and so much more. Plus it’s only 4 blocks from Grand Central Station, making it easily accessible to anyone traveling to the city by train.

I flew into LaGuardia Airport (LGA) which is about 9 miles from the hotel (alternatively you could fly into John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) which is about 16 miles away or Newark International Airport (EWR) which is 18 miles away) and grabbed an Uber ride to the property. It took about 25 to 30 minutes to arrive, albeit without much traffic. I paid for the $57 Uber ride (which included tip) using Uber Cash credits from both The Platinum Card^® from American Express and American Express^® Gold Card.

Booking

As I planned for this trip, I debated which hotel to book. The month prior I stayed at Thompson Central Park New York and even though I enjoyed that hotel, I wanted to try something new.

While I usually prefer Hyatt hotels, I chose an IHG location for this quick trip because I had an expiring free night certificate to use. Plus, I had Diamond Elite status so I was eligible for free breakfast.

I booked 2 nights in total. For the first night, I used my free night certificate from the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. This certificate is good for a room that costs up to 40,000 points but it also allows you to add additional points if you want to book something a bit more expensive. Since this hotel cost 42,000 IHG One Rewards points on the nights of my stay, I added 2,000 points to my free night certificate.

I booked the second night using 42,000 IHG One Rewards points.

The cash cost of a Queen Classic room on the nights I booked was $290 before taxes and fees. However, once the additional fees were added in, the total cost of the room ended up being $376 per night.

Since I paid 42,000 IHG points per night, I got a value of 0.8 cents per point, which is about 62% more than the 0.5 cents per point value we assign to IHG points. While this wasn’t a screaming good deal (like that time I got 3.6 cents per point in value at the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa in Grand Cayman), it was still solid, and I was happy that I could redeem an expiring free night certificate.

Bottom Line: I got solid value from my points and free night certificate at the InterContinental New York Barclay, however, there are better options if you’re looking for the absolute best hotels in New York City to book with points.

Amenity Fee

InterContinental New York Barclay charges an amenity fee of $45.32 per night. Unlike Hyatt and Hilton, IHG still charges this fee on award bookings. If you’re not familiar with amenity fees, they’re sometimes called destination fees or resort fees. It’s a mandatory charge for “extras” offered by the property.

While this particular amenity fee includes a few things that have some value, none of it was discussed at check-in, so I imagine that most guests, myself included, have no idea what the benefits are.

The InterContinental New York Barclay hotel amenity fee includes:

The amenity fee was raised from $40.16 to $45.32 between the time I booked and the time I stayed at the hotel — I ended up being charged the higher of the 2 amounts.

Check-in and Elite Benefits

When I arrived at the hotel I was greeted at the entrance and led to the check-in desk. There wasn’t a separate line for IHG One Rewards members to check in, meaning I had to wait a bit as the hotel was very busy.

The large lobby was buzzing with people due to a conference that was being held at the property.

Before I arrived, I received an email that my room was upgraded. Since I had booked each night on a separate reservation, I was informed I would have to come back to the front desk the next day to reactivate my key cards. While this was a minor inconvenience, I was just happy that both nights of my stay could be upgraded.

My Diamond Elite status was acknowledged at check-in and I was given coupons for free breakfast each morning in the hotel’s restaurant (more on this below). Technically, Diamond Elite members have the choice between breakfast and points as a welcome amenity, but I was automatically offered breakfast (which was my preference anyways). However, after I checked out, I noticed that I also received welcome bonus points.

Hot Tip: IHG Diamond Elite members are eligible for a complimentary breakfast buffet in the hotel’s lobby restaurant.

Amenities

Water Dispensers

There are water dispensers next to each ice maker on select floors at the InterContinental New York Barclay hotel. I was lucky that there was one right next to my room, but I didn’t discover it until my second day there because it wasn’t mentioned at check-in. Since free bottled water isn’t available to IHG One Rewards members, it was great to have water dispensers available (and I like this even better since it doesn’t waste so many plastic bottles) — I just wished the staff had told me about them.

Both hot and cold water was available in the dispensers which were operated by foot pedals — so convenient!

Fitness Center

The fitness center, located on the third floor of the InterContinental New York Barclay hotel, offered a wide variety of equipment for hotel guests and is open 24 hours a day.

The cardio equipment consisted of treadmills and elliptical machines.

There were also a variety of weight machines.

Pet-friendly

InterContinental New York Barclay is a pet-friendly New York City hotel, although it will cost you. There’s a $250 non-refundable deposit per stay to bring your pet with you. You can only bring 1 pet per room and it must weigh less than 25 pounds.

Club InterContinental

Club InterContinental is the hotel’s lounge. It offers a continental breakfast each morning along with evening canapes and coffee and teas throughout the day.

Lounge access comes with select room categories or it can be purchased for $150 per day per room (up to 2 people).

Premium City View Room

As I walked to my room, I noticed the hallways and elevator banks were just as detailed and elegant as the rest of the hotel.

Each door was adorned with an ornate room number.

I booked the base-level room that was available using points for this trip, which was a Classic Queen room, and I was upgraded to a Premium City View Room with a king-sized bed. This category of room is a corner room with 2 sets of windows, which made the room light and bright.

The corner location was nice since that meant I only had shared a wall with 1 set of neighbors. Unfortunately, the neighbors I got loved to talk loudly late at night.

There was a sweet welcome gift waiting for me in the room, along with a note thanking me for using a reward night at The Barclay.

There was a built-in minibar area to the right of the room’s entrance. It was full of snacks and drinks that could be purchased for extortionately high prices ($9.50 for a can of Coke? No, thank you).

There was a minifridge that was filled mostly with beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) for purchase but there was a small spot to store a drink of your own.

The coffee maker was located right above the minifridge. There was a Keurig machine along with coffee and tea K-cups.

The sweetener, stirrers, and creamer were stored in individual packs, which was a nice touch.

The king-sized bed was flanked by wall-mounted lamps and nightstands on each side.

One side of the bed had an alarm clock with USB outlets.

The other side of the bed had a phone along with 2 regular plugs and 2 USB outlets.

A TV was located across from the bed on top of a set of drawers.

Next to the drawers was a small writing desk with a swivel chair.

The desk conveniently had plugs built into the side.

Adjacent to the desk was a comfortable accent chair and side table.

The closet was tucked away in the corner of the room behind the chair.

It contained an extra pillow and blanket, a safe, an ironing board, room to hang clothes, and a hotel-branded robe and slippers.

Bathroom

The charming bathroom wasn’t huge, but it was a good size for New York City standards, and it had thoughtful details. The black and white checked flooring from the entryway extended into the bathroom, giving the space an elegant and classic feel.

I’m very particular about hotel showers and this one passed my test with flying colors. In addition to being nice to look at (you can’t go wrong with a subway tile shower) it was roomy, had 2 great shower heads, and high-quality bath products

There was a large rainshower-type head as well as a hand-held option. The water pressure was great and there was plenty of hot water.

There was shampoo, conditioner, and body wash in large containers from the Bal D’Afrique line by Byredo.

The single sink didn’t have much extra counter space, but it was just fine for this short trip.

Next to the sink were large size bottles of hand wash and body lotion, also from the Bal D’Afrique line by Byredo.

One of my favorite details was the bar of soap that carried the message, “Hold Me”. It made me smile every time I saw it.

The hotel took its branding seriously even in the bathroom— the tissue holder, soap dish, and the canister that held extra bath amenities like cotton pads and emery boards were all branded.

Next to the toilet was a hand-held bidet wand.

Food and Beverage

The Parlour

Located right off of the lobby, The Parlour is the only restaurant at the InterContinental New York Barclay hotel.

The breakfast buffet is open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. A continental breakfast is available for $34 while the full Quintessential American Buffet Breakfast costs $44 — relatively reasonable prices considering it’s in the heart of New York City (and especially when compared to the minibar prices).

Additionally, there was a to-go coffee service available at The Parlour bar during breakfast hours.

Lunch, dinner, and snacks are served from the all-day menu from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

The bar, which is open from noon until 11:30 p.m. daily, looks out onto the lobby and was a nice place to stop for a drink or a quick bite to eat. On Saturday night, there was even a live jazz band.

The Parlour Breakfast Buffet

Since I had IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite status, I was eligible for a free breakfast each morning.

I was given a card when I checked in that I could turn in to the restaurant when I went for breakfast. It said I could get a continental breakfast, so I wasn’t expecting more than coffee and a couple of pastries. However, in practice, it ended up being a full breakfast buffet with numerous hot and cold items (of course, I ended up mostly sticking to coffee and pastries anyways).

The food was tasty but buffets, in my opinion, are never as good as ordering from a menu.

Hot Tip: According to the card the hotel hands out, Diamond Elite members get a complimentary continental breakfast. However, after my stay, I contacted the hotel to clarify and got confirmation that IHG Diamond Elite members are entitled to the Quintessential American Buffet Breakfast each morning, which includes a selection of both hot and cold items.

The buffet was located in the only restaurant in the hotel, The Parlour.

There was a hot breakfast section that included a variety of eggs and potatoes.

Next to that, there was a selection of sausages and bacon, along with oatmeal.

A refrigerated section of the breakfast buffet included things such as yogurt and fruit. There were also overnight oats, a yogurt parfait, and a green smoothie shot.

This section also offered sliced smoked salmon, hard-boiled eggs, deli meats and cheese, butter, and cream cheese.

There were assorted pastries available, including croissants, mini muffins, cakes, donuts, and mini eclairs.

There was also a toaster with bread and bagels.

The condiments were in self-serve containers and included more than just the basics. There were fun things like fig preserves and lemon curd in addition to more traditional condiments like peanut butter and honey.

Additionally, there was a variety of cold cereals with 4 different types of milk — skim, whole, soy, and almond.

In-Room Dining

In-room dining is available at InterContinental New York Barclay. Breakfast is served from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. while lunch and dinner are served from 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily.

Service

Overall the service I received at InterContinental New York Barclay was excellent. The staff I came into contact with, from the front desk to the bartenders to the waiters, were very friendly and helpful.

My only criticism is that I wasn’t told about the amenity fee benefits or the existence of the water dispensers. While this problem isn’t unique to this hotel, it’s something that I find particularly annoying. My hunch is that most guests have no idea what benefits are included (like the $25 daily food and beverage credit or shopping coupons) and therefore are missing out on a decent amount of value that they are paying for in the mandatory amenity fee.

Final Thoughts

My 2-night stay at InterContinental New York Barclay was excellent. It’s an elegant hotel in a convenient location for exploring New York City.

The rooms were spacious and comfortable and the breakfast buffet was reasonably priced and included many choices. Staying at the Barclay is an especially great option if you have IHG free night certificates or IHG One Rewards points burning a hole in your pocket.