4 Things I Loved About the InterContinental Wellington in New Zealand

If you’re visiting Wellington, New Zealand’s capital, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better hotel than the InterContinental Wellington. It’s well-located, has nice rooms, and offers a great breakfast. Best of all, the treatment for InterContinental Ambassador members here is terrific. When I visit Wellington again, this will be my go-to stay!

1. Near Major Attractions

The InterContinental Wellington is in the heart of downtown and is close to all the major attractions.

The famed Wellington Cable Car is just steps away from the hotel. It whisks you to the top of the mountain for terrific views over the entire city. Then you can relax and walk to the observatory and botanic gardens.

A little further away is the Beehive, 1 of 4 New Zealand Parliament buildings. It’s one of the most recognizable seats of government in the world and truly does look like a beehive from the outside. Inside, you can take daily guided tours of New Zealand’s parliament.

About a 15-minute walk from the hotel is the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

The hotel’s only downside is that it is about a 20-minute ride from Wellington International Airport (WLG). However, no hotel within the downtown area will have any advantage here regarding accessibility to the airport. There is no train line to the airport, so it’s best to call a taxi or ride-share. Leave plenty of time to account for any traffic.

2. InterContinental Ambassadors Get Treated Well

IHG is one of the few hotel brands in the world that allow you to purchase status. If you frequent InterContinental hotels, purchasing Ambassador status may make sense. This means a guaranteed late checkout, complimentary water in the room, and an on-site $20 food and beverage credit. While the status costs $225 a year, it also comes with a free weekend night certificate, which can save you lots of money on a weekend stay.

All of my regular Ambassador elite benefits were provided without question. When I requested additional water throughout my stay, it was brought up without charge.

I didn’t use my certificate for this stay, instead opting for a cheap cash rate of about $150 a night, which I paid with my Chase Sapphire Reserve^® to earn 4x Ultimate Rewards points on hotels booked direct. From what I’ve seen, this hotel has decent rates throughout the year, so look at the regular cash price before utilizing any certificates or points.

The InterContinental Wellington seemed to go way above and beyond the typical treatment of an Ambassador. Upon check-in, they profusely apologized that they couldn’t upgrade me beyond a corner room. As a courtesy, they provided a $75 food and beverage credit on top of the credit I received as an Ambassador. I didn’t ask for anything and was shocked when they provided this, but it’s apparent that this hotel tries to bend over backward for elite guests.

I was checking in with 2 friends who were IHG Diamond Elite members, and they reported being treated very well, too. However, they didn’t receive the food and beverage certificate, likely because they were not Ambassador members (which seems to go further in InterContinental hotels than normal IHG status does).

3. Extensive Breakfast

This hotel had a really lovely breakfast setup, though there was a significant wait at times to even get a table. I’d suggest arriving earlier in the morning (before 8:30 a.m.) if you want to not deal with a wait.

There were several stations with eggs, meats, cheeses, juices, breads, and other typical breakfast items. While it certainly wasn’t the best breakfast buffet I’ve ever eaten at, it was more than enough and one of the better buffets I had seen in New Zealand on my trip.

If you wanted a fresh or specialty coffee, a server would grab that for you and bring it to you once you had been seated.

4. Premium Rooms

I was upgraded to a premium room upon check-in, and these rooms were larger than the standard rooms. Typical standard rooms at this hotel were about 312 square feet, while premium rooms were 365 square feet.

This extra square footage really made my premium room feel bigger, and there was a nice cutout by the window with a sofa, a perfect spot to sit or gaze out onto the harbor view below.

To use some of the food and beverage credit I was given, I ordered room service 1 of the nights I was there, and even with the giant trolley that was brought into the room, I still had plenty of space to move about.

I also especially appreciated that the premium rooms were on a corner, so not only did this allow a better view, but it also kept me separated from noisy neighbors (who I have a terrible tendency to be assigned next to).

Final Thoughts

Wellington is a stunning capital city — not only is it picturesque and by a harbor, it’s incredibly easy to walk to most of the city sights without having to travel too far! The InterContinental Wellington is the perfect hotel to stay at when visiting the city. You’ll be treated like royalty here if you’re an InterContinental Ambassador, and the hotel is one of the finest hotels within the city limits. I would return here without question!