General Overview:

The InterContinental is positioned as a 4-star business hotel offering the most flexible self -contained meeting space in the city. The hotel already hosts a number of global advisory boards and regional investigator meetings and has space designed for small meetings or those with large scale main sessions, multiple breakout rooms and exhibit space requirements. The hotel is located on the Danube river, opposite Buda Castle within walking distance of the city centre. The airport is approximately 30 minutes’ drive by taxi.

Location and Setting:

The InterContinental Budapest is located on the Pest side of the city, some 30 minutes’ taxi ride from Budapest’s Liszt Ferenc airport, within walking distance of the city centre and directly next to the Danube river. On the riverside, you will find a view to both the river and Buda castle from the reception, bar, restaurant and some of the meeting rooms. The main entrance looks to the Chain bridge and the rear of the hotel, including the main ballroom, looks to the city and the buildings directly to this side. The river walk runs the length of one side of the hotel and is a place for locals and those visiting the city for business to enjoy the river setting and access some of the riverboat restaurants that are located here. Especially at night the lighting on the opposite side of the river is impressive.

Fit for Purpose: The InterContinental has a positioning in the meetings and events and leisure markets and for independent business travellers. Facilities are provided for both types of groups with extensive meeting facilities in a dedicated space, sitting with, but apart from those spaces used by leisure guests such as the Spa and club lounge for business travellers. The architecture of the hotel is modern as one can expect of a hotel built in 1981, the exterior being modern in styling and does not reflect the often-gothic style of many other buildings in the city. Overall the styling is contemporary, executive level and comfortable. The hotel does not attempt to use design features and décor as a way of delivering a luxury and upscale product.

Facilities: The Corso bar is located on the lobby level with views to the river and Buda castle and offers snacks during the day and operates as a piano bar during the evening. Next to the Corso bar is the Corso restaurant with 250 seats for buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner. For groups, which might use the restaurant for lunch or dinner the space can be reserved privately with a choice or buffet or set course menus. Semi private spaces can also be reserved when it is preferred to move from the meeting space level. Like the bar area the restaurant looks onto the river. Both spaces are decorated modestly in a contemporary style and are not recognised as upscale or Michelin level. The club lounge is located on the meetings floor is a good size with space for over 50 person’s complimentary snacks served at breakfast, lunch and dinner, computer access, a library and a number of seated areas overlooking the river and historic chain bridge from the lobby facing side of the hotel. Other than the single door from the corridor to the meeting space the club lounge would not be visible at all.

Meetings:

There are in total 14 meetings rooms on level 1 including the ballroom, which with the use of movable walls can turn three separate rooms into one with a capacity of 850 person’s theatre style. Natural daylight is possible however, cleverly removable walls can block this to create a blacked-out space. Directly opposite the Ballroom are the 5 Panorama rooms with river views and capacities of approximately 40 person’s theatre style each, perfect also for U shape and boardroom style for advisory board meetings. Between both rooms refreshments can be served and lunch if required in pre-function area 1. At the entrance to this meeting space is pre-function area III which can be used for exhibits and adjacent to that 4 further meeting rooms. Access can be made directly, via the staircase, to the street for group arrivals and day meetings would only need to touch the meeting space not any of the public areas of the hotel. Registration can be taken on this arrivals floor and lifts or the stair case used to directly access the meeting areas. The club lounge and Spa are located on the meetings floor, discreetly in each corner and the lifts here have direct access to all bedrooms, the reception level and of course the meetings floor.

Bedrooms: There are 402 bedrooms at the InterContinental hotel, 190 classic or entry level rooms (23m²) with city views, 129 superior rooms (23m²) which are the same size as the classic rooms but with river views, 57 deluxe rooms (27m²) which are slightly larger than the classic and superior rooms but of the same design and include the same amenities. There is 1 presidential suite. There is no executive floor with the club lounge found on the meeting level separating this from the bedrooms. All rooms are decorated to the same contemporary design, comfortable, with heavy curtains, dark textures and an overall design style that is slightly more stylish than executive. All rooms are fit for business with access to free Wi-Fi, tea and coffee making facilities including an expresso machine, cabled internet a safe, iron, ironing board and bath robes and slippers. The minibar can be un-stocked and the card to order your turn down serve removed, which leaves behind a contemporary room, modest in size and matching the needs of a business traveller. 248 rooms have river views however, 154 classic and superior rooms do not which means the hotel has a high capacity for larger meetings wishing to use this type of room block.

Leisure: The Spa at the InterContinental provides mostly hotel guests with facilities that reflect the name, a small indoor pool, fitness room, sauna, steam room and treatment rooms. There is a modest external membership and the spa is not themed or decorated to reflect a concept space. The Spa can be seen from the meeting floor in a discrete corridor and is not visible from the public areas of the hotel.

The hotels website uses images of the city as a reminder of its location and alignment to the leisure market, which also uses the hotel. As a brand, InterContinental has a range of property styles from city centre business locations, such as in Budapest, to luxury venues in cities and resorts. Some of that broad positioning and language appropriate for the leisure market can be seen in the website format but should not distract from the venue as a flexible, business centric meeting location.

This hotel has a reputation for being more upscale in terms of architecture and decor. However, we believe that, while the decor is slightly above that of an executive level, it is still within the parameters that are usually acceptable for meetings. The meeting space is extensive and has its own entrance.

This hotel is not officially star-rated, but may have previously been 5-star. Like the majority of the hotel industry, it does not use or promote industry star ratings and employs perceptions ratings e.g. Google, to provide a perspective of high service levels.

External leisure travel sites and some legacy IHG pages describe the hotel as 5-star, and sales and marketing messaging do use some elevated language. In our opinion, the venue is executive-level, with decor and branding consistent with an upscale business offering.

This venue has leisure facilities aimed toward individual guests and does not have a pool but chargeable massage treatments are available. These are on the -1 level and away from public and meeting spaces.