InterContinental Riyadh, an IHG Hotel

Everything is excellent
The location & service

My stay at InterContinental was incredibly comfortable and peaceful. This wasn’t my first time staying here, and it certainly won’t be my last. I will always choose this place because everyone is so friendly, especially the reception staff, who are very accommodating. Special mention to Elo, who assisted me every step of the way. I will definitely keep coming back!

The InterCon Riyadh has become my home away from home. Sprawling hotel with a ton of facilities and amenities (a bowling alley!). Renovations have led to some hiccups but service levels remain exceptionally high. People are well trained and very hospitable. Try to make sure you have Club access. It’s a gem. If and when you do, please send my regards to Mohammad Altaf, the long time serving presence in the lounge - wonderful man.

Excellent stay! Easy check in, gym was far more than I could have expected, and breakfast in the club lounge was worth the additional expense. Morning jazz at breakfast and great service from Altaf and Albis. I’d certainly come back!

The most common phrase you'll hear here is: "Sorry sir, this will be charged extra!"

As a frequent traveler, staying in hotels 150-170 nights a year, you make your experiences—especially in Asia and Arab countries. ALL Diamond, IHG Gold, "over customer expectations"—I know that all too well. But forget about that at the InterContinental Riyadh.

The first impression at check-in was—let's just say—"obligatory friendliness."
The second impression in the room was—wow, that's an exorbitant price for this somewhat dated room. After much discussion about an (unaffordable) higher category, my request for an alternative was granted. "Sorry sir, that needs to be charged!"
Upgrade with points not possible! An upgrade would have cost more than €100 extra, bringing the room price to a mere €450 instead of the hefty €350 per night! Nope!!—
The next experience was at the pool. The choice fell on one of the 20 empty sun pavilions, because there were also 50 free more simple sun beds in front of it.
You know what followed: “Sorry sir, this will be extra charged!” For €50? Nope!!

Mr. Peter, Hotel GM, …here a lot of things can be improved. I would recommend making a visit to IHG Bangkok, Saigon or Hanoi… to get just a little closer to the standards IHG members enjoy in Dubai and the Asian world.

If you are vising the hotel without staying as a guest, it's fantastic. Amazing concierge and front door staff; beautifully decorated reception and lounging areas and meeting rooms; amazing breakfast buffet and restaurant staff; special lunch/ dinner buffet themes at the restaurant; tasty food and comfortable seating at the two cafes and club lounge; excellent room service; gift store and a couple of shops; pool and golf and gym; a cute seating area with historical cultural representations of a Saudi home; MASSIVE IC club lounge for member with delicious food and outdoor area with amazing view.

HOWEVER, do not stay overnight as a guest! Here's why:

1. Cleanliness. The room was disgusting. There was a layer of dust over everything, I could write on the surfaces. There were cobwebs in the bathroom; icky musty smell in the drawers and shelves; a couple of insects around the cupboard area; sour smell of the pillows (we debated whether it was sweat or the cleaning chemicals). Even the white slippers had dirt marks on them. Our theory is that no guests have stayed in the suite since it was cleaned a long time ago, and because we upgraded to this suite upon check-in, the front desk did not alert housekeeping to clean it again. (The housekeeping staff were terrific and thorough after that first arrival date.)
2. Maintenance. Both toilets clogged on first usage, and a pipe leaked from the ceiling leading water to drip down onto the bathroom, resulting in maintenance having to evaluate and then engineering team to come back later to fix it.
3. Addressing problems. The nonchalant attitude of front desk and duty manager towards the problems was shocking. No voluntary expressions of shock or regret. No check-in later to make sure things were rectified or to see how we were doing. No offer to change the room or refund any amount. No apology letter from the manager. Just matter of fact "we will complain to housekeeping" and "the engineer will come at x time to fix the pipe".
4. Upkeep. The property is old and the hallways to the rooms and rooms themselves had torn and frayed carpets, spaces between carpet and floorboards, peeling and marks on the wall paper, springy bed, cushion detached from the chair stool, etc.
5. WiFi. It was slow, spotty, and continuously disrupted, even in the lobby area and on all connected devices. No way to watch anything or even have audio calls. One of our TVs kept getting stuck when it was loading, not sure if that's related.
6. Mosquitos. I have no idea where they came from, but I killed two.
7. Temperature control. I was good that there was heating, but overall the A/C systems and also sink water were hard to fully control to our satisfaction.

Overall, the experience is completely unacceptable for a 5-star hotel, and all the problems wasted a lot of time and precious sleep from us, especially the leaking ceiling which was discovered early morning and meant multiple phone calls, maintenance coming and going, housekeeping having to repeatedly clean the mess, etc. We ended up missing breakfast that morning and had to order and pay for room service breakfast instead. We could have accepted the outdated property but cleanliness and leaking pipes are beyond fathomable.

We would NOT stay here again, and we informed all our colleagues and family friends at KFSH to not recommend this hotel again.

Great service from Mohamed Altai and food in lounge. Perfect way to start and end the day.

Keep coming again for the club lounge

The service in the business lounge by Mr. Mohamed Altaf is simply outstanding. His extra care, attention to the details and hands on support make a real difference, ensuring quality is always delivered at the highest level. An amazing experience with amazing service, this is what truly makes the lounge and the hotel unique. Thanks Altaf for making my experience unique.

This was my first time here, I stopped by this place to attend a wedding, this hotel is such a gorgeous property and staff were very polite. We can’t wait to come back again soon. Thank you so much to the entire staff for having us.

joudyan olaya riyadh by elaf is one of good hotel,very neat and clean rooms and bathrooms with nice linen and furnitures.

It was an outstanding stay, as usual, with very warm reception, in particular, from the receptionist, Alsuwadan, who welcomed me and do necessary check-in as well as utilizing voucher rewards against room services.

I am a frequent guest to Riyadh Intercontinental and feel i am staying at home.

This is a hotel in sore need of renovation. It reminded me of a relic of the 1980s. The pool was not operational. I would give it a 4.2 rating. Certainly, it is nowhere near as good as the Mövenpick Hotel, where I also stayed. The breakfast was not bad, and I appreciated being offered a car to take me to swim in the adjacent hotel.

Comfortable Stay, Excellent location and Professional staff. I definitely will stay in the future in this hotel and recommend it.

Old enough to think twice to check out and leave.
Smoking detecter was not covered. It flashed all night long.
When asking to chance the room, they changed it after so many trails. Recipients was not easy going.

Saddam was so lovely at breakfast making perfect cappuccinos 🙂 and the breakfast options were delicious too.. great egg bar

Overall experience was fabulous with Intercontinental Riyadh and the staff were very welcoming and friendly especially front desk and housekeeping employees so kind and helpful
Highly recommend it to everyone for Intercontinental Riyadh

This is my 5times visit this hotel in riyadh which is the intercontinental hotel and it was very nice experience especially with the staff in the restaurant , they are very accommodating especial mention to Ms.Jai sie and Mr. mansour luise.Surely I’ll be back ! Thank you so much! Appreciate.

Saddam was great at looking after us, and he made great chai and dosas. He recommended cool places to visit and was very hospitable towards us.

InterContinental Riyadh – A Disappointing Stay
As a loyal IHG customer, I’ve always valued the brand’s reliability, but my recent stay at the InterContinental Riyadh fell far short of expectations. Check-in was quick and efficient, and I received a room upgrade due to my membership status, which was a nice touch. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives ended.
The upgraded room felt dated and wasn’t very clean. The carpeting was old and visibly dirty, which was unappealing. While the bed was comfortable, the air conditioning was so noisy it kept me awake. The bathroom was a major letdown—outdated, with tepid shower water and barely any water pressure. Entertainment options were also lacking, with very few English TV channels available.
Half the hotel is under renovation, leaving most amenities closed. The gym was particularly disappointing: tiny (around 40 m²), with a dirty floor that made me reluctant to use a mat. There were no machines, just minimal equipment, and on two of the three days I visited, no towels or water were provided. I could literally touch the ceiling with my arms stretched!
The lobby restaurant was another low point. The food, especially the schnitzel, was overcooked and nearly inedible—easily the worst meal I had in Riyadh. On a brighter note, the staff at the entrance were very friendly and welcoming.
This hotel may have been grand once, but it now feels like a fading dame. Its location is inconvenient, too, as Riyadh’s growth is shifting north, making it at least a 30-minute drive to most business meetings. At the price they’re charging, it’s simply not worth it. I’d recommend opting for even a 4-star Holiday Inn in the city, which would likely offer a better experience. Note: I didn’t try the breakfast or buffet, which other reviews praise, but based on my stay, I won’t be returning.

Today was one of my most disappointing experiences at this hotel in Riyadh. After a long journey, I never expected such a poor start. The welcome was far below expectations, and the confusion and delays at check-in were unlike anything I had experienced here before.