Starting from this blog post, all image sizes have been doubled, so they will appear much sharper on Retina displays.
This is a belated blog post from June 18…
It was my first time visiting Ningbo. In my mind, Ningbo has always been famous for its seafood since it’s near the coast, but actually, the sea is still some distance away—you have to go all the way to Zhoushan to reach it, so I didn’t see the ocean at all during this trip… Coming out of the train station, on the way to the hotel, Ningbo felt quite run-down; the buildings looked old and low-rise, with some only half-demolished, until we entered the High-Tech Zone… The scene changed instantly—it was like stepping right into a CBD, filled with towering skyscrapers…
This is what the hotel exterior looks like; the upper floors are not yet open.
One major highlight of InterContinental Ningbo is its affordability. Overall, the hardware is excellent—the owner clearly has deep pockets. I booked a Deluxe Room at a 30% weekend discount and received an upgrade to a Club Room. Both the room and the upgrade were pretty standard; the room size is decent, featuring the typical business-style InterContinental decor, with the electric toilet being the only notably modern touch.
The lobby is fairly grand:
The all-day dining restaurant is massive, so there shouldn’t be any queues for breakfast~~~ It also features a super-large outdoor section.
The gardens and pools below are all part of the hotel grounds:
The Club Lounge is temporary and located right next to the lobby. It’s very small, with fewer than 10 tables. Fortunately, it wasn’t crowded either. There were only one or two staff members inside, and even the sparkling water was out of stock—tough times… But the food was actually quite good.
The view from the window isn’t great—just a small lake surrounded by construction sites:
Finally, the routine scoring (See criteria here):
Hardware: 8
Location: 6. Far from the subway; basically reliant on taxis, and hardly anything to explore nearby.
Room: 8. Average size, layout slightly awkward, strong A/C, slightly dated.
Sleep: 9. Comfortable mattress, quiet.
Linens: 10.
Bathroom: 10.
Amenities: 9.
AV/Entertainment: 8.
Minibar: 8.
Others: 8.
Gym: 8. Not very large, limited equipment.
Software: 7.5
Concierge: N/A.
Front Desk: 8. Very good service, average speed.
Membership: 8. One-level upgrade.
Welcome: 8. Fruit, luggage tags.
Turndown Service: 8.
Breakfast: 7. Decent variety, acceptable taste, but no surprises. I heard the pan-fried buns, chicken feet, and noodles are the three signature items, but they’re hard to get. Tried the pan-fried buns, but they weren’t as good as expected.
Lounge: 6. Temporary setup, average selection, very small space, uncrowded.
Photos in this post taken with SONY A5100 + 16-50 f3.5-5.6, post-processed in Lightroom.
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