The Intercontinental Barclay is a great Royal Ambassador hotel.  The agent at the dedicated Ambassador check-in desk (where you may be seated, instead of standing in the sometimes long lines at reception) explained, “Royal Ambassadors are supposed to get suites.”

And so I did.

 

This is not a truly world class hotel, by any means.  Turndown service is performed and they… turn down your bed and turn on the CD player.  They didn’t deliver any chocolates or bottled waters, fortunately Royal Ambassadors receive complimentary drinks from the minibar so it hardly mattered.

The bathrooms, even in a suite, are tiny and virtually identical to bathrooms in standard rooms.  The closets, however, both in suites and regular rooms are quite large for New York City.  In fact, rooms here generally are large by New York standards, though perhaps I’ve spent too many nights at the W New York (the one on Lex).

All in all a lovely stay, though I do wish the hotel had a club lounge.