Review: InterContinental Baku [Azerbaijan]

It’s been 3 years since I first visited Azerbaijan back in 2021. With my second visit, I was interested in exploring a little bit more of the luxury hotels in Baku.

To start, I chose the InterContinental Baku since I’d be arriving on the weekend, just in time to use my Ambassador Weekend Night certificate from InterContinental Ambassador status.

InterContinental Baku- Booking

I booked a 2-night stay using the Ambassador Complimentary Weekend Night where you can get the second night free if you book on the weekends in InterContinental Hotels. The certificate is earned through purchasing InterContinental Ambassador for $225 that can be renewed year over year.

The rate in total only amounts to $247 for 2 nights, which I think is awesome for a modern-looking InterContinental!

InterContinental Baku- Location

InterContinental Baku is located one block away from the seaside Baku Boulevard at Zariya Aliyeva Street. Next to the hotel are a Lamborghini car dealership and set of escalators to an underground pedestrian pathway that lets you walk safely to the Boulevard since Zariya Aliyeva St. is made for cars more than pedestrians.

InterContinental Baku- Check-in

I arrived to the hotel from an AZAL flight from Tbilisi at 7pm.

Check-in was smooth and the front desk welcomed me as a Diamond Elite Ambassador and explained all the benefits I would receive. This hotel goes above and beyond in delivering them by allowing me the Club Lounge access!

For IHG, the Club Lounge is only accessible if you book a room with access or by using the annual lounge pass earned through Milestones by staying at least 40 nights in a single calendar year. Status itself won’t get you access unless you’re Royal Ambassador that’d only work in InterContinental Hotels, and the requirement to get it is very vague.

But, InterContinental Baku will grant you access just by being a Diamond Elite! On top of that, I was able to get upgraded to the Executive Suite, get free breakfast, and even award me with the 600 points that you typically would have to choose in lieu of free breakfast as Diamond. Finally, I got a 15% off voucher for spa use, but I didn’t take up on it.

They also recognize that my birthday was on the next day of check-in and they’d told me they’d deliver a special cake for me. The service at this hotel leaves for very good first impressions!

InterContinental Baku- Executive Suite

The Executive Suite I was assigned to was Room 512. The suite is pretty much two rooms of similar size made into one. The light in the foyer can’t be turned off, but each entry to the rooms have doors that you can close.

To the right of the foyer is the living room area. The white gold accent on the walls fit with what I’d expect a nicer InterContinental looks like.

There’s even a full bathroom including showers too.

On the living room’s main desk, a welcome gift was presented to me. A  plate of baklava, macaroons, fruits, and a mini MOET Brut champagne.

And on the next day right on my birthday, a red velvet birthday cake was left in my room after a whole day of exploring countryside Azerbaijan. How cool! I was too tired to go out after that I had the whole cake for dinner.

Behind the desk is where the sofas are with a small coffee table in the middle.

In turn, across the sofas is where the TV is with additional seating and a globe. Quite a spcious living room, but I feel there’s a bunch of empty space in the middle between the TV and the sofas.

Moving to the bedroom area coming straight from the foyer, the setup is similar to the living room.

The bedroom area feels more compact than the living room. The king bed was comfortable.

There’s even a wireless charging pad. All the main functions and lighting of the room are conveniently placed by the bed.

Pantry contains a coffee machine and kettle to make your coffee and tea. Big water bottles are complimentary and replenished daily.

I raided the minibar to use the 34 AZN credit I got by having the InterContinental Ambassador status. In the Executive Suite, there are two minibars in both the living room and bedroom areas.

The closets on the far back contain ironing board, safe, and slippers.

The view is unfortunately nothing special compared to other luxury hotels in Baku like the Hilton, JW Marriott, or the Four Seasons. Though if my room’s on the other side, I might be able to see parts of the city’s iconic Flame Towers.

The bathroom in the bedroom area was identical to the one from the living room. There’s no bathtubs at all, however.

The bath amenities are Bal D’Afrique by Byredo; an InterContinental standard.

Overall, the Executive Suite is huge, but the living room area’s space feel a bit underutilized.

InterContinental Baku- Breakfast

Breakfast takes place in the Khamsa Restaurant in the lobby floor to the right of the main front desk.

Breakfast is standard international buffet with hot items, cold cuts, salads, fruits, pastries, and desserts from Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani desserts displayed are Azerbaijani-style baklava and shekarbura.

You may order custom egg dishes from the egg station at the back of the restaurant.

You can grill your own vegetables here which was interesting.

I wasn’t sure what to feel about the breakfast overall. It’s either that they weren’t that good, or it was that time when I started feeling jaded about hotel breakfast in general. Either way, I didn’t come for breakfast the next day.

InterContinental Baku- Club Lounge

Even though I was granted the Club Lounge access, I was only able to check it out on the first night at around 9PM. Sadly, the main offerings were already gone, but the check-in staff at the lounge asked if I would still like some snacks, which I said sure to. I also asked for Coke Zero.

I was the only one in the lounge, and the hours can be seen down below on the sign by the entry.

The lounge is small but cozy. It really feels like a secret club of some sort. There’s a terrace where you can go outside to and feel the breeze while enjoying some of the view. Though it’s not much coming from the location of the hotel.

When the staff brought the “snacks” I didn’t expect it to be a plate full of carbs and protein! I felt bad for not being able to finish them.

InterContinental Baku- Fitness Center

The hotel’s gym is on the basement floor and is open 24/7. It is very small and somehow looks kind of outdated (?) compared to other luxury hotel gyms in Baku.

InterContinental Baku- Pool & Spa

The pool is also in the basement floor on the door next to the gym. It’s quite small and looks more like a Holiday Inn pool and does not seem to fit a luxury hotel standard. The quality seems similar to the gym, and they contrast from how modern the rooms are.

It felt like a massive downgrade just after checking out the Paragraph Freedom Square in Tbilisi!

There are showers you can use to rinse by the flight of stairs.

Then, there’s a relaxation area behind a wall by the showers that’s oddly placed.

For spa facilities, the hotel has a sauna room and Turkish hammam room. Additionally there are paid services like massages that you can book appointments for on the spa reception.

Conclusion

The InterContinental Baku is a decent hotel overall. The rooms are modern and clean, and the treatment for Diamond Elite members is very good with complimentary access to the Club Lounge without needing a lounge pass. The location is good too, though there are few hotels footsteps away that make for much better view by being positioned right by the Caspian Sea.

Outside of that, the facilities are a bit disappointing. Breakfast was not good, and the pool and gym felt like they belong to a Holiday Inn.

Though it probably is still the best IHG hotel in Baku, but it probably belongs in the middle of the pack of Baku’s luxury hotel options.