Let's face it, you don't really go to Riyadh for pleasure, but the Intercontinental made my business stay there much more enjoyable than I expected. The facilities are extremely good and the service is on the whole excellent (with one exception, see below).

When arriving in Riyadh, be prepared for the fact that taxi drivers don't generally know where the hotel is, even if you write the address for them in Arabic as I did. A fifteen minute mobile call to the hotel (admittedly at gone midnight after a delayed flight got in) didn't help much - the concierge I got through to was absolutely no help at all, and we ended up having to pull over into a petrol station to get directions. Once you arrive there, this actually begins to make sense - despite being very central (right near to the Ministry of the Interior) it's so self-contained and hidden away from the main road - and, for that matter, behind some pretty intimidating security checkpoints - that it's understandable why even local people might be unaware of its existence. It's more like a complex than a hotel, and it's very big.

On first arrival, you do spend a few minutes wondering if you've somehow travelled in time back to 1973. The architecture of the main foyer, and for that matter the rest of the hotel, is a real period piece - it's *extremely* eccentric, but by the end of my stay (several days) it had really grown on me. Although it's old fashioned, it has a certain coolness and the whole hotel's certainly very well maintained... you don't feel that you're in a place that's seen better days at all. Admittedly it's a bit of a labyrinth - getting to my business colleague's room on the next floor always seemed to involve a ten minute walk - but that actually makes the experience more interesting I suppose.

All the rooms are pretty much identical without (importantly) being anonymous - large with a separate desk area, absolutely pristine, and very comfortable. I especially loved the fact that the doors are set back from the main corridor so you're guaranteed total peace - there's no noise at all once you're in your room. Lots of nice little extras in the room too, including a mini bar with things in you might actually want to eat or drink, etc. Internet was free but incredibly slow, but I doubt that's their fault. My TV was a brand new one, but the reception was a bit variable.

Facilities in the hotel are really, really good. The gym's absolutely excellent and has every machine going, and the pools are great (although a bit cold after 10pm) - especially because hardly anyone else uses them. We didn't venture to the golf course (the hotel's got its own).

All the food I had was fine - there's lots of choice and amazingly for Riyadh there was plenty of vegetarian stuff available. Service is very fast and polite if a bit anonymous - most of the staff are expats. This, together with the facts that the hotel's so huge and self-contained and that nearly the entire clientele's international, can make you feel slightly like you're marooned on a ship instead of in Saudi Arabia at all. You sort of forget where you are after a while, which is a bit of a shame - although you're smack bang in the middle of Riyadh, you might as well not be, and if you want to go anywhere you need to book a car. I suppose for some people that would be a plus, but for me it meant that I didn't feel that I really got much taste of where I actually was.

Which brings me to my only real gripe - just getting OUT of the hotel is a nightmare. We booked drivers four or five times well in advance, and EVERY time had to do it again when we came down to reception at the appointed time. Each time this generally meant a ten to fifteen minute wait, by which time you start getting stressed that you're going to be late. First time this happened it was ok... the second time it was a bit annoying... by the fourth or fifth time it was really maddening.

I'd definitely recommend this hotel to anyone going to Riyadh on business (who wasn't too bothered about seeing much of the city itself). For tourists, however... I'm not so sure. It's very comfortable and has excellent facilities and service. Just remember that it's hard to get to and hard to get out of... but when you're there it's fine!

Stayed there on Business the facilities in the suites were excellent and the food at the hotel next to faultless. I had an unfortunate evening when my meal had been forgotten and my companians had finished their meals. I was offered cakes and coffeee in the room and the following evenings we were always served by the managing staff.

The out door swimming pool was cold but the indoor pool was like a bath. It hosts a fantastic gymnasium and Bowling too. I am not a golfer but the course did look inviting.

The staff there were very friendly and the food in their restaurants was great value for money, much less than you would expect to pay in such a hotel.