InterContinental Quanzhou

The InterContinental brand encompasses everything from lavish mountain resorts to equally lavish skyscraper-bound city hotels and, in the process, demonstrates that the two extremes have much in common. The InterContinental Quanzhou is closer to the latter category, standing over the waterfront in the port city for which it’s named. But its setting, within the mixed-use Tahoe Plaza retail and entertainment development, lends it something of a resort aspect; there’s even an amusement park on site.

Fortunately the carnival atmosphere does not extend inside the InterContinental’s doors. This is as stately and sedate a luxury hotel as anything in the brand’s portfolio; the style is contemporary, but far from avant-garde. The in-room comforts are high-end, from 49-inch LCD televisions and rain showers to, in some units, deep soaking tubs with views over the Jinjiang River.

Meeting and events facilities are legion, and further inducements include a spa, a fitness center, and an impressive indoor swimming pool. And among the InterContinental’s restaurants and bars are Commune, a versatile open-kitchen restaurant concept, and Cai Feng Lou, serving a high-end interpretation of local Quanzhou favorites as well as Fujian and Guangdong dishes.