InterContinental Lyon: Hotel Dieu Review

InterContinental Lyon, France

This article combines general information about InterContinental Lyon with our own experience of staying in the hotel in the following order:

1. Location
2. Hotel Dieu
3. Why We Chose to Stay
4. First Impressions
5. Check-in
6. Room 346
7. Drinks in Le Dome
8. The Courtyards
9. Amenities
10. Money-Saving Tips

1. Location

Hotel Dieu is located in France's third largest city, Lyon. It lies 243 miles southeast of the capital, Paris, and 173 miles north of Marseille, France's second city.

Lyon

Located at the confluence of two major rivers, the Saone and the Rhone, Lyon has much to commend it. It is the capital of gastronomy. Several areas of the city; Vieux Lyon, Fourviere, Presqu'ile, and Croix-Rousse are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is on one of these, Presqu'ile, that Hotel Dieu has a prominent position on the banks of the River Rhone, at the heart of the city.

2. Hotel Dieu

The first building on the site was a meeting place and refuge for local and traveling clergy. With the arrival of the first doctor, in 1454, the role of the building changed and it became a hospital. Expansion projects in the 17th and 18th centuries are responsible for the current building with wings and courtyards.

After three years of gradual transfers, the hospital closed in 2010. Hotel Dieu was classified as a historical monument in 2011. In April 2018 Grand Hotel Dieu opened with a collection of upmarket shops, bars, restaurants, cafes, and other attractions.

In June 2019, InterContinental Lyon - Hotel Dieu opened to guests.

3. Why We Chose to Stay

Due to a credit card spend, we had a free night to use in any InterContinental Hotel Group hotel. It made sense to go for a top brand in the IHG portfolio. Around the time Hotel Dieu opened in 2019, we received a flyer in the post about the new hotel. I was intrigued by the details and the history. When we were searching around for our next night away, Hotel Dieu came to mind.

Added to that, friends of ours had visited Lyon a few years ago and recommended it for a city break. As a child, I recall passing by the city many times on the autoroute during long drives from the Channel coast to the South of France. I was intrigued to explore Lyon, France's capital of gastronomy.

4. First Impressions

The Exterior

There is no doubt that the great edifice of Grand Hotel Dieu (to give it its full name) is impressive. However, my expectations, based on the advertising flyer we had received for the hotel, differed a little from reality. The picture from the other side of the River Rhone failed to show the four-lane highway with slip roads that run between the hotel and the river.

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I originally expected the InterContinental Hotel to occupy the entire building. I later learned after further research that the hotel is one feature of this high-end shopping and dining center.

We were unsure of how to get to the hotel entrance. Having entered Hotel Dieu from the south, we found ourselves in Cour du Midi, an upmarket shopping area. Walking through cloisters and courtyards, we eventually came in at the back of the hotel, beneath the Grand Dome.

The entrance hall of InterContinental Lyon, from back to front.

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The Interior

In his work on InterContinental Lyon the project manager, Jean-Philippe Nuel, sought to preserve as much of the original features of Hotel Dieu as possible. This is evident in the entrance hall, immediately below the Grand Dome. Modern glass doors at the front and rear, a small desk for the doorman, and rental bikes are concessions to the modern era. Other features appear to echo the original entrance of Hotel Dieu.

The Layout

Entering from the front to the right was the conciergerie and to the left, reception. But before either of these, in a nice touch, Nuel has left on either side a small sitting area; two comfortable seats by a window with the original stone floor.

Conciergerie

Both the Conciergerie and check-in area have lifts to the guest floors on either side of Le Dome bar.

The Conciergerie has desks with seating opposite the lifts for the concierges and hotel guests. There is further comfortable seating and low tables in two carpeted areas, forming a lounge, running along the front of the building. At the far end, double doors lead into Epona, the hotel's restaurant. There is also access to restrooms in the basement.

The main colors of gold and dark grey in the furnishings and the screens with floral motifs give the area a luxurious feel.

5. Check-in

We were directed into the Check-in area by a helpful doorman. There is a desk with seating near a window and further desks at the end of the room in front of an impressive bookcase. Old medical textbooks are on the shelves, linking back to Hotel Dieu's former use as a hospital. The gold and grey color scheme matches that near the Conciergerie. The painted beams in the high ceiling hark back to an earlier era.

We were given a warm and friendly welcome and offered seats in front of a desk. The check-in was smooth and efficient. We were assured of an upgrade and were pleased to be allocated a superior room with a Rhone view. We were also pleasantly surprised to find that our room was ready, although we were over 90 minutes early for Check-in at 15:00.

All our questions were answered well. We were offered a welcome amenity or points. The offer of two drinks in Le Dome bar was too good to refuse. We were also granted a late check-out time of 14:00 the next day.

We were directed towards the lifts opposite the Conciergerie. A key card was required to activate the lift. The cases were taken for us. Our room was on the third and top floor. We walked past the Presidential Suite. A key card was required again to access the corridor. It was interesting to note how modern hotel facilities have been molded and adapted within this historic building. The ceilings are high with stonework visible on one wall. The corridors are surprisingly narrow, but for a designer working within the confines of an old building, this allows more space in the rooms.

6. Room 346

The first thing that struck us when we entered room 346 was the height of the ceiling. Working within the original historic building, the project manager Jean Philippe Nuel, has stuck with the original design of high ceilings. Although new, the 12-paned window echoed the previous design. The oak flooring and deep linear oak window sill were in keeping with the original building. The latter indicated how thick the original walls were.

The View

This was a room with a view. Although relatively quiet, with little in the way of river traffic, the River Rhone in the Spring was a pleasant sight to behold.

The Layout

A linear oak door opened onto a generous entrance with a lowered ceiling. To the left was a sliding door to the shower room. To the right were refreshment facilities. Around the corner to the right, beyond the wardrobe, was an interconnecting door.

The ceiling heightened noticeably beyond the entrance area. The window was opposite the main door. Along the wall to the right was a suitcase stand, mirror, and low cupboard with a flatscreen TV on the wall. There was an oval table wedged in the corner with a chair.

The bed was against the opposite internal wall with a sofa at its foot.

The bed and sofa in room 346.

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The Decor

The oak floor was echoed by the deep window sill and the linear oak effect doors, wooden furniture, and the tall panels, on either side of the bed to the high ceiling. The flatscreen TV was set into a linear oak frame.

The walls were mainly painted white, apart from the feature wall opposite the bed, which was a dark, gun metal grey. This matched the dark-paneled window frame and the padded, winged, tall backboard to the bed.

Soft furnishings were in grey with a selection of gold cushions. The black-out curtains toned in with a light shade of grey and there was a grey carpet under the bed. The bedding was white, as were the net curtains at the window.

The gold color theme was echoed by some light fittings.

The colors in the room were united in a modern art feature, on the wall opposite the bed.

The oak theme continued near the bed.

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The Furniture

A floor-to-ceiling fitted unit wrapped around the corner towards the inter-connecting door. Opposite the bathroom, there was a cupboard, containing the minibar. Above it, an alcove with mirrors on three sides was the site of the hot drinks facilities.