Good hotel in a lot of respects but needs a facelift -especially the rooms. Staff are well trained and keen. Pool is a nice touch. Great breakfast if not a bit expensive

In Decmber I visited this hotel. This was below my expectations. Room was simple. Breakfast was good. Staff was friendly. But general impression was that hotel has old-fashioned outlook. location is next to "Alster".

We had to travel to Hamburg for a short business trip and decided to attach a weekend stay at the InterContinental on the end of the trip. The property is a little old, but that was more than compensated for by the attention of the staff, the location of the hotel, and the general character of Hamburg.
From the hotel you can walk to the main city centre attractions, which were themselves quite impressive. We were fortunate to arrive on a weekend when there was a boating event of some sort. This proved an added bonus, and I understand that there are regular events of this sort on the weekend.
The breakfast on Sunday morning was particularly impressive, but be sure to reserve a table.
One minor concern was the quality of the WiFi in the lobby. I travelled with the iPhone so could not use the (overly-priced) internet connection in the room, and the only positive about the WiFi in the lobby was that it was free.
The hotel was a great experience and one that we would recommend to anyone travelling to Hamburg. Hamburg as a city really impressed us with its character and quirky charm.

I stayed at the intercontinental hamburg for 2 nights on business recently. The weather was terrible, so didn't get out and about much and having had my flight cancelled, was absolutely bored stiffless in this hotel. You do not get free wifi in the rooms, this is the 21st century and a lot of people need internet access! You do get it in the lobby but it's very weak with an in and out signal.
Only 2 English tv channels bbc world and cnn news. Okay this is germany, i didn't expect too much but racked up a huge room bill watching movies to keep myself occupied in the evenings.
Tried to have a nice bath but this was impossible as the pipes made the most deafening humming sound after the water had run, meaning I couldn't stand to sit in there for more than 5 minutes. Bath was a strange shape as well so you can't lay down.

Those are my only cons - the hotel staff were very very pleasant, very welcoming and polite, nothing was too much for them. Nice clean towels provided in the rooms, dressing gowns and slippers, mini bar, tea and coffee making facilities etc.
Hotel is in a good location around 10 minutes walk from the train terminal.