The Hotel and the Fig

Hotel Dar Al Iman Intercontinental

I have been visiting the Holy Mosque in Madinah, Saudi Arabia since 2007. This year, 2018, I made the trip to Madinah with my father and sister.

In this blog, I will be discussing my hospitality experience in Madinah.

We arrived in the city as scheduled in October 2018. My father, sister and I checked into the Intercontinental Madinah Dar Al Hijra Hotel. Sadly, we did not have a pleasant experience at this hotel and had to relocate. The next option we decided to try was the Intercontinental Madinah Dar Al Iman, and it turned out to be a good choice.

At the front desk, while making inquiries about booking a room, my father, sister and I were directed to the dedicated desk for Hotel Intercontinental Spire members, a club which I belong. We were warmly welcomed by Ms Manaal, the front desk officer on that shift. She seemed so graceful which was an extra assurance we would enjoy our stay at the hotel. The ever-smiling reservation shift leader – Mr Ahmed Albejawi promptly booked us into Room Number 533, which offered an amazing view of the city. It was also a spacious one bedroom suite.

The next day, after checking out of the previous hotel, we arrived at the Intercontinental Madinah Dar Al Iman where we stayed from October 14 to October 19, 2018. While at the hotel, we were nicely treated and received some notable privileges because I am a Hotel Intercontinental Spire Elite member. At the front desk, my family members and I were greeted by Mr Aseel Al Rafaie, the courteous and friendly front guest relations manager who acknowledged my status as an IHG Spire Elite member. He checked us in and so our experience began.

Entering the room the first time, I noticed the member exclusive souvenir gift from the IHG and the welcoming letter had not been placed in the room. I love collecting these souvenirs because they are a pleasant reminder of the IHG properties I have visited in the past. In this case, I assumed the hotel might have run out of the souvenirs.

The Business Suite

The air-conditioned suite was nice and comfortable. It featured a living room, dining section, private bathroom (which had marble finishing, a bathtub, and toilet), and powder room. In the suite was a kitchenette which made me feel happy because of its value. However, in there is no microwave oven in the kitchenette. I strongly suggest that a microwave is installed in the kitchenette to make guests happy.

Other features in the room include a mini bar, safe deposit box, free Wi-Fi, and two satellite flat-screen TVs. However, I think the TV channels for guests should be reviewed. It would be nice if a news channel from Pakistan was added to the list. For example, ARY Digital, Dawn News or Samaa TV, etc., are good channels guests will enjoy viewing while relaxing in the suite.

Dining at Hotel Intercontinental Dar Al Iman Madinah

We dined at the Rotana restaurant during our stay. The menu here features Arabian and international cuisine for breakfast. As an IHG Privilege member, we experienced fantastic service. The staffs were extremely pleasant, always smiling and well-coordinated under the guidance of Ms Hind, the quality control supervisor. She is a hospitable lady who ensured the welfare of every guest at the hotel.

The Hotel

The Intercontinental Madinah Dar Al Iman hotel has a perfect location in the courtyard of theProphet’s Mosque. The hotel is close to the shopping and commercial centre. We were happy to find the Taiba Mall and the Bin Dawood Supermarket next to the hotel. It is also only twenty minutes’drive from the Madinah International Airport.

Our stay at the hotel was made memorable by the helpful female staff at the reception, the housekeeping unit, coordinated by Mr Mohammad Hafez– Director of housekeeping; they were experienced and hardworking. We were also pleased with the housekeeping floor supervisor who personally ensured beautiful flowers were placed in the suite hallway every alternate day.

Finally, I would like to happily mention the friendly Mr Hamada who is the chief concierge at the hotel. Mr Hamada helped me weigh my luggage, and he also helped to obtain a copy of my flight ticket from the business centre for free at the last minute.

In The End

I will conclude this blog by stating I am indeed pleased with the positive reforms I observed in Saudi Arabia. The women now occupy reputable job positions because gender discrimination in the workplace has been reduced. I must commend the women for their courage and the hotel for providing a respectable environment where women can work and earn a decent living.