InterContinental Hotels: Priority Club & Inter-Continental Ambassador - Pursue RA or move on?

Quick background.. I am one a few travelers for a large company.. as such I typically pay full fare for all of my stays regardless of property.

Just over a year ago I called to book a stay at an IC property.. agent stated that I was a Platinum (didn't realize it) and I should sign up for the Ambassador program as it was a nice perk for XXXXX points. Did so and she called the hotel to inform them that I would be checking in for a few days and got a very nice welcome and room. All downhill from that point on.

Year to date have @ 18 stays in 9 different locations. I enjoy the IC hotels tremendously, but as a 180+ night a year traveler, I get very tired from starting over with new programs. As I have now discovered, upgrades, amenities are tough at best. I basically cashed in points for a bogo cert it seems. I have had to request that movies be taken off the bill so many times that I don't even bother watching them any more.

Upside is that I really enjoy all the IC locations that I have stayed in even more so that the W's and RC's that I so often frequent.

Is there that big of a difference between the RA and the Amb side of the program? If not.. I am moving on..

Thanks

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/intercontinental-hotels-priority-club-inter-continental-ambassador/375550-please-post-your-royal-ambassador-experiences.html

See it for yourself

I would have thought that enjoying the hotel more than others would be a reason in itself

If you attain Royal Ambassador status then you will get entitlement ( on a paid stay ) to either a suite or club room plus free drinks from the mini bar. Also, the 8am check in I have found useful on numerous occasions

I would have thought that enjoying the hotel more than others would be a reason in itself

You would think that... wouldn't you? Never been a DYKWIA type.. but it's nice to feel appreciated at my "homes" away from home.

I'm guessing the problem you're facing as an Ambassador is that the program is spotty at best due to different properties coming up with different interpretations of what an "upgrade" constitutes, so some properties will stick you in a made-up category and claim they upgraded you when in fact it's the same deluxe room you booked.

RA, on the other hand, is very well-defined. Hotels have to give you early check-in, late check-out, suite upgrade, minibar etc. on paid stays and there's no ambiguity. I've certainly found my stays to be much more enjoyable when the benefits are laid out and there's no need to fight for them.

RA, on the other hand, is very well-defined. Hotels have to give you early check-in, late check-out, suite upgrade, minibar etc. on paid stays and there's no ambiguity. I've certainly found my stays to be much more enjoyable when the benefits are laid out and there's no need to fight for them.


I am on my way to giving up my RA this year. In the last 18 months the upgrades have been spotty, early check in not not honored at least three times because they were full and the minibar privilege has been spotty at best.

At my renewal I got a letter that made it sound like IHG was doing me a favor by extending my RA. My response to-date has been Meh!

On the plus side nice luggage tag.:D

I have found Royal Ambassador status to be provided for very well. Each hotel I have been using over the current membership year has provided exactly what should be provided. Of the 2 times I have used the early check in, I have had no issue getting a room

At recent stay at IC in Singapore the membership has also saved me money since the 2 category upgrade has saved me about SGD50 a night over 2 weeks to get the room I want vs what it would have cost just as an ambassador member. Straight SGD1200 value there for me

This topic tends to come up every once in a while -- here's the last thread (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/intercontinental-hotels-priority-club-inter-continental-ambassador/1312162-keep-trying-ra-time-go.html) I remember on the subject.

I am on my way to giving up my RA this year. In the last 18 months the upgrades have been spotty, early check in not not honored at least three times because they were full and the minibar privilege has been spotty at best.

Nearly all properties have given me the full RA benefits on paid stays in my experiences. For some properties that didn't honor certain RA benefits, I wrote letters to the GM and the issues were sorted out satisfactorily.

Out of curiosity, can you share the properties that you had problems getting RA benefits from? It'll be nice to know which ones are not adhering to the program so we can get them to play nice. :)

I'm guessing the problem you're facing as an Ambassador is that the program is spotty at best due to different properties coming up with different interpretations of what an "upgrade" constitutes, so some properties will stick you in a made-up category and claim they upgraded you when in fact it's the same deluxe room you booked.

Spot on.. Thank You

For some properties that didn't honor certain RA benefits, I wrote letters to the GM and the issues were sorted out satisfactorily.

Out of curiosity, can you share the properties that you had problems getting RA benefits from? It'll be nice to know which ones are not adhering to the program so we can get them to play nice. :)

I feel my time is better spent not getting aggravated and writing a letter/email/fax etc and just moving on. Only times I have written letters is for exceptional service.

Some of the problems have been:


NYC Time Square, no upgrade, no minibar, no recognition at all but a apology as I was checking out that they did not realize I was an RA despite the it showing on the res. I checked in around 9:00am, no room ready. Got back after a long day, had a few days of long work days and did not bother chasing up about any of the missing bits. Got them to take out the bottles of water from the mini bar as I checked out. As I checked out FD manager gave me his card and promised to email me an apology and "make it right". Still nothing more than 12 months on.
London hotel fully booked and could not check-in at 8:00am. Called Hilton Paddington and got a room straight away. Needed a room to shower and change after the 23hr flight from MEL.
Melbourne double charged me for using a BOGO and charged me for the minibar. Took more than 6 months to get the credit. Staff were very nice but their processes seem to be hopelessly broken
There are a few more but hard to recall exact ones. 200+ nights on the road per year and no more than 3-4 nights in the same property/city.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Sometimes a property you are staying in for the 1st time might miss out on the fact that you're an RA, so what I do is I take out my RA card and pass it to the front desk together with my passport. I find it the best way to ensure that they know you are a RA without having to say anything. Of course on subsequent visits they should know you are a RA and thus I do not pull out my RA card unless necessary.

As a RA, I've also had my share of bad experiences but in the end I find that the positives still outweighs the negatives. Hopefully you will have better experiences in your future travels!

As I am a "visitor" to this part of the forum, I still have much to learn about the program over here. Received a PM after my post saying you can buy an RA referral form. (they weren't selling) So I did a Google search and a couple showed up on Ebay..

What's that all about?

OP, estimate # of nights at IC's. Then calculate benefit per stay for RA vs AMB.