Why I'm switching to IHG (after SPG dies)

Old Jun 20, 2017, 6:42 am
  #1  
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Why I'm switching to IHG (after SPG dies)

I spend a lot of time thinking about which hotel chain will be my main one after Marriott completes the SPG takeover. I am working under the assumption that SPG will not be as good as it is today. To be clear, I choose SPG mainly because I like the points for airline transfers. The fact that we have a SPG credit card in Canada also helps.

So why IHG:
1) I can buy Ambassador status
2) I like the hotels more than SPG's. I mainly stay at Sheratons and Westins.
3) I get more room upgrades, even at non-Intercontinentals
4) I like the promotions. FYI SPG hasn't offered me a "challenge to get points" in over a year.
5) I like the brands, especially Indigo


There are more reasons...but those would be the main ones.

For background I stay at hotels enough to get mid-tier status.

And I'm writing this post from the Indigo in Wan Chai HKG. Got upgraded to a suite so perhaps my views are a bit biased right now.
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Old Jun 20, 2017, 7:00 am
  #2  
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At the end of the day it's horses for courses, I am a former SPG plat from early this century who has invested in IHG the last ten years making it to Royal Ambassador and Spire level, and guess what I am now focused back away from IHG.

What impacts my moves is the availability of properties more than anything else, for a while SPG was shrinking where I travelled, now it's IHG, I learned long ago the bucks in points were best valued by hotel redemptions, not airline miles.

Love paying $35 in points for a hotel room for the night, thanks IHG Points breaks, but if you don't have a hotel in town then there is zero chance I will be able to use my points at their most valuable. Throw in a top tier with benefits that still seem to be a work in progress (spire) and your program is looking even less attractive.
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Old Jun 20, 2017, 8:46 am
  #3  
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I just had a good first Marriott experience

I just had my first Marriott stay. I'm a Starwood/IHG leisure guy. I stayed on points at the Marriott Zurich because it was the best Marriott/Starwood option available and it was a great stay. First time I've been given club access as a lowly gold on a points stay.

Mind you, 1 good experience doesn't make a pattern, but both the IHG and Marriott credit cards in Canada have been discontinued, so I would expect Amex to keep the Marriott/SPG Canadian credit card deal.

I'm not planning on changing anything until I start running into problems.
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Old Jun 20, 2017, 9:22 am
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Originally Posted by markis10
... I learned long ago the bucks in points were best valued by hotel redemptions, not airline miles. ..
d'accord

So long as SPG offers longe access, breakfast and meaningful upgrades, IHG will remain a third tier player (for me). IHG's Intercontinental properties are mostly tired, overpriced and short on benefits - so no point in springing for Ambassador.
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Old Jun 20, 2017, 10:29 am
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I have spire status with IHG which I'm not trying to requal for... I can only stay at so many Holiday Inns. Their portfolio in the US feels like it falls short of its competitors.
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Old Jun 20, 2017, 11:58 am
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My frustration with IHG is the lack of ambitious redemption opportunities. The only "dream properties" I can think of that are worth basing your everyday hotel decisions around are:
1) Intercontinental Amsterdam (dated)
2) Intercontinental Cannes (dated)
3) The Intercontinentals in Bora Bora (never availability)

Honorable Mentions: Intercontinental Hong Kong, London, Paris, Bordeaux, Marseilles, Cancun, Cozumel and Washington DC.

I would also like to mention that IHG opened a hotel in the Maldives but they made it a Holiday Inn! I'll never forgive them for wasting that opportunity!

The 5,000pt Points Breaks are great if you're looking for a mediocre place somewhere on the side of the interstate, but is that what we're playing the game for? I find myself amassing IHG points with the hope that they can one day be redeemed for Kimpton properties.

As far as elite benefits: there aren't any. I believe IHG's logic is: If your everyday stays are getting reimbursed by your employer, any stay enhancements (such as breakfast) mean little to you and is forfeited-profit by us; we'll just shower you with points instead. I'm actually a fan of this strategy, but only if they offer adequate redemption options.
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Old Jun 20, 2017, 12:53 pm
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Originally Posted by patmcpsu
... If your everyday stays are getting reimbursed by your employer, any stay enhancements (such as breakfast) mean little to you ...
There are lots of us who stay on our own dime and hence, IHG / Intercontinentals present a poor value for money option
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Old Jun 20, 2017, 1:59 pm
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Originally Posted by patmcpsu
As far as elite benefits: there aren't any. I believe IHG's logic is: If your everyday stays are getting reimbursed by your employer, any stay enhancements (such as breakfast) mean little to you and is forfeited-profit by us; we'll just shower you with points instead. I'm actually a fan of this strategy, but only if they offer adequate redemption options.
Well put. This is why IHG has never even been a backup but more like a tertiary program.

IHG would need to add lounge or breakfast as a confirmed benefit, integrate Kimpton (with a footprint outside North America!) and add 2 brands around IC to make it my primary chain.
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Old Jun 20, 2017, 2:03 pm
  #9  
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Originally Posted by patmcpsu
My frustration with IHG is the lack of ambitious redemption opportunities. The only "dream properties" I can think of that are worth basing your everyday hotel decisions around are:
1) Intercontinental Amsterdam (dated)
2) Intercontinental Cannes (dated)
3) The Intercontinentals in Bora Bora (never availability)

Honorable Mentions: Intercontinental Hong Kong, London, Paris, Bordeaux, Marseilles, Cancun, Cozumel and Washington DC.

I would also like to mention that IHG opened a hotel in the Maldives but they made it a Holiday Inn! I'll never forgive them for wasting that opportunity!

The 5,000pt Points Breaks are great if you're looking for a mediocre place somewhere on the side of the interstate, but is that what we're playing the game for? I find myself amassing IHG points with the hope that they can one day be redeemed for Kimpton properties.

As far as elite benefits: there aren't any. I believe IHG's logic is: If your everyday stays are getting reimbursed by your employer, any stay enhancements (such as breakfast) mean little to you and is forfeited-profit by us; we'll just shower you with points instead. I'm actually a fan of this strategy, but only if they offer adequate redemption options.
IIRC there's a good IC in Singapore.

New Orleans is a bad location.

San Francisco?
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Old Jun 20, 2017, 2:28 pm
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Originally Posted by grandgourmand

So why IHG:
1) I can buy Ambassador status
2) I like the hotels more than SPG's. I mainly stay at Sheratons and Westins.
3) I get more room upgrades, even at non-Intercontinentals
4) I like the promotions. FYI SPG hasn't offered me a "challenge to get points" in over a year.
5) I like the brands, especially Indigo

I too am concerned about Marriott's takeover of Starwood as I've been a longtime Starwood Platinum.

I find your list interesting as I have found NONE of the points you mention as applying to IHG. Even as an Ambassador I rarely got an upgrade beyond an upgraded room so that comment surprises the hell out of me. Promotions are better BUT good hotels also require more points and really nice hotels are far and few IMHO. Indigo is a nice brand but there still aren't many and I found the rooms at the ones I have stayed at very small.

So again, I am concerned as well but hauling it over to IHG is far from my plan. Hope you have good luck with it and hope you report back if the grass is indeed greener on the other side.
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Old Jun 20, 2017, 3:16 pm
  #11  
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Originally Posted by christianj
I too am concerned about Marriott's takeover of Starwood as I've been a longtime Starwood Platinum.

I find your list interesting as I have found NONE of the points you mention as applying to IHG. Even as an Ambassador I rarely got an upgrade beyond an upgraded room so that comment surprises the hell out of me. Promotions are better BUT good hotels also require more points and really nice hotels are far and few IMHO. Indigo is a nice brand but there still aren't many and I found the rooms at the ones I have stayed at very small.

So again, I am concerned as well but hauling it over to IHG is far from my plan. Hope you have good luck with it and hope you report back if the grass is indeed greener on the other side.
+1 on every point
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Old Jun 20, 2017, 3:41 pm
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I totally agree. Actually, Intercontinental is wuite interesting to me these days because they have good properties in places I travel, and are offering me pretty amazing targeted promotions recently.

I plan to buy Ambassador status.

Will stick with Ritz-Carlton in my favorite locations, so I am still interested in Starwood/Marriott/Ritz-Carlton's future program to some extent.

I would actually like to see Hyatt meege with IHG, or another possible suitor. Hyatt's new "World of Hyatt" is a complete joke.
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Old Jun 21, 2017, 4:21 am
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I'd have to say, I'm with IHG as my primary chain program. Mainly because I travel on my own dime and I simply find them more affordable than the other major chains and have a reasonable portfolio. Getting Platinum through the credit card doesn't hurt either, but I must admit that the benefits pretty much suck, even for Spire. On the other hand, I've gotten reasonably lucky with upgrades and the Crowne Plaza and IC properties in Asia that I've stayed at so far have been stellar. The US properties are generally severely dated, but most of my travel is now in Asia anyway, and I've been quite happy with IHG in Asia so far. I also get some decent value out of Kids eat free since I have two small kids that pretty much latch onto my legs anytime I travel anywhere and won't let go until I take them with me...

I pay for Ambassador because the BOGO certificate gives me good value.

That being said... I don't usually stay in a major global chain and tend to stay at smaller regional chains when I travel as they have generally been much better value for money. We only stay about 20-30 nights a year in hotels, and probably only 5 nights or so are actually with a major chain. Two of those would be on the BOGO certificate and another night would be the annual free night from the credit card. Lately we've been considering a trip to Phuket or Sanya so I might consider a Holiday Inn Resort.

In the end, IHG is the best one that fits my overall price range and has an acceptable level of quality at the places I've stayed. I've gotten pretty lucky with getting upgrades as well and the BOGO (From Ambassador) and annual free night (from the credit card) have been a great additional value.
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Old Jun 21, 2017, 6:02 am
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Originally Posted by MikeFromTokyo
I would actually like to see Hyatt meege with IHG, or another possible suitor. Hyatt's new "World of Hyatt" is a complete joke.
Yes the new WOH program is a joke in comparison to Gold Passport BUT I think I would still prefer them as a stand alone vs merged with IHG because at least we get some benefits at Hyatt that IHG doesn't offer. IMHO mergers haven't exactly benefited the consumers so I'm really hoping we are done for a while as the race to the bottom continues!
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Old Jun 21, 2017, 7:10 am
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Originally Posted by christianj
Promotions are better BUT good hotels also require more points and really nice hotels are far and few IMHO.
IHG used to be my main secondary chain. While even today, they provide very limited elite benefits, they used to have very good redemption prices to go along with their better promotions.

But over the last 10 years or so, they've pulled in the reins on some of the promotion opportunities while at the same time sky-rocketing a lot of the hotel redemption prices.

I used to be able to get oceanfront hotels for 15K/night then over a few year basis those prices went up to 45K/night. For me, now, IHG redemptions cost a whole lot more than they used to, I can't take advantage of as many bonus promotions as I used to and they still don't provide hardly any elite benefits. This is why I dropped from Spire to Plat this year. I moved my secondary program to SPG (with Marriott being my primary).
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