IHG Announces Major Changes to Rewards Club — New Membership Tier, Bonuses & More!

InterContinental Hotels Group is adding new features to its rewards program in hopes of building more personalized relationships with guests.

After extensive research into its customer base, InterContinental Hotels Group is making some changes to its rewards program. The company hopes these alterations will make guests feel more valued, understood and recognized for their loyalty.

Here are the new additions to the IHG Rewards Club program:

• As of July 2015, there will be a new top membership level, achieved by earning 75,000 qualifying points or staying for 75 qualifying nights over one year.
• In a first for the industry, members of the new top tier will earn 100 percent extra bonus points for qualified stays, and will have a choice of 25,000 points or an upgrade for a friend to Platinum status.
• Restructured qualification requirements make it easier for members to achieve new tiers. For Club members to make Gold status, they need to earn 10,000 qualifying points or stay 10 qualified nights. For Gold members to reach Platinum, it’s 40,000 points or 40 nights.
• A new customer relationship management system enables each hotel to provide relevant services and experiences to guests based on their preferences — including room location, pillow type, booking options and offers after the stay.
• Beginning May 2016, rewards club members who haven’t earned or redeemed points in the prior year will have all their points expire.
• More reward options are being introduced to the online global redemption catalog.

“Our research shows us that members are looking for a personalized experience when they choose one of our family of brands – before, during and after their stay,” said Susanna Freer Epstein, IHG’s SVP of customer loyalty marketing. “We want to thank our members for their loyalty by responding to this at every stage of the guest journey, offering experiences that are personally relevant. These enhancements are just the start of a number of exciting new improvements we will be making to the program in the coming months.”

Other rewards program benefits, such as free Internet and mobile check-in, will remain unchanged and available for use by all loyalty members.

[Photo: IHG]