Parts of this are very clever - encouraging points burning by crediting award nights as qualifying stays will help IHG's balance sheet liabilities whilst giving something to members.

However ...

Given that free internet is going to be offered to all members, there needs to be more tangible benefits to Elites, particularly Plats.

Like Shareholder, last year I'd accumulated well over 60,000 points (excluding a one-off credit card bonus) by the end of Q1. This year, I'll sit around 15,000 qualifying - of which nearly half is from credit card spend - so IHG needs to offer me something to encourage me to push to maintain Platinum - guaranteed upgrades or free breakfast would be a good start.

In a lean travel year, I'll likely be struggling to maintain Plat now (so the multiple brand offer could be interesting when it arrives), and I might even need to use the paid UK Black Visa option to maintain status occasionally. Like everyone else, I won't pay for credit cards unless there's a tangible benefit in return, and IHG must gain a fair bit from my annual spend, so it must be in their interests to give me something back to retain me both as a hotel and card customer.