Originally Posted by
sdsearch
You're going from one extreme to the other:
IHG has a full-service brand (Crowne Plaza) which is not covered by AMB/RA, and thus is only covered by Spire. Since when is Crowne Plaza a "low end" property? 
I think it's quite valid to compare what IHG status tiers give you at its full-service brand compared to what HHonors gives at a Hilton or SPG gives you at a Sheraton (both of those also being "mainstream" full-service brands, not the top properties in either program). You don't need to compare what happens at the top brand, just what happens at a full-service brand.
Sorry if you missed it, but I wrote pretty clearly in a two posts above that Crowne Plaza compares with Sheraton and thus needs addressing. That said it is a rather rare CP in my experience that doesn't already give me a nice upgrade plus Club so the experience is pretty much the same as SPG and Hilton. I know that isn't written firmly in the rules, but it's worked for me at various CP's around the world.