Originally Posted by
est-gratuite
Not many people are RA (royal ambassadors) members cause it's quite expensive, and they refuse to publish the exact rules for achieving it, or maintaining it. Besides, RA status is just valid for intercontinental hotels. Crowne plazas, Regents, Kimptons, Holiday Inns, and so forth have no legal obligation to give RA members free lounge access.
The business of corporate head office punishing individual properties that give lounge access to spires has been well documented in other threads on flyertalk. Of course, some properties keep doing it anyway, but it creates extra expectations that are not in line with the official rules, and IHG corporate doesn't like that.
Bottom line, if you want GUARANTEED lounge access at hotels, IHG rewards - Spire status is not going to give you that.
(Accor Platinum & Hilton Diamond guarantees louge access at all its brands, and Marriott Platinum guarantees lounge access at about 8 or 9 brands in its portfolio)
We seem to be on a bit of a hobby horse here so as a Hilton Plat ($12k Spend), or Marriott Plat 50 nights (although I have LTP thanks to SPG) may sometimes give you lounges (where they exist) but often worse upgrade and other treatment. RA was achievable last year for circa $11k of spend apparently (at least that was mine) targeted at the right properties so actually less than the competition running spend based programmes.
We all know that IHG does not guarantee lounge access (except in certain markets, where it does, and for top elite members at certain brands, where it does - just like Marriott).
To say that a bunch of anecdotes about properties saying that they cannot offer a Spire lounge access because the properties have told them they are not allowed is not evidence or documentation it is just relayed anecdote.
If lounge access is important to you at an IHG property as a status member then you can call them or email before making a booking (or within the cancellation window of a flex booking). If they give you the wrong answer then you go elsewhere.
This is not a reason to avoid the whole programme or chain (which has some real gems and greater useful coverage than many other chains), nor does it mean that Spire or RA status has no useful on property benefits, simply a reason to avoid the offending properties, which bringing this back to topic is why I will never stay at the CP T4 until they have a change of heart, as it seems the CP Manchester Oxford Road did a little time after opening, or the Damascene conversion of the CP LHR on the same topic.