minz56 : very happy to read, you are thinking of my wellbeing, quite flattering
And also you make a valid interesting point!
I had to review my red ball booklet with travel dates, stays and expenses


In my circumstances i have already got 37 acculumated nights in 2023
With my fall travel to IC Barclay NY, i will add 3 more nights
Having 40 Nights in total acquired by mid October
By using this site https: https://www.timeanddate.com/date/dateadd.html
Where i have added the input :
+ date expected 40 EQN reflected in my IHG account
+ 90 days time to choose limit (timespan one may choose the 40N milestone award)
= reveals a date in January 2024

so possibility to choose in January 2024 to get a pass valid for rest 2024 + following year (2025)

per your observation you are indeed correct, i do posses already a lounge pass with validity 2023+2024,
so choosing a new one in 2024 will give me validity of (2024+2025)
which means an overlap of 1 year or a "dead" year of 2024

Merefold reasons for my logic to go ahead with this plan because:
- my remaining stays with IHG untill end 2023 will only yield 20EQN
to choose lounge access at 70EQN, i will need to squeeze in 10 nights somewhere which makes an unhappy husband or kids becoming spolied
although i love HIX for a reality check, i can't see myself staying an extra 10 nights alone there, unless we get hit by a heatwave and i need airconditioning

- with AMB-trick (to extend Diamond) gone, with introduction from milestone night awards seperated from just "mere" status, IHG has become more savy,
my brief chat with the CEO gave me the impression that upper management is formulating a long term strategy to evade oversaturating their elite ranks AND/OR locust-like impact on benefits on a qualitative / quantative scale concerning elite guests, hotel owners, hotel management, operating possibilities /cost constraints and stakeholders. Everything reeks of managing volume / influx / crowds / resources / possibilities
* we talked about the creditcards Hilton Aspire, Marriot Bonvoy Brilliant, Hyatt double nights promo etc.. which grant status like candy, creating uncontrolled hoards which drain upgrade room inventory pool, turn lounges into zoos and losing the USP because of diminished qualitative & quantative F&B
** from VFTW we know that IHG acknowledges RA, InnerCircle and Diamond elte ranks have become bigger than expected, complaints arised when to many generated elites vy for benefits
*** IHG can start culling RA & InnerCircle end this year at will, because undisclosed criteria so they can do whatever they want with the treshold, with Diamond they prefer to let ranks organic gain/diminish per EQP/EQN as to see how the new IHG1-rewards program performs without the loophole of the AMB-trick causing retaining stagnant Diamonds+exponential new Diamonds whose status never expires

all above is my argument that i suspect smarter IHG might have the contigency plan on standby,
they will keep lounge access seperated from Diamond status and as such
NOW
to choose annual lounge pass, validity is
[rest of year + following year]
to
FUTURE contigency plan
date of choosing lounge pass, to be valid from
[end of month + 365 days chronologically]

or even..... shudder...milestone nights needed to choose lounge pass might be hiked go up to 50/80N to control access to the gates of paradise


- 2024 sees me unfortunately much less in IHG hotels, might need to strech to reach 40N or RA
(CelebrityCruise+ visting the kids at their Uni + Religious Pilgrimage with nuns + Yogjakarta : all not on the trail for my usual IHG/IC hotels)


- i do love a mystery and to be tantalized.....
am quite curious to see how the system will reflect my less obvious choice and the overlap year
at least a new datapoint for FT : bloggers should pay me danger money
or a reason to start therapy sessions with Freud & Jung