Originally Posted by
eein
The minibar credit was nice when initially introduced, filling up my bag of items to exactly the entitled amount, but after covid so many hotels do mini bar on demand which I couldn't be arsed with so I've not used it recently. I'd probably have used the F&B credits more as I could choose they whisky I want at the bar instead of the crappy stuff in the room!
And now that they have removed the minibar credit, you have suffered absolutely no loss. The upgrades aren't fantastic to begin with. Even as a lowly ambassador before I got upgraded to a Royal Ambassador, I've always got an early check-in when they have rooms available. And when you book with IHG luxury and lifestyle agents, they can typically get you a 4PM checkout(unless they really really suck). And the best thing is, they will get you a 50-100USD credit.
For this Royal Ambassador change, it will drive me to book with travel agents who can negotiate for better stay conditions, rather than just booking with IHG. It seems like corporate is killing the Ambassador programme slowly. It's much too complicated to run multiple programs for IHG. Rather just fold everything into One Rewards. It seems like the direction it's taking.