Originally Posted by
CheckInPeach
Based on another thread in the Marriott Bonvoy forum about overcrowding of lounges due to easy status, I was wondering if the IHG program change (2 years ago?) made things better at IHG lounges.
One needs 50 nights over at Bonvoy to get lounge acccess, however having the right credit card can already give 20 to 30 nights to start, combined with a double night promotion, for some geos it's really easy to get to these 50 nights. This results in so many people having lounge access that a visit is in many cases not so enjoyable anymore.
From my understanding with IHG, you actually have to stay 40 nights to be able to get the lounge access pass that will give you the lounge from that moment on. So, back to the original question: Do you guys notice less crowded lounges due to that program change?
I didn't regularly visit IHG lounges before qualifying as a Diamond four years ago, but I have not noticed any overcrowding in the lounges I've visited since getting the lounge benefit. I did feel that IHG's approach to elite/lounge qualification was brilliant--an achievable elite level for a certain amount of commitment to the IHG ecosystem, whether by stays or by points, but lounge access was not an immediate benefit of the Diamond level, and access couldn't be gamed, instead requiring actual stays to achieve it. That's a smart incentive to keep customers on the IHG path even after making Diamond.
As a result, I don't think IHG is going to need to create extra levels of elite benefits that might include lounge access, which should avoid overcrowding. While there may be speculation that IHG would eventually offer a higher-level credit card that might provide Diamond as a benefit, as long as elite qualifying is considered separate from lounge access, there shouldn't be a problem.
BTW, I do regularly stay at Hiltons and have noticed that the crowds in lounges there are more usual across the chain, which makes sense given the relatively easier access to lounges there.