The Big Win returns - Spring 2014
Feb 3, 2014, 9:21 pm
#706
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 116
I'm relatively new to IHG. Just checked this promo on a whim. Mine is decent:
Stay more and earn - 5 nights (8,400)
Explore our brands - 3 brands (17,600)
Start the day off right - 1 stay BFR with b'fast (2,000)
Win in a weekend - 2 Sat nights (4,800)
Book with IHG - 2 stays (3,200)
Change your view - 2 stays at HI (8,000)
Survey (100)
Win big - all 7 (44,000)
for total of 88,100
But DW got a nice offer:
Stay more and earn - 4 nights (8,000)
Explore our brands - 2 brands (16,000)
Start the day off right - 1 stay BFR with b'fast (2,000)
Win in a weekend - 2 Sat nights (8,000)
IHG mobile app booking - 2 stays (8,000)
Change your view - 2 stays at HI (8,000)
Survey (100)
Win big - all 7 (50,000)
for a total of 100,100. Seems like there's a ton of overlap here. So much so that it might be worth just paying to do all these even though we wouldn't otherwise do any? Will this work?
Book 1 Sat night stay at HI, BFR with b'fast via mobile app: $100.57
Book 1 Fri-Sun stay at Candlewood Suites Advance Purchase Rate via mobile app: $137.14
Book 1 Sat stay at HIX Advance Purchase Rate: $92.20
If so, that's ~105,000 points for $330, seems worth it.
So my questions are:
1. Can I book 2 hotels for the same night? In other words, can I have the Candlewood and HI stays on the same night, check into both, and get credit for both? Cheaper hotels are further away from me, so I'd like to condense trips. NO
2. Does HIX count as "Holiday Inn" for the "Change your view" challenge? NO
3. Are HI and HIX considered separate brands for the "Explore our brand" challenge? YES
4. Are advance purchase rates valid for everything (except the BFR w/b'fast)?YES
5. Am I missing anything?
Stay more and earn - 5 nights (8,400)
Explore our brands - 3 brands (17,600)
Start the day off right - 1 stay BFR with b'fast (2,000)
Win in a weekend - 2 Sat nights (4,800)
Book with IHG - 2 stays (3,200)
Change your view - 2 stays at HI (8,000)
Survey (100)
Win big - all 7 (44,000)
for total of 88,100
But DW got a nice offer:
Stay more and earn - 4 nights (8,000)
Explore our brands - 2 brands (16,000)
Start the day off right - 1 stay BFR with b'fast (2,000)
Win in a weekend - 2 Sat nights (8,000)
IHG mobile app booking - 2 stays (8,000)
Change your view - 2 stays at HI (8,000)
Survey (100)
Win big - all 7 (50,000)
for a total of 100,100. Seems like there's a ton of overlap here. So much so that it might be worth just paying to do all these even though we wouldn't otherwise do any? Will this work?
Book 1 Sat night stay at HI, BFR with b'fast via mobile app: $100.57
Book 1 Fri-Sun stay at Candlewood Suites Advance Purchase Rate via mobile app: $137.14
Book 1 Sat stay at HIX Advance Purchase Rate: $92.20
If so, that's ~105,000 points for $330, seems worth it.
So my questions are:
1. Can I book 2 hotels for the same night? In other words, can I have the Candlewood and HI stays on the same night, check into both, and get credit for both? Cheaper hotels are further away from me, so I'd like to condense trips. NO
2. Does HIX count as "Holiday Inn" for the "Change your view" challenge? NO
3. Are HI and HIX considered separate brands for the "Explore our brand" challenge? YES
4. Are advance purchase rates valid for everything (except the BFR w/b'fast)?YES
5. Am I missing anything?
Feb 3, 2014, 9:25 pm
#707
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Helsinki (Finland)
Programs: IHG Plat, Marriott Plat
Posts: 468
I had one legit stay that came out as unqualified. It has long since been corrected (after submitting a missing points form) but still doesn't show up on Big Win site. Should I be worried or do these appear later?
Feb 4, 2014, 4:28 am
#709
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: LGW/MLA
Programs: AX/Accor/IHG Plat, Hilton Diamond, SPG/Carlson Gold, BA Silver, KM Permanent, JJC (Retd)
Posts: 607
Moving the goal posts
I just saw my points balance jump up on Award Wallet, so I checked with the BW promotion page and one of my challenges has been completed.
All well and good....
...however, I now notice that IHG have changed my challenge half way through!
I used to have 7 tasks, with task 7 (Win Big) being complete tasks 1-6.
I now have an additional task (thankfully maintaining the requirement for only completing 6 of the 7 tasks to trigger the big win.)
Has anyone else encountered this "feature"
All well and good....
...however, I now notice that IHG have changed my challenge half way through!
I used to have 7 tasks, with task 7 (Win Big) being complete tasks 1-6.
I now have an additional task (thankfully maintaining the requirement for only completing 6 of the 7 tasks to trigger the big win.)
Has anyone else encountered this "feature"
Feb 4, 2014, 5:23 am
#710
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Somewhere in Europe
Posts: 3,362
I had a similar issue.
When I first registered the Big Win site said one thing then a few days later I got an email which listed different things. I emailed them and got a nonsense reply followed by an even more nonsense reponse.
I then sent a letter by registered post detailing the issue and also asking how they arrived at my big win challenge (Q4 of 2013 I had 16 stays so for Q1 I get a big win challenge of 3 nights) - no response.
I then phoned them and was treated like an idiot. The MOS acted like she didn't believe me but did pass the info on. I was told I would receive a reply within five working days. Two weeks later I got an email saying the issue was sorted and when checking on the Big Win website I now have to stay four nights.
The entire set up is full of issues. Given the problems with the first Big Win they should have went for a more traditional promotion in Q1 - eg stay x nights and get x points or double points starting from second stay and so on. This would have then given them time to fully evaluate the initial big win and sort out some of the issues before running it in Q2. Or am I talking too much sense here??
When I first registered the Big Win site said one thing then a few days later I got an email which listed different things. I emailed them and got a nonsense reply followed by an even more nonsense reponse.
I then sent a letter by registered post detailing the issue and also asking how they arrived at my big win challenge (Q4 of 2013 I had 16 stays so for Q1 I get a big win challenge of 3 nights) - no response.
I then phoned them and was treated like an idiot. The MOS acted like she didn't believe me but did pass the info on. I was told I would receive a reply within five working days. Two weeks later I got an email saying the issue was sorted and when checking on the Big Win website I now have to stay four nights.
The entire set up is full of issues. Given the problems with the first Big Win they should have went for a more traditional promotion in Q1 - eg stay x nights and get x points or double points starting from second stay and so on. This would have then given them time to fully evaluate the initial big win and sort out some of the issues before running it in Q2. Or am I talking too much sense here??
Feb 4, 2014, 7:53 am
#711
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 130
FWIW, everything has posted for me except the Big Win site has not recognized any of my mobile app stays. I booked all six this year through the IHG app on both my phone and tablet and it still shows none. I e-mailed IHG and was told Big Win takes 10 business days to update, which of course blatantly ignores that my first app-based stays were well over 10 business days ago.
I will say that I've gotten enough points already that I'm happy with the promotion, but I will be slightly miffed if I miss out on 40k points because they can't get their IT working.
I will say that I've gotten enough points already that I'm happy with the promotion, but I will be slightly miffed if I miss out on 40k points because they can't get their IT working.
Feb 4, 2014, 7:56 am
#712
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: CT/NY
Programs: UA 1K/1MM, AA EXP, Marriott LT Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Plat Amb
Posts: 6,020
None of my web booking credit is registered so far. I wonder whether using a referral website would cause it to hang up in crediting. All the other promos promos are working fine.
Feb 4, 2014, 11:15 am
#717
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Somewhere in Europe
Posts: 3,362
The Big Win is a great idea, however IMO it should have been categorised rather than individually done. For example 0-5 stays in the last quarter, 5-20, 20-40 and so on up to 100 nights and then one for 100+. By doing this they would only have had five or six variations to the promotion rather than potentially millions of different permutations, although I would question whether or not people have been targeted properly based on my current Big Win requirements.
This coupled with the fact that no one in IHG appears to be taking ownership and the 'We appreciate the opportunity to help' line being cut and pasted more times than wallpaper only adds to the shambles.
HI and HIX being mixed up initially, lists of participating properties missing, black and blue cards mixed up, components changing a month into the promotion and no doubt I've missed a few others.
The initial Big Win has obviously produced an increase in bookings/income/turnover/GP (could be all or anyone of them) that has lead to someone thinking they have hit the jackpot and it's been rolled out again at speed without any consideration given to the 'challenges' the last one created.
Feb 4, 2014, 11:42 am
#718
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 974
But I really don't know. And as sdsearch pointed out in post # 703 we don't know for sure what is really required to meet the "mobile booking" part of the promotion.
In any case, I am not rushing out to purchase a tablet or smart phone. I don't need to make any bookings for 2 to 3 more weeks so will wait a while to see if previous stays that have been booked at IHG.com end up qualifying for the "mobile booking" challenge.
In the meantime, I will think a bit more about apps and would appreciate input on the following;
- Most of my family are Mac users. There appears to be an IHG app for iPhone and iPad that is available through the iTunes store. Any comments on the ease of using that app are much appreciated.
- If I borrow a tablet and install the IHG app and use it to make a hotel booking as a test, can I then log into my IHG account on a regular computer and change / cancel the booking made with the app ? Assuming of course that I have booked a flexible rate.
Thanks again.
Feb 4, 2014, 2:18 pm
#720
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,934
If by some chance it turns out really need to make the booking in an IHG app (or at least mobile website) to count, the question would be:
If you make the original booiking through the app but then change it through another means, will it still be counted as an app booking? (Ie, they might count the way the original booking was made, or they might count the way the last update to the booking was made, or they might count both. I don't think we know the answer to this! I don't think we even know it with respect to a booking made online first and then changed by calling the hotel on a voice call, because "online booking" promos at IHG have been so few and far between.)
Gosh, IHG IT is so messed up, I can even imagine the following as possible: Booking on a mobile app and then modifying the reservation on app works, booking on a regulard website and then modifying reservation on the same website works, but booking one method and modifying another method confused them too much and doesn't work!
Last edited by sdsearch; Feb 4, 2014 at 2:24 pm