FlyerTalker688786

Since the soft introduction of Spire, the weakness of IHG in elite treatment is showing through endless talks. I think many flyertalkers have said something that I agree. IHG rewards is all about earning and redeeming points to maximise the value. I think elite benefits is a hit and miss. That is OK.

So I start to think if anything IHG can do to make tangible benefits towards its elite members.

And I have a solution: to make pointbreaks an elite only event. And elites has to earn the pointbreaks rather than do it so freely.

So how to implement the idea?

Basically, every member has to earn an electronic voucher for redemption of pointbreaks. Once member reach Gold status, he/she starts to earn the pointbreaks voucher. For every 10,000 elite qualifying points, member can earn one electronic voucher which can be used until 31st December the next year.

Each voucher can be set for a maximum 3 week days stay or 4 days of weekend stay. The voucher is non-refundable and have to be used with reward points (currently 5,000 per night).

So for a Platinum member, he/she can earn four vouchers which could redeem for a maximum of 16 weekends days stay by using the vouchers and 80,000 points.

The more Elite Qualifying points you earn the more voucher you have.

With this system, elite members get tangible return and pointbreaks would be regulated so no more room selling is possible. And hotels on the list can last longer since you have to earn elite qualifying points to use the voucher thus limit the usage. Voucher is non-refundable so one has to be really sure that they will be going to the hotel while points are refundable so people do not loose the points but voucher only in case no show.

Would you support such system or you think the current one is better? Just curious and enjoying being an arm chair CEO currently.

Dave Noble

Why? Why should discount offers not be available to all?

Would view this the same as suggesting that non status members not be able to redeem awards

On top of that the number of places that are available for points breaks are , ime, so few that the only thing that would happen is a stockpile of vouchers for most people

MagicWok

Personally, I think earning points through promos should be available to all - and is more in the 'spirit' of the programme. Despite me also thinking the elite perks (aside from ambassador to an extent) suck at present, especially for Spire.

To carry on the the thinking, perhaps an earning bonus for being Plat/Spire. +50%/+100% on top of each reward within the promo for being an elite.

Fictional reward within a promo:
Club/Gold earn 3k for next stay. Plats earn 4.5k, Spire earn 6k.

FlyerTalker688786

It can be modified to be accessible for all. But it should only be given to every 10,000 elite qualifying points a voucher. This could eliminate anyone purchasing points to book a months stay in a hotel with a new account.

A stockpile of voucher is not a bad thing for customers or the hotel. For customer, it means he/she does not have the demand to use pointbreaks; for IHG, they did not loose anything. Good thing is once the voucher issued it could have a minimum 12 months to a maximum 23 months expiration period.

It would be similar to the AA upgrade voucher system with major alternations.

Change from 'free-to-all' to 'discount-for-all through vouchers' is the only way I see could go forward to make PB sustainable. IHG should reward people who is loyal to them by give more availabilities of PB rooms, while people should be loyal to IHG in order to enjoy more on PB. A voucher system based on contribution (EQP) is fairer than 'free-to-all'.

chrism20

I don't see the point in not making them universally available to all. Perhaps go down the Accor route and make them available to top or possibly top two tiers a day earlier.

The problem with your suggestion is almost everyone who is a member will be an elite after a couple of nights. To be gold elite you now only need to 10k points so in theory there is nothing elite about elite.

There are only about 150 hotels on the list in each round, if you were to give every elite up to 80,000 points worth of PBs you would need to increase the participating properties to something like 800 in order to cope with the demand or make them available at all properties and I can imagine what the GMs of the more top end properties would have to say.

Also for someone who doesn't stay very often and doesn't accrue a lot of points PBs are very attractive

christravelblog

I think that majority of people not even think about the PB or not. I think only the frequent traveler, the flyer talker kind of people worry about these issues.

PB's should be free for all available. i think the rule of max 2 stays in 1 hotel is already good.

Raffles

Let's face it.

PB's are actually a bonus put together JUST FOR THE FREQUENT FLYER COMMUNITY. IHG does it for us.

We get ALL the best ones. IHG does NOT email the membership saying new ones are coming. The launch dates move all the time. The only people who know about them when launched are FT and blog readers.

Your complaint, OP, should actually be 'Isn't it time that IHG let people who don't read FT or a blog book these things?' .....

BRAISKI

At the end of the day its about making money! So even though IHG sometimes they don't know what they are doing!

This is stupid to do... Why... If only "Elites" then they can't get any money or promote other hotels to non FF! They make money from FF AND "regular members".

demue

I also don't see the need for this. Firstly it is a headache to implement and IHG IT hasn't proven to be a top notch organization . Further, by restricting it to Elites who have vouchers for redemption they may not have the take up they wanted.

The one thing I could see though would be to have Elites get an extra 24-48hrs head start to book Pointsbreaks when they come out.

htb

Did I read this correctly? You want to give Elites tangible benefits by taking away benefits from non-elites?

HTB.

Koby

I have always assumed that Pointbreaks was an easy and cheap (for IHG) way to fill up otherwise empty hotel rooms, not something that was created to please club members (elite or others). From that point of view, why would they even think about restricting access?

hhoope01

Possibly to drive more customers to push for at least their, fairly easy to reach, Gold elite status. If they have a number of customers who, for whatever reasons, only stay 7, 8 or 9 nights a year, they could possibly try to use something like PBs to push those customers to stay a few extra nights a year. And if the numbers are large enough, those few extra nights can add up very nicely on the bottom line. Plus once someone whose never been an "elite" member before gets there, they may well then actually want to make use of that elite status and stay even more nights. So a double benefit to IHG.

Now, I also tend to agree that they probably wouldn't do that considering the way they have been running PBs. Their focus is probably on using those as a way to drive business to possibly underperforming hotels (or at least hotels they want to raise some awareness of.) So doing the above would take a bit of shift in their thinking about PBs.

nicolas75

If I remember well, Air France KLM Flying Blue open reservation for Promo Awares earlier to their Elite members.

Maybe the easiest way to please first IHG's most loyal customers.

MD/DC Flyer

There are many problems with this suggestion, but the main one is that it would transform the PB from something that is "available" to an entitlement.

If you'll give me a voucher I would be expecting to be able to use it in meaningful places and with adequate quantities. This would have to transform the PB from a marketing ploy which now allows IHG to sell as a plus of the program and dump empty inventory, to something that has to be meaningful and plentiful.

ThatOneGayRavenclaw

Yeah, I don't like this idea either.

I'd rather they just come up with legitimate benefits to add on, than just take benefits from others and turning them into entitlements for the elites.

However, early access to the PB list, and maybe a few additional properties with perhaps a higher PB value (ie, maybe have a few higher-end hotels go on PB for 10,000 points for elites only...?).

Point being, if they're going to actually give us benefits, they should actually GIVE us stuff, rather than take what we already get and make it more elusive to obtain.