If the revenue threshold is too high, it begins to negate the benefits of RA. I.e if we're coerced into booking higher-end room categories, there is often no scope for upgrades past a certain room category.
That said, they seem to be trying to sort something with lounge access.

I think what some people may be missing is that this PPT is a sales and marketing presentation to the owners and managers of all the IC's in the world. What you are not seeing is the feedback from that group.

i don't disagree, but of course the difference now, is seeing it published on their internal document, that they are phasing in the revenue model, and it's all about IC revenue, and nothing to do with the other brands that used to make up 2/3rds of the 60 night criterion.

A significant departure from the previously published criteria 60/20/3, and a great call^

i think that's exactly what it is, revenue, without disclosure of a number.

there's no difference between discussing it, and posting it.

if you think about the numbers, other groups for example 50/60 night threshold, and say apply an average daily rate of USD175, then that wld place it more in the 10K on room spend only, then there's F&B, Gift and other ancillary spend, that augments the room revenue. i find on average i spend c 50% more on F&B etc, so 10K on room usually equates to c 15K total spend.

I think it's interesting that Ambassadors average on 9 IC nights per year. Perhaps the adjusted qualification criteria might not be so ridiculous..;)

You have always been beating a self interested drum on this revenue aspect

However it shuld still be that IHG keep the term "qualifying stay rates" for IC nights+stays, then IHG still won't count any of your personally non-qualified negotiated stay spend. Neither do IHG count the revenue of you booking 2x rooms per night.

There is no point counting deeply discounted revenue nights.

As an aside, interesting figures tby IHG, that your average Ambassador makes only 6-10 nights at IC's ! ? But then realistically $200/6nights ie $33/night is worth it for upgrade savings as one gets $200 savings PLUS back. 6x Amb IC 1-cat upgrade nights is at least break even on your $150/200 outlay.

I have absolutely no issue wth a purely total IC revenue qualification for RA.

It will be far cheaper and less onerous on my IHG/IC total stays and spend/nights to retain RA status on spend, at costlier IC hotels.

I can eaily make 20nights paid qual rates at IC's London-PL, Paris-LG, Amstel
that cost far more than 60nights in a low priced USA/China city IC hotel, and qualify as the top 1% on spend on 20 IC nights alone

I can then instead of a forced staying in not so great CP/HI/HIE to reach 60 IHG nights, use those 40x spare nights to keep my Hilton HHD status , OR, even put 40nights of IHG CP/HI/HIE stays towards a new program like Hyatt/SPG/Marriott

My IC spend remains the same, but IHG as a whole brand lose out as I no longer book the non-IC hotels to requal as RA!

Regarding the AMB numbers, isn't it true that for the larger corporate contracts that they hand out a bunch of AMB membership cards to execs? And maybe those execs simply don't stay often at IC's. If that is true, it might skew the numbers a bit.

I was looking at the overall profit slide and trying to come up with a formula to figure out how many RA's there are in the world, but I guess we'd need a bit more information for that.

The funny thing is that even though they talk to the issue of RA's only being the most loyal, they pitch even more strongly that they would like a whole lot more RA's because look at the revenue they bring in! Like all hotel chains, the marketing people want more and more top level elites. But the hotels that host the most top level elites will complain about the cost and hassle of everyone wanting a suite upgrade.

when asked, i've advised friends and colleagues to fork out the USD200 for Ambassador if they plan on staying just a weekend with Intercon, the BOGO pays for that, and then there are the other benefits, and chance they may stay with them again over the next year.

so when you think about it, there are evidently big numbers of Ambassadors that spend relatively few nights annually, it makes sense. i think we, as a group on here think differently in terms of night numbers.

based on the avg 9 nights, RA spend threshold cld be for the really big stayers, say 18 nights @ ADR USD175, that wld be around USD3K:D

it's all about self interest, that's life right, true for most of us if we are honest. if i'm doing all IC nights, and none at the sub brands, more than happy that they increase the IC night requirement or IC revenue requirement, suits my circumstances.

all long term stays i've negotiated have been qualifying, it's the property that codes, and submits the stays.

how do you know they don't count the revenue of two rooms? just because they didn't count multiple rooms concurrently?

if you read their doc, they're interested in high value customers, ones that spend at IC's, i think they'll be evaluating on total spend with IC,
irrespective, i always have it put on the one folio.

you're right, i am happy about it^

Hyatt's only 25 stays if you have one night stay patterns, and only 50 total nights, pretty good value.

The hotels could easily be selling Ambassador to people just doing 1 stay:

"Sorry sir, we can't give you a free 4pm check out but if you spend $200 now on joining Ambassador you can have it automatically."

And, in the right scenario, $200 for a one-off late check-out at an IC would make sense to a lot of people.

I doubt I will do 9 IC nights myself this year - probably 7-ish - but I'm getting a €700 suite on my BOGO at Le Grand so the fee washes its face easily.

Moi aussi

I think we are both happy and winners if a pure IC only nights revenue model is used for filtering the top 1% Ambassadors by spend to be made RAs independent of the total number of IC stays per year.

You win on revenue front by virtue of booking the costlier premium rates suites for your IC nights.
20 IC Suite nights are worth 60 average IC nights

I win on revenue front as booking very expensive European IC's Park- Lane, Amstel, Paris-LG that cost at least 3-4x nightly rate of the numerous very cheap USA/China IC's.
20 London/Paris/Amstel IC nights are also worth 60 average IC nights

The sheer profusion of very cheap China ICs must be dragging down the average ADR of the Chinee Ambs/RAs and increasing number of low revenue RAs to boot! ?