jxd

hopefully the indigo katong will be on the list! Even better the ICs but not getting my hopes up

miadukes

Agreed, with literally minutes to make plans, I will admit to maybe having to make on of those. I pretty much have all my travel sorted for the next three months, thi list should take us into end of april right? I am just hoping I find something I can use or see somethign of great vale I can do in a weekend to explore more places.
Raelly do wish the list was released early, planning trips on the spot at work is not the ideal

Concerto

Maybe they will learn from the experience of this time, if everything suddenly gets booked out and later people cancel lots of rooms. I personally would like to be reassured that these rates are still refundable.

FFlash

So the pointbreaks essentially have become a "50% off select" campaign. Maybe they will re-name "pointbreaks" too?

The_Bouncer

This is what I fear - that PBs will become a version of Marriott Point Savers.

I don't really think anyone can deny that the PB lists have become progressively poorer in the last few years. This has led to many people (myself included) moaning and honking about it.

IHG has now responded in exactly the same way as British Airways did when people complained about the diminishing quality and quantity of their free catering on short-haul flights. Did they improve it? No. They brought in Buy-on-Board. Don't like the free stuff? Here's something (slighty) better (holding out the credit card swiper).

I fear this is the precise equivalent. Reduce a benefit to the level where people start complaining about it, then you have an excuse to get rid of it and replace it with something more expensive.

I am trying to keep an open mind about this, at least until I have seen the first few lists, but unfortunately I, like many others, have become accustomed to the expectation that "changes" or "enhancements" to any hotel or airline program very rarely result in a net benefit to the consumer.

I fear we have made a rod for our own backs on this forum, and I am as guilty of this as anyone else.

FLYGVA

Fellow Flyertalkers,

I would appreciate if you could behave like civilised persons and not like third world dictators who do not allow any other opinion than their own!
I have deleted all posts which are personal and / or attacked as well as those repsonding to these posts.

FLYGVA
moderator IHG Forum

Concerto

I also see a similarity with the Air France KLM Flying Blue FFP, which used to have amazing award saver offers for 50% less miles on a regular basis. Gradually most of these dropped down to 25% and now the reduction is as often little as 20% with few or no business class offers. It’s just been diluted away until the offers are a shadow of their former selves. The kickback is that the taxes are lower than they used to be.

The_Bouncer

Flying Blue is also a good comparison. It's a common tactic - gradually erode a benefit, until people start noticing that it's a shadow of it's former self. Then gut it and hope people think they are not losing much.

As for keeping PBs going, are they really? Or is it going to be something completely different, just with the old name?

username

There used to be this other thing - like a monthly lower redemption special for some hotels? I think that was discontinued, right?

FlyerTalker688786

I believe you are thinking of Caribbean (including Florida) 50% redemption promotion.

FlyerTalker688786

Not yet. At least this list we have hotels in 5,000 category that normally requires 20,000 or 10,000 category normally requires 25,000.

I think we need to see what happens in this full list and next 2 quarters too. With so many eyes watching, I think IHG would not rush to make PB into a 50% bonanza.

FlyerTalker688786

They have to keep it going as long as the main competitors (Hilton and Marriott) have any similar redemption programme going.

Plus with so many reward currency issued through points purchases, new credit cards and tri-annually accelerators, IHG needs its members to redeem in order to reduce liabilities. High redemption rates would defer members spending their reward currency. Incentive needed such as PB.

IHG does care. Except what they care is from a different angle from ours. We want better hotels at cheap rates, they want revenue, profit, reduced liabilities through redemption faster as well as shorter cycle for member to earn and burn.

Jaimito Cartero

chrism20

beltway

What similar offering does Hilton have? They stopped doing Point Stretchers six years ago (and without any announcement before or after the fact).