Last edit by: lowkeyflyer
The purpose of this thread was to discuss a corporate offer that was leaked to the public by blogs.
The offer was to instantly upgrade your account to Diamond Elite regardless of current status and stays.
This offer is now dead and the thread has deviated from its original topic.
Suggest mods to lock
The offer was to instantly upgrade your account to Diamond Elite regardless of current status and stays.
This offer is now dead and the thread has deviated from its original topic.
Suggest mods to lock
Get instantly upgraded to IHG Diamond status
#286
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Kuwait (KW)
Programs: Qatar Airways, Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, IHG
Posts: 2,696
Update: account just updated to 12/31/2023 on both the app and website. Looks like the 30-minute processing time was needed in my case.
WHEW
khabah
WHEW
khabah
#287
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: USA
Programs: American Airlines (Executive Platinum), Hyatt (Globalist), Hilton (Diamond), IHG (Diamond)
Posts: 2,917
#288
#289
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: USA
Programs: American Airlines (Executive Platinum), Hyatt (Globalist), Hilton (Diamond), IHG (Diamond)
Posts: 2,917
#290
Join Date: Feb 2020
Programs: British Airways Executive Club Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Amb
Posts: 1,763
Conduct a massive campaign of persecution of your elite members, when your company screwed up, or generate some goodwill and let them try out their new Diamond status by spending at your hotels? Tricky to see what any company that cares about their reputation and bottom line might do.
#291
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: AMS+IAH
Programs: Lufthansa: Senator || IHG: Diamond Royal Ambassador Inner Circle || Plutonium Status
Posts: 3,444
The AMB-trick to extend status has been at least around since 2015,
during the introduction of the then "Spire" status.
The only blogs to write about it were:
LL & HfP
It has been discussed here on on FT:IHG forum by regulars
It never got any attention of the US-titan blogs as
Ben Schlappig of OMAAT would proudly boast that IHG must hate its elites,
as "spire" status only gave out 200% earning and nothing else.....
However even though HfP and LL enjoyed good relations with IHG + having knowledgable IHG information from first hand stay experience:
- John had been RA for years / lots of experiences staying at IHG hotels
- Rob was gifted RA by IHG/has covered IHG-rewards in detailed UK focus
They both published about the AMB-trick,
Since the era of "spire" 2015
IHG must have quietly allowed it.....
or as us regulars know:
IHG's IT is run by interns and comes straight out of Noah's ark
and as such might be totally oblivious
so up untill now it was always an insiders trick among IHG-regulars.....
..... now that many have emailed corporate with questions / US Titan Blogs pumped & hyped it.......we have no idea if it will last.....who ever knows, might provide an estimate....
only LL & HfP have the decency to mention,
(And all US-titan blogs neglected to research/experience and share)
is that IHG can be notorious in closing accounts / suspending members
if any fraud / irregularities / hankypanky is detected....
and that customer service to resolve this, an administrative nightmare !
during the introduction of the then "Spire" status.
The only blogs to write about it were:
LL & HfP
It has been discussed here on on FT:IHG forum by regulars
It never got any attention of the US-titan blogs as
Ben Schlappig of OMAAT would proudly boast that IHG must hate its elites,
as "spire" status only gave out 200% earning and nothing else.....
However even though HfP and LL enjoyed good relations with IHG + having knowledgable IHG information from first hand stay experience:
- John had been RA for years / lots of experiences staying at IHG hotels
- Rob was gifted RA by IHG/has covered IHG-rewards in detailed UK focus
They both published about the AMB-trick,
Since the era of "spire" 2015
IHG must have quietly allowed it.....
or as us regulars know:
IHG's IT is run by interns and comes straight out of Noah's ark
and as such might be totally oblivious
so up untill now it was always an insiders trick among IHG-regulars.....
..... now that many have emailed corporate with questions / US Titan Blogs pumped & hyped it.......we have no idea if it will last.....who ever knows, might provide an estimate....
only LL & HfP have the decency to mention,
(And all US-titan blogs neglected to research/experience and share)
is that IHG can be notorious in closing accounts / suspending members
if any fraud / irregularities / hankypanky is detected....
and that customer service to resolve this, an administrative nightmare !
#292
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: AMS+IAH
Programs: Lufthansa: Senator || IHG: Diamond Royal Ambassador Inner Circle || Plutonium Status
Posts: 3,444
To add:
actually was that IHG's main focus with:
- rewards club was to earn & burn points for free nights
- have AMB for IC hotels to provide bennies (incentive for driving bookings)
It only shifted from this business / loyalty view from introduction of "Diamond" in 2022 as revamp from the old "Spire" status of 2015
Now IHG-corporate's idea is that:
Diamond will provide at least some bennies to offer an atractive proposition:
- breakfast as chosen welcome amenity
- upgrade / late checkout 14H at hotel's discretion
Numbers are regulated for the special bennies with choice milestone rewards based on nights being the threshold
=
this allows IHG to flexable move to more nights needed for certain bennies if % chance overrun by volume,
- it observed that free Diamond with all its glorious complete benefits with Hilton's aspire creditcard creates to much volume at once,
- free EQN with Marriott creditcards creates bloated and to much elite ranks where the situation arises that when everyone's an elite, no one's actually getting their elite benefits,
that as such the smaller IHG-hotels can't cope with providing the bennies,
that the IHG-hotels with lounges can still control/manage capacity
Diamond will not be free via a creditcard,
IHG has learned the hard way in the distant past that when RA-status was available via referral certificates,
Causing an active trade/monetization/unofficialmarket/nepotism and a out of control situation where they couldn't keep tenure tabs and oversee control mechanisms.
Diamond works unifying at all IHG brands
but corporate still believes in keeping RA/AMB for IC and InnerCircle for Kimpton
as it sees merit in AMB (status for purchase to drive more bookings at IC)
and in RA & InnerCircle (keep per invitation status exclusive as not alienating their best customers)
actually was that IHG's main focus with:
- rewards club was to earn & burn points for free nights
- have AMB for IC hotels to provide bennies (incentive for driving bookings)
It only shifted from this business / loyalty view from introduction of "Diamond" in 2022 as revamp from the old "Spire" status of 2015
Now IHG-corporate's idea is that:
Diamond will provide at least some bennies to offer an atractive proposition:
- breakfast as chosen welcome amenity
- upgrade / late checkout 14H at hotel's discretion
Numbers are regulated for the special bennies with choice milestone rewards based on nights being the threshold
=
this allows IHG to flexable move to more nights needed for certain bennies if % chance overrun by volume,
- it observed that free Diamond with all its glorious complete benefits with Hilton's aspire creditcard creates to much volume at once,
- free EQN with Marriott creditcards creates bloated and to much elite ranks where the situation arises that when everyone's an elite, no one's actually getting their elite benefits,
that as such the smaller IHG-hotels can't cope with providing the bennies,
that the IHG-hotels with lounges can still control/manage capacity
Diamond will not be free via a creditcard,
IHG has learned the hard way in the distant past that when RA-status was available via referral certificates,
Causing an active trade/monetization/unofficialmarket/nepotism and a out of control situation where they couldn't keep tenure tabs and oversee control mechanisms.
Diamond works unifying at all IHG brands
but corporate still believes in keeping RA/AMB for IC and InnerCircle for Kimpton
as it sees merit in AMB (status for purchase to drive more bookings at IC)
and in RA & InnerCircle (keep per invitation status exclusive as not alienating their best customers)
Last edited by HadesNL; Dec 1, 2022 at 3:25 pm
#293
Join Date: Oct 2022
Location: SYD / SIN
Programs: Velocity Gold, IHG Diamond Amb
Posts: 18
Conduct a massive campaign of persecution of your elite members, when your company screwed up, or generate some goodwill and let them try out their new Diamond status by spending at your hotels? Tricky to see what any company that cares about their reputation and bottom line might do.
That being said, using the Ambassador loophole to extend instant Diamond to Dec 2023, seems more iffy. I think it wouldn't be difficult to trace such Diamonds with a simple query and PR-wise the blow back for downgrading them all to Platinum wouldn't be so bad. Any reason to worry?
#294
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: AMS+IAH
Programs: Lufthansa: Senator || IHG: Diamond Royal Ambassador Inner Circle || Plutonium Status
Posts: 3,444
PS: i have been locked out of my account once,
- supposedly irregularities -
although the outsourced call center in Makati were friendly,
it was the first time in my life i had thrown a vase at the wall to release my frustation with incompetance
it was only when it was communicated to me that,
if account member booked multiple points room in his name at a hotel,
it is better to email said hotel,
that the multiple points room will be occupied by different persons,
and that you are submitting their names and relations / occassion
so the hotel knows there's no colpotrage / hack / abuse
FYI: this personal incident was about a 10 rooms points booking for Hanukkah for the extended extended family....
So it pays to be patient and to prepare ahead !
- supposedly irregularities -
although the outsourced call center in Makati were friendly,
it was the first time in my life i had thrown a vase at the wall to release my frustation with incompetance
it was only when it was communicated to me that,
if account member booked multiple points room in his name at a hotel,
it is better to email said hotel,
that the multiple points room will be occupied by different persons,
and that you are submitting their names and relations / occassion
so the hotel knows there's no colpotrage / hack / abuse
FYI: this personal incident was about a 10 rooms points booking for Hanukkah for the extended extended family....
So it pays to be patient and to prepare ahead !
#295
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: AMS+IAH
Programs: Lufthansa: Senator || IHG: Diamond Royal Ambassador Inner Circle || Plutonium Status
Posts: 3,444
Oops double post - delete
#296
Join Date: Jul 2009
Programs: BAEC Silver, IHG Diamond
Posts: 7,699
I've got "Diamond expires 31/12/22" and "Renew Ambassador by 1st Feb for $200 and get 15k IHG points".
Did click on the instant diamond link a while ago and got the email etc. saying I was diamond etc.
Did click on the instant diamond link a while ago and got the email etc. saying I was diamond etc.
#297
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2022
Posts: 853
You'll need to renew Ambassador before your Diamond status expires to get the year extension.
#299
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 173
They were offering Diamond till Dec 2023 if you stayed 15 nights within 120-days earlier this year. So 10-nights within 90-days doesn't seem that different. So the only real additional cost is breakfast for the instant Diamonds that had already booked stays in the 90-days after the "promo". Or booked stays because of become instant Diamonds. Everything else is subject to availability, and I was told a lot of hotels take your stay history into account. Like an instant diamond with 0 lifetime points / stays probably isn't going to get upgraded to a suite. You're right, maybe some of them will try out Diamond and want to continue? If they were downgrading they would've done it by now anyway.
That being said, using the Ambassador loophole to extend instant Diamond to Dec 2023, seems more iffy. I think it wouldn't be difficult to trace such Diamonds with a simple query and PR-wise the blow back for downgrading them all to Platinum wouldn't be so bad. Any reason to worry?
That being said, using the Ambassador loophole to extend instant Diamond to Dec 2023, seems more iffy. I think it wouldn't be difficult to trace such Diamonds with a simple query and PR-wise the blow back for downgrading them all to Platinum wouldn't be so bad. Any reason to worry?
#300
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2022
Posts: 853
More evidence the hard way to status, across the board, is a suckers game.