khabah

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

js1993

That's good. Just to confirm, this was a first-time Amb enrollment? Never had it in the past?

Did you pay cash or use points?

khabah

Should’ve added those data points; enrolled for the first time having never had Ambassador before, redeemed points for it.

khabah

js1993

Based on what? IHG doesn't have everyone's employer info.

Radiation Station

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.

HadesNL

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 !

HadesNL

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)

ninjalot

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?

HadesNL

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 !

HadesNL

Oops double post - delete

xenole

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.

Ghoulish

You'll need to renew Ambassador before your Diamond status expires to get the year extension.

Sauraigne

delete

Sauraigne

my first ever stat at holiday inn resort after this one-click diamond resulted into being upgraded to the best suite for 5 nights.

Ghoulish

Think of the poor salesman slogging away at grimy Holiday Inns for 70 nights to get the same.

More evidence the hard way to status, across the board, is a suckers game.