uastarflyer

it’s still a good program for earning and burning points at HIX type properties. There’s just no longer any point paying for higher end properties. I guess they won’t miss that spend.

I thought the revamp from Spire to Diamond included breakfast and milestone rewards. Spire itself was middling (no breakfast guarantee)

js1993

As opposed to which programs? Need 60 nights at Hyatt to get free breakfast; Hilton went to an awful daily-credit system that barely covers a coffee and donut at many higher-end properties. The grass isn't greener.

uastarflyer

that credit system is US centric.

Hilton provides excellent breakfast options in Europe and Asia. Free with Diamond. Which is available simply by holding a certain AMEX. Bonvoy IIRC same though I am new to test driving it with my other AMEX brilliant.

My most recent Europe vacation I indulged in IHG (non IC) properties in Europe and got the same. $180-$350/night came with free breakfast for 2, a couple places extended it to 4. Saves time and money.

That spend no longer will be at IHG (or will be at HIX at a lower level).

If IHG offered a $400 ish AF card with Diamond and maybe also Ambassador then at least it would be comparable

js1993

The Hilton Aspire annual fee is $550/year and Bonvoy Brilliant is $650/year, but you want Diamond and maybe Ambassador for $400/year?

That's just not serious.

HadesNL

A cheap US centric IHG creditcard offering Diamond + benefits (lounge / upgrades) from the milestones

No thank you,
althought great to have status, how does such a similair type creditcard effect the competitors at present,

Marriot has so many exclusions on its brands it needs a Stephan Hawking type intelligence to make any sense of it
Hilton is everything subject to availability due the sheer amount of Diamonds make everything a gamble + the aforementioned US breakfast credit
Hyatt is slightly smarter with only offering double elite night promo on certain creditcard/markets but its limited footprint and limited clubs (if they've reopened..) at only Grand Hyatt / Hyatt Regency hotel makes only sense to some

What we have now at IHG with benefits structure is fine as it controls the pressure balance on quality&quantity,
without going in head over heels anymore ....

IHG has learned from offering easy instant diamond / diamond fast track / codes / AMBtrick that went viral that it couldn't control the influx,
opening the floodgates which would dent the possibilities of turning loyalty into profit but now turns into cost centre and reduce quality to cope with increased demand (and keeping hotelowners happy), i am glad though that IHG experimented a bit with status as many did get great value since 2015 ! (All thanks to "Spire")
(hence their IT smartened up to make codes region/account specific / AMB-trick gone)

Can you imagine if this would be an easy credit card sign up....

But should we really lobby for an easy IHG status granting creditcard,
with the effect that that we get IHG to mimic, act, inspired by like Marriott & Hilton policies,
creating a dependancy on creditcard revenue,
forsaking the ability to grant quality benefits with the pressure of high quantative demand?

------
bear in mind above that Marriott & Hilton & Hyatt have many more luxury and upper eschalon hotels properties which appeal to creditcard sign up and sales in selling the dream

as for IHG,
to quote Ben from OMAAT:
"IHG, is it me or does IHG have absolutely no aspirational properties compared to the other chains,
most Intercontinentals are Ugh or Meh,
Regent footprint is limited and not all Six Senses are integrated,
IHG is my fourth program because i find redemptions for Hyatt, Marriott&Hilton much more worthwhile & aspirational"

It won't be easy selling the dream of IHG hotels
Sidenote: on OMAAT his 2 weekly recurring IHG creditcard sales pitch attracts usually no comments, so no engagement, no interest, not aspirational


and indeed,
IHG has always been available as more lower to midscale in the market, with limited luxury presence
as such its rewards program was just devised to cater to enable guests to earn points to get free rooms
granting benefits via Diamond is new for them since last year and a whole new mindset for corporate

What about AMB, you might pose ?
Well that was designed to give indeed guarenteed benefits (but only for IC hotels) as a way to generate an incentive pull for guests from the lower brands to stay at the highest brand (IC) back then and to retain them by the incentive

----

The business model of the 5 hotel titans is not as similair as one would think


Marriott & Hilton : a lot of hotels from low to uber luxe in all markets in all brands but loyalty benefits buckling by high elite pool
Their loyalty programs allows redemptions for all types of rooms so pricing can fit one's need, but allows high points redemptions to be disguised as useful to get the room you want.
Elite benefits provided is subject by availability or subject to each individual brand.... even for higher elites the guarentee enforcement is getting shakey https://loyaltylobby.com/2023/10/29/reader-email-four-points-denies-guaranteed-4-pm-check-out-marriott-customer-service-toothless/
https://loyaltylobby.com/2023/02/06/marriott-hotels-to-avoid-if-complimentary-breakfast-is-important/
https://viewfromthewing.com/marriott...its-guarantee/

Hyatt : luxury hotels but limited footprint, its low end devision is unstable in quality
Many rave about redemptions being fixed and not dynamic ...... but for how long is this sustainable and what will the impact be if it goes fully dynamic?
Its like sitting underneath the sword of Damocles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damocles
awaiting what 2026 will bring, i won't name 2024 as most think with Sabre but Madame Leota predicts late 2025/ start 2026 will start the onslaught
Elite benefits are touted as the best but most still need to give up convenience location in some regions to reach a Hyatt hotel

Accor: a lot of lower and midscale properties but also lot of luxury properties/brands through acquisition
Its loyalty program is fixed redemption cost based
its elite recognition varies from paid subscription, to totally incoherent, brands exclusion by region: https://all.accor.com/loyalty-progra...index.en.shtml

IHG: many low and midscale hotels. limited luxury properties
Program focused on earning points to get a free room, now dynamic pricing
Tries to attempt to fold all their brands in 1 loyalty program, however alignment problems (what to do about Six Senses)
The laggard of the game concerning loyalty benefits but seems to observe the competitors and is grappling with the active issue on avoiding elite oversaturation

Apologies for my rant,
Status is like a double edged sword, we all crave it by desire but at what cost .....
At least it stimulates your brain for free


And to end on a humerous note,
Are hotel loyalty programs the work of the devil ?

Frasier: a hotel guest contemplating hotels and status
Bebe: a loyalty program that throws in status with a creditcard

At 1:47
"that's what you want, fame and power!"

At 2:44
"join me Frasier, i'll make your dreams come true, what i'm offering is priceless"


Just my take on the creditcard granting status "but at what cost?"

uastarflyer

Okay then $600. Or $900. Or $1100.

You missed the point, others offer a status worth having simply with a credit card.

IHG doesn’t have the breadth (eg Hawaii) and those other cards are bloated with unrelated to hotel features. Strip things like restaurant credits, Clear and airline credits and it should be more like $400.

But since the number has you animated, make it $600. Or $900.

pretzlaff

With the other hotels doing it and some airlines making all their profit thru credit cards, it is only a matter of time before IHG does it. Ambassador is already sold for cash.

I would guess $500 for a card with Diamond, and $650 for a card with Diamond and Ambassador.

I think of it as an elite subscription model.

js1993

Talk about "missing the point." There's a lot of breakage with those credits. They're not going to "strip them out" to save us money and cost them money.

Regardless, it appears you only stayed at higher-tier IHG properties occasionally (i.e., those where breakfast isn't included). Why would you want to prepay $900 or $1,100 each year just to get breakfast during a few stays?

uastarflyer

Fine. $1100 it is. Or $700. The point isn’t the fee. The point is IHG doesn’t offer an alternate pay path to Diamond. Hilton does. Bonvoy does (to Plat).

Let alone a lifetime status benefit, which IHG doesn’t have.

So the $200 Ambassador back door option was available. And covered up for other deficiencies

And now it is no longer possible. And with it go many paid bookings. Especially Holiday Inn and CP ex US.

js1993

You keep saying this, but you haven't explained why anyone who only stays 10-20 nights per year at paid-breakfast IHG properties would want to prepay $400, or 700, or $900 per year for some breakfasts.

margarita girl

Can we get back on topic?

uastarflyer

Well that explains your earlier responses. To refresh, the topic is:

Get instantly upgraded to IHG Diamond status

This option exists for those eligible for a credit card in the Hilton (to Diamond) and Bonvoy (to Platinum) program.

An instant upgrade to IHG Diamond doesn’t broadly exist. It is a gap (one of several) in the program. The makeshift AMB/Diamond option was appreciated but alas has been cut off.

Admiral Ackbar

I pray with every fibre of my body that this never happens

craigthemif

Although I would normally agree with you...

1. The actual topic of this thread "Get instantly upgraded to IHG Diamond status" has been dead for a year or so
2. The travel hack "extend your free Diamond status by becoming/renewing Ambassador" is also dead, although some people are still in denial (extend AMB at a hotel, etc.)

So, this thread is as good as any if some FTers feel the need to rant or speculate or whatever with regards to IHG Rewards Club - keeping the rest of the board / other threads relatively on topic.

FLYGVA

Folks, this is your moderator speaking.

I have taken the liberty to delete a few posts and replies which were more personal than informational. It could also be said, that the IHG Ambassador "trick" to get IHG Diamond has come to an end (as every good thing comes to an end at some time). The purpose of this thread was to discuss how to get Platinum or get an exisiting Platinum status extended. Both ways are as we knew them in the past are dead.

Therefore I will close this thread. If a new way will be made avaialable or - less likely - the old way will rise from the ashes like Phoenix feel free to start a new thread.

Thank you for you understanding and your contribution.

FLYGVA
co-modertator IHG Forum