Dec 31, 2022, 7:43 am
Last edit by: FLYGVA
IHG Rewards Club (from 2022)
IHG One Rewards has five tiers.
The qualifying criteria for the elite levels are
Main Benefits of each tier (a general list of all benefits are available on the IHG homepage)
Silver Elite
Milestones
In addition to the above mentioned benefits, you receive certain rewards if you reach certain milestones (i.e. nights). This means, that you can theoraticlally reach Diamond by points without reaching the required nights for milestone bonuses. All nights (i.e. paid night, free nights from credit cards and award nights count for the milestone nights)
20 nights (one choice)
Every milestone had to be chosen within 90 days after reaching the milestone.
Discussion (Programm)
Breakfast Amenity (Diamond) started June 01, 2022.
Discussion thread
According to the t&c the amenity should also apply for booking on free nights certificates or points
Discussion thread
Discussion (Milestones)
General Discussion about the programm (from January 2022)
General Discussion abput the milesstones programm
There are also thraed about the milestone, which have been merged or copied from the general thread.
Milestone: Lounge Option at 40 nights
valid to the end of the year plus an additional 12 months
Discussion thread
Milestone: Suite Night Upgrade Certificates
So far only on best flexible rates and not an advanced purchase rates and reward rates. Discussion about this milestone could be found here. Upgrade to suite does not come with club access, only with the physical suite
Discussio thread
Milestone: Food and Beverage Rewards
Was delayed till end of 2022 and is still delayed in some region for certain brands
Discussion thread
Common questions about Priority Club membership and PC points:
How long does status last?
PC status is based on calendar year.
When you are promoted, you retain your new status for the rest of the current year and until 31st December of the following year. PC has a ‘soft landing’ system so a Platinum who does not requalify drops to Gold for a year before dropping back to Club.
Do my ‘earned points’ reset when I hit Gold?
No.
When you hit Gold, you are promoted immediately and then only need another 40,000 points in that calendar year to hit Platinum. If you do not hit Platinum in the same year as achieving Gold, you will need to earn the full 60,000 points in the following year to go from Gold to Platinum.
Do I get free breakfast or Club access?
No.
No level of PC membership offers a guaranteed free breakfast or Club access although Plats will occasionally get them on a discretionary hotel-by-hotel basis. Members living in EMEA can redeem PC points for vouchers for a free breakfast (4,000 points per person per day) at any EMEA non-InterContinental branded property - these must be ordered through the website and you need to allow time for delivery.
How many points do I earn per stay?
10 points per US$1, except for Candlewood and Staybridge which offer 5 per $1. This is officially based on the pre-tax amount and some services charged to your bill are excluded – see the small print.
Intercontinental has given a flat 2,000 base points per stay in the past, bnut is now also within the general earning structure.
Do PC points expire?
Yes, from May 2016 IHG will expire all points for IHG Rewards Club Members if they have not earned or redeemed any points at all in the previous 12 months.
Do I get points for incidental spend on reward stays?
Yes
There might be some exception if the hotel charges on behalf of third parties (e.g. parking, spa)
Do I get stay credit on reward stays?
Yes
Do all rates qualify for points and stay credit?
No
This is one of the main problems with the programme. Whilst there are some obvious exceptions (Expedia bookings, tour operator bookings, flight crew / employee rates etc) there is an additional rule that hotels in North, South and Central America do not earn points at rates rates which are 30% lower than the ‘Best Available Rate’ for that night. Some hotels impose this, some don’t. Some hotels outside of these regions also try to disqualify discounted rates for points, even if the rate was booked through the PC website and was publicly available. If you don’t get points, you can usually get the decision reversed by e-mailing Priority Club and reminding them that this rule does not actually exist. Note that hotels in Asia Pacific DO give points for 'locally negotiated rates' according to the T&C's.
If you book a stay using ‘two nights for the price of one’ offers then it is PC policy to give points and stay credit for one night – again, if you don’t get this then e-mail PC and they will correct it.
You cannot earn points from two different hotels on the same night - one will always post with 0 points. Bear this in mind if planning a mattress run.
Do I still earn points if I book through a cashback website such as quidco.com or fatwallet?
Yes
because these bookings are completed through the PC website and not through a third-party website such as Expedia.
Will I receive points and a qualifying night if I book a room using my account for someone else?
Officially not -
You have to stay and pay yourself (ie no group bookings) to get the points. In reality, though, you should get the points if you have booked the room using your account. To increase your chances, add the name of whoever is using the room as an 'additional guest' when making the reservation, and in the comments section add 'Second guest: XXX XXXX, will arrive first'.
Will I receive points on multiple rooms?
Yes in the US and Canada, except InterContinental-branded hotels and only for 10 or less rooms. Your PC number must be on ALL rooms, or alternatively the charges from the others rooms must be transferred to your bill before payment. Anywhere else in the world you will only receive the points for your own room no matter how many rooms you have booked under your account.
Do all points count towards status?
No
unfortunately this is no longer the case. In the past, all points (base points, bonus points, credit card sign-up, credit card spending, points purchased, points transferred via Amex Membership Rewards or from another PC member) have counted towards status. Nowadays, only the points earned through the stay will count for the status, i.e. the points for room rate, incidentals, elite status, but not longer bonus points. There is only one exception, if you buy a hotel package including bonus points - these hotel package bonus points will count towards status.
Can I transfer points to another member?
Yes,
but you need to pay $5 per 1,000 points. You need to download the form from the PC website and fax it to them. Transferred points count towards status progression for the recipient, but count against status progression for the transferror. It has been posted on FT that members who live in the Asia-Pacific region can transfer points for free to another Asia-Pacific based member by calling the service centre - I cannot verify this myself.
Can I purchase points online?
Yes.
There are usually a couple of promotions each year where you can receive 10% or more bonus points when purchasing points. Purchased points usually did not count towards status anymore.
Can I collect airline miles instead of points?
Yes,
you can choose to take 500 miles per stay in most airline schemes instead of points. However ... this is not recommended for regular stayers because if you choose 'airline miles' as your earnings preference, you will not be allowed to sign up for the majority of the PC bonus points promotions. You are usually better off collecting points and then, if you want miles, transferring them to your preferred airline at 10,000 PC points = 2,000 airline miles.
How many points do I need for a free night?
Rates vary. InterContinental redemptions are usually 50,000 points (40k or 30k at some places). Crowne Plaza and Indigo are always 35k / 25k, Candlewood always 15k, Staybridge always 20k. Holiday Inn and HI Express are 15k (very occasionally 10k) but are 25k in peak cities like London, Paris, New York etc. In these cities you will therefore clearly get better value from a 25k Crowne Plaza stay than a 25k HI Express stay!
Are nights ever discounted?
PC has a small number of ‘points break’ rewards each quarter, at which a small number of hotels globally offer rooms at 5,000 points per night. A new list is released quarterly and hotels disappear when their quota is full, often within days. Locations vary but don’t expect IC London to appear any time soon!
What room categories are available for redemption?
In general, InterContinental properties only make the lowest room category available for reward nights. HI, CP, Indigo etc hotels often make a larger range of rooms available, occasionally including suites, at no additional points cost, but this is strictly done on a property-by-property basis.
Are there blackout nights?
PC has a ‘no blackout’ policy. However, this is NOT the same as the Hilton ‘if we have a room, its yours’ policy. All it means is that a hotel is obliged to make at least 1 room per night available for redemption, and when its gone, its gone. In general, though, availability is good and you would be very unlucky not to find any rooms available in a major gateway city on any particular night.
Does PC open up extra reward availability on request for Platinum members?
No. There have been occasions where FT’ers have contacted PC and they have persuaded a hotel to open up extra rooms, but this is not common and certainly would not happen for anyone below Platinum level.
Can I cancel a reward night, and when do I get the points back?
You can usually cancel online until the day before arrival. Points are deposited back into your account immediately - if you cancel a booking, log out and log in again, they will be back and available for use.
Are there other redemption options?
Yes.
Interesting options include vouchers for breakfast or dinner at hotels for 4,000 or 7,500 points respectively (not valid at IC’s, only available to members living and redeeming in EMEA), store gift vouchers (choice varies by country of residence) and American Express ‘anyhotel, anywhere’ gift cards that can be used to pay for ANY hotel in the world that takes Amex. Whilst not the greatest value, the Amex gift cards can be useful if you have a lot of points and there is no suitable PC property in your vacation destination. You can also transfer points to airline miles at a ratio for most programmes of 10,000 points = 2,000 miles.
Does PC comp status?
Generally not, although it never does any harm to ask if you are Platinum in another programme and can show that you have a number of PC stays booked. There is no point asking for a Gold comp given the minimal benefits of the Gold tier and the fact that being Gold does not make it any easier to achieve Platinum.
Status ranking of importance at IHG-group hotels
IHG's main loyalty program is IHG-1rewards,
However they also have the paid Ambassador program for benefits at Intercontinental hotels
IHG corporate may extend ( per invitation only ) to certain members:
- Royal Ambassador status valid at Intercontinental hotels
- Inner Circle status valid at Kimpton hotels
It seems a lot of people have certain expectations of IHG's Diamond status.
Thinking it to be highest status among all brands of the group.
Having no idea of being outranked as Diamond at some of IHG's brands.
IHG elite tiers:
https://www.ihg.com/onerewards/conte...ProgramUpdates
Now follows per brand the ranking of status per importance level
- note: no complete into on Regent & Six Senses yet
Intercontinental hotels
Note: Inner Circle is not applicable at Intercontinental hotels, highest status here is Royal Ambassador
Royal Ambassador (per invitation only)
https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental...bassador-royal
Ambassador (sign up paid programme)
https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental.../en/ambassador
IHG Diamond status
https://www.ihg.com/content/us/en/cu...er-tc/2nd-page
In order of rank for upgrades / late checkout
1 Royal Ambassador
2 Diamond Ambassador
3 Platinum Ambassador
4 Diamonds
5 Platinum
* AMB is a paid programme:
- guaranteed an upgrade (cat+1)
- guaranteed late checkout till 16.00H
* Diamond / Platinum :
- upgrade subject to availability at hotel's discretion
- 2PM late checkout subject to availability at hotel's discretion
Breakfast Complimentary
Royal Ambassador
(if hotel has no open club lounge)
&
Diamonds
(must inform reservations / reception at checkin that breakfast is chosen as Diamond welcome amenity)
Note: Ambassador does not get free breakfast
Lounge access
Royal Ambassador
(Part of status benefit/auto-granted)
&
Diamond
(= only at 40/70 nights milestone rewards selection, must pick & choose in IHG account)
&
Platinum
(= only at 40/70 nights milestone rewards selection, must pick & choose in IHG account)
* NOTE:
Ambassador: does not get lounge access!
Diamond / Platinum: does not auto-grant lounge access,
must have chosen lounge access as 40/70 N as milestone rewards in IHG-account before stay
-------------------------------
Kimpton hotels
NOTE:
RA / AMBASSADOR programme is not applicable at Kimpton hotels,
it has Inner Circle as highest status
Inner Circle: per invitation only
https://www.ihg.com/kimptonhotels/co...y/inner-circle
IHG Diamond status
https://www.ihg.com/content/us/en/cu...er-tc/2nd-page
In order of rank for upgrades / late checkout
1 Inner Circle
2 Diamond
3 Platinum
* Inner Circle (https://www.ihg.com/kimptonhotels/co...y/inner-circle)
- has guaranteed cat+1 upgrade
- guaranteed late checkout till 16.00H
* Diamond / Platinum:
- upgrade subject to availability at hotel's discretion
- 2PM late checkout subject to availability at hotel's discretion
Breakfast Complimentary
Inner Circle = grants also Diamond status benefits
&
Diamond
NOTE: both must inform reservations / reception at checkin that breakfast is chosen as Diamond welcome amenity
--------------------------
Other brands: Holiday Inn / Holiday Inn Express / Voco / Crown Plaza /StaybridgeSuites /Indigo
NOTE: RA / AMB / Inner Circle is not applicable at these brands,
Diamond is the highest status
IHG Diamond status :
https://www.ihg.com/content/us/en/cu...er-tc/2nd-page
In order of rank for upgrades / late checkout
1 Diamond
2 Platinum
Diamond / Platinum:
- upgrade subject to availability at hotel's discretion
- 2PM late checkout subject to availability at hotel's discretion
Lounge Access
Diamonds / Platinum
(= only at 40/70 nights milestone rewards selection, must pick & choose in IHG account)
Breakfast complimentary
Diamond only
NOTE: must inform reservations / reception at checkin that breakfast is chosen as Diamond welcome amenity; you could not use digtial check in if you want breakfast.
--------------------------------------------------
early check in expectations
Please adjust expectations if you come before official checkin time (15.00H)
and you won't be a able to check in early and get your room right away.
Even if you see rooms still available for sale via the official app / site
Even if you see better rooms (higher category) still available for sale via the official app / site
That is because room availability can differ in real time at the hotel due to at:
Intercontinental hotels : Royal ambassadors enjoy early check in from 10 AM Guaranteed / enjoy a temporary hospitality room until their booked room is ready
Kimpton hotels : Inner Circle enjoy early check in from 10.00 AM Guaranteed / enjoy a temporary hospitality room until their booked room is ready
Six Senses hotels : Royal Ambassadors + Inner Circle enjoy early check in from 10.00 AM / enjoy a temporary hospitality room until their booked room is ready
If a lot of top tier status guests are checking in early at 10AM, (or are all using late checkout at 16.00H)
it can put a strain on real time available rooms ready before official check in time of 15.00H.
(events / holidays / late red eye transcon flights / group travel / hotel has limited amount of suites vs rooms)
Source:
https://www.ihg.com/kimptonhotels/co...y/inner-circle
https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental...rms-conditions
Late check out expectations
Diamond AMB or as Diamond or as AMB
ALWAYS email the hotel's reservations in advance,
after you've made your booking,
so they are aware of your needs concerning late checkout,
so they can allocate you the right room that you can keep till late checkout,
so they can keep track of room inventory management and code the keys properly for late checkout!
(nobody like to be locked out their rooms when the keyencoding expires)
-----------------------------------
IHG One Rewards has five tiers.
- Club Member (Base)
- Silver Elite
- Gold Elite
- Platinum Elite
- Diamond Elite
The qualifying criteria for the elite levels are
- Silver Elite 10 nights
- Gold Elite 20 nights or 40,000 points
- Platinum Elite 40 nights or 60,000 points
- Diamond Elite 70 nights or 120,000 points
Main Benefits of each tier (a general list of all benefits are available on the IHG homepage)
Silver Elite
- 20% Bonus points
- points do not expire
- Late check out 14:00 (subject to availability)
- 40% Bonus points
- points do not expire
- rollover nights
- Late check out 14:00 (subject to availability)
- 60% Bonus points
- points do not expire
- rollover nights
- Upgrades
- Welcome Amenity (points or snack/drink)
- Early check in (subject to availability)
- Late check out 14:00 (subject to availability)
- Rewards Night Discount
- 100% Bonus points
- points do not expire
- rollover nights
- Upgrades
- Welcome Amenity (breakfast, points or snack/drink)
- Early check in (subject to availability)
- Late check out 14:00 (subject to availability)
- Rewards Night Discount
Milestones
In addition to the above mentioned benefits, you receive certain rewards if you reach certain milestones (i.e. nights). This means, that you can theoraticlally reach Diamond by points without reaching the required nights for milestone bonuses. All nights (i.e. paid night, free nights from credit cards and award nights count for the milestone nights)
20 nights (one choice)
- 5,000 Bonus Points
- 2 Food & Beverage Rewards
- 1 Confirmable Suite Upgrade
- 5,000 Bonus Points
- 2 Food & Beverage Rewards
- 10,000 Bonus Points
- 5 Food & Beverage Rewards
- 1 Confirmable Suite Upgrade (limit 1)
- Annual Lounge Membership (limit 1)
- 10,000 Bonus Points
- 5 Food & Beverage Rewards60 nights (one choice)
- 10,000 Bonus Points
- 5 Food & Beverage Rewards
- 10,000 Bonus Points
- 5 Food & Beverage Rewards
- 2 Confirmable Suite Upgrades (limit 1)
- Annual Lounge Membership (limit 1)
- 10,000 Bonus Points
- 5 Food & Beverage Rewards
- 10,000 Bonus Points
- 5 Food & Beverage Rewards
- 10,000 Bonus Points
- 5 Food & Beverage Rewards
Every milestone had to be chosen within 90 days after reaching the milestone.
Discussion (Programm)
Breakfast Amenity (Diamond) started June 01, 2022.
Discussion thread
According to the t&c the amenity should also apply for booking on free nights certificates or points
Discussion thread
Discussion (Milestones)
General Discussion about the programm (from January 2022)
General Discussion abput the milesstones programm
There are also thraed about the milestone, which have been merged or copied from the general thread.
Milestone: Lounge Option at 40 nights
valid to the end of the year plus an additional 12 months
Discussion thread
Milestone: Suite Night Upgrade Certificates
So far only on best flexible rates and not an advanced purchase rates and reward rates. Discussion about this milestone could be found here. Upgrade to suite does not come with club access, only with the physical suite
Discussio thread
Milestone: Food and Beverage Rewards
Was delayed till end of 2022 and is still delayed in some region for certain brands
Discussion thread
Common questions about Priority Club membership and PC points:
How long does status last?
PC status is based on calendar year.
When you are promoted, you retain your new status for the rest of the current year and until 31st December of the following year. PC has a ‘soft landing’ system so a Platinum who does not requalify drops to Gold for a year before dropping back to Club.
Do my ‘earned points’ reset when I hit Gold?
No.
When you hit Gold, you are promoted immediately and then only need another 40,000 points in that calendar year to hit Platinum. If you do not hit Platinum in the same year as achieving Gold, you will need to earn the full 60,000 points in the following year to go from Gold to Platinum.
Do I get free breakfast or Club access?
No.
No level of PC membership offers a guaranteed free breakfast or Club access although Plats will occasionally get them on a discretionary hotel-by-hotel basis. Members living in EMEA can redeem PC points for vouchers for a free breakfast (4,000 points per person per day) at any EMEA non-InterContinental branded property - these must be ordered through the website and you need to allow time for delivery.
How many points do I earn per stay?
10 points per US$1, except for Candlewood and Staybridge which offer 5 per $1. This is officially based on the pre-tax amount and some services charged to your bill are excluded – see the small print.
Intercontinental has given a flat 2,000 base points per stay in the past, bnut is now also within the general earning structure.
Do PC points expire?
Yes, from May 2016 IHG will expire all points for IHG Rewards Club Members if they have not earned or redeemed any points at all in the previous 12 months.
Do I get points for incidental spend on reward stays?
Yes
There might be some exception if the hotel charges on behalf of third parties (e.g. parking, spa)
Do I get stay credit on reward stays?
Yes
Do all rates qualify for points and stay credit?
No
This is one of the main problems with the programme. Whilst there are some obvious exceptions (Expedia bookings, tour operator bookings, flight crew / employee rates etc) there is an additional rule that hotels in North, South and Central America do not earn points at rates rates which are 30% lower than the ‘Best Available Rate’ for that night. Some hotels impose this, some don’t. Some hotels outside of these regions also try to disqualify discounted rates for points, even if the rate was booked through the PC website and was publicly available. If you don’t get points, you can usually get the decision reversed by e-mailing Priority Club and reminding them that this rule does not actually exist. Note that hotels in Asia Pacific DO give points for 'locally negotiated rates' according to the T&C's.
If you book a stay using ‘two nights for the price of one’ offers then it is PC policy to give points and stay credit for one night – again, if you don’t get this then e-mail PC and they will correct it.
You cannot earn points from two different hotels on the same night - one will always post with 0 points. Bear this in mind if planning a mattress run.
Do I still earn points if I book through a cashback website such as quidco.com or fatwallet?
Yes
because these bookings are completed through the PC website and not through a third-party website such as Expedia.
Will I receive points and a qualifying night if I book a room using my account for someone else?
Officially not -
You have to stay and pay yourself (ie no group bookings) to get the points. In reality, though, you should get the points if you have booked the room using your account. To increase your chances, add the name of whoever is using the room as an 'additional guest' when making the reservation, and in the comments section add 'Second guest: XXX XXXX, will arrive first'.
Will I receive points on multiple rooms?
Yes in the US and Canada, except InterContinental-branded hotels and only for 10 or less rooms. Your PC number must be on ALL rooms, or alternatively the charges from the others rooms must be transferred to your bill before payment. Anywhere else in the world you will only receive the points for your own room no matter how many rooms you have booked under your account.
Do all points count towards status?
No
unfortunately this is no longer the case. In the past, all points (base points, bonus points, credit card sign-up, credit card spending, points purchased, points transferred via Amex Membership Rewards or from another PC member) have counted towards status. Nowadays, only the points earned through the stay will count for the status, i.e. the points for room rate, incidentals, elite status, but not longer bonus points. There is only one exception, if you buy a hotel package including bonus points - these hotel package bonus points will count towards status.
Can I transfer points to another member?
Yes,
but you need to pay $5 per 1,000 points. You need to download the form from the PC website and fax it to them. Transferred points count towards status progression for the recipient, but count against status progression for the transferror. It has been posted on FT that members who live in the Asia-Pacific region can transfer points for free to another Asia-Pacific based member by calling the service centre - I cannot verify this myself.
Can I purchase points online?
Yes.
There are usually a couple of promotions each year where you can receive 10% or more bonus points when purchasing points. Purchased points usually did not count towards status anymore.
Can I collect airline miles instead of points?
Yes,
you can choose to take 500 miles per stay in most airline schemes instead of points. However ... this is not recommended for regular stayers because if you choose 'airline miles' as your earnings preference, you will not be allowed to sign up for the majority of the PC bonus points promotions. You are usually better off collecting points and then, if you want miles, transferring them to your preferred airline at 10,000 PC points = 2,000 airline miles.
How many points do I need for a free night?
Rates vary. InterContinental redemptions are usually 50,000 points (40k or 30k at some places). Crowne Plaza and Indigo are always 35k / 25k, Candlewood always 15k, Staybridge always 20k. Holiday Inn and HI Express are 15k (very occasionally 10k) but are 25k in peak cities like London, Paris, New York etc. In these cities you will therefore clearly get better value from a 25k Crowne Plaza stay than a 25k HI Express stay!
Are nights ever discounted?
PC has a small number of ‘points break’ rewards each quarter, at which a small number of hotels globally offer rooms at 5,000 points per night. A new list is released quarterly and hotels disappear when their quota is full, often within days. Locations vary but don’t expect IC London to appear any time soon!
What room categories are available for redemption?
In general, InterContinental properties only make the lowest room category available for reward nights. HI, CP, Indigo etc hotels often make a larger range of rooms available, occasionally including suites, at no additional points cost, but this is strictly done on a property-by-property basis.
Are there blackout nights?
PC has a ‘no blackout’ policy. However, this is NOT the same as the Hilton ‘if we have a room, its yours’ policy. All it means is that a hotel is obliged to make at least 1 room per night available for redemption, and when its gone, its gone. In general, though, availability is good and you would be very unlucky not to find any rooms available in a major gateway city on any particular night.
Does PC open up extra reward availability on request for Platinum members?
No. There have been occasions where FT’ers have contacted PC and they have persuaded a hotel to open up extra rooms, but this is not common and certainly would not happen for anyone below Platinum level.
Can I cancel a reward night, and when do I get the points back?
You can usually cancel online until the day before arrival. Points are deposited back into your account immediately - if you cancel a booking, log out and log in again, they will be back and available for use.
Are there other redemption options?
Yes.
Interesting options include vouchers for breakfast or dinner at hotels for 4,000 or 7,500 points respectively (not valid at IC’s, only available to members living and redeeming in EMEA), store gift vouchers (choice varies by country of residence) and American Express ‘anyhotel, anywhere’ gift cards that can be used to pay for ANY hotel in the world that takes Amex. Whilst not the greatest value, the Amex gift cards can be useful if you have a lot of points and there is no suitable PC property in your vacation destination. You can also transfer points to airline miles at a ratio for most programmes of 10,000 points = 2,000 miles.
Does PC comp status?
Generally not, although it never does any harm to ask if you are Platinum in another programme and can show that you have a number of PC stays booked. There is no point asking for a Gold comp given the minimal benefits of the Gold tier and the fact that being Gold does not make it any easier to achieve Platinum.
Status ranking of importance at IHG-group hotels
IHG's main loyalty program is IHG-1rewards,
However they also have the paid Ambassador program for benefits at Intercontinental hotels
IHG corporate may extend ( per invitation only ) to certain members:
- Royal Ambassador status valid at Intercontinental hotels
- Inner Circle status valid at Kimpton hotels
It seems a lot of people have certain expectations of IHG's Diamond status.
Thinking it to be highest status among all brands of the group.
Having no idea of being outranked as Diamond at some of IHG's brands.
IHG elite tiers:
https://www.ihg.com/onerewards/conte...ProgramUpdates
Now follows per brand the ranking of status per importance level
- note: no complete into on Regent & Six Senses yet
Intercontinental hotels
Note: Inner Circle is not applicable at Intercontinental hotels, highest status here is Royal Ambassador
Royal Ambassador (per invitation only)
https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental...bassador-royal
Ambassador (sign up paid programme)
https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental.../en/ambassador
IHG Diamond status
https://www.ihg.com/content/us/en/cu...er-tc/2nd-page
In order of rank for upgrades / late checkout
1 Royal Ambassador
2 Diamond Ambassador
3 Platinum Ambassador
4 Diamonds
5 Platinum
* AMB is a paid programme:
- guaranteed an upgrade (cat+1)
- guaranteed late checkout till 16.00H
* Diamond / Platinum :
- upgrade subject to availability at hotel's discretion
- 2PM late checkout subject to availability at hotel's discretion
Breakfast Complimentary
Royal Ambassador
(if hotel has no open club lounge)
&
Diamonds
(must inform reservations / reception at checkin that breakfast is chosen as Diamond welcome amenity)
Note: Ambassador does not get free breakfast
Lounge access
Royal Ambassador
(Part of status benefit/auto-granted)
&
Diamond
(= only at 40/70 nights milestone rewards selection, must pick & choose in IHG account)
&
Platinum
(= only at 40/70 nights milestone rewards selection, must pick & choose in IHG account)
* NOTE:
Ambassador: does not get lounge access!
Diamond / Platinum: does not auto-grant lounge access,
must have chosen lounge access as 40/70 N as milestone rewards in IHG-account before stay
-------------------------------
Kimpton hotels
NOTE:
RA / AMBASSADOR programme is not applicable at Kimpton hotels,
it has Inner Circle as highest status
Inner Circle: per invitation only
https://www.ihg.com/kimptonhotels/co...y/inner-circle
IHG Diamond status
https://www.ihg.com/content/us/en/cu...er-tc/2nd-page
In order of rank for upgrades / late checkout
1 Inner Circle
2 Diamond
3 Platinum
* Inner Circle (https://www.ihg.com/kimptonhotels/co...y/inner-circle)
- has guaranteed cat+1 upgrade
- guaranteed late checkout till 16.00H
* Diamond / Platinum:
- upgrade subject to availability at hotel's discretion
- 2PM late checkout subject to availability at hotel's discretion
Breakfast Complimentary
Inner Circle = grants also Diamond status benefits
&
Diamond
NOTE: both must inform reservations / reception at checkin that breakfast is chosen as Diamond welcome amenity
--------------------------
Other brands: Holiday Inn / Holiday Inn Express / Voco / Crown Plaza /StaybridgeSuites /Indigo
NOTE: RA / AMB / Inner Circle is not applicable at these brands,
Diamond is the highest status
IHG Diamond status :
https://www.ihg.com/content/us/en/cu...er-tc/2nd-page
In order of rank for upgrades / late checkout
1 Diamond
2 Platinum
Diamond / Platinum:
- upgrade subject to availability at hotel's discretion
- 2PM late checkout subject to availability at hotel's discretion
Lounge Access
Diamonds / Platinum
(= only at 40/70 nights milestone rewards selection, must pick & choose in IHG account)
Breakfast complimentary
Diamond only
NOTE: must inform reservations / reception at checkin that breakfast is chosen as Diamond welcome amenity; you could not use digtial check in if you want breakfast.
--------------------------------------------------
early check in expectations
Please adjust expectations if you come before official checkin time (15.00H)
and you won't be a able to check in early and get your room right away.
Even if you see rooms still available for sale via the official app / site
Even if you see better rooms (higher category) still available for sale via the official app / site
That is because room availability can differ in real time at the hotel due to at:
Intercontinental hotels : Royal ambassadors enjoy early check in from 10 AM Guaranteed / enjoy a temporary hospitality room until their booked room is ready
Kimpton hotels : Inner Circle enjoy early check in from 10.00 AM Guaranteed / enjoy a temporary hospitality room until their booked room is ready
Six Senses hotels : Royal Ambassadors + Inner Circle enjoy early check in from 10.00 AM / enjoy a temporary hospitality room until their booked room is ready
If a lot of top tier status guests are checking in early at 10AM, (or are all using late checkout at 16.00H)
it can put a strain on real time available rooms ready before official check in time of 15.00H.
(events / holidays / late red eye transcon flights / group travel / hotel has limited amount of suites vs rooms)
Source:
https://www.ihg.com/kimptonhotels/co...y/inner-circle
https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental...rms-conditions
Late check out expectations
Diamond AMB or as Diamond or as AMB
ALWAYS email the hotel's reservations in advance,
after you've made your booking,
so they are aware of your needs concerning late checkout,
so they can allocate you the right room that you can keep till late checkout,
so they can keep track of room inventory management and code the keys properly for late checkout!
(nobody like to be locked out their rooms when the keyencoding expires)
-----------------------------------
IHG One Rewards Programme Information
Dec 31, 2022, 7:29 am
#1
Moderator: InterContinental Hotels and Germany
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 6,552
IHG One Rewards Programme Information
IHG Rewards Club (from 2022)
IHG launched a new Rewards Programm in 2022. This thread covers the general information about the programm which has two aspects. The benefits of the elite level as certain milestone awards.
Feel free to edit the wiki if (this does not necessary has to be done by a moderator).
FLYGVA
co-moderator IHG Forum
IHG launched a new Rewards Programm in 2022. This thread covers the general information about the programm which has two aspects. The benefits of the elite level as certain milestone awards.
Feel free to edit the wiki if (this does not necessary has to be done by a moderator).
FLYGVA
co-moderator IHG Forum
Last edited by FLYGVA; Dec 31, 2022 at 7:45 am
Dec 31, 2022, 2:43 pm
#2
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: AMS+IAH
Programs: Lufthansa: Senator || IHG: Diamond Royal Ambassador Inner Circle || Plutonium Status
Posts: 3,489
Have added an edited version of status rank importance at IHG-hotel brands to the wiki,
It will keep Diamond status in perspective versus the Ambassador program + per invitation only statuses.
Hope this will help manage expectations at IHG-hotels and be informative for readers
May 2023 be a welcoming experience for elite members at IHG-hotels
It will keep Diamond status in perspective versus the Ambassador program + per invitation only statuses.
Hope this will help manage expectations at IHG-hotels and be informative for readers
May 2023 be a welcoming experience for elite members at IHG-hotels
Last edited by HadesNL; Dec 31, 2022 at 3:20 pm
Dec 31, 2022, 5:14 pm
#3
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: AMS+IAH
Programs: Lufthansa: Senator || IHG: Diamond Royal Ambassador Inner Circle || Plutonium Status
Posts: 3,489
Milestone award [Annual Lounge Membership] selected valid till .....
Very important data point:
Selected today:
01.03H on Amsterdam time 1 JAN 2023
for my 40 Nights milestone award the "Lounge Pass = Annual Lounge Membership"
and it is valid untill 31/12/2024
meaning 2023 & 2024 = 2 years of club lounge access across all IHG-hotels
See proof at:
Milestone Discussion: Lounge access at 40 nights
Selected today:
01.03H on Amsterdam time 1 JAN 2023
for my 40 Nights milestone award the "Lounge Pass = Annual Lounge Membership"
and it is valid untill 31/12/2024
meaning 2023 & 2024 = 2 years of club lounge access across all IHG-hotels
See proof at:
Milestone Discussion: Lounge access at 40 nights
Last edited by HadesNL; Dec 31, 2022 at 5:28 pm
Jan 5, 2023, 7:50 am
#4
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: DFW
Programs: AA Plat/6MM, Marriott Titanium, IHG Diamond
Posts: 3,240
2022 totals?
How can I determine the final number of 2022 nights I've stayed? I don't see this number on the web or app.
I checked-out on 30 DEC, too late to view my total nights increment before the year-end reset. It was an award stay, so there would be no indication in my points total. The stay did not trigger a Milestone award, so I can't look there.
There is a "Number of nights:" indicator under "Account Activity" for that stay, but I don't have any faith that this number was correctly included in my 2022 total.
So, how does one view their total 2022 nights?
I checked-out on 30 DEC, too late to view my total nights increment before the year-end reset. It was an award stay, so there would be no indication in my points total. The stay did not trigger a Milestone award, so I can't look there.
There is a "Number of nights:" indicator under "Account Activity" for that stay, but I don't have any faith that this number was correctly included in my 2022 total.
So, how does one view their total 2022 nights?
Jan 10, 2023, 8:36 am
#6
Join Date: May 2022
Posts: 2,252
Jan 11, 2023, 9:22 am
#7
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Springfield, MA
Programs: HH Diamond, IHG Diamond, Marriott Platinum, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 434
IHG offers these Food and Beverage Rewards. I took three, as there wasn't much else to pick from and I am staying two nights 1/15 to 1/17 at the Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor, and I thought I could use them. I have no other IHG bookings the rest of the year. And guess what? They aren't active yet- and I don't think I will be able to redeem them. I also took lounge membership, and the Crowne Plaza has no lounge. So my rewards are pretty useless.
Jan 11, 2023, 9:50 am
#8
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Cheshire
Programs: HH Diamond, IHG Diamond Am Elite, Best Western Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Gold, Radisson Rewards Gold
Posts: 1,712
Travel Profiles
Haven't booked an IHG room for some time.
Just gone to make a booking and was asked which "travel profile" I wanted to use from a list of 3 that I must have set up.
Can't find the page that would allow me to delete / amend them?
I could do with deleting one of them as I no longer work for that company and the profile appears to hold both default credit card and corporate rate info.
Have searched the main forum, but could only find one thread from 2012 with no answers.
Haven't booked an IHG room for some time.
Just gone to make a booking and was asked which "travel profile" I wanted to use from a list of 3 that I must have set up.
Can't find the page that would allow me to delete / amend them?
I could do with deleting one of them as I no longer work for that company and the profile appears to hold both default credit card and corporate rate info.
Have searched the main forum, but could only find one thread from 2012 with no answers.
Jan 11, 2023, 2:13 pm
#9
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: United Kingdom
Programs: Diamond Inner Circle Royal Ambassador
Posts: 344
Does anyone know if the Mastercard World Elite rate can be used in conjunction with the suite upgrades or lounge pass as part of the milestone rewards?
The ts and cs say that this can be used with IHG One Rewards and is a qualifying rate for points. I have a 3 night stay in June at the IC Warsaw. Was hoping to use lounge pass and suite upgrade voucher.
https://www.ihg.com/content/gb/en/de...300430&srb_u=1
The ts and cs say that this can be used with IHG One Rewards and is a qualifying rate for points. I have a 3 night stay in June at the IC Warsaw. Was hoping to use lounge pass and suite upgrade voucher.
https://www.ihg.com/content/gb/en/de...300430&srb_u=1
Jan 16, 2023, 4:27 am
#10
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
Programs: BA GGL, NH SFC, IHG Diamond, Radisson VIP, HH Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 835
I just wonder when the status is updated? Mine still shows Diamond but I only stayed for 4-5 nights in 2022. Or an extension has been applied...?
Jan 17, 2023, 8:28 am
#11
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: ZRH
Programs: LH SEN, BA Gold, Bonvoy Plat, IHG Spire RA
Posts: 580
mine had been downgraded at the weekend from RA to Diamond Amb, well deserved though I miss the access to the Club Lounge currently at IC Lisbon very much
Jan 18, 2023, 1:53 pm
#12
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: SAF
Programs: HH Gold, IHG Gold
Posts: 675
I am in a similar situation. Stayed 0 nights last year. Curious if I will drop from Platinum to Club Member or get some less harsh soft landing. Also wondering why it takes them more than 18 days into the month to figure this all out.
Jan 19, 2023, 4:23 am
#13
Join Date: Feb 2020
Location: Perth, AU
Programs: IHG Diamond Ambassador, GHA Titanium
Posts: 29
4. Will a member’s status change to a lower tier if they haven’t achieved the new nights threshold? For example, will a member be downgraded to Silver Elite if they do not meet the new Gold Elite criteria?
Yes, members will need to meet 2022 Qualified Nights or Points threshold for the relevant tier based on activity between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022 to maintain their current status or achieve a higher tier level. Otherwise, their status will be downgraded and reflected in their IHG1R account in March 2023.
5. A member’s status was gifted or earned during a promotion—what will happen to their status in 2023?
Members will need to meet the current Qualified Nights or Points threshold for the relevant tier based on activity between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022 to requalify for their statuses or upgrade to the next tier level. Elite statuses that were earned on a temporary basis as part of a promotion will be downgraded or maintained according to the terms of the promotion.
Jan 19, 2023, 8:25 am
#14
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: SFO
Programs: UA1k3.00mm;AAex-EXP;Hy Glob;Acc Plt;HH Dia;Onyx Plt;Mar LT Tit;IHG DiAm;RR P;RRA G;BW D;Hcom G
Posts: 2,759
Does anyone know if the Mastercard World Elite rate can be used in conjunction with the suite upgrades or lounge pass as part of the milestone rewards?
The ts and cs say that this can be used with IHG One Rewards and is a qualifying rate for points. I have a 3 night stay in June at the IC Warsaw. Was hoping to use lounge pass and suite upgrade voucher.
https://www.ihg.com/content/gb/en/de...300430&srb_u=1
The ts and cs say that this can be used with IHG One Rewards and is a qualifying rate for points. I have a 3 night stay in June at the IC Warsaw. Was hoping to use lounge pass and suite upgrade voucher.
https://www.ihg.com/content/gb/en/de...300430&srb_u=1
Aug 27, 2023, 5:41 pm
#15
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: PNW
Programs: FreeAgent; DL Silver; IHG Diamond/ Ambassador
Posts: 689
If I don't meet the criteria for renewal for Diamond for this year, but I renew my Ambassador, will my Diamond membership get extended for next year?
I was Diamond last year but only met the requirements for Gold for this year. But my Diamond got extended after I signed up for Ambassador.
I was Diamond last year but only met the requirements for Gold for this year. But my Diamond got extended after I signed up for Ambassador.