kirky

I've got the UK Black Visa card and my status has just dropped to Gold from Platinum overnight.

As I've recently moved to Canada (although IHG don't know that), I was only keeping the Visa for the points and upgrades etc.

Time to cancel that card...and probably change hotel loyalty as Canada IHG outlets aren't good for discounts or deals.

Still got 3 or 4 nights worth of free stays to use though!

George8052

With the drop from platinum to gold, lack of bonus points it's made me re evaluate my stays. I was hooked to IHG. I am now free to search for the best bargains at any of the chains.

Puppenstein

After seeing this thread, I logged on to my account and found that I had been downgraded to Gold as well. One stay short from Platinum. I checked my other programs and I still managed to stay Platinum so far. It isn't worth getting the credit card over.

Moriens

That might be coincidental timing. I was downgraded (from comped Plat to Gold) without any IHG interaction since a stay last year.

Should we split up the thread? There seem to be two different situations

• Guests who consistently qualified for Platinum each year (under the pre-2012 rules) but whose staying patterns now make them Gold or Club
• Guests who were apparently comped 2014 Platinum in mid-2013, but have now been downgraded anyway

LotusSooty

I moved here from the UK in December. I didn't make the necessary amount of stays to maintain Platinum (I never have, I've always achieved the status by earning points), and I don't have any credit cards at all.

And I'm still Platinum today

And I thought this thread was about people who have been 'busted', i.e. eventually losing their Platinum status after years of never actually earning it with stays anyway?

LotusSooty

Rumbled - down to Gold

Titom

Been downgraded to Gold too... This whole "Plat till 2014" has been very tricky. Was looking at booking some nights for the big win 2014... seriously reconsidering without the 50% bonus and the non-upgrade...

BrightlyBob

Ouch!

I think we all knew these changes would lead to a cull of plats, but bearing in mind the emails received by many here it looked as if IHG had decided to hold back with the axe. Both Hilton and Marriott are known to comp plat to members who fall short by only a few nights, yet IHG seems determined to apply the new rules to the letter.

It seems IHG is under some illusion that members will steer nights to IHG to pursue status, but can't see that their published benefits are so weak that it's not going to strongly effect behaviour. Yes, I do steer some stays to marriott to ensure I preserve status there, and a friend of mine who's a Hilton man does likewise. Not for the few extra points but for the benefits, lounge access, free breakfasts and a real upgrade policy that works. At IHG plat benefits are a crapshoot. When the conversion from PC to IHG was announced early in 2013 to commence midyear I assumed IHG would improve bennies so we'd all have a few months to appreciate the changes and actively work to make status. The only real changes I saw was the offer of a free drink or 300/500 points, plus I do have to say, some upgrades, though still a crapshoot... Unlike many others I was not led to believe I'd been comped 2014 status, but by end October realised IHG Plat remained an empty vessel.

Make no mistake, IHG still has value, the crazy pointearning means I'll still be here chasing down the big wins, but last year I decided not to chase the status and nothing I've seen so far changes that decision.

Gold it will be but unless bennies are strengthened, I can't see the changes playing out well for IHG loyalty...

FinnishFlash

I think this describes the situation pretty well. I myself fall to latter category. IHG informed me they will give me Plat thru 2014 and sent me the card, too, maybe in September/October. Today I was downgraded to gold anyways. Same seems to have happened to lot of us.

While it's inconvenient for me, I just don't understand how that can make any sense at all from IHGs point of view. They inform very early they have extended the status so there is a lot of time to chase status at some other chain instead rest of the year. And then they downgrade anyway now beginning of the year, making sure people won't have any incentive to stay this year, either.

I mean, I'm fine with their decision for my part because that early status gave me chance to complete marriott plat instead during rest of the year. I just don't see what they tried to accomplish with that "we extend your status - oh, we actually don't" trick?

Points Scrounger

I wrote asking for my Plat back, explaining clearly that I am entitled to it no matter how many stays I had last year. If this isn't resolved soon, I'm cashing in my points and outta IHG for good.

craigthemif

Presumably IHG are still running status matches? I'm going to let the dust settle and ask for my platinum back in a few weeks...

scubaccr

That PLTE/G is a marketing fiasco. A large numbder who received this , now known, dubious honour, with 6months of the year then thought ....

Ahh ok, I can instead of doing another nn nights in 2013 to keep IHG Plat, put those nn nights into status qualification at SPG/CC/HH etc, apart from a few nights for Bigwin if lucky with that promos tasks/points offer.

Come January 2014, those loyal IHG Plats, who may have been Plats for several years, are now Gold, and face a)no 50% points bonus b)no room upgrades (I am near as makes no difference 100% on room upgrades other than at HIX's),

and now downgraded, even with a moderate to great Bigwin2014 offer won't stay as no longer Platinums.

Due to this, IHG have crazily culled not just the Plats who gain Plat with only 5-10 well timed stays BUT also culled loyal plats who made Plat with 30-50nights a year who made Plat on Points for Room Rates / Room Nights.

BrightlyBob

I think the strangest thing about all this is the emails that went out advising some members that they were plat to 2014. I didn't get this email. I knew the new qualification criteria and made a choice not to chase it.

Let's suppose however the bennies list had been fortified to include guaranteed breakfast and lounge access, then I may well have thought again and diverted a few stays from Marriott to make IHG Plat... Unless I'd received the 2014 email, in which case I'd have carried on and not made the stays.

So here's the conundrum, as a result of this 2014 email fiasco many members have not made plat as they thought they already had it in the bag. In other words this email ensured IHG received less stays than they otherwise would have..

AND... These non plats must now consider whether to slog it out for 2014 in order to regain status, or rely on a different program. And if I'd had the rug pulled from under me like this I'd be unlikely to choose slogging out for IHG Plat again.

So what exactly has IHG gained from this? I really don't see

FinnishFlash

Exactly what I have wondered myself!

I do know many big corporations are badly managed but I just can't believe any big corp is so badly managed that they do things like that on purpose so I can only, off the top of my head, see two scenarios:

1. They either accidentally extended the status of so many of us.
2. Or they accidentally downgraded us after that promise.

I just can't see any corporation making a "let's say to all these people we extend the status and then we just won't do it, hahahaha" decision.

jerry a. laska

Hilton has not been regularly comping status for those who fall short for several years now. There is also no soft landing. The best most people can hope for is a fast track back to your old status consisting of a set number of statys in a set number of days or to get a credit card that gives status or choose another fast track offer. This would occur in April after Hilton drops you to a lower level.