Jun 18, 2016, 4:39 am
Last edit by: HadesNL
Update 2023:
- it seems no new RA have been invited by IHG
- criteria for RA requalification are still unknown
- geographical location of member / country account registration seems of some impact due of covid19(restrictions/availability)
- RA is processed in weekly batches starting december 2022
- proof by nicolas75 shows RA qualification for 2024 seems to be strictly based on IC hotels only (not Regent, Kimpton, SixSenses anymore)
As per Tim O'Brien's post about IHG-corporate explaining RA criteria:
As you are aware,
Royal Ambassador is our invitation only tier with the number of members invited each year
limited to ensure our hotels are able to consistently deliver on the benefits promise,
elevating your stay experience at InterContinental Hotels & Resorts.
Although we do not currently have a published criteria for Royal Ambassador,
consideration is determined by variable activities within a members account such as
- qualified paid room nights & spend across our luxury brands (, 2023 EDIT: Post-Pandemic from 2024 InterContinental only : Pre-Pandemic also Kimpton & Regent ) ,
- member region,
- primary hotels,
- category (of the hotel class / €$ĄŁ price levels compared to currency rates / competition / city / region / country / continent )
- tenure (repeat custom / average spend at hotel)
Accompanying or adjoining reservations,
such as the additional rooms of your family etc are not included for Royal Ambassador consideration
but are included in determining Spire Elite status within IHG Rewards Club.
* FT:IHG forum community group consensus / empirical evidence shows
- that members must have stayed at different unique hotels per city / country / region / continent
the amount of uniques needed for RA qualification is unknown but generally extended long stays at just 1 hotel do not qualify
- IHG-corporate showing keen interest in how much guests are spending €$ĄŁ at hotel's own operated F&B / Spa / transport / extra services / other venues
atacama40 has given us insights that extra spend at the hotel charged to the hotelfolio generates EQP but also flags the database as high valued spending guest
- one must have AMB to get considered for RA invitation by IHG as they seem to evaluate over a longer period the length of one's tenure / devotion / spend / undisclosed criteria at stayed IC-hotels
2024
Royal Ambassador 2024 (Re)Qualification - statistics
Thank you everyone who graciously shared their status and statistics. I took the liberty to compose an overview.
The common factor that is instantly recognisable is:
IC: 69 N - 4 unique IC - $17400 - 2 unique country
AndyMick
IC: 96 N - 10 unique IC - 7 unique country - 164778 EQP
Ithink
IC: 78 N - 10 unique IC - Ł27000
Richelieu
~
ProjectSunburst
15 unique IC (USA) - $35000
Kimpton spend: $11000
Milleage Millionaire
IC: 100 N : 58 revenue & 42 award - 166514 EQP
Raynyan
~
Nicolas75
~
ILS2
$20000
HadesNL
IC: 41 N - 8 unique IC (2x USA, 1x UK, 3x EU, 1x Indonesia) 250458 EQP
Marlin1978
IC: 40 N - 9 unique IC (USA + EU) - $13000
HClee01
IC: 30 N - 6 unique IC - $8700
2x Kimpton / 1x Regent : 22 N - $7400
VAbeachgirl
IC: 88 N - 14 unique IC - 8 countries
2x Kimpton : 7 N
total $20000 (IC + Kimpton)
PremexecSNA
IHG : 85 N - 147000 EQP of which
90% revenue stay
85 % IC + Kimpton
10 unique IC
15 unique Kimpton
Darby1970
IC 100 N : 59 revenue of which
37 N : 11 unique IC (USA)& 4 (non-USA)
187682 EQP
Atacama40
IC + Kimpton : 40 N : UK, ME, Asia
Roomrate > Ł1000
EmeraldLady
11 unique IC : 4 continents
IHG: 87 N
$20000
Dmac1418
IC: 3 N - 2 unjque (IC Houston MC & IC San Diego)
6S Fiji $22000 (room: $10000 + spend $12000)
Smythmeister
~
Additional statistics can be found in the comments of LL
https://loyaltylobby.com/2023/12/03/...4-share-yours/
The only other place on the whole interweb that has an interest in Royal Ambassador.
============================
2023
Below our FT-members from the IHG forum with RA status
some of whom have graciously shared their statistics to shed some light
-----------------------
Mileage millionaire: 155359 EQP - IC nights 58 - total nights 108 - unique IC 15
Shoven : $16000 - IC nights 49 - Kimpton nights 8 - total nights 57 - unique IC 5 - unique Kimpton 2 - [unique countries UK/Thailand]
Stimpy: overall stats higher than Shoven
Nicholas75 : 230236 EQP - 93 EQN
Raynyan : 190000 EQP - IC/Kimpton nights 90 - unique IC/Kimpton 10
Vsevolod4 : $24000 - IC nights 67 - total nights 87
Vabeachgirl : $17500 - IC nights 75 - Kimpton nights 4 - total nights 79 - unique properties 13 [unique countries 7]
Hclee01: >$12600 - >156K EQP - 54 EQN - unique IC 3 - unique Kimpton 1 - unique Regent 2 [unique countries Singapore/Thailand/Taiwan/Japan]
Chinatrvl :
Ithink : 220.000 EQP - 47 EQN
Ninjalad : 150000 EQP - IC nights 34
Andymick : 145000 EQP - IC nights 100
Gentleman adventurer :
Marlin1978 :
Pseudo nim :
Hadesnl : 250000 EQP - Kimpton/IC nights 30 - 44 EQN - unique IC 3 - unique Kimpton 2 [unique countries UK/NL/FRA/Indonesia]
Itadakimasu : 120000 EQP - IC nights 12 - 51 EQN
Atacama40 : >Ł25000 - IC nights 60 - unique IC 8 - unique Kimpton 1
Eein : corporate rates global & local
Raynyan's friends : RA extension because their account is Japanese registered
Tim O'Brien: after own friendly persuasion effort : $8,500 - IC nights 79 of which 49 at pres.suite - unique IC 4 [unique countries US/AUS/CAN]
----------------
The only other place on the internet that has an interest in RA (re)qualification statistics is at the comments at Loyaltylobby,
more 2023 RA datapoints can be found there:
https://loyaltylobby.com/2022/12/09/...re-your-stats/
https://loyaltylobby.com/2023/01/18/...re-your-stats/
==============================================
Update 2020 / 2021:
RA status was extended due to the global pandemic of covid19
================================================== =======
Update 2019: The RA status granted at the start of the calendar year 2017 and 2018 has been based on IC revenue. As from 2019 criteria again have become vague. RA is not achieved through IC spend only. Other, unknown elements are taken into account as well. (Fact: Some users with very high +25k IC spend were not renewed in 2019.)
Update December 2018: it looks like some accounts are proactively being renewed in December 2018, well ahead of the stated expiration of Jan 31, 2019. It is currently unknown what criteria were used, but previous years appeared to indicate around $10K++ in IC spend only.
As before, please Divide EQPs by 10 to get $$$ Spend
- it seems no new RA have been invited by IHG
- criteria for RA requalification are still unknown
- geographical location of member / country account registration seems of some impact due of covid19(restrictions/availability)
- RA is processed in weekly batches starting december 2022
- proof by nicolas75 shows RA qualification for 2024 seems to be strictly based on IC hotels only (not Regent, Kimpton, SixSenses anymore)
As per Tim O'Brien's post about IHG-corporate explaining RA criteria:
As you are aware,
Royal Ambassador is our invitation only tier with the number of members invited each year
limited to ensure our hotels are able to consistently deliver on the benefits promise,
elevating your stay experience at InterContinental Hotels & Resorts.
Although we do not currently have a published criteria for Royal Ambassador,
consideration is determined by variable activities within a members account such as
- qualified paid room nights & spend across our luxury brands (, 2023 EDIT: Post-Pandemic from 2024 InterContinental only : Pre-Pandemic also Kimpton & Regent ) ,
- member region,
- primary hotels,
- category (of the hotel class / €$ĄŁ price levels compared to currency rates / competition / city / region / country / continent )
- tenure (repeat custom / average spend at hotel)
Accompanying or adjoining reservations,
such as the additional rooms of your family etc are not included for Royal Ambassador consideration
but are included in determining Spire Elite status within IHG Rewards Club.
* FT:IHG forum community group consensus / empirical evidence shows
- that members must have stayed at different unique hotels per city / country / region / continent
the amount of uniques needed for RA qualification is unknown but generally extended long stays at just 1 hotel do not qualify
- IHG-corporate showing keen interest in how much guests are spending €$ĄŁ at hotel's own operated F&B / Spa / transport / extra services / other venues
atacama40 has given us insights that extra spend at the hotel charged to the hotelfolio generates EQP but also flags the database as high valued spending guest
- one must have AMB to get considered for RA invitation by IHG as they seem to evaluate over a longer period the length of one's tenure / devotion / spend / undisclosed criteria at stayed IC-hotels
2024
Royal Ambassador 2024 (Re)Qualification - statistics
Thank you everyone who graciously shared their status and statistics. I took the liberty to compose an overview.
The common factor that is instantly recognisable is:
- everyone has a valid AMB membership
- everyone has spent a good amount in €$Ł
IC: 69 N - 4 unique IC - $17400 - 2 unique country
AndyMick
IC: 96 N - 10 unique IC - 7 unique country - 164778 EQP
Ithink
IC: 78 N - 10 unique IC - Ł27000
Richelieu
~
ProjectSunburst
15 unique IC (USA) - $35000
Kimpton spend: $11000
Milleage Millionaire
IC: 100 N : 58 revenue & 42 award - 166514 EQP
Raynyan
~
Nicolas75
~
ILS2
$20000
HadesNL
IC: 41 N - 8 unique IC (2x USA, 1x UK, 3x EU, 1x Indonesia) 250458 EQP
Marlin1978
IC: 40 N - 9 unique IC (USA + EU) - $13000
HClee01
IC: 30 N - 6 unique IC - $8700
2x Kimpton / 1x Regent : 22 N - $7400
VAbeachgirl
IC: 88 N - 14 unique IC - 8 countries
2x Kimpton : 7 N
total $20000 (IC + Kimpton)
PremexecSNA
IHG : 85 N - 147000 EQP of which
90% revenue stay
85 % IC + Kimpton
10 unique IC
15 unique Kimpton
Darby1970
IC 100 N : 59 revenue of which
37 N : 11 unique IC (USA)& 4 (non-USA)
187682 EQP
Atacama40
IC + Kimpton : 40 N : UK, ME, Asia
Roomrate > Ł1000
EmeraldLady
11 unique IC : 4 continents
IHG: 87 N
$20000
Dmac1418
IC: 3 N - 2 unjque (IC Houston MC & IC San Diego)
6S Fiji $22000 (room: $10000 + spend $12000)
Smythmeister
~
Additional statistics can be found in the comments of LL
https://loyaltylobby.com/2023/12/03/...4-share-yours/
The only other place on the whole interweb that has an interest in Royal Ambassador.
============================
2023
Below our FT-members from the IHG forum with RA status
some of whom have graciously shared their statistics to shed some light
-----------------------
Mileage millionaire: 155359 EQP - IC nights 58 - total nights 108 - unique IC 15
Shoven : $16000 - IC nights 49 - Kimpton nights 8 - total nights 57 - unique IC 5 - unique Kimpton 2 - [unique countries UK/Thailand]
Stimpy: overall stats higher than Shoven
Nicholas75 : 230236 EQP - 93 EQN
Raynyan : 190000 EQP - IC/Kimpton nights 90 - unique IC/Kimpton 10
Vsevolod4 : $24000 - IC nights 67 - total nights 87
Vabeachgirl : $17500 - IC nights 75 - Kimpton nights 4 - total nights 79 - unique properties 13 [unique countries 7]
Hclee01: >$12600 - >156K EQP - 54 EQN - unique IC 3 - unique Kimpton 1 - unique Regent 2 [unique countries Singapore/Thailand/Taiwan/Japan]
Chinatrvl :
Ithink : 220.000 EQP - 47 EQN
Ninjalad : 150000 EQP - IC nights 34
Andymick : 145000 EQP - IC nights 100
Gentleman adventurer :
Marlin1978 :
Pseudo nim :
Hadesnl : 250000 EQP - Kimpton/IC nights 30 - 44 EQN - unique IC 3 - unique Kimpton 2 [unique countries UK/NL/FRA/Indonesia]
Itadakimasu : 120000 EQP - IC nights 12 - 51 EQN
Atacama40 : >Ł25000 - IC nights 60 - unique IC 8 - unique Kimpton 1
Eein : corporate rates global & local
Raynyan's friends : RA extension because their account is Japanese registered
Tim O'Brien: after own friendly persuasion effort : $8,500 - IC nights 79 of which 49 at pres.suite - unique IC 4 [unique countries US/AUS/CAN]
----------------
The only other place on the internet that has an interest in RA (re)qualification statistics is at the comments at Loyaltylobby,
more 2023 RA datapoints can be found there:
https://loyaltylobby.com/2022/12/09/...re-your-stats/
https://loyaltylobby.com/2023/01/18/...re-your-stats/
==============================================
Update 2020 / 2021:
RA status was extended due to the global pandemic of covid19
================================================== =======
Update 2019: The RA status granted at the start of the calendar year 2017 and 2018 has been based on IC revenue. As from 2019 criteria again have become vague. RA is not achieved through IC spend only. Other, unknown elements are taken into account as well. (Fact: Some users with very high +25k IC spend were not renewed in 2019.)
Update December 2018: it looks like some accounts are proactively being renewed in December 2018, well ahead of the stated expiration of Jan 31, 2019. It is currently unknown what criteria were used, but previous years appeared to indicate around $10K++ in IC spend only.
As before, please Divide EQPs by 10 to get $$$ Spend
================================================== =====
December 2019 / January 2020 Link to RA Renewals & Upgrades
================================================== =====
================================================== =====
JANUARY 2019 RA RENEWAL STATS [put total IHG vs. IC if you can]
================================================== =====
NAME.... IHG total (paid)/IC/EQP, break out IC spend if you can
Pseudo Nim 73 IC nights, $14.6K IC spend ($17.7K total),
Shoven 70 (50) IC nights, $17.3K IC spend ($17.3K total),
Unterwegs 52 IC nights, approx $12K net IC spend. No other brands this year! No more mediocre HIs to make status.
Kaix 63 IC nights, $14.4K IC spend ($15.1K total)
Tim O'Brien 26 IC Paid Nights as at Dec 27, when notified of RA renewal, 140,171 EQP, IC Net Spend 14, 017.
Vsevolod4 IHG total 132, IHG total paid 101, IC nights 85, IC Qualified Spend $16.5K, total EQP 398,800, Kimpton nights: 3, RA Ambassador Kit renewed Dec 27, RA renewal (again) and Kimpton Inner Circle upgrade Jan 4.
kaka(mom) 34 nights 1 country (all IC), IC spend:23k USD
JANUARY 2019 RA RENEWAL STATS [put total IHG vs. IC if you can]
================================================== =====
NAME.... IHG total (paid)/IC/EQP, break out IC spend if you can
Pseudo Nim 73 IC nights, $14.6K IC spend ($17.7K total),
Shoven 70 (50) IC nights, $17.3K IC spend ($17.3K total),
Unterwegs 52 IC nights, approx $12K net IC spend. No other brands this year! No more mediocre HIs to make status.
Kaix 63 IC nights, $14.4K IC spend ($15.1K total)
Tim O'Brien 26 IC Paid Nights as at Dec 27, when notified of RA renewal, 140,171 EQP, IC Net Spend 14, 017.
Vsevolod4 IHG total 132, IHG total paid 101, IC nights 85, IC Qualified Spend $16.5K, total EQP 398,800, Kimpton nights: 3, RA Ambassador Kit renewed Dec 27, RA renewal (again) and Kimpton Inner Circle upgrade Jan 4.
kaka(mom) 34 nights 1 country (all IC), IC spend:23k USD
Lewis42 / 81 Total (unknown IC) / $16k IC / $2k Kimpton / 4 Continents
81 nights total
$18k Kimpton / IC (about $2k kimpton)
stays in 4 continents
been Ra for ~3-4 years
ID;Name;Confirm;Kit msg; Revenue ;Nights;Challenge?;Additional Info
40;stimpy;+;none; $9,000.00 ;50;?;RA since 2001 - exceptional renewal
38;turner32;-;none; $9,000.00 ;?;?;8/9 years as RA
49;hannes08;+;01/16/2019; $9,990.00 ;52;2000;renewal probably because of challenge
17;Lewis42;+;12/27/2018; $10,000.00 ;?;2000;renewal probably because of challenge
27;scienm;+;none; $10,032.00 ;32;?;8 years RA
25;hclee01;+;none; $10,142.16 ;37;?;current RA since 2014 - manual renewal
18;annihilation;-;none; $10,605.00 ;39;?;
51;crosskonaftw;?;none; $10,700.00 ;35;?;not yet RA
30;Land-of-Miles;+;none; $10,999.00 ;19;?;
16;Kimsbrand;-;none; $11,297.88 ;5;?;not RA yet. 13,532.92 USD total?
48;Urby38;+;12/27/2018; $11,300.00 ;47;?;Royal since 2012
42;SAWorldVoyager;?;12/21/2018; $11,391.52 ;?;?;
14;Cielito_;+;none; $11,511.00 ;62;no;77/62/8 with 12042 USD after batch
45;whimike;+;none; $11,700.00 ;?;?;RA for about 7 years
10;Unterwegs;+;12/27/2018; $12,000.00 ;52;yes;
44;serendipity1211;+;01/16/2019; $12,300.00 ;45;no;first-time RA
28;cazane;+;12/27/2018; $12,600.00 ;61;no;4 prepaid nights not posted until 27th 11890 -> 12600
11;VaBeachGirl;+;12/27/2018; $12,750.00 ;68;no;
50;lukah;?;none; $12,800.00 ;80;?;3 years RA
15;336;-;none; $12,900.00 ;16;2000;NOT completed challenge / Lots of adjusted stays
1;DonPedro;+;12/21/2018; $12,971.00 ;49;no;
47;SD2019;+;none; $13,000.00 ;35;no;stays erroneously adjusted or marked as overlapping
36;BRUSS;+;01/16/2019; $13,001.00 ;?;?;
13;Tim O'Brien;+;12/27/2018; $14,017.00 ;26;?; Kimpton;
33;marlin1978;?;12/27/2018; $14,182.00 ;46;no;
26;Kaix;?;12/27/2018; $14,400.00 ;63;?;
9;Pseudo Nim;+;12/27/2018; $14,600.00 ;73;?;
41;PMMMDL;?;?; $15,000.00 ;50;?;
23;nicolas75;?;12/27/2018; $15,000.00 ;81;?;
5;sharps1337;+;12/21/2018; $15,200.00 ;79;no;
3;Raynyan (friend2);?;12/21/2018; $15,500.00 ;69;no;
22;pantanal;+;12/27/2018; $16,000.00 ;?;?;
24;vsevolod4;+;12/27/2018; $16,319.00 ;84;no;
34;boekel;?;12/27/2018; $16,950.00 ;60;no;
21;ILS2;+;none; $17,000.00 ;40;?;
8;skaya (2x);+;12/27/2018; $17,000.00 ;?;?;
7;shoven;+;12/27/2018; $17,304.00 ;50;?;
51;EmeraldLady;+;12/27/2018; $18,000.00 ;47;?;
32;Mr. Chan;?;12/21/2018; $19,582.00 ;45;yes;completed challenge
46;kaka;+;12/21/2018; $20,001.00 ;34;no;
31;christenlabelle;?;none; $22,000.00 ;51;1k + Kimpton;
39;marcel.baden;?;12/27/2018; $22,000.00 ;77;?;
35;Flying Lawyer;?;12/27/2018; $22,135.00 ;70;?;
37;Roey007;?;none; $25,000.00 ;42;?;9 years RA - 9k adjustment: no kit message with 11k before
12;IThink;+;12/27/2018; $25,000.00 ;85;no;
19;HadesNL;+;12/27/2018; $28,273.90 ;52;?;
4;Raynyan (friend3);?;12/21/2018; $30,000.00 ;73;no;
29;btravers33;?;12/27/2018; $30,000.00 ;98;?;
2;Raynyan (friend1);?;12/21/2018; $32,000.00 ;75;no;
20;Raynyan;+;12/27/2018; ? ;70;?;~30 nights not counted somehow
6;samjnz;?;12/21/2018; ? ;?;2000;
04 JAN 2018 RA RENEWAL STATS [put total IHG vs. IC if you can]
================================================== =====
NAME.... IHG total (paid)/IC/EQP, break out IC spend if you can
Pseudo Nim 139 (116)/85/192K, of which $18K in IC
Boekel 85 (70)55/170K, of which $15K in IC
Tim O'Brien 29 IC Nights 2 Non IC IHG nights, 341,976 EQP
scubaccr 55 paid IC Nights , us$13,000++ / 4paid non-IC nights us$900++ (plus 8x IC reward nights, 20x non-IC reward nights) <== Sorry.. forgot to cop exact EQP values before 1/1/2018 acct zeroing
Cielito_ 81/77/5 - $7,353 F&B + $11,656 Room = $19,009 IC net spend - EQP 468,000 (First Time RA)
hclee01 50 IC us$13k++
Land-of-Miles ?? IC us$10.5k++
cazane 60 IC us$11.8k++
VaBeachGirl 54 IC us$13k++
PiffPaffPuff 60IC us$25k++
??????? 35 IC us$10.2k++ <== first time RA ref PiffPaffPuff colleague
Spitcool 40 IC us$15k++
Eltham 40 IC us$12k++
shoven 43 IC us$15k++ <== first time RA
skaya (partner) ?? IC us$10.2k++ <== renewed
darby1970 62 IC us$13k++
The Mileage Millionaire 102 paid IHG nights / 100 paid IC nights / 229k EQP / $22.7k++ IC spend
Orion_1 8 nights at IC, spent at 2 properties - USD 10,200 in total at ICs (honeymoon...)
HadesNL Elite qualifying points: 239,095, Qualifying nights: 39
Aussielori 50 IC us$8k++ 9.2k overall renewed on 16 jan
04 JAN 2018 RA LOSS STATS [put total IHG vs. IC if you can]
================================================== =====
tarek.h ?? IC us$9.1k++
sharps1337 IC us$9.9k++ (and 129 non-IC us$17k++ )
04 JAN 2017 RA RENEWAL STATS (Please include 2016 y/end EQP count)
================================================== =====
NAME.... IHG/IC/IC's EQP $$$$s
SCUBACCR 80/56/13 EQP=14,979 (Split $12864 + $2115)
HANNES08 76/46/10 EQP=11,200
OZ_CATALYST 75/63/8 EQP=14,700 (first Time RA) ($12414 at ICs)
TAREK.H 46/37/4 EQP=14.500 ($10,917 IC Spend)
TravelTheWorld66 147/33/11 EQP=27.972 ($8500 IC Spend)
HCLEE01 67/50/6 EQP=14880
ATACAMA40 82/56/10 EQP=??,???
VaBeachGirl 84/42/12 EQP=15,000
Land-of-Miles 87/73/10 EQP=40,000
SSH4POOH 132/99/28 EQP=50,000
???????? 75/35/8 EQP=??,??? (First Time RA, ref SSH4POOH)
iThink 82/36/11 EQP = 18,200
aussielori 75/45/5 EQP =15,100
1010101 50/48/4 = 12,500
MYSTERY7 63/45/? EQP=25,000 (First Time RA)
EmeraldLady 68/42/10 EQP=15,500
NKU 86/80/5 EQP=20,000
Petrus 110/40/3 EQP=20,000 ($8500 IC Spend)
JOHHENRIK 74/65/10 EQP=16,800
SyLance 76/76/4 EQP=17,500 (RA again after 3years missed)
Pseudo Nim 90/58/15 IC spend $9,500, $17K across chain (175K EQP)
Tim O'Brien 58 nights, EQP 474,576 , July 31, 2017 Year End, renewed to Dec 29, 2017
HadesNL 22/20/7 and us$20,000 ref two posts.
PROTEOME 53/36/? $25,000 (Plus further 30x IC Non-qual nights and 18 IC Award nights) <== nb Maybe/Maybe-Not the IC Non-qual $$'s count as about half EQPs spend, probably > 10k IC qual spend
Chinatrvl 88 nights (in all brands, but c. 75 in ICs), 300,000 EQP, ADR c. 115 USD as I stayed mostly on a locally negotiated rate (spend c. 10k USD)
Unterwegs 78(my count 86)/63/10/285.000 (according to email, I would have expected less. my spending estimate is 15-20K$)
Lewis42 77/39/10 EQP=16010
Whimike 88/35/12 EQP=14220
04 JAN 2017 RA Demotion to xxx Ambassador stats (if > 75/30/3)
==================================================
NAME IHG/IC/IC's EQP $$$$s
[Archived - no longer valid] New (Royal) Ambassador Criteria
A document was unintentionally available in the internet about changes to the (Royal) Ambassador Qualifying and Re-Qualifying criteria.
The document is available on
http://viewfromthewing.img.boardinga...Ambassador.pdf
Older discussion
There was an ongoing discussion about the criteria for some time. This thread is now closed.
update from Executive Liaison Sept, 2023,
spend at other IHG luxury brands does count for RA, and Renewal.
Brands weren't stated, but reasonable to assume Six Senses, Regent, and Kimpton.
$18k Kimpton / IC (about $2k kimpton)
stays in 4 continents
been Ra for ~3-4 years
ID;Name;Confirm;Kit msg; Revenue ;Nights;Challenge?;Additional Info
40;stimpy;+;none; $9,000.00 ;50;?;RA since 2001 - exceptional renewal
38;turner32;-;none; $9,000.00 ;?;?;8/9 years as RA
49;hannes08;+;01/16/2019; $9,990.00 ;52;2000;renewal probably because of challenge
17;Lewis42;+;12/27/2018; $10,000.00 ;?;2000;renewal probably because of challenge
27;scienm;+;none; $10,032.00 ;32;?;8 years RA
25;hclee01;+;none; $10,142.16 ;37;?;current RA since 2014 - manual renewal
18;annihilation;-;none; $10,605.00 ;39;?;
51;crosskonaftw;?;none; $10,700.00 ;35;?;not yet RA
30;Land-of-Miles;+;none; $10,999.00 ;19;?;
16;Kimsbrand;-;none; $11,297.88 ;5;?;not RA yet. 13,532.92 USD total?
48;Urby38;+;12/27/2018; $11,300.00 ;47;?;Royal since 2012
42;SAWorldVoyager;?;12/21/2018; $11,391.52 ;?;?;
14;Cielito_;+;none; $11,511.00 ;62;no;77/62/8 with 12042 USD after batch
45;whimike;+;none; $11,700.00 ;?;?;RA for about 7 years
10;Unterwegs;+;12/27/2018; $12,000.00 ;52;yes;
44;serendipity1211;+;01/16/2019; $12,300.00 ;45;no;first-time RA
28;cazane;+;12/27/2018; $12,600.00 ;61;no;4 prepaid nights not posted until 27th 11890 -> 12600
11;VaBeachGirl;+;12/27/2018; $12,750.00 ;68;no;
50;lukah;?;none; $12,800.00 ;80;?;3 years RA
15;336;-;none; $12,900.00 ;16;2000;NOT completed challenge / Lots of adjusted stays
1;DonPedro;+;12/21/2018; $12,971.00 ;49;no;
47;SD2019;+;none; $13,000.00 ;35;no;stays erroneously adjusted or marked as overlapping
36;BRUSS;+;01/16/2019; $13,001.00 ;?;?;
13;Tim O'Brien;+;12/27/2018; $14,017.00 ;26;?; Kimpton;
33;marlin1978;?;12/27/2018; $14,182.00 ;46;no;
26;Kaix;?;12/27/2018; $14,400.00 ;63;?;
9;Pseudo Nim;+;12/27/2018; $14,600.00 ;73;?;
41;PMMMDL;?;?; $15,000.00 ;50;?;
23;nicolas75;?;12/27/2018; $15,000.00 ;81;?;
5;sharps1337;+;12/21/2018; $15,200.00 ;79;no;
3;Raynyan (friend2);?;12/21/2018; $15,500.00 ;69;no;
22;pantanal;+;12/27/2018; $16,000.00 ;?;?;
24;vsevolod4;+;12/27/2018; $16,319.00 ;84;no;
34;boekel;?;12/27/2018; $16,950.00 ;60;no;
21;ILS2;+;none; $17,000.00 ;40;?;
8;skaya (2x);+;12/27/2018; $17,000.00 ;?;?;
7;shoven;+;12/27/2018; $17,304.00 ;50;?;
51;EmeraldLady;+;12/27/2018; $18,000.00 ;47;?;
32;Mr. Chan;?;12/21/2018; $19,582.00 ;45;yes;completed challenge
46;kaka;+;12/21/2018; $20,001.00 ;34;no;
31;christenlabelle;?;none; $22,000.00 ;51;1k + Kimpton;
39;marcel.baden;?;12/27/2018; $22,000.00 ;77;?;
35;Flying Lawyer;?;12/27/2018; $22,135.00 ;70;?;
37;Roey007;?;none; $25,000.00 ;42;?;9 years RA - 9k adjustment: no kit message with 11k before
12;IThink;+;12/27/2018; $25,000.00 ;85;no;
19;HadesNL;+;12/27/2018; $28,273.90 ;52;?;
4;Raynyan (friend3);?;12/21/2018; $30,000.00 ;73;no;
29;btravers33;?;12/27/2018; $30,000.00 ;98;?;
2;Raynyan (friend1);?;12/21/2018; $32,000.00 ;75;no;
20;Raynyan;+;12/27/2018; ? ;70;?;~30 nights not counted somehow
6;samjnz;?;12/21/2018; ? ;?;2000;
04 JAN 2018 RA RENEWAL STATS [put total IHG vs. IC if you can]
================================================== =====
NAME.... IHG total (paid)/IC/EQP, break out IC spend if you can
Pseudo Nim 139 (116)/85/192K, of which $18K in IC
Boekel 85 (70)55/170K, of which $15K in IC
Tim O'Brien 29 IC Nights 2 Non IC IHG nights, 341,976 EQP
scubaccr 55 paid IC Nights , us$13,000++ / 4paid non-IC nights us$900++ (plus 8x IC reward nights, 20x non-IC reward nights) <== Sorry.. forgot to cop exact EQP values before 1/1/2018 acct zeroing
Cielito_ 81/77/5 - $7,353 F&B + $11,656 Room = $19,009 IC net spend - EQP 468,000 (First Time RA)
hclee01 50 IC us$13k++
Land-of-Miles ?? IC us$10.5k++
cazane 60 IC us$11.8k++
VaBeachGirl 54 IC us$13k++
PiffPaffPuff 60IC us$25k++
??????? 35 IC us$10.2k++ <== first time RA ref PiffPaffPuff colleague
Spitcool 40 IC us$15k++
Eltham 40 IC us$12k++
shoven 43 IC us$15k++ <== first time RA
skaya (partner) ?? IC us$10.2k++ <== renewed
darby1970 62 IC us$13k++
The Mileage Millionaire 102 paid IHG nights / 100 paid IC nights / 229k EQP / $22.7k++ IC spend
Orion_1 8 nights at IC, spent at 2 properties - USD 10,200 in total at ICs (honeymoon...)
HadesNL Elite qualifying points: 239,095, Qualifying nights: 39
Aussielori 50 IC us$8k++ 9.2k overall renewed on 16 jan
04 JAN 2018 RA LOSS STATS [put total IHG vs. IC if you can]
================================================== =====
tarek.h ?? IC us$9.1k++
sharps1337 IC us$9.9k++ (and 129 non-IC us$17k++ )
04 JAN 2017 RA RENEWAL STATS (Please include 2016 y/end EQP count)
================================================== =====
NAME.... IHG/IC/IC's EQP $$$$s
SCUBACCR 80/56/13 EQP=14,979 (Split $12864 + $2115)
HANNES08 76/46/10 EQP=11,200
OZ_CATALYST 75/63/8 EQP=14,700 (first Time RA) ($12414 at ICs)
TAREK.H 46/37/4 EQP=14.500 ($10,917 IC Spend)
TravelTheWorld66 147/33/11 EQP=27.972 ($8500 IC Spend)
HCLEE01 67/50/6 EQP=14880
ATACAMA40 82/56/10 EQP=??,???
VaBeachGirl 84/42/12 EQP=15,000
Land-of-Miles 87/73/10 EQP=40,000
SSH4POOH 132/99/28 EQP=50,000
???????? 75/35/8 EQP=??,??? (First Time RA, ref SSH4POOH)
iThink 82/36/11 EQP = 18,200
aussielori 75/45/5 EQP =15,100
1010101 50/48/4 = 12,500
MYSTERY7 63/45/? EQP=25,000 (First Time RA)
EmeraldLady 68/42/10 EQP=15,500
NKU 86/80/5 EQP=20,000
Petrus 110/40/3 EQP=20,000 ($8500 IC Spend)
JOHHENRIK 74/65/10 EQP=16,800
SyLance 76/76/4 EQP=17,500 (RA again after 3years missed)
Pseudo Nim 90/58/15 IC spend $9,500, $17K across chain (175K EQP)
Tim O'Brien 58 nights, EQP 474,576 , July 31, 2017 Year End, renewed to Dec 29, 2017
HadesNL 22/20/7 and us$20,000 ref two posts.
PROTEOME 53/36/? $25,000 (Plus further 30x IC Non-qual nights and 18 IC Award nights) <== nb Maybe/Maybe-Not the IC Non-qual $$'s count as about half EQPs spend, probably > 10k IC qual spend
Chinatrvl 88 nights (in all brands, but c. 75 in ICs), 300,000 EQP, ADR c. 115 USD as I stayed mostly on a locally negotiated rate (spend c. 10k USD)
Unterwegs 78(my count 86)/63/10/285.000 (according to email, I would have expected less. my spending estimate is 15-20K$)
Lewis42 77/39/10 EQP=16010
Whimike 88/35/12 EQP=14220
04 JAN 2017 RA Demotion to xxx Ambassador stats (if > 75/30/3)
==================================================
NAME IHG/IC/IC's EQP $$$$s
[Archived - no longer valid] New (Royal) Ambassador Criteria
A document was unintentionally available in the internet about changes to the (Royal) Ambassador Qualifying and Re-Qualifying criteria.
The document is available on
http://viewfromthewing.img.boardinga...Ambassador.pdf
Older discussion
There was an ongoing discussion about the criteria for some time. This thread is now closed.
update from Executive Liaison Sept, 2023,
spend at other IHG luxury brands does count for RA, and Renewal.
Brands weren't stated, but reasonable to assume Six Senses, Regent, and Kimpton.
New RA qualifying criteria based on IC Revenue
Dec 19, 2017, 9:20 pm
#1951
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 182
It sounds like a very good method to keep royal criteria secret, because triggering enrolment or renewing after reaching "criteria X" will automatically result in disclosure.
The goal is to maximise spend and not to help borderline Spire Ambassadors to get RA with minimal effort. ...and it seems to work.
The goal is to maximise spend and not to help borderline Spire Ambassadors to get RA with minimal effort. ...and it seems to work.
Dec 20, 2017, 12:51 am
#1953
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
Not that there is anything essential among the RA benefits but I somehow don't like being irritated by a loyalty scheme, and I am starting to feel that it may be time for me to ditch it as it's starting to irritate me more than it pleases me (Accelerate 2018 did not help - it's not the more you stay, the more you're rewarded, it's the more you stay, the less you're rewarded per night...).
Dec 20, 2017, 6:19 am
#1954
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 182
Your are moving 6,000 USD due to a 4-days-gap? I guess their systems will still show the status after expiring for this few days.
I also think that it would be more advantageous for IHG if they would keep business from end of year bookings for stays early in 2018 with sending invitation in December.
(On the other hand, most business travelers will book flexible, because locally negotiated rates or corporate rebates are related to best flexible rate.)
Nevertheless, this does not contradict my statement, renewing/enroll on a specific date is a logical consequence of keeping royal criteria secret in order to avoid minimalist RAs.
And I may have understanding if I look back to some old threads regarding to “your consumption is above average”-mails from AMB service centre due to plundered minibars or others here starting minibar partys with other members ... xD
I also think that it would be more advantageous for IHG if they would keep business from end of year bookings for stays early in 2018 with sending invitation in December.
(On the other hand, most business travelers will book flexible, because locally negotiated rates or corporate rebates are related to best flexible rate.)
Nevertheless, this does not contradict my statement, renewing/enroll on a specific date is a logical consequence of keeping royal criteria secret in order to avoid minimalist RAs.
And I may have understanding if I look back to some old threads regarding to “your consumption is above average”-mails from AMB service centre due to plundered minibars or others here starting minibar partys with other members ... xD
Dec 20, 2017, 7:59 am
#1955
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: AMS+IAH
Programs: Lufthansa: Senator || IHG: Diamond Royal Ambassador Inner Circle || Plutonium Status
Posts: 3,486
I would believe the RA qualification has some weight in the fact if guest is using paid hotel facilities (signature restaurants, getting sloshed at the hotel bar, order shopping purchases via hotel % pay out system etc.
Roomrates have fixed costs and profits but it is the variable services where hotels can put their upcharge pricing which in term can put value on guests.
Roomrates have fixed costs and profits but it is the variable services where hotels can put their upcharge pricing which in term can put value on guests.
Dec 20, 2017, 8:36 am
#1956
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: MAN and LON
Programs: Mucci, BAEC LT Gold, HH Dia, MR LT Plat, IHG Diamond Amb, Amex Plat
Posts: 13,765
It sounds like a very good method to keep royal criteria secret, because triggering enrolment or renewing after reaching "criteria X" will automatically result in disclosure.
The goal is to maximise spend and not to help borderline Spire Ambassadors to get RA with minimal effort. ...and it seems to work.
The goal is to maximise spend and not to help borderline Spire Ambassadors to get RA with minimal effort. ...and it seems to work.
From my perspective I have zero IC stays booked into 2018 because I don't know if I will be RA and I have no real incentive to stay at IC's without RA. So there is a real potential these forward bookings will be lost entirely to other chains so I can gain certainty and lock in current pricing.
I am not loyal to IC I am loyal to RA, without RA, I don't stay at IC's so if IHG want my business at IC's it seems to me it would be far better for them not to piss about playing silly games and instead set some clear criteria which I can try and hit.
Whilst this may drive some customers to minimum spend renewal that should be factored into the minimum spend threshold. The opacity of the qualification criteria is likely to drive many customers to give up even trying to renew RA, to fail to incentivise those who narrowly miss qualification to qualify and the resultant loss of IC business from disgruntled former RA's. This is made even worse by the fact that those who were narrow misses who might in previous years have requalified again a few weeks later would now have a whole year to build up requalification (as a gamble against opaque criteria) with no RA status benefits.
Frankly IC is not that great a chain that we would all stay there regardless as it represents the best option in each city that it is present. Often the IC is an also ran property made more appealing to those of us who are RA's via status benefits.
The whole scheme is somewhat Kafkaesque but I would wager a significant sum that an opaque programme leads to less overall business for IC than a transparent one.
I am at a point now where it would not distress me terribly to lose RA and just switch my business to other chains.
Last edited by Land-of-Miles; Dec 20, 2017 at 8:43 am
Dec 20, 2017, 9:32 am
#1957
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Amsterdam, Asia, UK
Programs: IHG RA (Spire), HH Diamond, MR Platinum, SQ Gold, KLM Gold, BAEC Gold
Posts: 5,072
So basically what you are saying is that they are doing a not very clever thing of only giving out the status once a year, so those who may have spent $40,000 in the first 3 months of the year may not even get the RA status until January the year after (by which time they might have got fed up with being treated as a normal Amb and defected to the likes of SPG), and if there are unlucky people who sent $9,900 in the last month of the 2017 and then again $9,900 in January 2018 would NOT get an RA.
It doesn't sound like a good system.
It doesn't sound like a good system.
Further correct, mno rolling 12month, so high IC spend in 2H2017 followed by 1H2018 is useless
Plus once guest loses RA status, that guest may well ditch IHG chain in entirety rather than chase next year spending even more $$$ at IC brand, . I know I will not bother with IHG if I lose my RA, other than the odd CP in Europe.
Dec 20, 2017, 9:46 am
#1958
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 182
Well, in the end, there is no royal road and IHG will always, for whatever reason, lose on one side or the other spend from customers.
From experiences in my circle of friends I can understand your indifference in relation to the status. One of them just does not care about his first time RA this year, but about the flood of points he earns with IHG. For example, spending 100 EUR room rate in December in IC Berlin with additional 5EUR for 5000-points-package, a meal (extra 1000 points), 100% spire bonus, 50% bonus point offer on bpt-packages, welcome points and addition to that ca. 5,500 pt. from accelerate promo (120k pt for 22 nights) will result in ca. 17,000 after staying just one night xD
I believe for those who spend a lot at IHG properties the status is relatively irrelevant and you will find no one from IHG here to defend spire because it is mostly crap xD
Accordingly that is how they deal with loyalty stati or they were just sick about being asked several times in the year to review the account towards RA
For me the targeted spend in ICs has increased from 11,000 to 17,000 USD.
I do not even bother looking for other luxury brands in the city, if I know there is an IC, but I would if I knew that I collected enough spend.
From experiences in my circle of friends I can understand your indifference in relation to the status. One of them just does not care about his first time RA this year, but about the flood of points he earns with IHG. For example, spending 100 EUR room rate in December in IC Berlin with additional 5EUR for 5000-points-package, a meal (extra 1000 points), 100% spire bonus, 50% bonus point offer on bpt-packages, welcome points and addition to that ca. 5,500 pt. from accelerate promo (120k pt for 22 nights) will result in ca. 17,000 after staying just one night xD
I believe for those who spend a lot at IHG properties the status is relatively irrelevant and you will find no one from IHG here to defend spire because it is mostly crap xD
Accordingly that is how they deal with loyalty stati or they were just sick about being asked several times in the year to review the account towards RA
For me the targeted spend in ICs has increased from 11,000 to 17,000 USD.
I do not even bother looking for other luxury brands in the city, if I know there is an IC, but I would if I knew that I collected enough spend.
Last edited by Cielito_; Dec 20, 2017 at 9:52 am
Dec 20, 2017, 10:37 am
#1959
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Singapore
Programs: SIA Solitaire PPS, IHG Royal Amb, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Gold, Hilton Hhonor Gold
Posts: 2,207
I have an upcoming stay in IC ANA Tokyo this weekend. Previously, I have made a booking to secure rooms due to the peak season. At point of booking, my standard room was upgraded to Premier Room as shown in the online booking record.
Recently, I noted that the rates have come down a fair bit and as such, I cancel the existing booking and rebook the standard room at a much cheaper rate. This time around, I noted that the room upgrade is only one level to Executive Deluxe. I guess this is a tell-tale sign that I will not make it to RA next year? Given that I am technically still a RA this weekend, I should still be eligible for 2-tier upgrade and lounge access, is this correct?
My stays with IC has decreased this year due to the travel patterns and coupled that there are no ICs in Taipei resulting that I had to stay at other chains. As such, I doubt I will make it with only around 50 IC nights (including the upcoming stay commencing this weekend till New Year and adjusted stay).
Recently, I noted that the rates have come down a fair bit and as such, I cancel the existing booking and rebook the standard room at a much cheaper rate. This time around, I noted that the room upgrade is only one level to Executive Deluxe. I guess this is a tell-tale sign that I will not make it to RA next year? Given that I am technically still a RA this weekend, I should still be eligible for 2-tier upgrade and lounge access, is this correct?
My stays with IC has decreased this year due to the travel patterns and coupled that there are no ICs in Taipei resulting that I had to stay at other chains. As such, I doubt I will make it with only around 50 IC nights (including the upcoming stay commencing this weekend till New Year and adjusted stay).
Dec 20, 2017, 11:08 am
#1960
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
This time around, I noted that the room upgrade is only one level to Executive Deluxe. I guess this is a tell-tale sign that I will not make it to RA next year? Given that I am technically still a RA this weekend, I should still be eligible for 2-tier upgrade and lounge access, is this correct?
Another thing is if your stay is over quite a few days, a particular room type two levels up may not be available throughout your stay (I find you can usually negotiate a room change in this situation, though).
Regardless of your renewal, your current status is valid till 31 December so you should still be able to get a 2-tier upgrade unless higher rooms are already booked out.
Probably a lot of people (esp. young people living at home) booking for a "'dirty weekend' for Christmas" (don't laugh, this is a normal practice over there) filling up rooms and they know they can sell the 'higher grade' room.
One trick that tends to help for better upgrade on weekend stays is to book a Twin rather than a Queen/King for properties in Japan, as higher grade twin rooms have better availability than King (if it baffles you, think about what I wrote above and it'd make sense).
I've been given a discount at various ICs when they couldn't give me a 2-cat upgrade due to being fully occupied, so that might be on the card for you.
I don't even use some of the RA benefits anyway, e.g. the minibar, so in effect that benefit is no use to me, bringing the RA benefits down to the equivalent of other chains, and SPG has more interesting properties, Suite Night Award, Your 24-hours, etc. and they look after me very well with no accompanying frustrations that dealing with IHG often causes. (I also have Hilton Diamond which I don't often use but would use if I ditch the IC and I apparently have some other hotel statuses although I don't tend to take much notice of it).
From my perspective I have zero IC stays booked into 2018 because I don't know if I will be RA and I have no real incentive to stay at IC's without RA. So there is a real potential these forward bookings will be lost entirely to other chains so I can gain certainty and lock in current pricing.
Last edited by LTN Phobia; Dec 20, 2017 at 11:52 am
Dec 20, 2017, 12:02 pm
#1961
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: MAN and LON
Programs: Mucci, BAEC LT Gold, HH Dia, MR LT Plat, IHG Diamond Amb, Amex Plat
Posts: 13,765
I wouldn't read anything into it for weekend stays, particularly just before Christmas. They're probably pretty busy. have you look at the room availability there?
Another thing is if your stay is over quite a few days, a particular room type two levels up may not be available throughout your stay (I find you can usually negotiate a room change in this situation, though).
Regardless of your renewal, your current status is valid till 31 December so you should still be able to get a 2-tier upgrade unless higher rooms are already booked out.
Probably a lot of people (esp. young people living at home) booking for a "'dirty weekend' for Christmas" (don't laugh, this is a normal practice over there) filling up rooms and they know they can sell the 'higher grade' room.
One trick that tends to help for better upgrade on weekend stays is to book a Twin rather than a Queen/King for properties in Japan, as higher grade twin rooms have better availability than King (if it baffles you, think about what I wrote above and it'd make sense).
I've been given a discount at various ICs when they couldn't give me a 2-cat upgrade due to being fully occupied, so that might be on the card for you.
I have no company-imposed stays so it is entirely up to me how I want to choose my hotels, so, that is very much what I intend to do, except to spend the points I have and to continue staying at certain properties where I am on individualised benefits due to frequent stays rather than RA benefits anyway. There are alternatives almost everywhere I go and with SPG/Marriott it's been made even easier to get status benefits in a wider range of properties.
I don't even use some of the RA benefits anyway, e.g. the minibar, so in effect that benefit is no use to me, bringing the RA benefits down to the equivalent of other chains, and SPG has more interesting properties, Suite Night Award, Your 24-hours, etc. and they look after me very well with no accompanying frustrations that dealing with IHG often causes. (I also have Hilton Diamond which I don't often use but would use if I ditch the IC and I apparently have some other hotel statuses although I don't tend to take much notice of it).
Another thing is if your stay is over quite a few days, a particular room type two levels up may not be available throughout your stay (I find you can usually negotiate a room change in this situation, though).
Regardless of your renewal, your current status is valid till 31 December so you should still be able to get a 2-tier upgrade unless higher rooms are already booked out.
Probably a lot of people (esp. young people living at home) booking for a "'dirty weekend' for Christmas" (don't laugh, this is a normal practice over there) filling up rooms and they know they can sell the 'higher grade' room.
One trick that tends to help for better upgrade on weekend stays is to book a Twin rather than a Queen/King for properties in Japan, as higher grade twin rooms have better availability than King (if it baffles you, think about what I wrote above and it'd make sense).
I've been given a discount at various ICs when they couldn't give me a 2-cat upgrade due to being fully occupied, so that might be on the card for you.
I have no company-imposed stays so it is entirely up to me how I want to choose my hotels, so, that is very much what I intend to do, except to spend the points I have and to continue staying at certain properties where I am on individualised benefits due to frequent stays rather than RA benefits anyway. There are alternatives almost everywhere I go and with SPG/Marriott it's been made even easier to get status benefits in a wider range of properties.
I don't even use some of the RA benefits anyway, e.g. the minibar, so in effect that benefit is no use to me, bringing the RA benefits down to the equivalent of other chains, and SPG has more interesting properties, Suite Night Award, Your 24-hours, etc. and they look after me very well with no accompanying frustrations that dealing with IHG often causes. (I also have Hilton Diamond which I don't often use but would use if I ditch the IC and I apparently have some other hotel statuses although I don't tend to take much notice of it).
Ultimately I am finding for the bulk of my stays I use the minibar little because in the week I try to avoid drinking except maybe on one day and I use the clubs little too because they tend not to flow around my work hours. So you are left with arapidly dissipating upgrade "benefit" and a little minibar and club use where relevant. If I ever chose to stay at IC's post RA it would probably cost less than I currently spend just to be in with a shot at renewal of RA.
As my travel pattern next year is likely to see little opportunity for expensed IC stays I am much more indifferent than I usually am at this point.
Dec 20, 2017, 12:14 pm
#1962
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: NZ *E
Posts: 345
Hmmm this is all making me re-evaluate my stays for next year particularly with the annoying calendar year qualification window.
My situation is that I recently started ramping up my hotel nights around September this year so I don't have the advantage of a full year of IC history to qualify for RA -- even with a bunch of stays next year, it seems the earliest I will be able to quality is 2019!
On the other hand, if I moved over to SPG I'd have a good shot at getting SPG Platinum 100, etc during the year.
Interested to hear anyone else's experiences with SPG Platinum with regards to upgrades compared to Ambassador + RA -- is there that much of a difference?
My situation is that I recently started ramping up my hotel nights around September this year so I don't have the advantage of a full year of IC history to qualify for RA -- even with a bunch of stays next year, it seems the earliest I will be able to quality is 2019!
On the other hand, if I moved over to SPG I'd have a good shot at getting SPG Platinum 100, etc during the year.
Interested to hear anyone else's experiences with SPG Platinum with regards to upgrades compared to Ambassador + RA -- is there that much of a difference?
Dec 20, 2017, 12:21 pm
#1963
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: MAN and LON
Programs: Mucci, BAEC LT Gold, HH Dia, MR LT Plat, IHG Diamond Amb, Amex Plat
Posts: 13,765
Hmmm this is all making me re-evaluate my stays for next year particularly with the annoying calendar year qualification window.
My situation is that I recently started ramping up my hotel nights around September this year so I don't have the advantage of a full year of IC history to qualify for RA -- even with a bunch of stays next year, it seems the earliest I will be able to quality is 2019!
On the other hand, if I moved over to SPG I'd have a good shot at getting SPG Platinum 100, etc during the year.
Interested to hear anyone else's experiences with SPG Platinum with regards to upgrades compared to Ambassador + RA -- is there that much of a difference?
My situation is that I recently started ramping up my hotel nights around September this year so I don't have the advantage of a full year of IC history to qualify for RA -- even with a bunch of stays next year, it seems the earliest I will be able to quality is 2019!
On the other hand, if I moved over to SPG I'd have a good shot at getting SPG Platinum 100, etc during the year.
Interested to hear anyone else's experiences with SPG Platinum with regards to upgrades compared to Ambassador + RA -- is there that much of a difference?
Dec 20, 2017, 1:30 pm
#1964
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,127
75 nights is probably more of a sweet spot for SPG, with Your 24-hours at 75, 10 x Suite Night Award at 50 nights. I don't really see the value in SPG 100 as Land-of-Miles mentioned above.
Of course SPG Plat now comes with Marriott Plat so there is that benefit.
Lifetime status can be good, although with SPG I am not sure how long the scheme will run independently so unless you've been a Plat already, you might not get to meet "10 years as a Plat and 500 nights" criteria.
In terms of SPG upgrades, it varies a bit depending on the property but by and large I find the SPG Platinum upgrades pretty solid. I've had anything from just a normal upgraded room all the way through to presidential suite with SPG, whereas I've only had a presidential suite type of upgrade from IC properties that I am a regular at, and it wasn't an RA benefit but a frequent stayer benefit that the individual properties decided to give to me. With SPG it's not limited to two categories either. Being able to know for sure in advance with Suite Night Award x 10 is also nice.
Club access is guaranteed for any Plat where there is one, and in the absence of that, you tend to get a full breakfast in the restaurant. Platinum welcome amenity points (should you choose the points) is better than the IC with 500 SPG pts (vs 600 IHG points). Reward nights still attracts the Club access.
Nothing is opaque with SPG which makes a nice change from RA.
Apart from the minibar, I don't really see much difference between SPG Plat and RA. Further, SPG bonuses aren't tailored in an annoying way and it's very solid e.g. current 1,000 extra points per stay, although there are quite a few non-participating properties by the looks of it.
Some SPG Club lounges are mediocre at best, although many seem to be improving them.
So, if you need to choose either RA or SPG, rather than both, then provided there are enough SPG/Marriott properties in the areas you will be frequenting, I'd be inclined to go for SPG personally, and then use both SPG and Marriott.
I have one fewer reason to stay at one of the ICs - the Sheraton nearby has been refurbished and the Club that used to be extremely poor has been improved a lot, although the rooms remain somewhat worse than the IC. The rates are very similar, or Sheraton is a bit cheaper, and it is in a more convenient location than the IC. That becomes a no brainer choice if they don't renew my RA.
Last edited by LTN Phobia; Dec 20, 2017 at 1:41 pm
Dec 20, 2017, 3:04 pm
#1965
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: NZ *E
Posts: 345
Thanks -- this is useful information.
IHG kinda hooked me with those guaranteed upgrades, but outside of the IC properties it's a bit of a huge step down in quality and a bunch of cities just have Crowne Plazas or Holiday Inns available (vs. a range of SPG properties at a highish tier like Westin's, W's, etc).
I guess I'll see if some miracle happens in January with qualification otherwise I'll evaluate in the New Year!
IHG kinda hooked me with those guaranteed upgrades, but outside of the IC properties it's a bit of a huge step down in quality and a bunch of cities just have Crowne Plazas or Holiday Inns available (vs. a range of SPG properties at a highish tier like Westin's, W's, etc).
I guess I'll see if some miracle happens in January with qualification otherwise I'll evaluate in the New Year!
