Old Jun 18, 2016, 4:39 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
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 / $ 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 $ 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 $
Shoven
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 - 27000

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 > 1000

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 : >25000 - 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
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.

















Print Wikipost

New RA qualifying criteria based on IC Revenue

Old Jan 12, 2019, 12:40 am
  #3001  
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Stuck on this planet - mainly in STR and LAX
Posts: 5,019
I also got the email today. It says 51 mornings in 10 countries. I My count on Dec27 was 52/12000 and I had 6/1500 more posting after Dec27 - not sure if their count is old or incorrect).
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Old Jan 12, 2019, 3:26 am
  #3002  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 88
Originally Posted by Eltham
Im not the finger-pointing expert Tim, as a reading of your post will confirm. There are obviously quite a few here who dont like what they see when the mirror is held up for them, so your advice is very relevant - thanks. As for me, I simply believe IHG has a well thought-out and effective marketing strategy for its top level which creates a buzz, frenzy or whatever one wants to call it, but this thread is clear evidence of its success. That may not be a popular view but its as valid as anyone elses.
The thing is I still don't get it how someone can call a marketing strategy (what a term for simply not disclosing top tier requirements...) as effective, when the reactions by those who generate a lot of revenue and even don't get a response to their questions are "Well, then I spend my money somewhere else." But as you said, your view is as valid as anyone else's.
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Old Jan 12, 2019, 3:36 am
  #3003  
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: UK
Programs: IHG
Posts: 1,316
I doubt even IHG would deem their handling of their top-tier status as "well thought-out and effective", let alone anyone else.

If their aim is to alienate loyal customers, however, they excel at this. Constantly changing the re-qualification criteria, to the point where we don't know what hoops we need to jump through, does not help foster loyalty. It suggests a complete lack of organisation and coherence, rather than the diligence and careful planning of some marketing genius.

A better approach would be a mid term review of the account and then perhaps an email saying something like "Keep going, spend another $' 000's or x amount of nights by the end of the year to retain your status"

At least you'd know where you stand, rather than trying to hit a moving target.

BTW, is there really any need for your snide and sarcastic comments?

Last edited by FLYGVA; Jan 12, 2019 at 8:51 am Reason: edited deleted quoted post ouf of this post
turner32 is offline  
Old Jan 12, 2019, 3:38 am
  #3004  
336
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,443
It indeed creates attention to the program, but only in a negative way. And all this at the same moment that they choose to get rid of their unique selling proposition (minibar). Except for getting coverage, can you pinpoint any positive element about this show?

I wouldnt call it a buzz, more a controversy. The programs is becoming the laughingstock of loyalty programs on the blogs and in travel circles.

It also gives an unprofessional and unorganised impression, not only this year. It is a recurring theme. This speaks more than the thank you for your loyalty mantra.

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Old Jan 12, 2019, 6:17 am
  #3005  
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: in a cabin
Posts: 6,513
Originally Posted by Land-of-Miles
I haven't even had the courtesy of a response let alone any carrot.
Likewise.
Petrus is offline  
Old Jan 12, 2019, 7:23 am
  #3006  
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 6
Invitational status is exactly that.
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Last edited by Luxuryloyalty; Jan 13, 2019 at 6:22 am
Luxuryloyalty is offline  
Old Jan 12, 2019, 8:27 am
  #3007  
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Gone to Carolina in my mind
Programs: AA ExpMM, DL 2MM, IHG Spire/RA
Posts: 1,986
Renewed

The email said I had 26 nights in 6 countries.

IHG nights were about 50.

spend about $15k

i think spend per night is major in qualifying.

i rarely book at the cheapest rate available and tend to stay at some of the more expensive ICs
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Old Jan 12, 2019, 8:54 am
  #3008  
Moderator: InterContinental Hotels and Germany
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 6,539
May I ask you to be respectful to each other and discuss the qualificaiton of Royal Ambassador and not the person, who qualified. And please, do not become personal.

I know, that this could be an highly emotional topic, but nevertheless please avoid personal attacks and respect different opinions. I have deleted and edited a couple of posts for this reason which have been personal and / or completely off-topic

FLYGVA
co- moderator IHG Forum
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Old Jan 12, 2019, 9:39 am
  #3009  
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Programs: AAdvantage Executive Platinum (3 Million Miler), IHG Spire Royal Amdassador
Posts: 280
Originally Posted by VaBeachGirl
I did get the Renewal Kit line on 27 Dec, in addition to RA Status and IC upgrade on 4 Jan, but still no email. I called the RA desk and they confirmed my status for 2019 and indicated the emails were coming out in batches.
Finally got the "We cordially invite you to another year of Royal Ambassador status" email. In the email, they cited 66 nights in 6 different countries. Although the number of countries is accurate, I had 68 nights vs 66. I did have 2 nights that had to be manually adjusted, so I am guessing that is the discrepancy. Hmm, I thought their IT finally resolved that issue?
For anyone that didn't make RA and had manually adjusted nights, definitely email them!
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Old Jan 12, 2019, 11:27 am
  #3010  
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 6
The invitations are not yet complete and continue in batches with the final communication reaching members before the expiry of 2018 Royal status on 31 January.
The reviews have been completed and members accounts continue to be amended over the coming weeks to reflect Royal Ambassador status for 2019. Invitations are reviewed and invited throughout the year based on revenue and behaviours by market. The number of invited members varies to ensure those members invited into Royal Ambassador receive recognition and the guaranteed benefits at InterContinental.
Royal Ambassadors who are downgraded receive complimentary Spire Ambassador and those members who decide to continue with Ambassador the following year retain Spire Ambassador for the life of their Ambassador membership. IHG Rewards Club Spire Elite is the top tier for stays across the IHG portfolio, whilst at InterContinental only Ambassador guarantees upgrades and 4pm check-out for an annual membership fee.
Unfortunately, some changes occur due to benefit abuse from a few that impact benefits for others. Was the complimentary minibar benefit designed to take home 70 miniature spirits and 7 bottles of champagne for a casual drink in your room during a 7-night stay or the 8 x 750ml spirit bottles from a premium suite in just 2 days?
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Old Jan 12, 2019, 12:21 pm
  #3011  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: NYC
Programs: IHG, RC, HH, AA, QF, UA, Aeroplan
Posts: 2,685
Originally Posted by Luxuryloyalty
The invitations are not yet complete and continue in batches with the final communication reaching members before the expiry of 2018 Royal status on 31 January.
The reviews have been completed and members accounts continue to be amended over the coming weeks to reflect Royal Ambassador status for 2019. Invitations are reviewed and invited throughout the year based on revenue and behaviours by market. The number of invited members varies to ensure those members invited into Royal Ambassador receive recognition and the guaranteed benefits at InterContinental.
Royal Ambassadors who are downgraded receive complimentary Spire Ambassador and those members who decide to continue with Ambassador the following year retain Spire Ambassador for the life of their Ambassador membership. IHG Rewards Club Spire Elite is the top tier for stays across the IHG portfolio, whilst at InterContinental only Ambassador guarantees upgrades and 4pm check-out for an annual membership fee.
Unfortunately, some changes occur due to benefit abuse from a few that impact benefits for others. Was the complimentary minibar benefit designed to take home 70 miniature spirits and 7 bottles of champagne for a casual drink in your room during a 7-night stay or the 8 x 750ml spirit bottles from a premium suite in just 2 days?
understood, i don't disagree, on the flip side of that, we had multiple six month stays in Shanghai going back a few years, one year was 300 plus nights at the one IC, the Area GM overseeing the four IC's at the time (subsequently became Area GM for Dubai), an Aussie also, had worked for a director of my family's hospitality business at Crown Casino, and had a good relationship with him, we had second top category suite, one under Presidential, and other than maybe a bottle or two of water on a daily basis, nothing else was consumed, maybe the very odd beer or glass of wine for a guest visiting, so we did our best at those lengthy stays over several years to bring the RA mini bar average consumption down. Whilst the warm, and fuzzy feeling of "unlimited" will be missed, the USD50 credit will cover more than we would consume on any one night in any IC property, and i welcome the reintroduction of the food element being covered as a positive move. Importantly, the only concern wld be if it was a precursor to eliminating the benefit altogether, than wld be a tragedy for IC, as it is the unique selling proposition, and distinguishes RA program.
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Old Jan 12, 2019, 12:34 pm
  #3012  
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 88
Thank you for the news update, I really appreciate the feedback from (as it seems) some IHG official.
However please let me point out that the mentioned Spire benefit is not relevant to those complaining and discussing the way IHG handles the renewal in this thread. We all spend more than 10k USD, so we will have Spire status in the following year anyway. This is only a benefit for those who fail also to accomplish the Spire criteria, a situation probably no one here is afraid of. What several others and I have tried to point out over the last few pages is, that IHG didnt offer any substantial benefit to those who wouldve past the barrier last year. Those are the ones who spend a serious amount of money in the expectation of getting a tangible result. These expectations have not been properly managed (e.g. by disclosing at least the financial part of 2019 criteria) and the non-reaction to those who seeked out for clarification shows a total lack of awareness of important customers.
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Old Jan 12, 2019, 12:47 pm
  #3013  
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 6
Originally Posted by turner32
I doubt even IHG would deem their handling of their top-tier status as "well thought-out and effective", let alone anyone else.

If their aim is to alienate loyal customers, however, they excel at this. Constantly changing the re-qualification criteria, to the point where we don't know what hoops we need to jump through, does not help foster loyalty. It suggests a complete lack of organisation and coherence, rather than the diligence and careful planning of some marketing genius.

A better approach would be a mid term review of the account and then perhaps an email saying something like "Keep going, spend another $' 000's or x amount of nights by the end of the year to retain your status"

At least you'd know where you stand, rather than trying to hit a moving target.

BTW, is there really any need for your snide and sarcastic comments?
By publishing a criteria would you prefer to have a tier that is unable to guarantee the benefits due to the number of members and a deteriorating club lounge product due to no re-investment from owners or an invitational tier that is evaluated on revenue spend and behaviours to ensure the guaranteed benefits can be delivered consistently?

Was the Royal challenge introduced to select members in November a trial to understand if, in fact, it changes behaviours, enabling those select members the opportunity be guaranteed their status?

Spire Ambassador is the highest published tier and Royal Ambassador the invitational tier of InterContinental, as is Diamond Medalian and 360 at Delta or BA Executive Club Premier.
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Old Jan 12, 2019, 12:48 pm
  #3014  
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Programs: SQ TPPS (21),QF G, NZ E, IHG D Amb, Marriott Gold, HH Gold, Shangri-La Jade, Accor Plat, Hertz P
Posts: 394
Originally Posted by Kimsbrand
The thing is I still don't get it how someone can call a marketing strategy (what a term for simply not disclosing top tier requirements...) as effective, when the reactions by those who generate a lot of revenue and even don't get a response to their questions are "Well, then I spend my money somewhere else." But as you said, your view is as valid as anyone else's.
Originally Posted by turner32
I doubt even IHG would deem their handling of their top-tier status as "well thought-out and effective", let alone anyone else.

If their aim is to alienate loyal customers, however, they excel at this. Constantly changing the re-qualification criteria, to the point where we don't know what hoops we need to jump through, does not help foster loyalty. It suggests a complete lack of organisation and coherence, rather than the diligence and careful planning of some marketing genius.

A better approach would be a mid term review of the account and then perhaps an email saying something like "Keep going, spend another $' 000's or x amount of nights by the end of the year to retain your status"

At least you'd know where you stand, rather than trying to hit a moving target.

BTW, is there really any need for your snide and sarcastic comments?
We obviously wont agree on any of this, but its clear to me that there has been a conscious decision to keep people guessing around RA status. In this tiny sample who take the time to post here, most of whom are highly focused on maximising points/rewards/status etc that creates frustration. Outside FT Im pretty sure there are vast numbers who just like staying at ICs for whatever reason, and are delighted when they receive an invitation. To condemn it in this small subset is perhaps comforting but theres a (much) bigger customer group than this. Overall Im sure IHG is benefiting, or they would make some change to the system.
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Old Jan 12, 2019, 12:53 pm
  #3015  
336
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,443
Originally Posted by Luxuryloyalty
The invitations are not yet complete and continue in batches with the final communication reaching members before the expiry of 2018 Royal status on 31 January.
The reviews have been completed and members accounts continue to be amended over the coming weeks to reflect Royal Ambassador status for 2019. Invitations are reviewed and invited throughout the year based on revenue and behaviours by market. The number of invited members varies to ensure those members invited into Royal Ambassador receive recognition and the guaranteed benefits at InterContinental.
Royal Ambassadors who are downgraded receive complimentary Spire Ambassador and those members who decide to continue with Ambassador the following year retain Spire Ambassador for the life of their Ambassador membership. IHG Rewards Club Spire Elite is the top tier for stays across the IHG portfolio, whilst at InterContinental only Ambassador guarantees upgrades and 4pm check-out for an annual membership fee.
Unfortunately, some changes occur due to benefit abuse from a few that impact benefits for others. Was the complimentary minibar benefit designed to take home 70 miniature spirits and 7 bottles of champagne for a casual drink in your room during a 7-night stay or the 8 x 750ml spirit bottles from a premium suite in just 2 days?
Well said. They still have until the end of the month to complete the renewal cycle, and make up for what happened.

Not sure I can follow you regarding Spire. Kimsbrand makes a valid point, these profiles already naturally qualify for Spire by spend, or are clearly no longer fit for the status. (Not even discussing the Spire non-benefits themselves.)

No one here would defend any abuse of benefits such as the minibar. But I can not imagine that this kind of abuse would be rampant. Nevertheless my full support for taking measure against abuse. I hope this goes both ways, and that there is also attention for fake room upgrade categories and the new compensation if an upgrade is not available.



Last edited by 336; Jan 12, 2019 at 1:27 pm
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