stimpy

Dear Stimpy,

We know that when you’re busy travelling, every second of down time is precious. That’s why we’re making check-in times as early as 10am for Spire Elite members like you.

Just update your stay preference to early arrival when you book a room..

It’s just one of the ways Spire Elite members are already getting more out of every trip.

More points with every stay 100% bonus earnings on top of base points.

Upgrade to Platinum Elite for a loved one or get 25,000 bonus points It’s the Spire Elite Exclusive Choice Benefit.

Exclusive upgrades on the road, too Spire Elite members are awarded Hertz Gold Plus Rewards®Five Star® status so you’ll get a free class upgrade each time you rent.

And remember, the next time you stay with us, your room will be waiting for you. Even if you’re a little early.

lost_in_translation

Just got this too. Doesn’t make clear if it’s guaranteed or best efforts though!

Lionheart

It's definitely "Best Efforts"

They have updated their Spire Benefits page to say this:

" Subject to availability. "

( https://www.ihg.com/rewardsclub/cont.../enjoy-rewards )

Not sure how that helps me, if I've booked a flight to arrive at the hotel in a different continent for 10am, and then turn up and there is no availability. And if it's not reliably available, then I would always have to make my flight for the usual arrival time, just in case. Which defeats the whole point of it being a benefit.

In the past, if I have wanted early check-in, a quick email to the hotel has always responded that they are happy to check me in early, subject to availability. (Holiday Inn/Crowne Plazas UK). But this is just the same, subject to availability and therefore not any additional benefit.

(Controversial View Incoming)
The only thing that I think Spire should be rewarded with, is either 1 cat upgrades (guaranteed) or a complimentary breakfast. And scrap the whole "Qualifying Nights" thing where people get Spire easily. Stay 75 nights as a minimum and then reward those people fairly. Or make it 125 nights where you physically have to have slept in IHG hotels for 125 nights. At the moment, Spire sucks because too many people have Spire, because it's far too easy with all these alternative methods to staying 75 nights. This results in Spire being watered down into feeble "benefits". Make Spire exclusive, like RA, and then keep your most loyal customers happy.

stimpy

I think the reality of not guaranteeing 10am is that there are so many different IHG hotels out there. Some of them are very small, and some of course will be totally sold out the night before. Still I will expect to receive this benefit when I ask for it. Many people check out of hotels before 8am so there should almost always be a room ready by 10am.

Points Scrounger

This benefit would be of use to folks on all those flights leaving North America in the evening, arriving very early in the morning in Europe; if there aren't actual rooms ready, one would at least be pretty much guaranteed to jump to the head of the availability queue.

Raffles

Lionheart - It is hard to run up IHG status points these days - not sure that moving 75,000 Virgin miles or (in the UK) spending £37,500 on a credit card counts as 'easy'.

Hilton is about to start giving out Diamond with a credit card which is basically free when you net off travel credits .....

Lionheart

For example, this year I have: 163,205 of 75,000 for Spire Elite (qualifying points) with over 250 elite qualifying nights (and >100 rollover-ed from 2016).

I do stay (not through personal choice) in a IHG property a lot. Spire Elite is meant to be their top tier. It's not the end of the year and I've already doubled the Spire quota - firstly, that's shocking - the top tier should be for your top staying customers, not achieved within 4 or 5 months of the year. By making Spire their top tier, they can't give decent enough benefits, as far too many people have Spire. It's taken them years to finally think up an additional Spire benefit and this is just too little, too late IMHO. Yes, it won't change my habits personally (As I'm told to stay there!) but I have to do something with all these IHG points and feel could they at least treat (pamper) me / my family when we go on holiday with them, as opposed to a £3-£5 drink and perhaps a daily newspaper, no complimentary upgrade ever received as I don't get them on reward nights** and my usual hotel has no upgraded rooms (HIX), with a "subject to availability" early and late check-in and check-out - which is of no use whatsoever because I have to book flights months in advance and airport transfers. It's not a great experience on (my) family holiday to sit in the bar after I find out they can't extend check-out, despite my (unfortunately crazy) loyalty. I also appreciate they can't magic up space in a hotel if there is none, but that is why a tangible benefit like complimentary breakfast for whatever the tier above Spire will be, would be more appropriate, as this can always be offered.

I'm not having a go at you or anything, I just have wishful thinking that perhaps an IHG Executive will see these comments one day - Very wishful I know !!! I also appreciate I am likely in the minority. Partly as a lot of people here stay at higher spec IHG (>HIX) properties and therefore receive complimentary upgrades on paid stays routinely, whilst I never, ever see this benefit.

**The reward night hotels used for family holidays cannot guarantee me any upgrade, and of course they upgrade paying guests first. This is correct as everything is subject to availability, but I'm not going to risk our once yearly family holiday on an upgrade that is by no means certain and therefore I pay a relatively high daily fee to upgrade the room in advance of arrival. They're not doing anything wrong, but equally - in my circumstances - I feel I never get value out of the loyalty programme despite my huge number of paid stays the rest of the year.

EDIT: Some benefit is greater than no additional benefit. However, it took them so long to come up with this, I'm disappointed. Maybe I'm the minority though

beachmouse

Or pretty easy paying what's often a relatively modest upcharge for the correct 5K per stay or 2K per night EQ bonus point packages to get yourself to the 75K threshold far quicker than 75 nights.

somedudefromFLa

MEH!!!

This is not really a benefit since not guaranteed and while 10am is a stretch most hotels will accommodate early check in for top teirs. I would have much rather seen noon or even 1pm as guaranteed. And, it can be done! e.g. Marriott has 4pm checkout guaranteed and well so does even IHG own subprogram ambassador!!!

This pretty much seals the deal of what I really already knew: IHG is a great program for points & cheap reward nights, but it is not a program for upper end loyalty perks. I will continue to stay at IHG, especially when good bonuses, and they have some nice indigo & IC properties I like, but it's not worth it to chase status. The CC gives platinum which might get some upgrades & for 20k points per year I can renew ambassador so that's that. I see myself moving those stays I would've use to chase status over to spg for now as with 10 stays there gets gold which gives me guaranteed 4pm checkout throughout whole Marriott & spg portfolio.

FFlash

If they are accomodating this will be a good benefit.
It looks like I was just checking in the day when this was announced and I was negated my early arrival (previous night fully booked they said blatantly) as Spire. Obviously I did not know about this benny, neither them at the time of checkin.

yurtripper

Given that Raffles was responding to a poster who had written an essay on the general uselessness of Spire to them, I'm not sure they'll be swayed too much by that.

The only tangible benefits of Spire are the higher earning rate and 25K bonus for reaching it. Anything else is whistling in the wind and this 'subject to availability' benefit does absolutely nothing to change that.

IAMORGAN

They can manage 8AM guaranteed for RAs. When i was a RA it worked every time. Same for Amb 4pm checkout, never been refused and ALWAYS received an upgrade except once at PL on a reward stay when they were genuinely totally full.

yurtripper

Sure, but those are Ambassador benefits not Spire ones, and by definition they only apply at IC properties.

BTW, PL = Park Lane?

Retron

Indeed, it's really easy if you use those points packages.

Elite Qualifying Points Earned: 171,763 of 75,000 for Spire Elite
Elite Qualifying Nights: 35 of 75 nights for Spire Elite

Most of those nights were at a Holiday Inn which offers a 5K package for an extra £5 (so $6.60).

spankytoes

Very easy. I got Spire after a few nights stay for a block of 6 rooms on the Accelerate promo in Q1. (I have the credit card too) Not sure I see the problem with too many out there though. It’s a pretty worthless status beyond an accelerated points accrual.

2017 Year-to-date Summary

Total Points Earned: 356,030
Elite Qualifying Points Earned: 127,060 of 75,000 for Spire Elite
Elite Status Expiration Date: Dec 31, 2018
Reward Nights: 52016 Elite Rollover Nights:0
Elite Qualifying Nights: 21 of 75 nights for Spire

Another worthless benefit to add to the 5-Star with Hertz, who’s always the most expensive car rental company. Would rather have breakfast.