I will be staying quite regularly in the Holiday Inn Beijing Haidian in China over the next couple of years. I expect something like 4-6 stays in the hotel of 2-4 nights each. I don't have any plans to stay in any other IHG properties except for the occasional odd stay here and there.
Is the Ambassador Status worth the $200 if I'm only staying in the Holiday Inn brand and only in one specific place? I don't mind spending the money if it entitles me to the benefits like early check-in, late check-out and upgrades. But I'm not sure they apply to the Holiday Inn brand as well.
Thanks,
Michael
Is the Ambassador Status worth the $200 if I'm only staying in the Holiday Inn brand and only in one specific place? I don't mind spending the money if it entitles me to the benefits like early check-in, late check-out and upgrades. But I'm not sure they apply to the Holiday Inn brand as well.
Thanks,
Michael
Ambassador is a program for Inter Continental brand hotels.
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That's what I had understood. So I guess it makes no sense in my case. Thanks for the fast response!Originally Posted by thunderlounge
Ambassador is a program for Inter Continental brand hotels.
Not too sure what status you have with IHG. If you are just a basic Club member, you will get Gold status with IHG, which is nothing much to shout about. However, you will get 10% more points for your stay, possibly a late checkout as well as that your points do not expire so long as you maintain the gold status or Ambassador status. As pointed out by [MENTION=878199]thunderlounge[/MENTION], if you do not really stay in IC hotels, this program may not work in your favour. Hope this helps.
https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental...rms-conditions
A member who is not already enrolled in the IHG Rewards Club program will automatically be enrolled when purchasing InterContinental Ambassador. Upon purchase of InterContinental Ambassador, IHG Rewards Club members who are Club or Gold Elite members will receive Gold Ambassador membership upon enrolment.
https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental...rms-conditions
A member who is not already enrolled in the IHG Rewards Club program will automatically be enrolled when purchasing InterContinental Ambassador. Upon purchase of InterContinental Ambassador, IHG Rewards Club members who are Club or Gold Elite members will receive Gold Ambassador membership upon enrolment.
Suspended
Is that 4-6 stays a year? When I first started staying in Holiday Inn, I didn't expect to ease into ICs. You never know!
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If you haven't already, you could try to negotiate extra benefits with the hotel directly, rather than hoping that giving some cash to the corporate headquarters far away will result in you getting something locally...Originally Posted by Mike_Paris
I will be staying quite regularly in the Holiday Inn Beijing Haidian in China over the next couple of years. I expect something like 4-6 stays in the hotel of 2-4 nights each. I don't have any plans to stay in any other IHG properties except for the occasional odd stay here and there.
I took Ambassador membership but would definitely not recommend it as a value proposition & will not renew. I stay at Intercon, HI & CP hotels and whilst the HI that I stay at regularly goes out of their way to look after me within their limited facilities just because of the regularity of my stays and my spire status, the Ibtercons appear to care not at all. I feel like it’s a bit of a scam because as Ambassador is a paid membership, Intercons should actually deliver on the benefits that they offer but they don’t. If you build up your status, it will work well for u at HI.
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So you're not seeing value in a $200 AF where you not only receive a 1 category upgrade, but also a free night per membership year? Just the free night alone has been double the value of the fee for me, and the upgrades have been decent.Originally Posted by janeblogs
I took Ambassador membership but would definitely not recommend it as a value proposition & will not renew. I stay at Intercon, HI & CP hotels and whilst the HI that I stay at regularly goes out of their way to look after me within their limited facilities just because of the regularity of my stays and my spire status, the Ibtercons appear to care not at all. I feel like its a bit of a scam because as Ambassador is a paid membership, Intercons should actually deliver on the benefits that they offer but they dont. If you build up your status, it will work well for u at HI.
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Ambassadors can be a pain for IC hotels: they know it's a paid for membership (nothing to do with frequent stays). They don't get the payment, although they are expected to provide benefits. So the benefits agreed with IHG tend to be at best iffy - a free paper, "city view" room upgrade, and little incentive to do anything special - or even jump the low hurdle IHG requires.Originally Posted by janeblogs
..... the Ibtercons appear to care not at all. I feel like its a bit of a scam because as Ambassador is a paid membership, Intercons should actually deliver on the benefits that they offer but they dont. If you build up your status, it will work well for u at HI.
Some Intercontinentals do get there's a collective benefit from being nice to RAs (these are frequent users of ICs). But even so, the enthusiasm is sometimes missing.
HI are under no obligation at all to be nice to Ambassadors, apart from treating them as Gold guests - which means maybe a bottle of water and a few extra points.
It's a tricky one, I have at least broken even this year using the weekend certificate and booking a long way in advance. If I can do the same next year the rebate on points stays will definitely make it worthwhile.
for your specific scenario, no, the only benefit you will get is being gold, which you may well be hitting anyway.
however, 10% extra points on cash stays may add up to cover some of the cost.
Also, i do use IC more for weekends away and holidays because of ambassador.
The main benefit being the 4pm checkout at IC hotels. for me, this is great for weekends away as i can book an evening flight back on the Sunday and not have to leave the hotel until 4.
if you can get more than $200 benefit from the free weekend night cert, then its worth it.
however, 10% extra points on cash stays may add up to cover some of the cost.
Also, i do use IC more for weekends away and holidays because of ambassador.
The main benefit being the 4pm checkout at IC hotels. for me, this is great for weekends away as i can book an evening flight back on the Sunday and not have to leave the hotel until 4.
if you can get more than $200 benefit from the free weekend night cert, then its worth it.