Dec 10, 2018, 4:07 pm
Last edit by: FlyerTalker688786
Ambassador programme will change on 1st February 2019. This will start with Royal Ambassador's benefits. Then, all other Ambassador will have new benefits from 1st March 2019.
For Royal Ambassadors, the new benefits starts from 1st FEB 2019 will be:
For all other Ambassadors, the new benefit starts on 1st MARCH 2019:
• One complimentary breakfast every night you stay
• 15% discount on restaurants and bars
AMBASSADOR BENEFIT GURANTEE work as bellow:
For Royal Ambassadors, the new benefits starts from 1st FEB 2019 will be:
- EARLY CHECK-IN from 10AM (instead of 8AM)
- ONE COMPLIMENTARY BREAKFAST FOR EVERY NIGHT YOU STAY [
CONFIRMED AS IN GREATER CHINA REGION ONLY,On 1st March, it seems IHG quietly made a U-turn again, now this benefit only APPLIES TO IC HOTELS IN MAINLAND CHINA ONLY, Hong Kong IC hotels are excluded on the last minute U-turn.] - UP TO TWO COMPLIMENTARY FULL BREAKFASTS PER DAY IF THERE IS NO CLUB LOUNGE
- UPTO 50USD/200RMB/400HKD MINIBAR CREDIT PER DAY (200USD/800RMB/1600HKD PER STAY MAX)
- WAIVED DESTINATION/AMENITY FEES
- COMPLIMENTARY WEEKEND NIGHT CERTIFICATE WITH E-DELIVERY
- AMBASSADOR BENEFIT GUARANTEE (See below)
- [Officially Added Benefits] FREE NIGHTS AT AN IHG PROPERTY (capped at 70K points value)
- [Officially Added Benefits] HERTZ GOLD PLUS REWARDS PRESIDENTS' CIRCLE MEMBERSHIP
For all other Ambassadors, the new benefit starts on 1st MARCH 2019:
- GUARANTEED PLATINUM ELITE STATUS IN IHG REWARDS CLUB
- ONE COMPLIMENTARY BREAKFAST FOR EVERY NIGHT YOU STAY <== Only for Greater China Stays !
- COMPLIMENTARY WEEKEND NIGHT CERTIFICATE WITH E-DELIVERY
- WELCOME FRUIT PLATTER (instead of welcome fruits and gifts) <== Only for Greater China Stays !
- AMBASSADOR BENEFIT GUARANTEE
• One complimentary breakfast every night you stay
• 15% discount on restaurants and bars
AMBASSADOR BENEFIT GURANTEE work as bellow:
- Guaranteed Room Upgrade: Member must be given a food and beverage or Spa credit up to USD50, or 10,000 IHG Rewards Club points per stay, applies to InterContinental Ambassador and Royal Ambassador only;
- 16:00 (4p.m.) Late Check-out: Member must be given a food and beverage or Spa credit up to USD50, or 10,000 IHG Rewards Club points per stay, applies to InterContinental Ambassador and Royal Ambassador only;
- New Club InterContinental Lounge Access or alternative Club experience: Member must be given a food and beverage or Spa credit of USD100 per night, not exceeding the Club InterContinental upgrade supplement value, applies to Royal Ambassador only.
Changes to Ambassador from 1st March 2019 (now confirmed)
Dec 17, 2018, 1:48 pm
#151
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Frankfurt, NRW, Germany
Programs: LH Sen, IC Spire Ambassador, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 90
What marketing genius decided to give Ambassador Platinum? This totally devaluates the IHG Rewards program:
- if I stay 1-49 nights I would not get un upgrade
- if I stay 50+ nights I get an upgrade
So for paying the fee I have the shortcut in all IHG hotels, like someone who spend a significant amount of nights at IHG. So why should I be loyal? To reach Spire? Which gives me exactly what? MORE POINTS.
The best approach is now, to buy Platinum, use it whenever you need it and try to qualify for a decent Lifetime status with SPG/ Marriott or Hilton.
For someone who qualified for Platinum for 18 years in a row, this is really the end of loyalty.
Marc
- if I stay 1-49 nights I would not get un upgrade
- if I stay 50+ nights I get an upgrade
So for paying the fee I have the shortcut in all IHG hotels, like someone who spend a significant amount of nights at IHG. So why should I be loyal? To reach Spire? Which gives me exactly what? MORE POINTS.
The best approach is now, to buy Platinum, use it whenever you need it and try to qualify for a decent Lifetime status with SPG/ Marriott or Hilton.
For someone who qualified for Platinum for 18 years in a row, this is really the end of loyalty.
Marc
Dec 17, 2018, 2:08 pm
#152
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: Hilton Diamond, IHG Spire Ambassador, Global Entry
Posts: 2,862
Considering that pretty much every travel loyalty change ever is a devaluation, I will take what I can get here. For regular Amb, if I can actually get the $20 drink credit for each stay, I'm coming out ahead. However, that says "up to," so I;m not counting on it. Everything else appears about the same. Sure I am a bit concerned about hotels "buying their way out of benefits". I really don't think they want to do that though. Especially not as a best practice.
For as much as the RAs don't want to hear it, the heavy minibar drinkers don't appear to be as coveted as they think they are. These kinds of changes are generally to take a benefit in which only a very small percentage of customers, account for a significant portion of the expense.
For as much as the RAs don't want to hear it, the heavy minibar drinkers don't appear to be as coveted as they think they are. These kinds of changes are generally to take a benefit in which only a very small percentage of customers, account for a significant portion of the expense.
Dec 17, 2018, 2:16 pm
#153
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: UK
Programs: BA Blue, IC Spire Ambassador
Posts: 5,228
We shall see whether this means in practice ICs will routinely not offer upgrades for Ambassadors. Seems to me cheaper to pay customer off than provide upgrade. A proper guarantee would be stay free if upgrade not provided!
Dec 17, 2018, 2:30 pm
#155
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,047
But why mention lifetime status when you yourself ignored lifetime status (and better elite benefits FWIW) for 18 years? Admittedly lifetime status hasn't been around that long, but IHG hasn't been loyal to you in a very long time...
Dec 17, 2018, 2:36 pm
#156
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Amsterdam&Stuttgart& Edinburgh
Programs: IC Amb.,FB,Hertz,Sixt
Posts: 776
The new T&Cs state guaranteed one level upgrade, so that is safe as is 4pm checkout, so that keeps me in the programe . It is a shame that the fruit is going in favour of $20 minibar credit, I rarely use the thing even when it used to be free in club suites. The gift was rarely worth bothering with anyway s no great loss here.
Not as bad as I feared from the OP
Not as bad as I feared from the OP
Dec 17, 2018, 2:52 pm
#157
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Frankfurt, NRW, Germany
Programs: LH Sen, IC Spire Ambassador, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 90
There are so many additional things I could share about renewing Platinum status without spending 40 or 50 nights, but I fear that would just upset you more. But most of us yawn at the prospect of receiving IHG Platinum status because there are so few benefits attached.
But why mention lifetime status when you yourself ignored lifetime status (and better elite benefits FWIW) for 18 years? Admittedly lifetime status hasn't been around that long, but IHG hasn't been loyal to you in a very long time...
But why mention lifetime status when you yourself ignored lifetime status (and better elite benefits FWIW) for 18 years? Admittedly lifetime status hasn't been around that long, but IHG hasn't been loyal to you in a very long time...
I have to admit, that I began to understand the disaster of IHG ways too late. No benefits on award stays is another point to add, beside the no lifetime. It is a shame that a program which was really the best around on this planet, managed to go down more and more by some stupid management decisions.
So what can I do? This year I only re-qualified last minute, due to very limited business travel. For next year? Don't know. Probably starting to gain Lifetime Platinum in SPG, which becomes to see more logical and burn the 2.5 Million IHG points. I do not believe, that there are many customers around (well here in the forum will be quite some), whose overall night counter is about +/- 1000 nights lifetime. And from my limited knowledge on marketing and hotel business, it simply sounds stupid to treat those customers this way. Especially after Marriott and SPG having teamed up, which will be hard to swallow for IHG IMHO.
Dec 17, 2018, 3:43 pm
#158
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London
Programs: Hilton, IHG - BA, GA, LH, QR, SV, TK
Posts: 17,008
Have updated Wiki as foc Breakfast is ONLY for Greater China
https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental...r/new-benefits
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS FOR STAYS IN GREATER CHINA ONLY:
• One complimentary breakfast every night you stay
• 15% discount on restaurants and bars
https://www.ihg.com/intercontinental...r/new-benefits
NEW EXCLUSIVE BENEFITS STARTING IN EARLY 2019:
• Platinum Elite status in IHG® Rewards Club
• Up to USD20 restaurants & bars credit for every stay***
• Ambassador Benefits Guarantee to ensure you make the most out of every stay
• E-delivery of complimentary weekend night certificate
• Platinum Elite status in IHG® Rewards Club
• Up to USD20 restaurants & bars credit for every stay***
• Ambassador Benefits Guarantee to ensure you make the most out of every stay
• E-delivery of complimentary weekend night certificate
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS FOR STAYS IN GREATER CHINA ONLY:
• One complimentary breakfast every night you stay
• 15% discount on restaurants and bars
They seem to have tweaked the benefits of paid-for ambassador membership to attract those who might not stay so often in ICs
Fair enough, more cash flow into IHG while hotels pay for the enhancements
Dec 17, 2018, 6:50 pm
#159
Join Date: May 2004
Location: SIN (LEJ once a year)
Programs: SQ, LH, BA, IHG Diamond AMB, HH Gold, SLH Indulged, Accor Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,739
To me this is another enhancement that I could do without. IHGs claim to listen to customers may well be true, but they are twisting and perverting the feedback they received as one should have expected.
The paltry 20$ per stay are a joke, pretty much replacing the drinks vouchers at best. On top of that still no benefits on award nights and most crappy of all a nice and cheap loophole for properties to weasel out of upgrades and 4pm checkout. As if some of them needed more ways to get "creative".
HHonors Gold will come in handy, there is always a benefit in diversification.
Well the consequence on the IHG end in my case will be a very conscious choice of room categories I'll book at ICs, booking back to back 1 nighters with my spouse who's also AMB (where sensible) and insisting on 4pm checkout every time whether needed or not. We can play games too IHG
.
The paltry 20$ per stay are a joke, pretty much replacing the drinks vouchers at best. On top of that still no benefits on award nights and most crappy of all a nice and cheap loophole for properties to weasel out of upgrades and 4pm checkout. As if some of them needed more ways to get "creative".
HHonors Gold will come in handy, there is always a benefit in diversification.
Well the consequence on the IHG end in my case will be a very conscious choice of room categories I'll book at ICs, booking back to back 1 nighters with my spouse who's also AMB (where sensible) and insisting on 4pm checkout every time whether needed or not. We can play games too IHG
.
Dec 17, 2018, 10:57 pm
#160
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2005
Location: TLV/LHR
Programs: BA GGL, IHG Diamond Elite Amb, HH Diamond, Avis PC, Hertz PC, Sixt Platinum
Posts: 12,948
Dec 17, 2018, 10:57 pm
#161
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Long Beach, CA
Programs: AA PLTPRO, HH Diamond, IHG Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,559
I don't know about most people, but currently I ask for late checkout only once in a while. Maybe one in ten stays. But if this is true, I will be requesting late checkout EVERY STAY. Even if I have no intention of checking out late. I will be collecting $50 or points every time I am denied.
Absent any other disadvantage, does it now behoove us to all book our stays as sequential one-nighters to avail ourselves of $50 pay-outs when a property decides to make a habit of refusing benefits?
Dec 17, 2018, 11:21 pm
#162
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2005
Location: TLV/LHR
Programs: BA GGL, IHG Diamond Elite Amb, HH Diamond, Avis PC, Hertz PC, Sixt Platinum
Posts: 12,948
Dec 17, 2018, 11:23 pm
#163
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2005
Location: TLV/LHR
Programs: BA GGL, IHG Diamond Elite Amb, HH Diamond, Avis PC, Hertz PC, Sixt Platinum
Posts: 12,948
Am I the only one who thought this rumour was too good to be true for Ambassadors? Paying 200 USD a year for one free bf on each stay would be a pretty big benefit for the client, and canibalise a whole lot of revenue for the hotels.
Plain Ambassador is just a paid membership. No loyalty.
Plain Ambassador is just a paid membership. No loyalty.
Dec 17, 2018, 11:46 pm
#165
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2005
Location: TLV/LHR
Programs: BA GGL, IHG Diamond Elite Amb, HH Diamond, Avis PC, Hertz PC, Sixt Platinum
Posts: 12,948
I think scubaccr is talking about that you can renew your Spire when you renew Ambassador every year for now. This loophole has unofficially existed for a while. So it seems to scubaccr that IHG is to close this loophole by giving Platinum to all Ambassadors while no longer giving Spire when Ambassador renew their membership.