"Downgraded RA's" -- Please Post the Facts
 

I will understand if the moderators close or merge this thread, but I think it would be useful to have a "just the facts" thread re: the changes to the RA qualification standards. So, I propose that the folks that have been "downgraded" (with gratitude) from RA post the following information in this thread:

RA Since:
How they became an RA (referral, nights, points, etc):
Total IHG nights this year:
Total IC ONLY nights this year:
Total PC points this year:

I would find this information extremely useful if it were in one place. The thread on the RA changes could still be used for discussion.

I don't know yet if I will be downgraded, so I won't post my information.

Thanks, Casimir

I'm too scared to do anything, or find out yet. Rat on a sinking ship comes to mind. If only I can blag one more year somehow, can keep the referral cert for myself or wife(and then another one, and then another, where does it end - hopefully not until they complete their purge & start recruiting a few more again?!)

I could be a perfect useless example. Due to high London hotel cost I had to switch to Marriott and Hilton properties so at the end of the year bye bye R.A. :(

so go on Volvic, write to them & ask for an extension anyways, nothing to lose - say you're going to spend least 50 nights with them next year.

I paid for RA last year and have over 125 nights this year. But, alas, I work for state government and have to find a $74 room. Not many IC's at that price. Oh, well!

Thanks for the suggestion. I received a nice mail from IC saying R.A. is only for the 1% of their best Customers and so on.... simply a downgrade notification... but I will have a normal Ambassador status for 1 year and a weekend certificate which, funny thing, I did not received at all this year. And I'll stay Platinum for PC (different story).

I received the same letter yesterday in the post, advising me not enough activity to be RA next time & here's Ambassador comp. renewal...a whopping 10 weeks exactly before my current RA status expires! :eek: :mad: :td: :td: the cheeky sods - how do they know I won't catch up & who do they think they're talking to? An RA (currently) that's who!

Actually, if you get fully comped Ambassador renewal then things are looking quite good for me! I'll save the $100 renewal fee, presumably getting a blue box with the goodies, and then use my referral certificate to get myself referred back to RA for free - hopefully generating another blue box with more goodies!

Well, assuming my Plan B for renewal fails (to which I'll be gutted, as will be forever unable therefore to use the referral cert trick, having exchanged mine for a couple nights at an IC for my honeymoon), shall we have something similar to the Yahoo BA Lounge Calendar, whereby non-RA's go to IC's at same time as RA's, & help themselves to their booze? :D

After all the complaints around here about not knowing what the RA criteria are, and not having any advance warning of changes to either the program(s) or award levels, ICH finally does give you notice and you .... all over them!

I would expect that if you have enough stays within those 10 weeks, you would get RA renewal. And I think the comp of Ambassador status is a good make-do.

I suppose you could assist us by revealing, since you received RA last year, how many stays have you had, at ICs and at all ICH branded properties. Or the number of IC and ICH stays through 2005? This would certainly assist others, which is the whole point of the thread. Facts, please, not complaints and ineuendos.

HOw can anyone know & make plans by a 'top 1%' criteria - that sucks big-time, and no doubt rules will be flaunted, & exceptions given - otherwise you're going to have most people in & out of RA every year.

Sorry - but I don't agree with telling someone they've failed to qualify for the next year's RA, when 2 & a half months remaining to re-qualify...sounds to me like lazy admin or arrogance. You may disagree, however. Judging by the quality of the Copy & paste standard emails I get from Ambassador, I would indeed say it was shoddy customer service at work

For the record I have stayed at 4 IC's, 5 if you count those honouring Ambassador status, between 2-4 nights in each (see my posts about CP St.James), and a bunch of CP's and HI's cannot be bothered to count.

This was as much,if not more ,than I quoted to Ambassador about my travel plans for '05,when I requested RA from them. They said fine, & now I've done it - they're removing it. Bait & Switch if you ask me. :td:

Incidentally, I found out on Monday that in fact their systems had me not as a Royal, but a lowly Ambassador all year. The bloke who told me this, said a CS rep would investigate & would email me confirming the correct status. This she did, so when replied thanking her, asking for an extension in light of this, she sent me an email explaining how many points one got per hotel, and what hotels honour Ambassador. Totally clue-less, copied & pasted, and as insulting as the premature letters, IMHO. The helpful bloke was from UK, the unhelpful email responses from somewhere farmed out in the East, no doubt.

Everyone here's seems to be taking it all in good grace, I have no damn intention of being kicked out, without a good fight. :cool:

I agree completely.

I have been traveling on business for the last two weeks, but on my return home I also found a letter from ICH telling me I did not meet the 1% criteria, which was no surprise after reading all of the posts here.

I sent them an email today, I am waiting for a response.

Considering the business I give them at their other hotels, I think I have a chance at renewal with them losing my business on the line, but I guess I could not blame them if they say no. I should have an answer tomorrow, I will paste their response :( ....good luck Tristan....

SAS

Please Please Please! -- Everyone that has been downgraded, PLEASE post your exact details.

I think it's fine to state our disapproval of the downgrading as it might have some influence on the decisionmakers at ICHG.

HOWEVER, it will be much much more beneficial to everyone if in addition we each posted the information I suggested in the first post:

How one originally became an RA. And, for the past calendar year,

Total nights in all ICG hotels including HI's, HiEx, etc.
Total nights in InterContinental hotels only.
Total number of InterContinental hotels stayed at.
Total PC points.

If we gather this information from enough folks, we might be able to figure out some general guidelines for what it means to be in the "top 1%." I'm expecting to be downgraded in January/February and I'll post my information then. Thanks very much.

Wouldn't it be easier just to have those whom are renewed post their details?

I would say combination of both, downgraded and renewed, will give the best overview.

e.g. two different people with almost same stay history, one downgraded other renewed, would be a hint for renewing by chance...