"New" RA qualifiying limits as of June 1st, 2009
Jun 22, 2009, 2:18 am
#46
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,871
The '50 nights' rule was actually posted by a PC rep over at the Ambassador Private Community before it was closed.
Jun 22, 2009, 3:18 am
#48
Moderator: Flying Blue (Air France & KLM), France and TravelBuzz!
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Paris, France, AF F+ Rouge pour toujours, Flying Blue whatever, LH FTL, HHonors Gold, formerly proud SCC Executive, now IC Ambassador, BA down to nobody, Grand Voyageur Le Club
Posts: 12,403
Jun 22, 2009, 4:33 am
#49
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Europe's World City
Programs: OWE, Hilton GOLD and counting
Posts: 1,113
I for one travel for business to many locations without ICs. I racked up 120 nights last year, mostly in small towns with HIXs and if I'm lucky CPs. However, when I travel for pleasure I try to go to places with ICs so I can use my BOGO and other RA benefits. I am lucky to get 10 nights a year at ICs, but if it weren't for RA I would probably have 0, and much closer to 0 ICHG nights.
What is the point earning Platinum when I get no benefits from it? I would rather move my stays somewhere where I get perks on business travel as well. I am not jumping ship yet, but I can say with almost 100% certainty that if I don't requal next year, I will change chains for most of my travel. With 600k+ points in the bank I don't need to earn more any time soon, and I can switch to a chain with better day to day perks like Hilton. If they did improve Platinum to have some real benefit it might be different, but right now if I'm honest the most I ever get from it is free breakfast which the company would have paid for anyway.
What is the point earning Platinum when I get no benefits from it? I would rather move my stays somewhere where I get perks on business travel as well. I am not jumping ship yet, but I can say with almost 100% certainty that if I don't requal next year, I will change chains for most of my travel. With 600k+ points in the bank I don't need to earn more any time soon, and I can switch to a chain with better day to day perks like Hilton. If they did improve Platinum to have some real benefit it might be different, but right now if I'm honest the most I ever get from it is free breakfast which the company would have paid for anyway.
Jun 22, 2009, 8:00 am
#50
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: LAX
Programs: Airline Free Agent/MR Gold/ HH Diamond/National/MGM/Amex
Posts: 662
Originally Posted by IC6A
If more Platinums like you to walk out. It might force IHG to rethink their Platinum benefits. Maybe another new level namely Executive Platinum to gurantee a executive/club access with 75 nights stay or 100,000 points per year?
Jun 25, 2009, 7:20 pm
#51
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 6,359
Just wanted to add a data point:
My RA expires at the end of June. I got the downgrade letter at the start of April with about 20 IHG nights in the previous 9 months.
As of today though, I am now up to the following 53 total paid IHG stays since my AMB year began:
34 IC nights @ 8 different ICs (in 4 countries and 3 continents if that matters)
4 CP nights
3 Indigo nights
3 HI nights
8 HIX nights
1 Candlewood Suites night
I called up yesterday to ask if my RA would be extended and the lady said that they had been reviewing accts the past couple days and the next few days, but there is a strong chance my RA would be extended. I asked how many nights I needed but she wouldn't tell me.
I have another 6-7 nights that will post before the end of June, so I'm not too worried. I actually only called yesterday out of curiosity to see if they would extend me based on 53 total IHG nights. I will post back here if my RA is extended before my next batch of nights post to my PC acct.
My RA expires at the end of June. I got the downgrade letter at the start of April with about 20 IHG nights in the previous 9 months.
As of today though, I am now up to the following 53 total paid IHG stays since my AMB year began:
34 IC nights @ 8 different ICs (in 4 countries and 3 continents if that matters)
4 CP nights
3 Indigo nights
3 HI nights
8 HIX nights
1 Candlewood Suites night
I called up yesterday to ask if my RA would be extended and the lady said that they had been reviewing accts the past couple days and the next few days, but there is a strong chance my RA would be extended. I asked how many nights I needed but she wouldn't tell me.
I have another 6-7 nights that will post before the end of June, so I'm not too worried. I actually only called yesterday out of curiosity to see if they would extend me based on 53 total IHG nights. I will post back here if my RA is extended before my next batch of nights post to my PC acct.
Jun 30, 2009, 7:27 pm
#52
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 6,359
Just wanted to add a data point:
My RA expires at the end of June. I got the downgrade letter at the start of April with about 20 IHG nights in the previous 9 months.
As of today though, I am now up to the following 53 total paid IHG stays since my AMB year began:
34 IC nights @ 8 different ICs (in 4 countries and 3 continents if that matters)
4 CP nights
3 Indigo nights
3 HI nights
8 HIX nights
1 Candlewood Suites night
I called up yesterday to ask if my RA would be extended and the lady said that they had been reviewing accts the past couple days and the next few days, but there is a strong chance my RA would be extended. I asked how many nights I needed but she wouldn't tell me.
I have another 6-7 nights that will post before the end of June, so I'm not too worried. I actually only called yesterday out of curiosity to see if they would extend me based on 53 total IHG nights. I will post back here if my RA is extended before my next batch of nights post to my PC acct.
My RA expires at the end of June. I got the downgrade letter at the start of April with about 20 IHG nights in the previous 9 months.
As of today though, I am now up to the following 53 total paid IHG stays since my AMB year began:
34 IC nights @ 8 different ICs (in 4 countries and 3 continents if that matters)
4 CP nights
3 Indigo nights
3 HI nights
8 HIX nights
1 Candlewood Suites night
I called up yesterday to ask if my RA would be extended and the lady said that they had been reviewing accts the past couple days and the next few days, but there is a strong chance my RA would be extended. I asked how many nights I needed but she wouldn't tell me.
I have another 6-7 nights that will post before the end of June, so I'm not too worried. I actually only called yesterday out of curiosity to see if they would extend me based on 53 total IHG nights. I will post back here if my RA is extended before my next batch of nights post to my PC acct.
Jun 30, 2009, 9:53 pm
#53
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: 7,738
So much for my "strong chance for an RA extension". My RA acct was downgraded to an Amb acct a couple days ago as seen on www.priorityclub.com. So I guess 53 IHG nights is too low? I still have 7 more IHG nights from the end of June that haven't posted yet. They should all post by about July 8th would be my guess. I'll call back then to have them review my acct. What a pain in the butt this requalifying for RA is though. I really do not appreciate not knowing the qualification requirements and this experience will certainly turn me off from trying to requalify for RA in the future. I put a lot of stays towards IHG in the last 3 months. I will probably not put these stays towards IHG in the future if it will be close, especially since I don't know exactly how many stays I need.
and think they are really shooting themselves into the foot with that. In the current environment the 1% top should be reachable with such stay stats. I still got till Nov but so far only at 33 nights for the year with 10 at ICs. I got another 15 nights booked on rewards which won't count (unlike at Hilton where they do count for requal and where Gold is actually worth something unlike PC Plat but that's a different discussion) so unless some miracle happens I will surely loose mine too and just stick to Amb and not make any effort. It is too tiring too work towards an "opaque" target that is not clearly defined. Honestly, a free minibar is not worth the stress. Too many other good opportunities out there then to stick to ICHG only.
Last edited by demue; Jun 30, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Jun 30, 2009, 10:32 pm
#54
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 6,359
What's weird is that it seems like lately the top 1% hurdle has gone up. It seems like it used to be that 50 IHG with 3 different ICs was a shoe in. Now it seems like the minimum is 55 or 60 nights to be in the top 1%. You'd think with the economy in the crapper that the hurdle would be going DOWN instead of up. 
Jun 30, 2009, 11:22 pm
#55
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Moscow
Programs: DL GM and so on
Posts: 1,200
They are obviously in a cost-cutting mode now. I was downgraded with 56 nights. Now I'm waiting for a email reply from the Ambassador desk for the third day. Have they laid off even their Philippine staff?
Jul 1, 2009, 12:07 am
#56
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 6,359
Yikes, you were downgraded with 56 night? Were they all paid? What was your mix of IC vs IHG stays? I was hoping maybe 55 was the magic number of nights needed. But I guess that's not the case if you were downgraded with 56. I sure hope it's not higher than 60 as that's all I will have posting once all my nights post.
BTW, were you just downgraded on Sat, June 27th too? With your Amb year ending at the end of June 2009?
BTW, were you just downgraded on Sat, June 27th too? With your Amb year ending at the end of June 2009?
Jul 1, 2009, 12:16 am
#57
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 812
My friend who has ~60-70 nights, with only 4-5 paid nights at ICs (3 different ones) was renewed for RA ~2.5 months beforehand (Aug expiration). Most of the nights were at a very cheap rate at a Holiday Inn.
So, I think the "magic number" is probably 60 nights. I think this is an arbitrary number chosen by IHG--certainly, you would think the # nights needed for the "top 1%" would otherwise be going down rather than up in this economy!
So, I think the "magic number" is probably 60 nights. I think this is an arbitrary number chosen by IHG--certainly, you would think the # nights needed for the "top 1%" would otherwise be going down rather than up in this economy!
Jul 1, 2009, 12:21 am
#58
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Moscow
Programs: DL GM and so on
Posts: 1,200
As I've written here before, I was downgraded at the end of May with 56 total/38 IC paid nights. Too lazy to find my own message, but IIRC we stayed in 8 different ICs in the States, Europe, Bali and Japan. Just burned about 400K points in June and asked them to cancel my PC account, still waiting for a reply.
Jul 1, 2009, 12:33 am
#59
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 6,359
I'll report back what I hear from IHG next week when all 60 of my nights have finally posted and I put a call in for a review.
With the elimination of referral certs in referred RA's kits and the new 60 night threshold coupled with tanking economy, I'd bet that the RA ranks are almost cut in half next year from last year's numbers.
Jul 1, 2009, 12:48 am
#60
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Moscow
Programs: DL GM and so on
Posts: 1,200
I think revenue can play a role. I always spent my points in the highest of seasons, often in completely sold out places. It cost them up to $300 or €300 per night to reimburse hotels.