Land-of-Miles

I think it might depend on the starting point.

Those that tend to go well over and above have in my experience done this from a base room or low category (the IC HKG being the honourable exception there).

If you are starting at a higher category or suite it has always been pretty rare to get more than one or 2 categories better even at properties which have been generous with those booking base rooms.

turner32

From what I've seen, Spire members now get 2 category upgrade at IC's too. That has to be marked down a s a negative for RA's.

Tim O'Brien

i thought Spire was largely irrelevant at IC's, other than the double point earning factor, and only relevant to the other IHG brands, leaving the Ambassador program to be the exclusive program for IC's?

would seen odd to be giving non Ambassador Spires two tier upgrades at IC's, for effectively 75K EQP's earned at any brand.....

turner32

I thought the very same, but I read a hotel response to a review on IHG of IC Park Lane, which suggests otherwise.

Dear,
Thank you for sharing your experience after your most recent stay with us at InterContinental London Park Lane, it was our pleasure to have you here. We sincerely appreciate all of our guest’s comments as they do help us to improve upon our service to ensure that we deliver an experience in line with our guest’s expectations.
I would like to apologise for the disappointment you encountered on your last visit to the hotel, and for us not living up to your expectations. I understand that our Guest Relations Manager Dragos met with you and helped assist during your stay, and we had hoped that the decision to still accept the Ambassador Free Weekend Certificate had helped the situation in the end.
With regards to not being treated as a Spire Elite Ambassador member, I am sorry to hear that the double upgrade that is extended as part of the Spire Elite benefits did not meet your expectations when you stayed with us in a London Superior room over the weekend. The welcome amenity provided in the room should have certainly reflected the number of people in the room and we have sought to address this with the department heads concerned to ensure this does not happen again. The Club InterContinental lounge unfortunately is not an included benefit for Spire Elite members at this stage, and has only recently been added this year as a benefit for our Royal Ambassadors – so once again I do apologise if you had received any conflicting information prior to your arrival here at Park Lane.
Once again thank you for sharing your feedback, we appreciate your honesty and as mentioned this does provide us with an opportunity to improve. Should you be returning to London again, I would like the opportunity to change your perception of the hotel and invite you to let me know personally in the event that this happens.
Kind regards,
Caroline J
Director of Rooms


As an aside, it appears that this guy did not "book" his weekend voucher, expected a better upgrade than the 2-level that he received, and also expected lounge access.

scubaccr

in asia pre Sep2006 I was already beng treated as an RA to +2cat (or greater) upgrades and foc lounge access when booking lesser rom categories

For post Sep2016 and post Sep2017 nights in Asia IC's I have not notice a dfference (BKK/SIN/KUL/Pattaya) and stays first time stays at IC Sydnet + Melbourne

For me the acid test will come when I stay at my regular European IC's (PLG, Amstel, Parklane, Bucharest, Prague, Berlin) where a +2cat upgrade woud be a negative)

Of course this will depends on whether "view rooms" count as a category or just descriptor Classic/superior/Deuxe/Club/JS/1bed-suite, and IC Berlin is reported to now split upgrades based on 10euro views

Historically IC Amstel Asterdam where I next stay in Europe had upgrades keeping the booked CityVirw or Riverview, so for RA historically "Cityview Exec -> CityView JS -> City view exec Suite" versus "River view Exec -> RV J/S -> RV Exec Suite"
I would not stay again if IC Amstel became RV Exec-> CityView JS -> RV JS

Smilarly Parklane has "false" "non-London / London" versions of each room Classic/Superior etc so if non-london/london included as a category designator, then again I would no longer stay.
In fact at IC-PL I book minimum of Superior (not classic) and historically recieved minimum London Exec, but often Studio or One Bedroom suites upto Deluxe Suite.
No IC-PL stays booked for 2017 yet, but I hear rumours IC-PL is giving lesser stricty +2cat upgrades and blaming IHG for monitoring upgrades for conformance to +2cat. Of course IC-Pl is in minority as being IHG managed.

Overall I have zero confidence in new RA upgrade criteria, a new race to the bottom, and those hotels with lounges that RAs upsold to, now enforcing false categories into upgrade paths, eg IC Berlin, IC HCMC. Including a lesser room type/size than booked with club acccess for RA is nonsence but is what some hotels such as IC HCMC just did

In coming weeks I have IC Citystars, IC Amstel, IC Berlin, IC Doral and IC Miami stays coming up

Tim O'Brien

i think it's an outlier.

properties, and IHG Makati write all types of stuff inconsistent with the program rules. i put this literary piece in that category.

actually just picked up the BOGO issue, he's an Ambassador with a BOGO, i bet she's just made a mistake, referring to Spire, instead of Ambassador.

i've not seen any official program rules, any T&C that state Spire get two tier upgrade at IC properties.

turner32

"I just stayed for 1 night on points and got upgraded to a London Superior room."

This has just been posted in IC PL thread. The guy is a Spire Ambassador, and this is a 3-level upgrade. Yet, another data point demonstrating the abysmal RA upgrade situation, using award nights, too.

scubaccr

Then you have those that sign up as first time Ambassadors receive Amb pack with bogo expiring 1-2months after initial Amb year ends, don't renew , but then book to use up Amb bogo voucher with a checkin after Ambassador status expires.

This could well be the case above , a lapsed Ambassador trying to use an in date bogo?

Certainly I have seen several non-amb-Spires posting of +1-cat upgrade at IC's checkin with receptionist saying upgrade is given because they are Spire.

also IC-PL may not count standard/london variant descriptor as category in upgrade
ie usual categories path is
Classic->Classic London->Superior->Superior London->Deluxe->Deluxe London-> Exec -> Exec London->studio Suite->1bed suite->deluxe suite

So booking Classic on award/paid+1cat => Superior (sometimes London Superior) not London Classic for an Ambassador, with Deluxe the outcome for RA.

submonte

Wouldn´t (couldn´t) it be like this, booking Classic:

Spire - 1 cat - Superior (London)
(Spire) Amb - 2 cat - Deluxe (London)
RA - 3 cat - Exec (London)

Exec = Club?

scubaccr

Nope, already widely knoewm xxx Ambassador booking classic gets just a +1cat upgrade to Superior, not a +2cat result

Regards RA, forget the room cat text that under IC-PL room categories booking London Exec givess guest Club lounge privileges. RA's are given Lounge acess whatever room they end up in since Feb2017 so IC-PL don't need give RAs booking entry level Classic Room a London Exec

Separately, I always had as RA minimum of London Exec, rather than Plain Exec, as my hotel profile said I need a sofa (which plain exec room type is missing).
Rarely came into play as I usually booked Superior room type and either received one of Studio Suite/1-Bed-suite/Deluxe-Suite every stay, usually a full suite.
And of course even on solo stays I always paid Ł65++ = Ł78 upsell for lounge access, which reservatios manager/staff knew i would before I even turned up.

Will wait with interest to see what room upgrade is allocated on my next IC-PL stay under new +2cat rules. I'd be more than happy to spend the Ł78 lounge upsell on a higher room cat at IC-PL going forwards, if not doing so results in lesser upgrades (However no current UK stays in scope as currenty based in Asia)

submonte

So that would mean in terms of room upgrade there is no difference between Spire and Amb, both +1cat? And there is also no difference in treatment of Spire Amb vs. Amb (Gold/Platinum)?

turner32

I wonder sometimes if IHG are deliberately trying to kill RA...

submonte

I would not wish this anyone who deserves to be RA spending 10, 12 or 20K $ or Pounds (did not understand the conditions despite having followed that thread about RA by Revenue) per year.

For me I wish only a program which allows me to understand the conditions to reach a tier and the benefits I get from the tier. In case of RA I don´t understand how to get it, I roughly understand what I would get meanwhile. In case of SPIRE and/or AMB I understand how to get it, but it is not sure what I will get, and/or I do not get things I think I should get.

And what nervs me most is the policy of IHG to not issue official statements to their members or the public or intervene in on going speculations about what and how and when and if. This is irresponsible IMHO and a damage to their own business. If this would happen in our company the responsibles would be fired.

scubaccr

Ambassador is and has always been very clear. Ambassador status is and never has been getting extra upgrades if Plat v Gold or Spire v Plat/Gold @Rewards status.

If IHG is now asking IC's to give non-guaranteed +1cat upgrades to Spires as reported by the odd Spire staying at an IC, that is separate issue, and a Spire Ambassador may decide to save the usd200/year

If you as a Spire Ambassador was receiving +2cat upgrade, then you would be upgraded the same as an RA, which is why it does not usually happen, except when IC's oversell several lower category rooms and are forced to upgrade guests.

1. Ambassador has always been clearly spelled out by IHG. Pay usd200 to become Ambassador for 12months and receive +1cat guaranteed upgrade when staying at Intercontinental brand hotels.

The IHG @Rewards Gold/PlatinumSpire status attached to an Ambassador are in theory ignored. Though if one or more ambassadors needs to be given a greater than +1cat upgrade, the IC will probably prioritise to either a regular guest at that hotel or a Spire Amb over a Platinum/Gold Ambassador

2. Royal Ambassador changes are possibly either positive or negative depending onany one individual RAs booking habits.
i)If booking a basic entry level room, then +2cat upgrade is going to be worse than the old option of ClubRoom/Exec Room/Suite
ii)If booking a premium rate room, such as 1cat below suite or a suite, then RA from now on gets a +2cat upgrade versus the +cat usually given previously.
(Not withstanding a rush by IC's since Sep2016 changes to exclude normal suites, not just Royal/Presidential suites)
iii)And of course the possibly perceived injustice whereby when booking Suites or 1cat below suites, RAs got treated the same as Ambassador with +1cat upgrade.

Land-of-Miles

In any situation where a property is unable to give a 2 cat upgrade (because of the cap placed on upgrade room types) a sharp word normally sees both a rate reduction to that of the room type which would have yielded the upgrade received (i.e. 2 cat's below the room type occupied), plus additional random local gestures.