As a top-tier elite with Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, Starwood and Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) it’s become clear, IHG doesn’t treat their elites well. But why? The hotel chain has more than 4,700 hotels worldwide, they are highly profitable but yet uncompetitive for elite benefits, they should be a market leader – yet they’re not.
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How Does IHG Compare
For the purpose of this post I am going to focus on the top-tier of the award programs because that’s where the rest of the programs offer the most similar benefits across the board. Gary Leff has an extensive valuation, he and I mostly agree on the value of points received.
| Benefit | Marriott | Starwood Preferred Guest | Hilton | Hyatt | Intercontinental Hotel Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nights required for top tier status | 75 | 50 | 60 | 60 | 75 |
| Breakfast included | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Late checkout | 4PM* conditionally | 4PM | 2PM | 4PM | 2PM |
| Reward nights count towards status | Yes | Yes | Yes | Only Points and Cash | Yes |
| Upgrades at Checkin | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Confirmed upgrades in advance | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Maximum points earned per dollar | 15 (excluding extended stay) | 3 | 25 | 6.5 | 20 (excluding extended stay) |
| Empirical value of points | .7¢/point | 2¢/point | .5¢/point | 1.5¢/point | .5¢/point |
| Points as rebate per $200/nt | $21 | $12 | $25 | $19.50 | $20 |
While on the surface, they seem mostly equal and IHG doesn’t seem to fall behind their peers too far, the real value is in execution. Let’s dive into this a little deeper.
Upgrades
Like most major hotel groups, upgrades are limited in scope and benefits are unclear and intentionally vague. Last year I was not only a Spire member, but I also added the Ambassador distinction to my account to encourage top-level benefits and upgrades.
My efforts were useless.
As a spire currently, I rarely get the chance to stay in full-service IHG hotels (some Holiday Inns, few Intercontinental hotels and even fewer Hotel Indigos). As a result, true upgrades are only expected to be few and far between. In defense of some Holiday Inn properties, I have had great success upgrading at one particular property that would make Intercontinental guests jealous, but for the most part they just don’t give any of the nicer rooms away.
I have posted previously about why hotel upgrades are hard for hotels, especially franchises, IHG seems to put little to no effort into surprising and delighting guests.
On a recent stay in Shanghai at the Intercontinental Ruijin I was greeted as a Spire member and “upgraded” to a garden view room. This was not an upgrade, and I’m not stupid enough to believe that it is.
Comparatively, here is the upgrade I received the previous night in a Hyatt airport hotel. Here is one from the Conrad Bangkok and I just left the St. Regis Shanghai Jingan where I was given the Caroline Astor suite without hesitation (review coming). The JW Marriott Bangkok also provided a fantastic two-room suite, Marriott also gave me a suite facing the Bund in Shanghai (review coming).
IHG just doesn’t stack up.
Breakfast
Mid-tier Hilton Gold members get free breakfast, and top-tier from all of the other chains I mentioned give their members free breakfast at full-service properties.
IHG does not.
At the aforementioned Intercontinental Ruijin in Shanghai reception went out of their way to ensure I understood that breakfast was not included. In fact, she mentioned it some four times (I started to count). I inquired as to how much breakfast cost as she was making it so clear. I was told 250 CNY or $37.50 USD. She then wrote on my checkin form “NO BKF” then circled it. And yeah, that’s steep, but why?
I covered the breakfast in this post but for those that missed it, here is what the breakfast looked like:
Out of curiosity, I priced out (at approximate retail supermarket prices) what a normal American breakfast would cost the brand to provide to guests that are spending 75 nights/year in their hotels.
- (2) Eggs = $.40
- (2) Slices French Toast = $.30
- (2) Strips of bacon = $.45
- (1) Cup of breakfast potatoes = $.20
- (1) Premium cup of coffee = $.50
- (1) Fresh-squeezed orange juice = $1.00
Total = $2.85
Let’s add to that another server because the restaurant will be busier, but the rest of the sunk costs should stay the same. The kitchen will be open regardless, the cooks will be there for paying guests already and I don’t know how much science we need to put in this number. If we ignore service wages in the US and assume an hourly rate of $10/hour, that each server can take four tables and that they will turn every 30 minutes for breakfast we add another $1.25 to bring the total to $4.10.
Why would I give a hotel 75 of my business nights if I can avoid them or ANY of my discretionary vacation spend when they won’t spend $5 on me?
No Fifth Gear
Hilton has true luxury hotels in Waldorf-Astoria and Conrad properties. For Marriott, the JW brand and Ritz-Carlton serve the upper echelon. At Starwood it’s St. Regis and W Hotels while Hyatt has the Park Hyatt line and Grand Hyatt hotels.
IHG just doesn’t have that fifth gear. There are some standout properties certainly, the Intercontinental Bora Bora offers overwater suites and the Intercontinental Paris Le Grande offers a great location with balcony views of the Eiffel Tower. But make no mistake, there is no clear high-level consistent category for the chain (excluding Kimpton as they are outside of IHG Rewards).
While other chains offer aspirational awards, IHG as a chain fails to hold a premium line with worldwide locations. While these hotels are sparse even among the brands that do offer them (just 40 Park Hyatts in the world), there is still coverage in major cities in the world.
I find it insulting that the chain that has the least to offer elites (late checkout, breakfast and true upgrades in practice not just on paper) also requires the most nights equaling just Marriott who do practice what they preach. In 2017 the average worker in the US will work 246 days. That means traveling professionals will have to spend 1.5/nts every single week in an IHG property and get little benefit for doing so.
It Costs IHG
I am a prolific hotel guest. For business purposes I am often responsible for my team and of course my own nights. This year my total nights will exceed 150 between business and personal stays and more than 600 when including my team. Often, there is competition even in smaller markets among Hilton, IHG, and Marriott (Hyatt and SPG have little footprint outside of huge markets). I earn to spend, that is to say, I stay the nights I can control for business purposes in hotels that will provide me benefits and will also allow me to stay in properties of my choosing on personal stays. This saves my company money as well, which they appreciate.
When I go away with my family, we tend to stay at aspirational properties for extended periods of time. Sometimes we use points to pay for the stay, but often we use points and cash to offset expensive stays throughout the year. We also spend money during these trips in the hotel, sometimes on food and beverage, sometimes on additional services and products. On a trip to the Park Hyatt Sanya Sunny Bay we had a substantial bill at checkout because we preferred to eat at the resort as opposed to going into town. That’s revenue that IHG isn’t capturing from us nor any other high frequency guests I know.
Another stay, this time at the Andaz Papagayo in Costa Rica, we chose Hyatt over the Four Seasons which operates on the same property because we receive free breakfast and would earn points and status at the property. We don’t have many opportunities to stay at Four Seasons properties so loyalty in that brand would be less of a factor but when we shopped hotels, we didn’t even consider looking at IHG.
In Hong Kong a few weeks ago we chose the Conrad over the Intercontinental simply because breakfast was offered and we could rely on an upgrade to a better room if not a suite (we did receive a suite though the review has not yet been written). That was a head-to-head matchup and I even booked the Intercontinental to give it a try but canceled after deciding not to roll the dice with them. That’s real money the brand lost to someone who re-qualified in their program before the end of April.
For corporate bookings this year I can state as fact that at least 365 nights were booked with a different chain when IHG was an option and the cost in lost revenue to IHG was more than $40,000 to IHG for that booking.
The old adage is: if you don’t take care of your customers, someone else will. In this case every other hotel brand takes better care of their elites so that’s where we stay when we have a choice.
Why Don’t They Care?
When I spoke with Aaron Glick (former VP of loyalty at Hilton Honors) about the problem of getting status-based upgrades compliant with the benefits of the program, he briefly touched on communications his team had with hoteliers. They stressed the importance of honoring benefits and giving high-spending guests the care they have come to expect.
Hyatt this year has for the most part been very good (with a limited exception) in providing hotel upgrades to legitimately better rooms including upgrades to suites at checkin. Despite that this is a new benefit for the recreated World of Hyatt program, in practice the word has gotten to the franchised properties and execution has been strong.
While I have not spoken directly with the management of IHG regarding this, the benefits on paper do not translate in the field. The lack of a $5 breakfast benefit across the brand, the lack of an effort to install lounges, the failure to offer real upgrades to suites that otherwise go unsold to their best guests – says it all.
It’s not just their stated benefits, it’s the enactment of them and for that hoteliers reduce loyalty. They exclude themselves from discretionary spend by not giving upgrades or spending minimal amounts of money on their most frequent guests. Ultimately, IHG who does not hold hoteliers responsible for this cost themselves money.
If they do care, their actions don’t show it – until they do, they won’t get any of my optional stays.
Has your experience with IHG been better than mine? Have you received upgrades or other benefits that make IHG your chain of choice?
@ Kyle — With IHG, it is all about Royal Ambassador and InterContinental stays. I have been an RA for about 13 years and have/had top status in the other big programs, and IC treats me best BY FAR. I am glad that bloggers continuously complain about IHG. If more people really understood how awesome IC RA status is, everyone would follow the herd, like they have with Hyatt. We all now see where that has gotten us…
Gene, I am glad you wrote in. Some have a great affinity for Royal Ambassador status and the IHG program, I know that Gary Leff used to love it too and I want to know if your experience is different from mine. As mentioned, last year I was Spire Ambassador. I am surprised that from Spire Ambassador to Royal Ambassador (yes more Intercontinental-specific stays but lower overall requirements if I recall correctly) you would think we would at least get equal treatment or close. On paper, the benefits are almost the same (arrival gift for RA status is a snack, I get that as Spire; two category stated benefit upgrade as RA, upgrades as available as Spire).
I agree that the Hyatt love as displayed by myself and others was far too trusting in the program. My affection came from excellent treatment I received at their properties though first and foremost. I think that the disconnect for me is that at the nicer hotels within the IHG chain. The nicer the hotel, the less I seem to receive. With Hyatt, Hilton, SPG, and Marriott – the opposite seems to be true. At this very moment I am in a massive corner suite overlooking the Bund in Shanghai at the Ritz-Carlton because Marriott treats my status as important and honors their word on upgrades. As you might have seen from my Ruijin post, that didn’t happen across town in Shanghai. That just hasn’t been my experience with IHG but I am glad it is yours. How many nights a year do you stay in Intercontinental hotels specifically (not other IHG chains), maybe that is the secret sauce? They state the invitation is only offered to top tier spenders in the program, but I have almost doubled the required points for Spire for the year and it’s not even September but I have just the one stay at an Intercontinental property – that has to be why right? I’d love to hear your take because as you have said, there aren’t many bloggers that show them love and perhaps that is unfair.
I would have agreed with Gene a year ago. But, RA is no longer worth anything to me. Prior to this year, RAs were guaranteed either a club room with club access or a suite. The guarantee was not space available. My first IC stay this year was at the IC near Times Square in NYC. At check in, they informed me of the new 2-category upgrade policy. Eventually they relented and gave me a suite. So, I completed that stay but cancelled all future IHG stays. I haven’t given them one more night since. “2-category” means nothing as the properties often consider “view rooms” or club rooms (without club access) as upgrades–they aren’t. And, if 2-categories above the most basic room isn’t AT LEAST a club room with club access or a suite, then they are definitely playing games in defining room categories. Don’t waste any time trying or money to get RA. Like you, I have top status at Hilton and Marriott and have little problem finding their hotels wherever I travel, almost always get real upgrades with them, and breakfast is never a question.
The old “category” trick hard at work. I guess I am both relieved to hear it’s not just Hyatt that does this, but also disappointed to hear that it’s spreading.
I’ve been at minimum an IHG Platinum member for the past 6 years and have never been offered an upgrade at Holiday Inns or Intercontinental properties – in fact, having booked a suite in London and initially was given a standard room!
I still use IHG quite regularly, especially the Holiday Inn Express brand as they are often better located for my work, but I have started using Hiltons more and despite only being a lowly member, often feel more valued.
I agree with that sentiment. Lee had some thoughts as to why Platinums aren’t treated as well, perhaps you should consider a status match or challenge too.
Good article. Marriott’s breakfast policy is frustrating as well when it comes to resorts and Ritz Carlton branded properties. Hilton has the breakfast restriction at Waldorf’s as well which is frustrating. However, there aren’t many WA-branded properties so it doesn’t really affect me much.
Thanks J. I am in a Ritz right now and specifically asked about the policy in advance to avoid any surprises. I haven’t been to a Waldorf yet, maybe that will be my next stop when I am in a city that offers one. For this stay they wanted more than double the rate at the Ritz and St. Regis, both which were on par with the Grand Hyatt and Park Hyatt Shanghai. I had to give that one a pass for now. If I had stayed there and spent twice the money or an absurd amount of points I would probably be pretty annoyed that breakfast wasn’t included, but if it’s stated in the rules then that’s the way it is.
I always just assumed IHG was too big to need a competitive loyalty program. That said, Intercontinentals have always treated me pretty well as an Ambassador. Guaranteed upgrades, 4PM checkout – sure no breakfast, but it’s not like Hyatt is handing out guaranteed upgrades (sometimes to suites) for $150 per year either.
IHG, Marriott/SPG, Hilton are all in the 4,000+ range whereas Hyatt is at just over 700 properties. IHG should be competitive because I often find that they are rarely the only option given the footprint of Marriott and Hilton. It’s just odd to me that they aren’t more competitive.
The simple answer is that anyone with $49 and a decent credit score can get the IHG card and receive Platinum status without paying for even 1 night at an IHG property. Higher status of Spire and Ambassador are equally non-competitive as you state above.
Thanks Lee, I referred another commenter to your words here. I think that’s valid. I know as a Spire I have the chance to give a Platinum status upgrade to a current Gold status holder as one of my benefits when I re-qualify or I can choose 25,000 points. The funny thing is, I have offered it to friends and family and either they don’t hold any status with the brand or they hold Platinum already but no one just holds Gold status so I deposit the points in my account instead. That, by the way, is a nice perk to offer elites and I don’t know that another program matches that.
I have never chosen and IHG property over any of the others when I pay out of pocket for those reasons. I am forced to stay at a crown a few times a year….sadly….
This year I will also be switching from Hilton to Marriott. As I continue to compare benefits…..the Marriott has come out on the top each time…the last few times I did stay at a Hilton I was disappointed. New year…many switches in the works!
Marriott has been good, though if you are staying in smaller markets I find that Hiltons are better. My own data points are my only reference for this, but to me, I find the Hamptons and Garden Inns to be generally better maintained and updated than Courtyards or the dreaded Fairfields.
Be honest. You’ve never purchased bacon or fresh squeezed OJ at a grocery store in a long, long time have you?
My wife does some of the shopping, but I make my way tot he store too.
I grabbed the numbers from a recent local grocery store ad and then divided by amount served. For example, a carton of eggs (12 in a carton) in my home market of Pittsburgh was $2.40 for the dozen, or $.20/each, a pound of bacon was listed at about 20 pieces and $4.50, so that equals $.225/strip. I used Simply Orange juice as a stand-in for freshly squeezed though perhaps oranges themselves would be cheaper, in my market they run about $5 for a 59 ounce container or 7.375 servings of 8 oz glasses per bottle so in fairness, my estimate of a dollar was well above $.67 but I guess I was hoping for a larger serving. Coffee servings were derived from 24-pack quantity rates on Illy capsules, and I used a local loaf od bread as a basis for the french toast price adding in one egg.
Do your numbers (broken down by quantity, not purchasing an entire carton of eggs for a two egg breakfast) vary much from what I have posted?
I’ve been plain Platinum and also Ambassador on stats, not just buying in. Maybe that makes a difference. Who knows?
My is my travel is nearly all South East Asia. The only place I had trouble getting an upgrade was at the IC Makati in Manila, which is now closed. They gave NOTHING to status holders. But everywhere else I’ve had great experiences, whether they were one night stays or one week.
I’m usually always Club level or higher, so the breakfast part doesn’t factor in, since you can have breakfast in the club. But I’ve found if I book one rate tier below Club I’m nearly always upgraded onto a Club floor.
The biggest thing that annoys me is the way they calculate points per stay and not per night.
Counting points based on stay would drive me nuts. That kind of further suggests a combative relationship with their most frequent guests. They would rather pay out more points to someone who stays five individual nights at five different properties more than one stay for 20 nights at the same property? Crazy!
Asia is generally better for upgrades admittedly, the staff and service just seems more engaged. Truth be told, many of my favorite hotels and best service received were in Asia.
Yep. It’s just isn’t fair. I had a friend who stayed one full month and was credited with one “stay.”
Not surprisingly he dropodd IHG after that.
I like the options of 5&10K point rates at IHG. I wish Marriott and Hyatt would offer more incentivized rate options. Especially considering how many point Hyatt hotels pay out on Rocketmiles and the like.
I agree with that 100% Nathan.
I definitely enjoy having the free breakfast that comes with Marriott Platinum status, except at Courtyards! I have been frequenting a Courtyard lately and it is so annoying not to be able to get the free breakfast. The whole “Bistro” concept at Courtyards annoy me and is just a way for them to justify not giving free breakfast to elites. At the one I frequent I don’t think I have ever seen anyone have dinner there. No surprise to me given that the prices seem kind of steep and they have such a limited and boring dinner menu. The breakfast from the Bistro tastes ok, but expect to pay high prices and wait forever to have it served, despite it not really being that crowded.
I haven’t encountered the Bistro yet, but as Courtyard stays pick up next year I am sure that I will. I don’t mind having the option to pay for something better rather than take-what-you-get slop or a few bags of cereal left on the counter. But it has to be better. I don’t often eat breakfast at Hamptons when I stay at them, but I do pick up their “grab and go” bags from time to time.
When American Airlines introduced paid food options at their lounges and included an omelet station on Sunday mornings, for me, that was a big upgrade and worth paying for. I prefer that to just sticking out free hummus and some crunched up pita chips. But it also can’t be extortionate like the pictures and pricing I have seen from United’s Newark speakeasy.
My travel region is Florida, the Caribbean and Central America. Im my experience almost all the time I get room upgrades but forget about breakfast or lounge access. In some hotels I have even been upgraded to the club level but without acess to the lounge. The promotions and points earnings are good but not enough to actively try to reach Spire level. I use IHG as my second program and use Marriott as my main. The value Marriott provides is far better.
What?!? Club level without access to the lounge? That’s going out of their way to not show you appreciation for your business, it almost seems vindictive, at minimum foolhardy.
Doesn’t make any sense to me either. It was in the Intercontinental San Salvador and the Crowne Plaza in Santo Domingo. In the Crowne I asked why and they said the lounge is not part of the benefits even if I was upgraded to that level. As it has happened several times in each, in different brands and different countries I concluded its an IHG thing.
Last year I stayed at IC Osaka as Spire Ambassador. Booked cheapest room and received club level room but no free breakfast. The receptionist went out of her way to double check and said only RA gets that. Thought kind of pointless to put me on club level.
Isn’t an upgrade to the club floor without access to the club just the same room on a different floor?
Yes, I have found that Club level rooms are generally the same sq. footage as regular rooms.
I am Diamond at Hilton and Platinum at IHG. I have gotten one upgrade out of the many Hilton chain stays and that was only because I told the manager on my previous stay how it would be cool to get one of the balcony rooms to see the planes taking off. At IHG, even on reward stays, I almost always get upgrades and get treated better. Being a Diamond has gotten me nothing except more points. I’ve done better at Hyatt with my lowly status there.
Wow! That’s the first I have heard of that. Maybe upgrades really do vary per individual experience. At least at Hilton they are giving you breakfast, but I would take the upgrades (consistently) over breakfast any stay.
IHG is so lame that they cannot compete even on IT with other hotel chains. Which company in 2017 still offer a 4 digit PIN for customer to access their accounts? Yes, IHG. When hackers cleaned up almost 300,000 points from my IGH account they tried to blame that on me but fortunately they recognized how stupid their system was and deposited my points back. Oh and guess what? Asked me to choose another 4 digit PIN. How stupid!!!
I’m sorry to hear that happened to you but glad it was resolved. Brad at Travel Codex had a similar issue, it seems to run rampant. Considering the major security breach at Hilton, and some of the IHG hotel credit card machines – you’d think this was first and foremost in their minds.
Ihg has recently eliminted the “points never expire” offering. After one year of inactivity, the points disappear, as happened to some of my coworkers. I am very angry and totally disappointed in them. I have been top tier with them for 12 or 13 years.
That’s just another reason that their program isn’t up to the task of demanding 75 nights and returning nothing. Somehow I missed that, I guess they aren’t advertising it…
As a Spire member, I totally agree with this excellent article. There is no discernible difference between platinum and spire membership except for the choice benefit. But the extra 25k points that comes with it is not even enough for a 1 night redemption in an Intercon hotel. But what I find most irritating is that there is no breakfast and guaranteed checkout until 4pm. These are important to me, especially since my flights are in the evenings. I hate it that I have to negotiate with the hotel staff over check out time. Now that that they have devalued their points, I have more or less given up on them and am concentrating on SPG instead.
Andrew a difference between the two is the bonus earnings. As a Spire member you also earn 100% earnings bonus for most brands that’s 20 points per dollar. And unlike Hilton the top redemption tier is only 60k a night. Disclosure: I manage a property run by IHG, not a franchisee.
@Karl – Earnings are good, in the chart that maximum rate shows that they are delivering comparable value on a points to cash basis, but I would counter that with the exception of a handful of properties, IHG doesn’t have hotels that compete with Waldorf-Astorias from Hilton, Park Hyatts or St. Regis from SPG. So the additional cost may be justified if we presume the points are equal. But even then, add the breakfast benefit and true upgrades and it justifies a higher price apples to apples because there are greater benefits.
But Karl, I would ask you, especially since you run a corporate IHG property, can you tell me what your take is on upgrading elites? What’s the story with club level upgrades without club level access. I am happy to set the record straight if you can shed some light.
Good article and while I agree with certain points it is not as cut and dry as you make it out to be.
As a Spire RA the key to better service and benefits is certainly the Ambassador component and not the Spire. Being Spire alone is almost worthless (rightly or wrongly) and I have received the best service and benefits from IHG while being Ambassador/RA, not from being Platinum or Spire.
With IC bookings I almost always receive a confirmed upgrade prior to arrival as my booking gets modified and shows me the upgraded room type on my profile, HI upgrades are hit and miss so I never count on it and get pleasantly surprised. Many IC properties do play the room category game very well however so you need to be careful when selecting a room type to ensure you are maximising your upgrade benefit. Certain IC locations such as Hong Kong and Sydney have several different categories for the same room type/view so an upgrade or
2 x upgrade in reality can be no upgrade at all! Removing the Club upgrade benefit was a big ‘enhancement’ and only gave me more resolve to work these loyalty programmes to my advantage.
Overall I personally feel it is our responsibility to game these loyalty programmes to our benefit because we the guests are certainly being gamed one way or the other regardless of brand.
Mr Maxwell – Others are have also mentioned being a Royal Ambassador is key to getting the top level treatment other brands offer (minus breakfast, minus late checkout). As a Spire Ambassador my treatment was no different.
So here is my question, if Royal Ambassador is invite only AND a paid membership, then how do I get an invite? Do I need to go out of my way to stay specifically at Intercontinental properties to get one? And if I do I can only hope for an opportunity to pay for service I receive at other brands, right? What’s the value proposition with that model.
I have Spire Ambassador status and stick with IHG because of their big footprint and because their points are crazy easy to earn (Accelerate, postcards, etc.). I love cashing in on their PointBreaks properties at 5,000 points a night, too. (Bali, Krabi!)
I don’t understand why I get free breakfast (not based on status) at some of their lower end properties (HI and HIX) and zilch at IC. I was just at a lovely IC in Hanoi and was “upsold” (they actually printed that on my bill) lounge access for $50 a day. Food choices at breakfast were limited so I ordered from the menu. Everything I ordered was inedible and I sent it back. After breakfast, I canceled lounge access and said why (they asked). No redress was offered.
I have a LOT of points so I’m horrified to learn they may expire. I will play the game differently but will probably stick with them.
Pointsbreaks can be great though I have personally never been able to snag one (didn’t have a need where one was offered).
Sorry to hear about the breakfast, at least at the other chains if the breakfast is bad you’re not out anything. When they charge crazy money like that (see my post on the Intercontinental Shanghai Ruijin from this weekend) expectations are raised.
Hilton seems to have the best process for points and cash, as you can adjust to however many points you want to spend. This is much better than IHG. With IHG, you can’t even select whichever room, because they aren’t all available as rewards nights, which is frustrating.
I’ve moved more to Marriott, as I have found their point redemptions to be better and their properties seem to be updated more often than IHG.
I totally agree that IHG doesn’t do enough for Spire.
Thanks for the article.
My pleasure Jeffrey, I also like the pay with points scale. British Airways has done that really well too. I would be open to that for all loyalty programs. It helps to utilize small balances and eliminate orphan point accounts.
Kyle, I couldn’t have written it better myself. I have been disappointed for years about the way they treat their most valuable customers at the IHG. I’ve been both diamond and spire for years.
Why am I still collecting points with IHG? I travel mostly to Europe and I live in Israel. In Europe there aren’t that many affordable options as far as Hilton is concerned. So it’s just easier and cheaper to collect enough points for status at the IHG by booking 1000/2000 point stays vs booking at a nore expensive Hilton. In the past, when I traveled to the US I used to stay at a Hampton/DoubleTree/Homewood which are all affordable and it was easy to get to 40 stays and renew my diamond membership…
Then there’s the fact that I live in Israel and booking a reward night at the Hilton Tel Aviv is minimum 70k points. At the Crowne plaza in tel Aviv the damage is only 40k. And this specific business hotel gives spire members free lounge access (which includes breakfast there). Points and cash at the Hilton aren’t worth as much as they used to be (I could stay at the Hilton tel aviv for 32000 points + $125, up until last year). I have tried to send the rewards club and the CEO at IHg an email about free breakfast for spire. It didn’t really help…
Marlon, I appreciate the kind words and sorry that we find ourselves in the same boat. I’d welcome contact from IHG directly and perhaps I will reach out to them. I would love to write an update to this in a few months with all of the positive changes they are enacting to make their program comparable, but I doubt that post will ever come…
In Asia, Spire generally works well. Elsewhere it’s patchy at best. Generally “meh”
My travel pattern has given me Royal Ambassador for the last 1o years. I’m very happy with RA treatment. I get no-fuss check-in at 8 am (or earlier!) which is great for early arrivals in SE Asia and South America. Rooms are large or they are suites. I get access to the club lounge, which of course includes breakfast. And, yes, the mini-bar is free 🙂
The only darkness is the new requirement for a high minimum spend to keep RA. Corporate agreements keep my rates low: with 50/60 nights a year in IC properties (and about the same in other IHG properties), I don’t reach the spend level for RA.
So next year I’m out. Spire and vanilla Ambassador hold no attraction so it will be over to Hilton.
It’s kind of odd IHG can afford to hand over that number of nights to a competitor.
Welcome to the Hyatt family. I mentioned in the post I hold top tier will all of those brands and I can honestly say that my upgrade experience at Hilton properties have been really good. I think you will like the shift, sorry it had to come to this.
If the program is invite-only and paid, why increase the required spending to trim out the ranks? Just send no new invites, and increase the cost of membership, it would have the same effect one would assume.
Spire Royal Ambassador is the top tier, not Spire Ambassador. You automatically get a guaranteed checkout of 4PM plus access to club; including breakfast of course.
Well Ray, kind of. Concierge Key is technically the top tier for American but it’s invite-only and the requirements are not public, the same with Global Services above 1K for United. At Hyatt there is actually another tier that they don’t publish (I forgot what the name is) but again, the requirements are not public and it’s invite-only.
So while you are technically right, Royal Ambassador is higher than Spire Ambassador, it’s not open to everyone whereas all of the other top-tier programs are and all deliver comparable benefits to Spire without any additional memberships or special invitations.
Kyle, You touched a raw nerve with this post. I am a Spire RA for the last 3 years and during this period easily clocked 100 odd nights in IHG with 80-90 @ IC with most stays in Asia. My observation is that during my paid stays, they roll out the red carpet with suite upgrades, lounge access at many locations et al. Alas, I am distressed at the extent to which they short change during the award bookings. In essence, at some snooty ICs one can even feel that for award stays, one is being treated akin to having bagged a deal thru booking.com
By leaving it to the discretion of individual hotels, the option to offer upgrade/breakfast, etc, it is a big hit or miss and huge disservice to loyal customers. It effectively becomes a negotiation with the front desk. I have paid $100 for upgrade to view room, breakfast charged at USD 50, etc at IC HK and have multiple such experiences to relate.
For the life of me, I cannot figure out as to why they cannot stay on par with peers in terms of providing similar benefits for both paid and award stays, when actually these benefits would be enjoyed and appreciated more when on vacation with family.
After experiencing this hit or miss experience for award stays, I finally decided to vote with my feet and moved across to Marriott/SPG from this year.
Voting with your feet and your wallet is the only way companies learn. Take a look at the reaction Hyatt members have had to their new requirements (new post going live shortly) and how they swerve back and forth trying to win them then thin the ranks, then win them back again!
I didn’t consider that they might look at an award booking as different than a cash booking because no other chain I stay with does, but that makes sense. Either way, I welcome you to the Marriott/SPG family (I am a new Platinum-matched member myself), and so far, I have been treated very well.
I totally concur with your statement about best upgrades being at Holiday Inns. My wife and I have received modest upgrades at Intercontinental hotels as Spire, and then Platinum. But at Holiday Inns, it has been on nearly every paid stay (and once on an award, although it is not in the published benefits). Once to a lovely corner room, and another time to a suite.
IHG is still a chain of choice for me simply because of the $49 night offer by their co-branded Mastercard and the windfall of points they’ll offer through Accelerate now and then. If I’m looking for consistency for mid-tier loyalty, though, I’ll stick with Hilton and SPG.
Another commenter (Bald Points) mentioned the credit card option and he has a point. Delta said “when everyone’s elite, no one is” and that’s valid here too.
In a separate post about Hyatt’s over-corrections, another commenter mentioned the middle tiers so I will try to discuss that more in the future too.
As a long time top tier elite at IHG and also have top status with Hilton. In my experience I get many more upgrades as an IHG Spire or Ambassador (I’m both) than I ever do at Hilton. Sure they offer free breakfast at some properties but many properties I stay at already have free breakfast anyway. at IC hotels as an Ambassador (which you can buy with $ or points unlike many other programs) you get automatic upgrades and they are usually confirmed ahead of time in my experience. They also give me a welcome gift, usually a snack and fruit as well as water delivered to my room. I get a free pay per view movie and most of the time they give my vouchers for free breakfast. In fact at many IC’s I get club floor lounge access and the free restaurant breakfast. At some IC’s I’ve even gotten a free bottle of wine as part of the welcome gift. I’ve never gotten anything like that at Hilton as a Diamond. Heck I don’t even get decent “My Way” perks at many properties.
All that being said I wish I had Marriott top tier so I could take advantage of the United airlines benefits.
DaninMCI – I think there are a couple of things to note here. First, a few other Royal Ambassadors and Ambassadors that love the IHG Rewards program have commented about how they sometimes do get free breakfast and upgrades and that their experience has been great. I think like any case, your miles may vary. A majority of the commenters have not mirrored your experience though I am always glad when a fellow frequent traveler has found a brand that treats them well and appreciates them.
As a Hilton Diamond I rarely get bottles of wine (I don’t really drink anyway) but I do often find waiting fruit bowls and chocolates or snacks sent to the room (same with Marriott and Hyatt). Hyatt used to always send bottles of wine which was a nice gesture but I would have gladly traded them for a Coca-Cola instead.
The glaring issue here is that when we talk about Ambassador or Royal Ambassador it’s unfair to claim that this is a status level because it can’t be achieved simply by hotel stays and spend. It’s a separate paid program, one that anyone can pay to join and the other that is invitation-only. On one hand, some members like the ability to purchase ambassador or maintain RA without the same high frequency of stays. In fairness, IHG is charging money to possibly give guests the same benefits they would receive without payment to the other brands simply in exchange for their business.
It’s unfair to compare Royal Ambassador and Ambassador to any of the other programs because it is paid and has little to no relation to stay activity. That’s not a status tier, that’s a membership where you may or may not get the benefits depending on the property. We should really only compare Spire because of this.
I am a loyal Royal Ambassador for over a decade. At my flagship hotel (the one I stay the most) I request the actual room I prefer and never have been declined. The two tier up grade always gets me a suite in the properties I do not frequent as much. I consistently have club access for breakfast most recently in Bangkok and San Francisco. Another standard for me is the 4pm checkout which I rarely use but a comforting thought if a flight is delayed. Although I am not a member of the other programs you stated I continue to be a fan of Intercontinental and Royal Ambassador membership.
Samut – I am glad you enjoy the IHG program, it’s important you find the right home-away-from-home. I think there is a big difference however, from preferential treatment at a hotel you frequent and across the brand regardless of where you stay. There is a particular Holiday Inn that I visit for work that has a steam shower, Japanese toilet, four person hot tub, curved 60″ OLED TV, private bedroom and dining room large enough for eight guests. I usually get this room when I ask for it because they know me and I stay there often. But true appreciation for elites should treat top-tier customers like that everywhere, and in my experience (and many other commenters) that simply hasn’t been the case comparatively to other brands. For example, last year I clocked 120 nights for myself alone (not including my staff bookings) at IHG properties and I was not offered breakfast at the Intercontinental Bangkok (we decided to stay across the street at the Grand Hyatt Erawan as a result). Without being a member of other programs (especially SPG) which go out of their way to satisfy top-tier elites, it would be difficult to see what you may be missing. I also find it a travesty that I can personally deliver 120 elite nights against a requirement of 75 and can’t get a free breakfast included or a suite guaranteed if it’s unsold at the time of checkin.
I’ve been Ambassador Platinum member for Intercontinental Hotel group. I’ve been lucky for getting upgrades to the best Intercontinental suites. The tip, is when booking, email the property, and ask them that you will be needing an upgrade to a suite so they better inform you about which category of room would be subjective to an upgrade and they would inform. Usually it is the club Intercontinental double room, however, when upgraded to the suite, the club Intercontinental benefits are waived off and not accessible. Rest of the ambassador benefits remain intact. So far, I’ve been really flattered by the upgrades IHG has provided me.
I have no doubt this method is effective, however, some of the other chains will do it without asking in advance and (others have to be reminded of the benefit). I have to tell you though when it really counts and you are traveling with family, I wouldn’t gamble with IHG and trust them for a good experience. In fact, I haven’t in more than two years.
Excellent, not sure when IHG is going to realize that they are loosing top repeat travelers. I have been Spire from the time IHG introduced it, before that I was platinum for several years,…. Now I am moving to Marriott, I am already diamond in Hilton for several years. It made me feel bad asking for breakfast coupons in IHG hotels, and they refuse despite at Spire . Decided to try Marriott as my alternate hotel hence forth.
I think the easiest and best treatment I have gotten all the way around was from Hilton. Certainly, Hyatt is better if your plans call for one of their hotels, but Hilton has the footprint and the top line hotels that make spending points a joy. Make the move, never look back until they change their ways.
I got essentially grandfathered into IHG via my Kimpton status, which at the time was pretty high. I remain very Kimpton loyal, and am two stays away from Spire status (with Ambassador). I took an extended trip throughout Europe and stayed at 4 Hotel Indigos (London Leicester, Paris Opera, Barcelona Plaza Catalunya, Rome St. George) and one Crowne Plaza at Heathrow. I knew going in that these were European hotel rooms and they might be tiny (as I’ve experienced in London and Paris before with different hotels), but was hoping for the best as this was a larger chain. I was upgraded without asking at London, Paris, and Barcelona to fairly nice rooms, but was in a tiny room in Rome (which is also where I had the worst service). I ran into breakfast issues in London and Paris, but in Barcelona and Rome I just purchased the buffet package. The service was the best in Barcelona, by far. Surprisingly, I got an “upgrade” at the Crowne Plaza, but it was essentially an old Holiday Inn so I don’t consider that a win. My next two trips are at the Intercontinental in Los Angeles (which is how I came across this post) and a Kimpton in Seattle, so while the former is iffy, I’ve usually had a fantastic experience at Kimptons (particularly the Riverplace in Portland). I’ll still continue to earn points through other programs, but as location allows, I’ll probably start with IHG and hope for the best.
I’ve been a Spire Elite since early 2016. I’m not even trying for IHG status anymore. Late checkout and extra points are the only benefits, and I’ve even felt disgust from receptionists for bringing up my status at check in. Consider me another disgruntled Spire member that will avoid IHG hotels like the plague after I use my remaining points.
As a person who has been a loyal customer to IHG since 2015 (I have no idea why) I can agree with most of your statements not two mention their customer service is completely non existent. Not only do you primarily talk to people who have a hard time understanding English, every response ends with someone will contact you later (which rarely happens) or I’m sorry this happened to you. Since COVID their customer service has tanked even more, and considering their reward system is lacking there in no reason to stay there’s unless all other options are bottom of the barrel hotels