exp70

Same – feel like ambassador is a absolute steal in terms of cost vs value received

Julia

The loyalty program, as discussed in this article is very rewarding . The bonus points are A BONUS .

If you stay and spend money , and hit the milestone rewards you are rewarded very well . Any bonus on top of that is great .

Julia

Perhaps it wasn’t to try and attract new bookings but as an easy way to reward existing members with existing bookings?

Pangolin

+1

I regularly stay at a HIEX in the Midlands and the last time I was there (Dec 2023) they only let me have a drink OR snack as the Welcome gift (before they always gave me both). I stayed at the HI near the NEC also and they gave me both the drink and the snack.

If you look at what the elite benefits table actually says, it seems to give them the leeway to interpret it both ways: Free breakfast, points* or drink/snack.

lumma

I’m not sure which places you’re staying but at least in EMEA I’m finding Marriott cash rates to be way worse than IHG and Hilton, more or less across the board from low-tier to high-tier properties.

I’m not likely to touch any Bonvoy places unless they roll out a 2x nights promo.

When Bonvoy looks good value on redemptions it’s normally because the cash rates are insanely high in comparison to what you can find with comparable properties in IHG and Hilton.

I’m going to Doha in February and even though I’m Marriott Platinum and hoping to get to Lifetime status (have the years but not the 600 nights) I’m likely staying at the IC the whole time. Marriott is not even showing any points redemptions available for the whole time I’m there (other than 216K points for 2 nights in the RC 😮 ).

Last year it was still possible to get IC WAW at 15-16K/night on several occasions, which is an absolute steal. At 0.4p that’s equivalent to £60 (and this wasn’t even from the points sale). Whereas Bonvoy offer you £100 cash rate or 20K points for something mediocre like a CY with no lounge and breakfast not included even for Platinum or higher ($10 credit instead).

In the discounted points bookings promos, I had IC Athens at 19K.

If you have the Lounge Pass and Diamond you get a lot of value from IHG which Bonvoy cannot match even for top tier status.

BTW, for anyone interested in Warsaw the best Bonvoy deal by far is Hotel Verte, which you can often bag for around 20K points. Excellent hotel and great location for tourists.

Also I don’t think they are doing enough marketing anymore and that goes for the other chains too. January’s late promotion notification was too late to make meaningful changes. Plus who wants to go out in January/February at a moment’s notice for 2,000 points in the UK???

Absolutely. And as far as I am concerned, very much for the worse.
Milestone awards are irrelevant to us – there just are not enough hotels of any one brand that would cover the places where we would want to stay.
But we have lost the very welcome free drink(s) on arrival that we used to get at any IHG place (and even though I was normally only entitled to one free drink, 90% of the time a smile and a polite question would get us one each). These days I do not even get 80p worth extra points.
It hardly seems calculated to encourage discretionary travellers; instead they have focussed on the regular business traveller who is going to stay anyway.

josh

As for your comment on mid-tier IHG’s, I somewhat disagree. You probably have tired HI and HIEX hotels in the back of your mind (actually, quite a few of them in the UK). I get it, these aren’t great.

But if you look what you can get per quid spent on IHG, I don’t think it compares quite as unfavorably as you suggest. Many Indigos, vocos and Staybridges offer decent value, and new-ish HI’s can be okay. At the bottom end, new HIEX can be alright. CP is a mixed bag just like HI: Mostly avoid the old ones, go for the new ones.

As an example of comparison across brands, Moxy might be a bit more hip and upscale than HIEX but often times, I find the price differential totally unjustified. In Moxys, I have had some of the smallest bathrooms EVER, even smaller than those of s****ty ibis hotels.

Ian

In the ME I’ve had the opposite of this, fantastic room upgrades and late checkouts. Perhaps issuing points is more common in continental europe?

josh

No because it’s not a benefit of either of the Diamond or Ambassador statuses.

It’s is a selectable milestone reward (40 or 70 nights).

You can also gain access by booking a room with club access or paying for it on site.

John

Do IHG Diamond Ambassador get free exec lounge access? i dont see it as a listed benefit?
I get lounge access with easy to obtain hilton diamond or marriott titanium.
also mid tire IHG hotels (eg holiday inn and Voco) are very poor value compared to mid tire marriot hotels

I also hate the scripted “thanks for being a platinum member in IHG rewards” speech on check in

Sean

Not as I know.

John

It was mentioned in an article and in a thread if its own in the IHG forum!

https://www.headforpoints.com/2024/01/11/save-15-on-ihg-one-rewards-redemptions-for-elite-members/

This week, had a mid-week stay at IC Vienna. 21.5k points (redeemed during one of the rewards sales for Diamonds and CC holders which you didn’t mention). Dated property, but amazing service, great club, and decent upgrade to a junior suite with terrific views.

Also stayed this week at the IC Warsaw, which was 16,150 points (19k – 15% award sale rebate). Again, dated property, but amazing experience with upgrade, club, and so on.

IHG has become excellent for Diamond Ambs IMO. I also have Marriott Plat and Hyatt Explorist which have guaranteed late check-outs. But frankly, I almost always get the late check-out I want at IHG so I don’t value a guarantee anywhere near as highly as you do.
Overall, I find IHG one of the best programs. Hyatt is great when it comes to earn-and-burn but still has these coverage problems. Also, recent Hyatt additions (e.g., Albert Embankment) are disappointing. The most useless program to me is Hilton. Will lose Diamond as I rarely saw any reason to stay at a Hilton in 2023.

Ryan

Good old days!

Stayed twice last year in Dublin and Barcelona and on both occasions I was only offered points instead of an upgrade despite the upgrade being available.

It is too easy now to just offer points.

Even the 4pm checkout can be waved away in points.

Unsure as to whether I will renew this year. Probably not despite the 15k offer to renew. Might consider if we plan to revisit an intercontinental and take advantage of a free night