InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) or IHG Hotels has been consistently trying to break into the luxury segment first by acquiring Kimpton, and then Regent Hotels and Six Senses.
IHG Rewards Club, the loyalty program for the group, however, is not calibrated correctly to provide loyalty benefits in addition to rewards for members that are used to top elite tier benefits at Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, or even Accor hotels.
You can access IHG’s page for loyalty benefits here.
READ MORE: IHG Rewards Club Rate & Bonus Points And Miles Promotions
Here’s the benefits matrix:
So, what is guaranteed for IHG Rewards Club’s elite members? Only bonus points and nothing else.
How does this compare with competitors that offer:
1. Breakfast
2. Club lounge access
3. Space available & guaranteed suite upgrades
4. Guaranteed 4 PM check-outs
5. Lifetime status
None of these are guaranteed or available even for top-tier IHG Rewards Club members outside of the paid Ambassador-program or the invitation-only Royal Ambassador-level.
Also, IHG tries to run three semi-separate programs; IHG Rewards Club (points and some benefits), InterContinental Ambassador (only for three brands with set benefits and paid) and InnerCircle for Kimpton.
Here’s what IHG need to do:
- Introduce the benefits outlined above, and;
- Combine IHG Rewards Club, InterContinental Ambassador & Kimpton Inner Circle-programs.
Conclusion
As the name “IHG Rewards Club” suggests, IHG Hotels don’t really have a loyalty program, but a rewards one.
Nobody cared about the distinction between these two when IHG used to shower us with points, and they didn’t have luxury hotels such as Regent or Six Sense, where loyalty benefits would genuinely matter. Offering merely rewards was enough when most hotels were standardized boxes such as Holiday Inn Express or Candlewood Suites. These select service hotels at all chains have very little to offer to elite members.
If you merely stay at select-service brands, IHG Rewards Club is a good program. You can earn free nights quite fast, especially if you live in any of the markets where IHG affiliated credit cards are available.
The Ambassador program with the guaranteed one-category upgrade and 4 PM check-out is solid for someone who cannot qualify for top tier status with any of the main competitors (Accor, Hilton, Hyatt, or Marriott), but comes as a cost of $200 or 40,000 points yearly.
I had Royal Ambassador status for years but gave up the other year when I decided that I would not put up anymore with any substandard hotel in markets where better hotels exist. The InterContinental spend that year ($12K+) was not enough for re-qualification.
Quite frankly, I should have given up on IHG Rewards Club & Royal Ambassador-program years earlier, as I would have already by now earned lifetime status with both Hilton and Hyatt, adding to my Marriott and semi-lifetime with Accor.
If you travel a lot, IHG unfortunately doesn’t have much to offer on their loyalty program side. You should have a serious look at one of their competitors.
‘semi-lifetime with Accor‘
What does this mean?
+1
I cannot go too much into detail, but Fairmont was selling packages for a very short time with lifetime status way back before Accor acquisition.
Dan’s Deals went into this in detail but a few lucky people (I believe 500+) got in on a mistake deal where Fairmont offered lifetime top tier status for a very agreeable price. I forget how much, but considering the benefits it was well worth it. When Kimpton started making noises about not honoring the deal, Dan personally convinced them that the goodwill and publicity generated by honoring the deal would be worth taking the comparatively small financial hit. With Fairmont being merged into Accor, the status presumably transferred as well.
Number was less than half of that 500+ and there was a lawyer who did the job.
Apologies. I must have misremembered.
Number was less than half of that 500+ and there was a lawyer who did the job.
Moving from IHG to Accor was the best thing I did in 2018. Just a shame about their paucity of hotels in the US cities to which work takes me. Those ~30 nights a year in Houston alone are sustaining my IHG Platinum.
AGREE!!! IHG is a totally useless program. I am a top tier member of marriott and hilton (and IHG Platinum) but I and my colleagues would never stay at IHG . the free breakfast for 2 , club lounge access and room upgrades are worth 100+ of $$$$$ for each night at the competition so why stay at IHG and get absolutely nothing!!! im surprised they have any frequent traveler guests at all!!!
I chose IHG as my first loyalty program due to where I was staying at the time. I worked all the way up to Royal Ambassador which I had for around 6 years. I was then given a free Hilton Diamond status with a credit card and I tried out Hilton. The difference between what I received was huge. I agree that IHG do not offer a fully featured loyalty program.
It’s good for earn and burn if you’re earning for business and have enough for stays at Intercontinentals and we have used some points on Kimptons. It’s not costing me anything to have Spire Elite at the moment but this status does not make any difference to the stay at all. I paid for Ambassador which was worth it due to the points bonus and the free night but again, they made the free night hard to redeem for the right value. Also it looks like a few of the intercons are about to be deflagged due to Covid related contract payment issues.
With Hilton, it’s breakfast every time, almost always an upgrade, some F&B at check-in and just recently some dedicated parking for diamond members which I would usually sneer at, but actually came in really handy when arriving late. With Hilton we also had a couple of Waldorf Astoria stays on redemption which were amongst the best hotel stays I have ever had.
IHG Rewards Club is a joke
i disagree 100%
i disagree 100%
Correct, it’s a tragedy. 😉
Respectfully disagree that it doesn’t offer a lot for the constant traveler. I’ve lived in hotels for the last three years and have gotten huge value out of IHG. If you’re staying in a tier 1 city than sure, there are plenty of nicer places and IHG isn’t a good bet for value or luxury. But I frequent tier 3 and no-name places where an IHG is often the best hotel in town and showing up with even the tiniest amount of status gets you upgraded to the best room in the place. “Best room” won’t be making your suite Saturday by any means but means you’ll often have paid just $20-60 worth of points for the best room in the city.
i agree with you, i have found it to be a very fruitful program overall, yes some bells and whistles have been dropped, but overall i am happy with it.
It obviously works well with select service and not quite full service hotels. My point here was that it is not inline at the full service and luxury when it comes to competitors.
Your point is especially true at Intercontinental hotels which are pitched as luxury but are really just full service. There are just lots of cities that don’t have anything nicer than a HI and at those having status is almost like being a god. I have no idea why this is the case since the lobbies are often busy and I expect they have a range of customers but somehow none of them have any status?
IHG is good for Holiday Inn Express stays during road trips and I still have plenty of points from promos a few years ago, but that’s about it.
As a blogger, you should know better … but I guess to each his/her own! IHG has some impacable properties: The DC Willard, IC Maldives, IC Istanbul, IC London, IC Paris, IC Singapore, IC Bangkok, IC Hua Hin Resort, HI Resort Phuket, HI Resort Phi Phi Island, and the list goes on …
Yes, but what does IHG Rewards Club status get me at those properties?
I have used my points for free nights at some ICs, and that was, of course, nice. But compared to Hilton or Hyatt, IHG elite status (Plat in my case) was not terribly useful. And for revenue stays where an IC competes with a similar property from the other chains the advantage of their loyalty programs usual ensures that IHG doesn’t get my dollars. IHG Rewards Club doesn’t drive loyalty for me.
The whole point is to be loyal to none and hack into any and all whenever possible. To say you ignore or discount this or that chain/program is to do disservice to yourself. Also, the IHG points are so easy to accumulate that you’d have no problem booking many nights on the cheap with the above properties and upgrade for cash. You’d still come ahead.
It doesn’t make sense to be blindly loyal to any one chain. I have tried to get that message out for years..
Yes as the Instagram sites of mine @spireelite and @ihgambassador shows I’m one of those morons who never listened to you. IHG themselves have never liked any of my posts. So why do I do it. Masochistic tendency’s no doubt. My recent stay at IC Istanbul made me realise why do I bother consistently achieving spire and buying Ambassador level year in year out.
But John I like loyalty I believe it should be a two way relationship and I’ve now realized it’s come time for a divorce.
But which is the very best program to switch too. Whilst you don’t recommend sticking to one, I sort of like that. I live in the Netherlands so no CC available but Europe is my main travel region and the USA when it is open again. I’m a private traveler and pay for all my own expenses.
So which would be the best program? Please!
Yes as the Instagram sites of mine @spireelite and @ihgambassador shows I’m one of those morons who never listened to you. IHG themselves have never liked any of my posts. So why do I do it. Masochistic tendency’s no doubt. My recent stay at IC Istanbul made me realise why do I bother consistently achieving spire and buying Ambassador level year in year out.
But John I like loyalty I believe it should be a two way relationship and I’ve now realized it’s come time for a divorce.
But which is the very best program to switch too. Whilst you don’t recommend sticking to one, I sort of like that. I live in the Netherlands so no CC available but Europe is my main travel region and the USA when it is open again. I’m a private traveler and pay for all my own expenses.
So which would be the best program? Please!
For me it comes down whether I am willing to pay a significant premium over Hilton. Hyatt, Marriott or even Accor to stay at an InterContinentals over what is included as status benefits with others. The answer is usually no.
I would need to pay perhaps $100 premium in Bangkok to have a club suite at the IC over what I can get at any other chain hotel nearby. Do I like the hotel and its club? absolutely. Are they worth $100 premium per night over others? Absolutely not.
Ambassador program is great for someone who likes InterContinentals but don’t stay enough nights yearly to have status with other chains.
Using your above example, the Grand Hyatt Erawan is right across the street from the IC BKK with comparable rates but with much inferior rooms, lounge, and benefits. For a mere 81K IHG points (value $400) you can get a block of 4 nights at the IC BKK. Adding a $100/night for a suite to include access to the IC Club is definitely worth it. Check it out: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kalboz/albums/72157662029338467
The lounge overall is definitely better at the IC than at the GH, but I much prefer the communal table at the GH when I spread out my laptops and starts getting job done. You cannot do that at the IC.
The problem also with the IHG also is that those upgrade fees that you are paying $100/night at the IC are not qualifying revenue for points.
It is a good/decent deal IF you don’t have top tier (lounge/ste upgrade eligible) status with other chain.
AGREE!!! IHG is a totally useless program. I am a top tier member of marriott and hilton (and IHG Platinum) but I and my colleagues would never stay at IHG . the free breakfast for 2 , club lounge access and room upgrades are worth 100+ of $$$$$ for each night at the competition so why stay at IHG and get absolutely nothing!!! im surprised they have any frequent traveler guests at all!!!
It is not useless program, but very difficult to justify staying at their full service and luxury properties if you have status with others.
1.quite frankly these year i join these hotel memberships just only for hotels to separate me from other tourist/group/normal guest. occasionally given breakfast and CI/CO faster. can’t expect them giving me anything good in this difficult time, while going to the new normal phase. 2. in new normal phase…lifetime status is a joke, they are still tryin to survive from the pandemic.3. just scrolled out some forums that the offer from other membership cost nearly 1/3 of their revenue.i can see why they wanna stop give these offer as guarantee and subject to availability
Sadly, you’re quite right, John. I can almost hear the Phoebe Buffet character on the Friends sitcom saying her catch phrase “you’ve got prahblums!” re IHG’s current state of affairs. I was RA for more years than I care to remember. I go back to the Six Continents Club days. Don’t much care this year given COVID-19. I do have way too many points to burn through though still. 🤬
This is a great article and it is something that I have been commenting on many loyalty programs about. While IHG costs less to redeem points, their hotel brands are not as superior or luxurious as other firms and their platinum benefits are similar to gold with other groups such as Marriott. No lounge access, no late check out, no breakfast included, and no lifetime points. No wonder why even though some of their properties are great, people are becoming less loyal to them. Their hotels are also usually less convenient nowadays.
Like I pointed above, IHG has been traditionally very weak at full service and luxury segments. These benefits really are not applicable at select service hotels. They now have to change, however, if they want to get the Regent, Six Senses, and Kimpton acquisitions to work.
Yea it’s pretty crap. Poor perks, and even with how poor they are, they can’t even honors those for their “resort alliances” like in vegas. (Marriott has cosmopolitan in vegas, which tries HARD to opt out of any perks, but ultimately still has to honor most of them)
Hyatt has the best loyalty program on paper. In practice, Marriott is best due to wider scope of properties, and imo overall better honoring of perks.
I need to do an updated comparison between all these. Hyatt really cannot compete due to their limited worldwide footprint. Marriott is now quite ok after they have got their IT to work most of the time.
John, you’re absolutely right. IHG Is only good for rewards. You spend money to get rewards, there is nothing else you get from being loyal. You pay for upgrade or a bigger room just like someone who would walk out from the street and never stayed in this groups hotels.
One class upgrade in the intercontinental is a joke – you go from a bottom floor room to a middle floor room;
Or from a room without a view to a room with partial view.
Why would anyone want to be loyal with such a useless REWARDS programme?
Why would I pay extra at IC hotels if I can stick with my Marriott’s and be valued for being loyal. And spend less because I chose to he loyal.
Well done for bravely writing this up, John!
We enjoyed all of the easy points we earned with them for about 5 years. The ease of racking up points with Accelerate and other promotions made it a no brainer. We like Holiday Inn Express well enough when we are staying near an airport or in a small town, that would get us breakfast and maybe drinks in the evening. We did get free upgrades at some other properties including Hotel Indigo in London and a slight upgrade at Paris Le Grand (larger room but no view), however we received free drink coupons at both hotels (and many others). Since Accelerate and Point Breaks are both distant memories, I have booked more of husbands business stays with Hilton and Marriott.