Reader Question: IHG One Rewards Annual Lounge Membership Excludes Intercontinental & Regent Lounges?

A LoyaltyLobby reader left us a question regarding the lounge access option soon available for IHG One Rewards members who reach 40 or 70 nights.

Readers are encouraged to send us questions, comments, or opinions by email, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. We’ll try to cover them here several times a week.

You can access IHG’s page for IHG One Rewards here.

READ MORE: IHG One Rewards Rate & Bonus Points Offers

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Question From The Reader:

“Annual lounge membership does not include club regent or club intercontinental amenities” !!!

“Available on Qualified Stays only”

So does this mean lounges at ICs are excluded or is this pertaining to some other parts? If no IC lounges there is VERY little value in the lounge membership IMHO

There are very few lounges at IHG hotels outside of its Intercontinental brand. Some Crowne Plazas, however, may have them.

If the “Annual Lounge Membership” would exclude Intercontinental and Regent hotels, there would be minimal benefits on this Milestone Rewards option.

IHG One Rewards members can choose Annual Lounge Membership for 40 or 70 nights. It is valid for the year it is chosen plus through the end of the following.

The IHG One Rewards T&Cs state the following:

Annual Lounge Membership:

Lounge Membership provides access to the hotel’s Club Lounge and offered amenities within the physical space (e.g., library, meeting room, and business station) for the registered Member plus one additional guest (the additional guest does not need to be staying at the hotel) for the duration of their stay or until time of Check-Out.

• • Once Annual Lounge Membership is chosen it will be valid to the end of the year plus an additional 12 months (E.g., Annual Lounge Membership Milestone choice selected June 2022 will be valid until December 31, 2023)
  • Annual Lounge Membership rewards do not accumulate. Member only needs to select Annual Lounge Membership once (at either the 40-night or 70-night Milestone) to maximize value for the Member and enjoy it through the end of year plus 12 months.
  • Lounge Food & Beverage offerings and additional amenities vary by region and by hotel
  • Annual Lounge Membership is available at IHG properties with a Club Lounge unless restricted due to renovations, closures, or other facility limitations
  • Annual Lounge Membership does not include Club REGENT or Club InterContinental amenities or services beyond the physical lounge, e.g., free pressing, farewell amenity, airport transportation, etc.
  • Annual Lounge Membership available on Qualified Stays only

The reader’s exclusions only apply to ADDITIONAL benefits of the paid Club InterContinental booking that may include such items as complimentary laundry or free airport transfers. Members who choose the Annual Lounge Benefit have access to Club Intercontinental or Regent lounges with their usual F&B benefits.

There is one part that we should be aware of, however:

Annual Lounge Membership is available at IHG properties with a Club Lounge unless restricted due to renovations, closures, or other facility limitations

One Intercontinental hotel has already been the culprit for not granting Royal Ambassador members Club InterContinental access during the specific period if not paid. It is the Park Lane property in London.

There is always a possibility that this will expand to other Intercontinental hotels.

Conclusion

I had a chat with one of the Intercontinental Phuket managers, who was unsure how they could handle additional Club guests at times of high occupancy. Their Club InterContinental had already been at capacity a few times with paying and Royal Ambassador guests.

The Club capacity issue probably comes up with a small number of resort hotels that members utilize on their holidays. City hotels should be able to cope with additional guests.

It is interesting to see how this will play out in a few days. Unfortunately, IHG has not communicated an exact date when these Milestone Rewards are rolled out beyond “early June.”

Next weekend, I will be at one InterContinental hotel with a rate plan that includes access. Let’s see if I’ll find out more.