IHG One Rewards Limits Upgrade Benefit
Earlier this year IHG announced its revamped loyalty program which is now called IHG One Rewards. While the changes were mostly positive, we have now learned that not everything is actually as good as it sounds.
This comes after IHG has clarified details about some of the recently added benefits such as complimentary and confirmed upgrades.
List of Changes
IHG now says that Complimentary Upgrades do not include Club Level amenities or services:
Complimentary Upgrades to Club rooms, Club REGENT or Club InterContinental rooms / floors do not include Club Level amenities or services, e.g. Club Lounge access, free pressing, airport transportation, etc.
The same language has lao been added to Confirmable Suite Upgrades, which are one of the options for Milestone Rewards:
Confirmable Suite Upgrades to Club rooms, Club REGENT or Club InterContinental rooms / floors do not include Club level amenities or services, e.g. Club Lounge access, free pressing, airport transportation, etc.
There’s also a change to the Diamond Elite Members’ Welcome Amenity choice that includes Free Breakfast at full-service and select-service brands (REGENT, InterContinental, Hualuxe, Hotel Indigo, voco, Crowne Plaza, Even, Holiday Inn, and Kimpton). This is available for Member and one guest registered to the same room for each night of stay. New terms indicate that this is “Not offered at InterContinental Residence Suites Dubai Festival City or InterContinental Doha Residences”.
These details have already been added to the Terms & Conditions page.
Conclusion
This is a strange move from IHG. They are devaluing some of the benefits that they just launched.
We had already heard of at least one Intercontinental hotel renaming the club lounge to prevent complimentary access. Now there are official restrictions that have been clarified in the terms of the program.
Let us know what you think!
HT: Loyalty Lobby
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I have completed 5 of my 15 night challenge. It looks like staying the next 10 nights will get me breakfast. I really do not know how the hotels will interpret upgrades overseas.
PS If you choose lounge access as a milestone reward, will you get it at all of the hotels?
[…] Bad News! IHG One Rewards Limits Upgrade Benefit by MtM. […]
I have had one bad stay after another at IHG. Some new hotels especially EVEN are made from cheap materials and the matttesses are crap… too soft and already sinking in. Only benefit to IHG is the fee luxury hotels out there but in cities with nice IHG options , everyone else has them beat. IHG is dead to me as their brand standards are as low as it gets.
Ok so what is the point to a club level upgrade without club access? Usually club is just a regular room. So the “upgrade” nets you…. Nothing?
Did you really think that IHG was all of a sudden become a competitor?
They aggressively offered a status match into IHG One that ended on July 31… If you get upgrade/Lounge access in another program with an upgrade- you were enticed into matching. Now it is AUgust 1st and while you get the room upgrade, you don’t get the benefit. Sounds like a calculated bait and switch to me. I am glad I opted not to match my Gold and Diamond at the last minute.
That does seem a bit fishy for sure
That is basic C.S. to do like that so soon. Plus smacks of cheap-ness.