And the new IHG top tier is confirmed as ….. Spire Elite!

Well, the waiting is over.  The new IHG Rewards Club tier is to be called Spire.

Don’t ask me why.  Gold, Platinum and, erm, Spire.

With a bright red membership card.

If you ask IHG:

‘Spire’ is derived from the old English word ‘spir’ – a shoot or a stalk of grass standing out amongst the others. It is awe inspiring, exceptional and a symbol of prestige. It conveys a sense of dedication and an aspirational attitude: going above and beyond; the sky is the limit. The name connotes a strong sense of prestige, elevated stature, and worthiness of admiration, along with a sense of dedication and an aspirational attitude, which is in line with how IHG Rewards Club sees its most loyal members who would qualify for this tier.

You will be officially be ‘Spire Elite’, ‘Spire Ambassador’ or ‘Spire Royal Ambassador’ depending on whether you also have status in the separate InterContinental Ambassador scheme.

There was nothing in the launch announcement yesterday which we did not already know:

Spire will require 75,000 base points or 75 nights in a calendar year

You will receive 25,000 bonus points or a free Platinum card for a friend or family member when you qualify for it or achieve Spire renewal (I have already claimed my points, which post instantly)

There are NO additional benefits over and above Platinum (so far?) – although, in theory, top tier members should get first choice of decent upgrades

The rumour of ‘free InterContinental Ambassador status’ seems to have been just that – a rumour.

IHG has made vague promises of additional benefits to come in 2016.  For now, though, there doesn’t seem to be much to get excited about – unless you love bright red.

The net result of all this so far is probably negative for IHG.  A LOT of Platinum members will feel they have been downgraded.  The few who have Spire, including myself, have nothing at all to be excited about – yet.

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IHG Rewards Club update – January 2021:

Get bonus points: IHG is not currently running a global points promotion as of 1st January 2021.

New to IHG Rewards Club?  Read our two-part overview of IHG Rewards Club here and here and our article on expiry rules here.

Buy points: If you need additional IHG Rewards Club points, you can buy them here.

Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from IHG and the other major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Promos’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.