Bits: get 1000 free Starwood hotel points, IHG Spire problems
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News in brief:
1,000 Starwood Preferred Guest points for registering for SPG Keyless
If you received an email from Starwood Preferred Guest yesterday, entited ‘1,000 Reasons To Use Keyless’, dig it out of your trash.
Starwood is rolling out a new keyless door opening system, using the bluetooth function on your mobile. I was shown a demo of this recently and it is impressive – you simply hold your phone to the door and it opens.
Of course, there are obvious issues. Running bluetooth drains the battery of your smartphone – something which is especially troublesome when travelling. You also need to take your phone with you at all times which may be inconvenient when heading to the pool or gym.
The email yesterday – which appeared targetted – offers 1,000 SPG points for downloading the SPG app and registering for SPG Keyless. You do NOT have to stay at one of the 135 hotels offering Keyless – just download and register.
I value SPG points at 1.5p, so this is an easy £15 of value for a few minutes work. If you did not get the email, I recommend holding off – if it is targetted (and I am guessing it is) you won’t get the points and you will be counting yourself out of getting sent this offer in the future.
You can learn more about SPG Keyless here.
IHG hotels failing to recognise the new Spire Elite status
Various reports on Flyertalk suggest that many Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, InterContinental etc hotels are failing to recognise the new Spire Elite status which launched two weeks ago.
When I say ‘failing to recognise’, I mean that the hotel sees the guest as having no status at all and treats them accordingly.
This happens because each hotel has to make a coding change to their in-house IT system. Until this is done, the ‘S’ (for Spire) code which IHG attaches to your reservation information is not understood and is therefore ignored.
Over time, of course, this will work itself out. At present, there is a risk that you get treated worse as a Spire member, especially if any upgrades have been given out to Platinum members before you arrive to claim yours.
PS. Oddly, the IHG app still show me as Platinum. The website shows me as Spire. I have ordered a replacement card via the IHG website just in case I have any issues going forward. If I use the app to save my card to Passbook, it loads up a Platinum one ….
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IHG One Rewards update – March 2025:
Get bonus points: IHG is offering double base points on cash stays until 31st March 2025. This kicks in from your second cash stay during the offer period. Read more in our article here and click here to register.
New to IHG One Rewards? Read our overview of IHG One Rewards here and our article on points expiry rules here. Our article on ‘What are IHG One Rewards points worth?’ is here.
Buy points: If you need additional IHG One Rewards 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 Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.
Liz 
Chris 
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Dan 
Ian 
Pol 
Rob 
Daniel @ Propeller Travel 
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RIccati 
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