IHG Diamond status and Ambassador

[Harrier25]

RonnieB wrote:

Here’s a question – Player 1 books a weekend at an IC using free weekend night voucher (while she is Diamond AMB) along with Player 2 who is also Diamond AMB. Player 1’s Diamond status was the free one from last year maintained by buying AMB membership and it has now dropped to Platinum. Player 2’s status is still Diamond. Player 2 has actually booked a third night as well.

Main benefit that might be lost is free breakfast Sat/Sun but will this still be honoured as Player 2 is on the booking, even though he hasn’t booked the first 2 night?

A long time ago now when I had just moved from Silver to Gold at Hilton, they could only see the tier I was at time of booking, not that I had moved up to Gold by time of arrival, so if that is still happening, and happening at IHG, there may be a chance that upon arrival they thank you both for being Diamond tier members!

[NorthernLass]

IHG seem to know what you are at the time of stay. I had a weekend away with a friend who’d booked as Plat but then got a nice surprise when she bought Ambassador and was offered the free breakfast on subsequent stays! (She’s one of the ones whose end date has now reverted to 12/22).

[Colin MacKinnon]

If I use the Ambassador free night, on a three-night stay, is it best to use the IHG Luxury Collection night as the first of the three days, or as the last of the three days?

My Diamond is “under review”.

[Blair Waldorf Salad]

IHG seem to get more info at hotel level than others. Including proactively getting in touch when they have a lounge to inform me of the longe offerings since they can see I have a lounge pass.

[Harrier25]

I’m staying at the Crowne Plaza, Stratford upon Avon this coming Sunday. I just pray that my slippery Diamond tier holds on until then for the free breakfast and Lounge access. 🙏

[NorthernLass]

My next stay is at the HIE Gibraltar so it’s not going to make a difference 😂 I’ll make a decision about the rest nearer the time. Obviously going to hang on to my 40k pn weekend at IC PL in July as I’m sure that there are other places serving breakfast in that London. Kimpton Seafire might be swapped for the HI where I can get 2 rooms for the same number of points (and much cheaper brekkie)!

[meta]

IHG hotels know all the details of your account incl. status, current number of points and your other bookings. I was told this by an associate at an HI when I was horrified to get a welcome card with the current number of points in my account.

[Lyn]

Colin MacKinnon wrote:

If I use the Ambassador free night, on a three-night stay, is it best to use the IHG Luxury Collection night as the first of the three days, or as the last of the three days?

My Diamond is “under review”.

I’m not really familiar with IHG Luxury Collection bookings. Are you booking the additional night via Emyr?

I suppose one factor would be whether you think the Luxury Collection booking may give you an additional upgrade in addition to the Ambassador upgrade? In which case it might be best for the first night, as you would be likely to keep the room for all three nights. I doubt if this would apply to breakfast though in the event that you lost Diamond, so another factor would be when the breakfast or F&B credit would be most useful? Unless you are booking via Emyr at a hotel where he has a particularly special relationship?

[NorthernLass]

I can confirm that if you book extra nights via Emyr, you can use the $100 credit over the entire stay (at least that’s my experience with a few Kimptons). So it would cover the remaining breakfasts – or if not they are definitely charging too much and you should eat elsewhere!
Also had double upgrades when booking via Emyr (premium room to junior suite at the Kimpton Fitzroy).
Sadly some properties have no longer offer the $100 credit amenity.

[John]

meta wrote:

IHG hotels know all the details of your account incl. status, current number of points and your other bookings. I was told this by an associate at an HI when I was horrified to get a welcome card with the current number of points in my account.

Almost every IHG hotel I stay in writes the number of points in my account on the key card holder or the welcome letter. This has been the case for the past 15 years.

I don’t know why they do it but I don’t really care as I try to keep my balance 4 figures or less now. I did have close to 7 figures about 6 years ago because there were lots of promos and all my stays had been paid stays… the front desk guy at one hotel was quite interested as he said even most spires he saw had very few points – I figured they all just booked random redemptions to keep their points total low and so that’s what I do now.

[meta]

Interesting after the HI, I only had this once.

[Lula]

Anyone else nervously checking daily to see if they’ve been downgraded?

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

Lula wrote:

Anyone else nervously checking daily to see if they’ve been downgraded?

Well I got the ‘status change’ email on Tuesday saying I was now Plat but checking my app I hadn’t been downgraded.

Indeed if I had I’d have been incandescent as I earned Spire / Diamond purely through qualifying points and not via any sort of offer

[Harrier25]

Lula wrote:

Anyone else nervously checking daily to see if they’ve been downgraded?

Yep, nervous times. I find myself struggling to sleep and checking my status at 2/3am.

[Cousin Greg]

Harrier25 wrote:

Lula wrote:

Anyone else nervously checking daily to see if they’ve been downgraded?

Yep, nervous times. I find myself struggling to sleep and checking my status at 2/3am.

Same here. Seeing my therapist later today.

[Pangolin]

Cousin Greg wrote:

Harrier25 wrote:

Lula wrote:

Anyone else nervously checking daily to see if they’ve been downgraded?

Yep, nervous times. I find myself struggling to sleep and checking my status at 2/3am.

Same here. Seeing my therapist later today.

Yeah I need to get a new batch of Xanax just for this.

[NorthernLass]

Lula wrote:

Anyone else nervously checking daily to see if they’ve been downgraded?

Yes, it’s like being a quantum particle with no determined form until IHG decides! I’m sure the Nobel prize winners for physics would be thrilled with their years of research being given the same weighting as a free breakfast 😂

[palty]

@palty, you could try joining Ambassador but there’s absolutely no guarantee that it’s still working. If not, this may only benefit you if you change your upcoming US stays to IC properties![/quote]

That’s actually very true I didnt think of that and yes my first 3 night stay is actually in an IC hotel

When you said still working what exactly do you mean by that?

[John]

palty wrote:

@palty, you could try joining Ambassador but there’s absolutely no guarantee that it’s still working. If not, this may only benefit you if you change your upcoming US stays to IC properties!

That’s actually very true I didnt think of that and yes my first 3 night stay is actually in an IC hotel

When you said still working what exactly do you mean by that?[/quote]

If you’ve already been downgraded to platinum, joining ambassador isn’t going to make you diamond again

If your status still shows as diamond then joining ambassador previously would extend the status, but it may not work any more.

[NorthernLass]

A friend of mine joined Ambassador last year and found her status went from Plat to Diamond! It proved useful for the Ambassador weekend she booked at a Kimpton, which you could still do then. Her end date is now back to 12/22.

[RobH not Rob]

That’s where I’m at as of today.

Let’s see what cooks.

[K3v]

I was platinum before using the link last year to gain diamond. I bought ambasseder to extend until the end of this yea and that’s what my account is showing.

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

K3v wrote:

I was platinum before using the link last year to gain diamond. I bought ambasseder to extend until the end of this yea and that’s what my account is showing.

Which link though?

IHG itself did promo(s) on earning plat / diamond status depending on how many nights you stayed.

And then there was one late in the year that was a corporate offer (related to employees of Amazon) that got released into the wild.

I’m assuming it’s the latter one where people are having their status changed rather than those using the IHG offer.

[jeff]

I was thanked for being a Platinum member yesterday by the front desk at a Holiday Inn Express. I’m actually Diamond Ambassador… unless she knows something I don’t? 🙂

[Harrier25]

Oh dear. She clearly knows something you don’t…yet. There goes my free breakfast and lounge access at the Crowne Plaza Stratford upon Avon, when I arrive tomorrow afternoon. ☹️