IHG Diamond status and Ambassador

[Lula]

Good morning from the Kimpton Edinburgh, where I’m enjoying my free breakfast. #stilldiamond 😂

[NorthernLass]

Enjoy, I love that hotel! Both of us still sparkling here and the banner hasn’t reappeared 🤞
A week since OH accepted Creation’s “offer” and no communication. (Yes it’s early days but I’m keeping an eye on it for him!)

[Boogs]

Just back from London 5 nights,Glasgow 3 nights and my 8 night stay has been added and I am now back to Diamond till 12/2024!
Ye haa, fair play to IHG everything correct and accounted for!👍😁

[ntshstrk]

Hi all, joining this convo a little late. Both website and app for me still says Diamond until end of 2024. Hoping it stays that way until we get back from our Europe trip in mid-May…

[Lula]

I’d suggest that there’s an argument, where people’s bookings have been made on the basis that they could expect free breakfast, that IHG will need to provide that. We as consumers rely on their systems to tell us what our status is, and if they’ve determined it’s diamond and communicate that to us, and we’ve made bookings in reliance on that, then I think it’s at least arguable that they need to honour the benefits.

[DonLee]

March statement email just arrived and showing:
YOUR 2023 STATUS: DIAMOND
Check out your IHG One Rewards account to see your 2023 status and all the perks that come with it. Happy traveling!

[FFoxSake]

DonLee wrote:

March statement email just arrived and showing:
YOUR 2023 STATUS: DIAMOND
Check out your IHG One Rewards account to see your 2023 status and all the perks that come with it. Happy traveling!

I bet it also says “Account status valid as of 29/03/2023” just under the big red MANAGE YOUR ACCOUNT button.
Mine did.
My app also still says Diamond Elite until DEC 31, 2022.
Next booking is mid-April so still no idea what will happen there…

[Harrier25]

Lula wrote:

I’d suggest that there’s an argument, where people’s bookings have been made on the basis that they could expect free breakfast, that IHG will need to provide that. We as consumers rely on their systems to tell us what our status is, and if they’ve determined it’s diamond and communicate that to us, and we’ve made bookings in reliance on that, then I think it’s at least arguable that they need to honour the benefits.

…except we here are trying to play the system, so when it doesn’t work out as expected, we can’t really complain.

[NorthernLass]

Well yes, it’s pretty clear in one’s account how one actually qualifies for Diamond …!

[Andrew J]

It’s going to be a sleepless night!

[Lula]

@andrew J I’ll let you know if my Kimpton breakfast tomorrow isn’t free 😂

[NorthernLass]

It doesn’t help that it’ll be April 1st so can’t assume anyone will be telling the truth lol.

[NorthernLass]

Still sparkling here – fingers crossed it’s not IHG’s idea of April Fool’s … 💎🍳🥓☕

*It is April 1st in Georgia as well so 🤞🤞🤞

[PeteM]

I have three holidays coming up where I have various hotel options booked. The IHG ones are getting canned if my Diamond doesn’t survive. That’ll teach them! 🤣

[NorthernLass]

In that scenario, we’ve still got nearly 1 million IHG points between us so we might be staying in HIE and Staybridge Suites for the next few years 😂

[RobH not Rob]

2nd April . . . . app still showing Diamond until Dec 2022, March e-starement showing my 2023 status as Diamond. I guess the waiting game continues.

One other quirk, purchased Amb last August, redeemed the AMB free weekend night voucher in Feb, but I still have that AMB comp weekend night showing in my reward wallet. Anyone else with this odd one?

[RonnieB]

Still Diamond and free breakfast at the IC New Orleans this weekend 🙂

Pretty basic IC to be honest.

[JDB]

RonnieB wrote:

Still Diamond and free breakfast at the IC New Orleans this weekend 🙂

Pretty basic IC to be honest.

A lot of IC’s are rather basic – it’s a problem brand for IHG with by far the highest ADR range of any major sub-brand. There are few high level ones like Paris and some terrible ones like Mexico City and a real rag bag in between. There’s quite a variety of owners and many poor contracts that don’t require/enforce sufficient investment to maintain, let alone improve standards. It is a very short sighted policy and if some better IC’s rebrand as Regent, IC will look an even sorrier, dated brand than it is today.

[Harrier25]

They also have a load of extremely poor and shoddy Crowne Plaza’s too, when they converted them from Holiday Inn’s on mass years ago. God knows why they did that!

[Andrew J]

Harrier25 wrote:

They also have a load of extremely poor and shoddy Crowne Plaza’s too, when they converted them from Holiday Inn’s on mass years ago. God knows why they did that!

To attract customers?

[Harrier25]

Andrew J wrote:

Harrier25 wrote:

They also have a load of extremely poor and shoddy Crowne Plaza’s too, when they converted them from Holiday Inn’s on mass years ago. God knows why they did that!

To attract customers?

Well it didn’t work, but they did manage to cheapen the brand in true IHG style.

The real reason for the rebranding is probably because the Holiday Inn brand came massively under-pressure from a much improved Premier Inn brand.

[JDB]

Harrier25 wrote:

Andrew J wrote:

Harrier25 wrote:

They also have a load of extremely poor and shoddy Crowne Plaza’s too, when they converted them from Holiday Inn’s on mass years ago. God knows why they did that!

To attract customers?

Well it didn’t work, but they did manage to cheapen the brand in true IHG style.

They are all about signing up new hotels, stuff the existing ones so while they have many good owners, they also attract shoddy owners who need a brand, but don’t want to invest. Let’s see how quickly they debase Regent and Six Senses.

[JDB]

The increasing unreliability / lack of consistency of all these brands plays into the hands of good independents and people like Room Mate that’s just received substantial funding to open dozens of new hotels.

[tw33ty]

Harrier25 wrote:

Andrew J wrote:

Harrier25 wrote:

They also have a load of extremely poor and shoddy Crowne Plaza’s too, when they converted them from Holiday Inn’s on mass years ago. God knows why they did that!

To attract customers?

Well it didn’t work, but they did manage to cheapen the brand in true IHG style.

The real reason for the rebranding is probably because the Holiday Inn brand came massively under-pressure from a much improved Premier Inn brand.

Best example of how terrible holiday inns became crowne plaza is crowne plaza Sheffield.
Place got a lick of paint and grey cheap mfi style furniture. All the deep down issues the hotel had got ignored.
All the done as others have said is cheapen the brand.

I think Marriott seen that with the marriot brand and dumped a lot to delta, maybe ihg should create a holiday inn plus brand like best western and dump the rubbish crowne plaza hotels into that.

[Rob]

Totally agree re CP Sheffield. The one time I stayed there post rebrand, I had a room where someone had kicked a big hole in the wall. Apart from the rooms most was untouched. We have now decamped to the Mercure.

Currently in IC Boston and the Diamond / Ambassador combo is working well. Upgraded from a Junior Suite to a 1 Bed suite. One night free with the weekend voucher, saving $500 vs the $200 Ambassador fee. Suite gives us club access, which is surprisingly good (2nd best I’ve ever seen at an IC after Paris). Diamond lets us get free breakfast in the restaurant, which for 4 people for the buffet comes to $180 inc service if you pay cash.

No need for the 4pm check-out and I doubt I’ll even use the $20 F&B credit since I have no real need to pay for anything in the hotel!