IHG Diamond status and Ambassador

[ToffeeTom]

Edit – misunderstanding about Diamond benefits on my part, now resolved!

[HM007]

ToffeeTom wrote:

Do you still get free breakfast as Diamond if you choose points or drinks vouchers as your Ambassador welcome amenity?

Always take the drink and always get free breakfast as Diamond

[Harrier25]

Be careful with that, because in my experience it’s points and drink voucher OR free breakfast.

[John]

I frequently get points and breakfast.

Pretty much all IHG hotels I’ve stayed in give me a breakfast voucher at check in. Occasionally the breakfast dragon doesn’t want it and checks my status on the breakfast list to grant access – but I’m not risking having to pay £15-£25 for a free drink

[Andrew J]

John wrote:

I frequently get points and breakfast.

Pretty much all IHG hotels I’ve stayed in give me a breakfast voucher at check in. Occasionally the breakfast dragon doesn’t want it and checks my status on the breakfast list to grant access – but I’m not risking having to pay £15-£25 for a free drink

Why is the person checking people into breakfast a dragon?

[John]

It’s a term of endearment

[Lady London]

Received an email from IHG this morning telling me how wonderful Platinum is. It’s not that wonderful really, I’ve had it before.

1 week ago I was still Diamond after following the Diamond promo then thinking I would give Ambassador a go.

Now I’ll have to pay breakfast at any IC. So thinking reluctantly because they are always present where I stay I will have to go back to Accor next year.

[NorthernLass]

Book through Emyr and you’ll still get breakfast, @LL. The $100 credit also often makes up for the difference between non-refundable and flexible bookings, if that’s important to you.

*Also Ambassador might still be working its magic sparkle …

[Lady London]

Thanks for your suggestion in my gloom, NorthernLass! I’m looking at Bordeaux or Porto and might add a 3rd night so perhaps as you say with Emyr it might not be doom after all.

Someone posted a list of what’s available at which hotels on the programs Emyr’s part of. I’ll try to find it in case there are other locations further East I should consider to use the free night and add 1 or 2 from Emyr.

It would have been Ukraine or somewhere else in Russia by preference but obviously, that won’t work this year.

[NorthernLass]

https://www.headforpoints.com/virtuoso-agent-london/

I haven’t seen anything more specific to the different chains so let us know if you find it!

[Supergers49]

Just wondering if anyone has recently renewed Ambassador and had their Diamond status extended to Dec-24?

[RonnieB]

Also wondering if anyone has used the AMB voucher at a KInpton last year and used it again if it’s still live on your account. Did it work second time around?

[Dace]

Supergers49 wrote:

Just wondering if anyone has recently renewed Ambassador and had their Diamond status extended to Dec-24?

Successfully worked for me last week. Funnily enough last year when I took it out as I allowed it to lapse for a month, I didn’t have it extended and had to earn it the hard way.

[Supergers49]

Appears to have worked for me as well yesterday.

[FFoxSake]

Supergers49 wrote:

Appears to have worked for me as well yesterday.

Just for clarity… are you saying you renewed your Ambassador BEFORE the current expiry date (i.e. your Ambassador was still active) or renewed AFTER it had already expired?

I’m struggling to see my Ambassador expiry date (I presume it’s different from the regular IHG One end date?)

[NorthernLass]

Yes, I’ve found that once you’ve used the Ambassador certificate and it’s gone there doesn’t seem to be any indication of when your Ambassador year ends! It’s different in that it’s a 12-month membership, whereas IHG status is valid for the rest of the year you get it, plus the following year (IIRC).
I think they send you a reminder a couple of months before it expires (also IIRC).

[FFoxSake]

NorthernLass wrote:

Yes, I’ve found that once you’ve used the Ambassador certificate and it’s gone there doesn’t seem to be any indication of when your Ambassador year ends! It’s different in that it’s a 12-month membership, whereas IHG status is valid for the rest of the year you get it, plus the following year (IIRC).
I think they send you a reminder a couple of months before it expires (also IIRC).

Thanks. Good idea about looking at the voucher expiry date.
I joined mid-June 2022 but voucher is good until 31st July 2023.

Also I just noticed a little banner on the account web page https://www.ihg.com/rewardsclub/gb/en/account-mgmt/home that says “Ambassador Renew by Aug 01” so that’s good to see they’ve now added something.

[NorthernLass]

Thanks, I’ll check that out. I seem to recall you can renew within a certain period prior to the expiry, which can be useful if trying to co-ordinate with status expiry.

*Not seeing it on my account so maybe you’re now into the period when you can renew it?

[Andrew J]

The best way I found to check the expiry date is to find the welcome email when you joined/renewed and it’s a year after that.

[BA Flyer IHG Stayer]

I know when mine expires because I keep a table with all my subscriptions / expiry dates listed.

[FFoxSake]

NorthernLass wrote:

*Not seeing it on my account so maybe you’re now into the period when you can renew it?

Makes sense. I think I read somewhere that within 92 days of expiry you can renew.

Strange that my welcome email (confirming first signup to Ambassador) was in June 2022 but my expiry is now end of July. Maybe that’s just another IHG IT “perk” for the first year of membership.

[Richard Peters]

John wrote:

I frequently get points and breakfast.

Pretty much all IHG hotels I’ve stayed in give me a breakfast voucher at check in. Occasionally the breakfast dragon doesn’t want it and checks my status on the breakfast list to grant access – but I’m not risking having to pay £15-£25 for a free drink

Nightmare at HI Peterborough where thwy only seem to employ dragons! No welcome of Diamond stuas other than a smiley: apparently upgraded room (windows bolted and no heating/air con) and when queried advised that it was a premium room! Welcome drink and snack but only the offer to charge £18 for breakfast. Supposed to be here for three nights but checked out early for a better CE. When asked why said “room dreadful” but dragon ignored and processed payment. Trip advisor review to follow and email to general manager. Partly self inflicted as it was dreadful in January and naively thought that GM’s comments back then that “dealing with issues” would make for a better stay.

Sadly no so avoid at all costs!

[NorthernLass]

Did you not challenge them about the breakfast? I was at the CP Glasgow recently on a 2 night stay, we had to wait 90 minutes past check-in time for our room to be ready then they tried to give us ONE breakfast voucher by way of apology. I pointed out that as Diamond I was, in fact, allowed to choose breakfast as my welcome amenity (and for both nights) and asked for drinks vouchers by way of compensation for the wait for the room!

[Richard Peters]

Did you not challenge them about the breakfast?

TBH I was quite tired after a long day so just left it: It wasn’t till I could not sleep as room damp and cold that I started getting cross about my status recognition (or lack of it). First world I know but no point in being loyal if you get dreadful service and deffo never staying there again which is a shame as I vist PB a lot for business. Now safely in the Radisson (welcomed back), nice quiet room. excellent wifi speed and hotel has a had a lick of paint and tidy up since last visit in early 2022.

[Supergers49]

FFoxSake wrote:

Just for clarity… are you saying you renewed your Ambassador BEFORE the current expiry date (i.e. your Ambassador was still active) or renewed AFTER it had already expired?

I’m struggling to see my Ambassador expiry date (I presume it’s different from the regular IHG One end date?)

I had a banner on my desktop account, which said renew by 1-Aug. Similar to the one described above by @FFoxSake.