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It varies between hotels, but there are some quite low non-refundable rates around just now to entice people to part with their cash. A better comparison is with the flexible rate, as you can cancel Ambassador bookings up till the day before. If you have the flexibility and one night is more expensive, make that your free night!
Oh, absolutely! Unfortunately I am just failing to see much value in the free night for any dates I have looked at so far. Maybe I’m just being unlucky. I have already had some fantastic benefits from the programme like lounge access which was extended in Buenos Aires as an Ambassador reward. But I’ve subsequently hit the 40 nights and took the lounge access as an IHG milestone benefit which is good until Dec 2024. So if I struggle to end up using the free weekend night voucher before it expires I really wonder whether there’s much benefit to renewing Ambassador.
There is value to be had but you need to be quite flexible about where you use then night. It can be almost accidental sometimes – I chose Lisbon for a mini break to use up an expiring Ambassador cert AND an expiring 241; the paid Friday was 247 euros when I booked and it’s now 754 euros – I don’t know what’s on in Lisbon that weekend?!!
That sounds like a great deal, well done. We stayed three nights at the Lisbon IC in April and it was splendid. We preferred the main dining room for breakfast over the club lounge just because it had lots of bright natural light. The more subdued lighting in the lounge is fantastic for the evening happy hour though. The staff are truly delightful and it was hugs all round when it came to our last day – not something we’ve ever experienced anywhere else!
I joined the Ambassador program on 27th November 2022, and my free night voucher shows in my account as expiring on 1st January 2024.
Can I trust this date? I’ve booked a room with my free night certificate for the first week in December, so technically 1 year and 1 week after I joined. I just want to make sure I’m not gunna arrive and find the rug pulled and that voucher expiring before the date shown in my account. Cheers!
That will be fine.
My wife and I are both diamond ambassador members but most of our stays are booked through myself. Is there a way, since IHG allows 2 names on the booking, for her to use her ambassador certifiate but credit the stays to my own account. For example, could I make the booking under the ambassador weekend rate and add her as the additional guest and then use her Ambassador weekend certificate on checkout? Or are there any other ways so we can consolidate our stays onto one account?
Hi @d1ps Unfortunately IHG/Intercontinental are pretty inflexible in that there is no household account feature and no practical way to transfer points between members (IHG charge $5 per 1,000 points, which doesn’t make economic sense when those points are probably only worth £4) and I assume you therefore want bookings in one name to keep the points pot simple?
In your scenario, I’d be booking the 2 nights needed for the ambassador certificate redemption in your wife’s name but book any other nights in yours for points earning purposes. Once Mrs d1ps builds up any points balance you can use it for the odd night stay redemption and/or top up with points buying in a sale to do so.
Given the way that IHG dynamic pricing works you should always be looking to book single nights for redemptions anyway. IME ICs are usually accommodating in terms of linking bookings together when made by partners and so you hopefully wouldn’t have the inconvenience of moving rooms during a stay etc.Hi, Indeed with points this is what we have been doing, prioritising one account over the other. Its a bit of a hang over from the days of Creation card allowing us to both be Diamond when they rolled out IHG One Rewards. Now that we wont be able to easily retain Diamond the need to consolidate is even more useful, as we can try and retain Diamond on at least one of the two accounts. The question is not just about points, but also when you think about milestone rewards, it would be a shame to be 2 nights away from a milestone, knowing I have 2 nights stayed on my wifes (from Amb Cert) account meaning no rewards unlocked for either of us.
Depending on the milestone you would be two away from I’d consider a quick weekend away / mattress run.
I wouldn’t do it if it was only for points or F&B vouchers but a suite night upgrade I would.
@d1ps I see your point about the milestone rewards and agree with BA Flyer’s mattress run analysis. As far as retention of your Diamond status is concerned, surely if you see yourself continuing to get value from the Ambassador free night certs then it’s easy to use the Ambassador renewal trick to extend Diamond status too for both of you?
I think I’ve seen this discussed before, but can’t find it just now. Does the Ambassador upgrade stack with the Platinum Elite upgrade, giving you two upgrades? I’m assuming not, as you can’t really be an Ambassador without being at least Platinum Elite.
No they don’t stack
Platinum “upgrade” is discretionary anyway
That’s a shame. Guess I’ll have to make do with a ‘higher floor’. Yippee.
I’m fairly certain that booking an Ambassador weekend used to list the rate for each night with the second being free? I’ve just done a few dummy bookings and it now seems to list an average price for the two nights, am I missing something?
I’ve seen that a couple of times and it’s not clear what the hotel would charge. I would take screenshots of the individual prices in case the hotel tries to bill the average charge instead of the first night (unless it works in your favour, of course!)
Though if you see a drop down tab on the booking, this will sometimes show you the individual nightly prices.
Thanks @Anna, found it in the app but not on the website.
Theres a ‘more info’ icon (or similar) you should click on which will show the full cost broken down into each night and fees.
I don’t recallt it ever showing the 2nd night as zero.
And the booking email and the entry in your bookings shows the same info – again I’ve never seen it show the second night as zero which only happens when you check in and the voucher is actually used.
Just checked the email, it doesn’t split the booking, it just shows a total for the two nights.
what about if you go into the booking on the website/ app?
It’s unusual for the email just to show a total
all my bookign emails show the rates per night then taxes and fees seperatly.
No, it just shows one nightly rate and a total. My gut feeling is that it does this when the rate is the same both nights but I’m not 100% certain. The app has a drop down and shows individual nights which are exactly the same rate.
No, it just shows one nightly rate and a total. My gut feeling is that it does this when the rate is the same both nights but I’m not 100% certain. The app has a drop down and shows individual nights which are exactly the same rate.
I have a booking for Madrid and both nights are the same price but if you click on show receipt in manage booking on the website it shows the nightly breakdown
No, it just shows one nightly rate and a total. My gut feeling is that it does this when the rate is the same both nights but I’m not 100% certain. The app has a drop down and shows individual nights which are exactly the same rate.
I think this is it. Sometimes I would see 18-20 Aug £220 per night. Other times I’d see 18 Aug £200, 19 Aug £240.
Looking to use my free weekend night at IC Wellington (NZ). If we get a room with club access, does that mean we don’t need to worry about getting a rate with breakfast included because we can eat in the lounge?
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