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Mine is due for renewal soon but it’s simply not worth it if it no longer prolongs Diamond status, even if it was a glitch.
I only stay at a few IHG hotels per year so once Diamond expires I’ll stop staying at IHG’s and focus more on Marriott.
I never really made the most of Diamond but it was always nice to have.I’ve decided to go for the renewal. Three IC stays planned already this year, with the last at Paris ale Grand where the voucher saving pays the renewal fee.
Just reached out to the O2 (my next stay) for any offer if I renew with them, and they’ve offered:
– Guaranteed Junior Suite (from King Classic)
– Complimentary desert plate.This is instead of the 15,000 points (I expect).
Doesn’t quite seem enough to me to outweigh the points. Would you take it?
I’ve decided to go for the renewal. Three IC stays planned already this year, with the last at Paris ale Grand where the voucher saving pays the renewal fee.
Just reached out to the O2 (my next stay) for any offer if I renew with them, and they’ve offered:
– Guaranteed Junior Suite (from King Classic)
– Complimentary desert plate.This is instead of the 15,000 points (I expect).
Doesn’t quite seem enough to me to outweigh the points. Would you take it?
You’ll get the 15k points. That points is from IHG and not the hotel.
I paid at same hotel (ignorantly didn’t ask for anything in return) and got the points.Oh, good to know, and obviously makes it a no brainer. I’ve gone back to them asking them to throw in lounge access anyway 🙂
I think you have to have a very specific plan for making the most of Ambassador. I’ve not used mine to the best advantage this year, but feel I’m still doing well from the Diamond breakfasts! Ambassador expires in April (I did manage to get an extension by grovelling and used the free night at the ICPL). However, the rest of my travel for this year is planned and doesn’t require Ambassador. We have 2 ICs booking, but both are on OH’s account.
I do have the Le Grand on my wish list, though, and am thinking of visiting France in May next year to coincide with the 80th anniversary of VE Day (OH is a bit of a military history geek). I also have a Creation free night certificate which will still be valid at that point. So it feels like it would be very good value to get 3 nights for the price of one at Le Grand, by re-joining Ambassador just prior to the trip. I assume I will be down to Platinum by then, so may book a few nights at the new IC Chantilly via Emyr to recoup the breakfast benefit and also get the Ambassador perks.
Of course if IHG introduced free breakfast for Ambassadors, or an equivalent benefit, more people might be tempted to renew their membership as soon as it expires!
Oh, good to know, and obviously makes it a no brainer. I’ve gone back to them asking them to throw in lounge access anyway 🙂
No lounge access, but does include the points.
I hope the cake is nice.
The problem with Ambassador is that they often gouge you on the Free Night rate which needs to be booked separately from a normal booking.
Recently I stayed in the IC Doha West Bay, where I combined a normal cash booking (2 nights) with the AMB booking (2 nights, second night free). The normal cash booking was also Flex and not pre-paid.
Standard cash booking: 650 QAR/nt
AMB booking 1100 QAR/ntSo with the ‘second night free’ I only saved 200 QAR (around 50 EUR) off the standard rate for those 2 nights.
Sounds like you would have been better off booking the lot through Emyr. I’ve done the sums, and locked in my new AMB certificate already for a stay at Amstel, saving me circa £250. Renewal fee already paid for itself.
Has anyone actually managed to renew Ambassador recently. ? I have a few big IC trips coming up , and decided it’s probably worth it for me . The on-line functionality isn’t working , and after 40mins on the phone to the helpline , and speaking to 4 different guys, I’ve still not renewed. The asked me to call back tomorrow . Gave me 5K points for my trouble . Anyone else having issues?
Apparently you sometimes get extra benefits if you renew at a hotel – though presumably not the one you’re using the free night at!
@MrsH – definitely reach out to the hotel your next stay is booked at, and ask what they can offer to tempt you to renew through them.
Have let mine lapse as mainly Marriott stays recently. Will be staying in November at IHG properties.
Question if I book those stays now but do not renew until some months later will my benefits still apply to bookings made before I have joined the program?
Any thoughts.Yes – as long as you are a member at the time of your stay you will get all the benefits. Remember Ambassador benefits only apply at ICs though.
Yes – as long as you are a member at the time of your stay you will get all the benefits. Remember Ambassador benefits only apply at ICs though.
Except of course the complimentary Platinum status with One Rewards
Yes but I never rated that apart from the hit and miss drinks voucher! Hopefully at least Emyr will be happy when OH and I lose Diamond at the end of the year as we’re now putting all our cash bookings through him again for the breakfasts and other benefits 😂
Is the diamond extension benefit definitely 100% gone now?
Better get my free creation nights used while it still comes with breakfast lol
According to reports here and elsewhere, yes. I think the preferred strategy now is to do 40 nights for the lounge pass. Or just stay at HIEX/Staybridge Suites!
Yes but I never rated that apart from the hit and miss drinks voucher! Hopefully at least Emyr will be happy when OH and I lose Diamond at the end of the year as we’re now putting all our cash bookings through him again for the breakfasts and other benefits 😂
Always worth check FHR and Hotel Collection too.
Remember you can always request a 2 or 6 month extension to your Ambassador if you don’t want it to lapse. It’s a stated offer in the T&Cs.
I tried to wangle a Diamond extension today if I renewed. No dice. May try again but in the meantime got a 6 month extension as I don’t have any plans to stay at an IC. Interestingly, the chat agent said “who knows IHG might launch a promotion offer to help our member extend their Elite status” [sic] Might mean nothing, but maybe there are rumours in IHG…I didn’t renew mine last month. I’ve no IC stays planned until spring 2025 so not worth it. I think to make it realistically worth it in the long term they’ll need to tweak it to include Regent and Kimpton and maybe not restrict the free night to weekends.
The extension is supposed to be one time only, but if you ask nicely they will sometimes bend the rules!
IC Marseille is worth a look. Had triple upgrade as diamond ambassador, used my free night(s) and they didn’t charge my card at all for the night I was paying. Fully expect this to eventually happen but I recall this happened once before in Malta.
I’ve got an Amb Weekend voucher about to expire. Anyone ever tried letting a family member (with same surname) use it for a London stay? Bad idea?
I assume extending Amb status for 6 months doesn’t extend the validitiy of the weekend voucher?
Thanks
I recall this happened once before in Malta.
I’m still waiting to be charged for a stay in late 2019 in Malta.
@ben10, it does extend the voucher.
I didn’t renew mine last month. I’ve no IC stays planned until spring 2025 so not worth it. I think to make it realistically worth it in the long term they’ll need to tweak it to include Regent and Kimpton and maybe not restrict the free night to weekends.
The extension is supposed to be one time only, but if you ask nicely they will sometimes bend the rules!
It’s a weird part of the T&Cs, there’s actually two extensions, one for two months and one for six months, if I remember correctly. You can use each once, theoretically. I used the six month extension during covid.
Although it doesn’t extend Diamond any more, there’s still a few benefits. Some hotels don’t take the Weekend FNC from your account, so you can re-use it; 15k renewal offsets almost half the price anyway, so using the FNC anywhere is likely to break even at best.
The F&B credit not being applied correctly has happened a few times, but each time I’ve emailed the hotel and they’ve refunded the relevant amount, so no real complaints there either (my last stay I had Club IC and the F&B could be used on minibar, so I just took $25 worth of minibar products to feed/water me for the day I checked out, but it varies by hotel as to what they allow the F&B to be used on – I sometimes don’t bother if the lounge is good enough and it can’t be used on minibar).
In my view, I’d only hit Diamond now if I directed all my stays to IHG, which I doubt is even possible. But, 40 nights is, so Platinum with a lounge pass is a happy medium for me (but it depends if you stay in hotels with lounges, I suppose – not that AMB gives you lounge access, but I think I’ll keep it anyway, because at worst I break even). Removal of the 10% redemption rebate was an unwelcome enhancement a couple of years ago, though.
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