Intercontinental Hotels Ambassador status can be purchased for $200, or IHG One Rewards members can use 40,000 points.
Let’s say that I was already planning on staying at a Intercontinental. What would I get for $200?
Intercontinental Ambassador members receive the following benefits when staying at an Intercontinental Hotel or Resort at a qualifying rate:
- Elevated recognition
- Guaranteed one category room upgrade
- Extended 4 pm check-out
- Restaurants & bars credit of up to USD20 for every stay (except Mainland China)
- Complimentary mineral water
- Complimentary highest-speed internet available
There are also additional benefits which include:
- Complimentary weekend night at InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
- Platinum Elite status in IHG® One Rewards, and the corresponding benefits
There are some important exceptions when reading the fine print. For the room upgrades:
- Guaranteed upgrades only apply to paid stays. Award redemptions don’t count.
- If you are upgraded to a club-level room, it doesn’t include club access.
The complimentary weekend night certificate also has some important restrictions.
The Complimentary Weekend Night may be redeemed up until the expiry date of the Ambassador membership, or within the original expiry date of the Ambassador membership, if the membership has been extended. The Complimentary Weekend Night, cannot be extended and is redeemable once only in conjunction with a minimum two-night paid stay when booking the Ambassador Complimentary Weekend Night’ rate at InterContinental Hotels & Resorts. It is not valid to be used on any other rates
It’s a complimentary night but only when combined with a paid stay.
And finally, because this is IHG we’re talking about, the compensation for when either a room upgrade, lounge access, or extended check-out is not available.
Final Thought
The worth of the Intercontinental Ambassador program is based on how frequently you book a paid stay at Intercontinental hotels. It seems a bit unfair that the program, which costs $200 to join, requires a paid stay to receive benefits and for the free weekend night to be linked to a paid stay.
This program is a step up from the IHG Rewards Club loyalty system because there’s compensation if a hotel doesn’t provide the benefits promised.
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