Last year IHG rebranded its loyalty program IHG One Rewards, meant to unify all of the chains brands and give customers a reason to stay loyal. They introduced whole new suites of benefits including top tier Diamond status with free daily breakfast, and benefit choices like confirmed suite upgrades, club lounge access, and food and beverage spending credit to use on property.
One of the most compelling changes was the introduction of confirmed suite upgrades.
- Earned as a choice benefit starting after just 20 nights. Members can select one as a choice benefit at 20 and 40 nights (the 40 night benefit can be selected twice), and select two at 70 elite nights (the 70 night benefit can be selected twice) each year. Each is valid for up to 5 nights.
- Convert a regular room reservation to a suite reservation between 14 days and 24 hours prior to check-in
- This is in addition to space available upgrades at check-in, including to standard suites, if available.
However there were some rates excluded from this new confirmed suite benefit. You could not confirm upgrades on prepaid rates or on points redemption stays.
They’ve made improvements on both of these fronts.
- Some prepaid rates actually can be upgraded. On the back end the agent is basically taking an existing reservation the customer has, cancelling it, and then booking a new reservation at the original rate into the upgraded room category. This presents complications in some cases, which is why they initially excluded prepaid rates entirely, but it’s actually possible to do upgrades on some prepaid rates where deposits haven’t been taken.
- Award stays can be upgraded. Four months ago the Senior Vice President in charge of the program told me this was coming. Loyalty Lobby reports that it is live. This is a huge improvement in the value of points for those staying with IHG at least 20 nights per year, since their redemptions can be to suites.
IHG is also working on offering members the ability to electronically confirm their suite upgrades, instead of having to call, and on offering the ability to spend more points on a better room when redeeming a free night award like Hyatt, Hilton and Marriott offer.
It remains an open question, I think, what happens to the dedicated Intercontinental Ambassador program, to Regent’s program, and to the unpublished top level retained from Kimpton’s program as they’re trying to unify loyalty across IHG brands (renaming the program IHG One Rewards). But staying 20 nights at Holiday Inn Express properties, and redeeming points and then confirming suite upgrades at Intercontinentals and Kimptons represents huge value.
IHG now has, in my view, the second best elite upgrade program behind Hyatt – which allows confirmed upgrades at booking to suites, and allows them more often for their heaviest stay guests – but whose confirmed upgrade benefits only start after 50 nights. Marriott allows confirmed upgrades based on availability (and only into capacity controlled suite inventory) starting 5 days prior to check-in for elites after 50 nights. And Hilton doesn’t require hotels to upgrade elites to suites at all.
While this is great for those who travel to hotel markets with upscale Kimpton or Intercontinental properties, the reality is the vast majority of IHG properties in North America are forgettable Holiday Inn Expresses and Holiday Inns. Many of those forgettable Holiday Inn Expresses and Holiday Inns are dumps.
Does anyone really care about a suite in Cedar Rapids at the Holiday Inn?
More important to me and, I suspect, most travelers are IHG’s breakfast benefit, which IHG has already watered down, and scam fees, which IHG properties are levying with impunity.
At the end of the day, the best Holiday Inn or Crowne Plaza is never as good as the best Marriott, Westin, Sheraton or Renaissance. Likewise, even the best Intercontinentals are generally not as good as the best JW Marriotts.
Cahn’t make this stuff up!
@Gary — You have made the bolded claim for years. Just a simple question: could you, at long last, provide the source for it? After all, since you have been attributing the claim to some Hilton policy, you must have a source, right?
In the meantime, I will provide official statements and an announcement from Hilton about their new innovative global automated upgrades that were provided to bloggers and this site even published!
Contrary to what you have claimed for years based on nothing more than your bias and wishful thinking, it is clear that the only program that actually makes a promise of any kind, including using the word “guaranteed”, is Hilton Honors. Since becoming a LT Diamond last May, I have cleared 7 of 8 suite upgrades, including 3 in the US [will be happy to post the evidence].
Below is the program’s official announcement of its new global automated room (including suites) upgrade policy [1]
Which part of that clear and concise official announcement translates into your claim that, unlike other chains, “Hilton doesn’t require hotels to upgrade elites to suites at all”?
We’ll be waiting to be enlightened with bated breath…
[1] See link in next post.
[Un-terminated HTML bolding code in the prior comment fixed to enhance legibility]
Cahn’t make this stuff up!
@Gary — You have made the bolded claim for years. Just a simple question: could you, at long last, provide the source for it? After all, since you have been attributing the claim to some Hilton policy, you must have a source, right?
In the meantime, I will provide official statements and an announcement from Hilton about their new innovative global automated upgrades that were provided to bloggers and this site even published!
Contrary to what you have claimed for years based on nothing more than your bias and wishful thinking, it is clear that the only program that actually makes a promise of any kind, including using the word “guaranteed”, is Hilton Honors. Since becoming a LT Diamond last May, I have cleared 7 of 8 suite upgrades, including 3 in the US [will be happy to post the evidence].
Below is the program’s official announcement of its new global automated room (including suites) upgrade policy [1]
Which part of that clear and concise official announcement translates into your claim that, unlike other chains, “Hilton doesn’t require hotels to upgrade elites to suites at all”?
We’ll be waiting to be enlightened with bated breath…
[1] See link in next post.
Here’s the link to Hilton’s official announcement of their new global automated upgrades policy.
[1] https://newsroom.hilton.com/hilton-honors/news/hilton-debuts-industry-leading-tech-enhancements
Since I’m a Lifetime Diamond Zirconia Enhanced SuperElite+ and program subject matter expert and have been named Professor Emeritus (With HHonors) @ Hilton (as we all know, the best program by far in the known and unknown universe), my undeniable experience
leads me to believe this IHG guaranteed suites at time of booking feature is just copying Hiltons program and doesn’t hold a candle to Hilton.
That is all, goodnight.
I covered this at the time @DCS and in fact I broke the news.
However nowhere in the release or in Hilton Honors benefit terms does it say anything about hotels being obligated to upgrade members to suites. They can do so. They are permitted. But they do not have to do so.
In fact they are now trying to upsell better upgrades to elites, rather than giving them out free https://viewfromthewing.com/starting-today-hilton-will-start-selling-upgrades-to-gold-and-diamond-members/
@ DCS — Let’s see, 72 hours or 14 days, which sounds better to you? Besides, I am upgraded to a suite 100% of the time at IC properties, and as a Hilton Diamond was not upgraded to a suite on my most recent stay. Oh, yeah, and my breakfast is actually free at IHG hotels, unlike Hilton. IHG is undoubtedly superior to Hilton. Go stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki and let us know about your suite upgrade success.
@ Gary — I have begun to believe that IHG will leave the Ambassador program as it is. It generates lots of revenue for them, and if they eliminate RA, they will lose lots of big spend from people like me and many other diehard IC fans. Many IC hotels are badly in need of renovation, but lots of RAs choose to stay there anyway due to the great benefits. At this point, if they choose to eliminate the program, I am fine with just staying somewhere else.
@Gary — What you did do was to confirm — to your great disappointment, I am sure — that the new global automated upgrades would be prioritized by elite status (Golds < Diamonds < LT Diamonds) rather than award stays costing 100K+ being prioritized as claimed by LoyaltyLobby. However, I also recall that you printed only a small portion of the statement, leaving out the part about "guaranteed" upgrades at 36h and hotel not being allowed to opt out — statements that directly show how ridiculous is your claim that "Hilton doesn’t require hotels to upgrade elites to suites at all". It is the only program that has gone on the record "guaranteeing" elite upgrades up to 36h before stay and forbidding hotels from opting out out!!!
You will not get off the hook this time: Just show us where it says that that “Hilton doesn’t require hotels to upgrade elites to suites at all” , a tune you ave been singing for a decade, and where it says that any other program requires hotels to upgrade their elites !
LOL. Hilton has been doing that for years. the upsells even have a name: eUpgrades. It is thus truly appalling that as the self-proclaimed “thought leader in travel”, you belatedly found out and thought it was newsworthy!!!
@Gene — 36h, 14 days, it does not matter. There must be availability. However, the chances of upgrades clearing at 36h are better than at 14days because a couple of weeks out, hotels would still hope to sell suites for cash. The chances are even better at check-in, which is what I have done extremely well with Hilton’s complimentary upgrades. Now, as a LTD I am doing even better clearing upgrade before check-in…
I am an IHG Diamond Ambassador and I am yet to get a suite upgrade… but I am new at it. I will get a hang of it and things will improve, if the program is as good as you think it is.
“the upsells even have a name: eUpgrades”. Sorry, that’s eStandby Upgrade® .
For avoidance of doubt, in hopes that @DCS quits gaslighting, here’s the October 17, 2022 memo from Hilton to hotel owners on upgrade upsells.
Some key items from Hilton Honors terms and conditions regarding upgrades – they do not apply at all brands, they are eligible up to junior or standard suites but those only ‘may’ be available (hotels are not required to upgrade to an available suite, the member has no recourse and the hotel hasn’t violated a rule if they do not upgrade the member to that suite):
“Diamond Elite Members will receive the following during stays as a registered Diamond Elite Member: At Waldorf Astoria® Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts, Conrad® Hotels & Resorts, Canopy™ by Hilton, Signia by Hilton, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Curio Collection by Hilton™ and DoubleTree by Hilton™ and Tapestry Collection by Hilton™ properties, Diamond Hilton Honors Members may receive upgrades to preferred rooms, based on availability at the time of arrival. Upgrades for Diamond Hilton Honors Members may include upgrades up to “junior”, “standard” or “one-bedroom” suites.
…All upgrades are granted on a space-available basis for the entire stay, as determined at the time of arrival. Preferred rooms are identified by each individual property and may vary within each brand.
…The following brands do not offer complimentary upgrades: Embassy Suites™, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hampton by Hilton™, Tru by Hilton™, Homewood Suites by Hilton®, Home2 Suites by Hilton®, Hilton Grand Vacations®, and Motto by Hilton®.”
You need to read the comments sections of your own blog. It was pointed out to you when your first posted that piece, the both Marriott and Hilton have been doing that for years. Here’s what I wrote about it back then in the comments section:
As I indicated above, and others have indicated about Marriott, Hilton has always offered members the opportunity to purchase room upgrades, up to suites, immediately after they made a booking. Here’s a concrete example:
As you can see, there is even a name for it: eStandby Upgrade® Program, which has been around for as long as I can remember and is why I asked above what was the novelty in this post.
What a savvy HH elite does is to ignore such offers, like I did recently when I was offered to upgrade to a “Premium Suite” at Embassy Suites Chicago Magnificent Mile, where suite upgrades are not even a HH Diamonds perk. At check-in, I received a complimentary LT Diamond upgrade to a King Cornell Premium Suite, i.e., I got for free the same upgrade that I had been offered for cash. .
Who is gaslighting whom? See? Please get informed!
Gary: Just show us where it says that that “Hilton doesn’t require hotels to upgrade elites to suites at all” , a tune you ave been singing for a decade, and where it says that any other program requires hotels to upgrade their elites !
The HH T&C that you reproduced say nothing about hotels not being required to offer suites or otherwise. No program’s T&C do. Period.
This is what program says about its new global automated upgrades:
And how does Hilton Honors define space-available upgrades? Like this:
““If we have a better room available, it’s yours – up to a 1-bedroom suite.”
And Marriott: “We’ll do our best to upgrade your room (including Select Suites), based on availability at check-in. Upgrades are subject to availability identified by each hotel and limited to your personal guest room. See terms and conditions for details.”
Which is the stronger commitment?
I have posted evidence showing how the new global automated upgrades work: email notification up to 3 days before stay, then at 36h invitation to select the upgraded room, including suites, on several floors. It’s just like airline cabin upgrades, and it is only a matter of time before other programs copy copycthe scheme.
See that Gary? There has never been any truth to what you have claimed for years. Time to change your tune, once and for all.
Gotta get ready to leave tomorrow for my stay at InterContinental Toronto as relatively new IHG Diamond Ambassador. I will see if I can parlay my way into a suite… 😉
As for the “debate” we just had, the written record speaks for itself: Gary has been making up stuff for years for which he has no evidence.
G’day.
Paris Hilton could pee on DCS’s head and they’d call it an upgrade.
DCS goes by he/him. Or is it she/shill?
To @Dan/@Youngblood/@Any_other_airhead
Any comment that contains no attempt to prove anything in DCS’s arguments wrong will be an explicit admission that you cannot refute them and, therefore, must take the low road of personal attacks known as argumentum ad hominem.
Of course, you can manage your anger and frustration about having to tacitly admit that the forum host’s clock has been cleaned by simply saying nothing at all and staying out of the fray…
The more the insults and personal attacks, the sweeter the victory!
@ DCS will never stop gaslighting about his precious automated, POS upgrde system. Whatever.
@Gene — You seem reasonable enough at times, so I will not include you in the lot to which I addressed my comment above just before yours.
If exposing bogus claims by asking for objective evidence and providing factual evidence that challenges the claims is “gaslighting” than I am guilty. I will conclude my involvement in this “debate” with some food for thought based on a comment that I addressed yesterday.
PARTING SHOT
Well, why do you think that is? A coincidence?! Hardly.
The most knowledgeable commenter out there on anything DL, hands down, is Tim Dunn. No one out there knows more about the HH program than does DCS.
Conclusion: like school children, the masses in travel forums are “allergic” to (read: hate) folks who actually know what they are talking about, preferring to drink the kool-aid of bogus dogma or outright falsehoods promulgated by the high priesthood of self-anointed “travel gurus”.
A perfectly fitting coda to the comment quoted above is that
That’s right. It’s the “amen chorus” when a self-anointed “travel guru” claims that “Hyatt has the single most valuable points currency, has the best breakfast in history, guarantees ‘confirmed’ suite upgrades, under-promises but over-delivers, was the most generous during the pandemic…etc…etc…etc.” The only problem? All the claims are bogus or mostly bogus, but the masses will tar and feather you if you dare to tell them otherwise or offer alternative views…Like Tim Dunn and DCS dare do.
Who is gaslighting whom?
I am off to InterContinental Toronto as new IHG Diamond Ambassador. The soapbox is yours. Knock yourself out…
A parting shot? Does that mean you’re leaving and not coming back?
@ Dan — I just spit out my coffee…..
@ DCS — Good luck with that lowly Duamond Ambassador status. You need Royal for the full treatment.
@dcs the fact that you say that hyatt loyalists make up that they get upgraded when the suite awards change the room on the spot means you don’t even know what a guarantee is and that’s besides the fact 19 out of 20 stays in america alone i got a suite upgrade, and every place out of us,you really should just open a dictionary to learn what words mean otherwise no one can have a conversation with you. The best part is your such a fanboy of hilton you care more about hilton then the ceo, he would laugh at you if saw your comment on how much you care about a brand that doesn’t care about you
@ DCS — “No one out there knows more about the HH program than does DCS.”. Grow some humility. You sound like a jerk.
hyatt upgrades me to suites all the time!!
It’s simple. Gary likes Hyatt. He’s convinced himself that it’s the best. So be it. He’s apparently happy to endlessly return to the same properties in Sydney, Paris, etc. So be it. His choice. And his top ranking of hotel loyalty programs is based on his perception and potential confirmation bias arising from his investment in that program per the endless rotations of the status hamster wheel and perhaps a continuing false belief that Hyatt points are more “valuable” than others.
What is blithely ignored is the effort to attain Globalist (IIRC 60 nights or 100,000 base points representing about USD20,00 spend at an earn rate of 5 points per USD) in order to access the key benefit, which Gary personally values (namely, a suite upgrade) within his favourite loyalty program.
It is my personal perception that it is mental putting that much effort into attaining status, in an environment where loyalty points are devalued and T&Cs changed in a lesser timeframe that it takes to attain such status. Our opinions may differ.
Now (almost) top tier Hilton Diamond can be attained through the right credit card (in some countries). Thus the Aspire easily pays for itself through the attendant benefit set offsetting the annual fee. Job done.
IHG Platinum (ok, not the top tier) and additional benefits at Intercontinental hotels can be obtained through IC Ambassador membership with the annual fee easily offset by the free weekend night benefit. Job done (at a lower tier level).
Now if Gary is happy traveling to locations with Hyatt properties that he actually wants to visit, that have with suites, that have suites availability, etc., that’s great.
But for some of us, our travel itineraries don’t feature such properties. On my just completed RTW there are no Hyatt properties walk-from-the-terminal at the our overnight transit airports of BNE, SIN, or LHR. Sure I could have blown the time and cash and travelled downtown just to get to a Hyatt. That was inconvenient.
The Intercontinental in Madrid offered comfortable accommodation and very professional staff with attendant room upgrade (IC Ambassador) booked on IHG points slightly away from the tourist masses with ready access to bars and restaurants frequented by locals offering exception value one food and drinks. Sure, there are a couple of Hyatt options, the obvious being the Hyatt Regency in the thick of the tourist action and the masses of people crowding the Gran Via. Personal choices.
In Lisbon the Hyatt Regency is quite some way out of town and may be very nice indeed. But if you have Bonvoy points you’d be checking availability at The Ivens (a wonderfully appointed property with its very popular and trendy bar) in easy walking distance of all of the sights of the Bairro Alto district and across the street from a locals’ bar / restaurant with cheap and excellent wine and food. For Hilton dudes the Emerald House looks cool, and for IHG folk the Intercontinental Lisbon rates highly, although haven’t stayed at either.
In the seaside Lisbon riviera of Estoril and Cascais there are no Hyatt properties, but the excellent Intercontinental Cascais-Estoril – recently renovated modern waterside property with a boutique hotel size and vibe.
Of course, you guessed it, no Hyatt properties at my next chosen destination of Santa Monica. Yep , Marriott folk can redeem at the hip Proper Hotel, and Hilton folk can choose between the Hilton and Hampton Inn at the southern end or go up market at the Oceana LXR at the more residential northern end.
Back in Sydney for the night, the Hilton was on offer per an Amex cash back deal for USD165 – upgrade to Executive level and the attendant lounge or restaurant breakfast, afternoon tea and evening drinks in the lounge all included at a location perfect for Pitt Street shopping. No need to blow cash or points at the Park Hyatt (done that before and it was great) or less conveniently situated Hyatt Regency (no doubt a nice property).
Hyatt would have been similarly unable to meet accommodation fees on my previous RTW in November 2022.
The relative effort to attain Hyatt Globalist and the pathetic global footprint are arguably sufficient case in themselves to relegate Hyatt from a objectively assessed top ranking. That’s before we factor in the lack of fourth or fifth night free benefits.
Many seem to get confused between redemption value and overall returns when comparing program strengths (as @DCS has repeatedly reminded those readers not deaf to reason).
If anyone wants to bypass the personal vitriol and refusal to entertain alternate viewpoints surely an evidence-based approach needs to be considered:
1. The benefits cited in the terms and conditions
2. The process deployed to deliver those benefits
3. The compliance with (1) and (2) by individual properties
4. The collective real world experiences of delivery of benefits to us as individual members and in aggregate
5. Overall value delivered for cash and loyalty devoted to the loyalty program
We are all prone to lapse into our personal perceptions and prejudices. BA gets a bad rap from some and yet all of my recent flights have been excellent, including LHR-LAX on the new first class seats with doors and large screen. My LAX-SYD flight on QF First was a shocker and a bitter disappointment in some regards (mind numbingly appalling service failures anda crew so disconnected one of the pilots has to leave the cockpit to forestall a potentially serious safety breach) – I wasn’t expecting that! My recent SQ Suites SIN-LHR was exceptional.
Whilst respecting and welcoming the IHG loyalty evolution, the new upgrade function has only just been released – perhaps it’s too early to make definite conclusions until we’ve all had time to test its real world application.
@ DCS
Be patient, my friend, the revolution is a’coming…..;)
I really loved how you seamlessly weaved Hyatt;s shortcomings into your personal travel experiences to gently expose the elephants in the room that @Gary and others of the “Hyatt is best” crowd simply want to wish away.
Your outstanding suggestion that to avoid acrimonious exchanges commenters consider
1. The benefits cited in the terms and conditions
2. The process deployed to deliver those benefits
3. The compliance with (1) and (2) by individual properties
4. The collective real world experiences of delivery of benefits to us as individual members and in aggregate
5. Overall value delivered for cash and loyalty devoted to the loyalty program
…is not likely to be adopted because it is inconsistent with this site’s M.O., which is to gaslight and that, by definition, requires making up stuff, like,
— Hyatt has the single most valuable hotel points currency, a demonstrably bogus claim, or
— Hilton doesn’t require hotels to upgrade elites to suites at all, suggesting that his favorite program requires elites to be upgraded to suites, which is another demonstrably bogus claim…
Cheers. mate!
Dcs@ if you actually had status you would see the terms and conditions that it’s a guarantee suite upgrade if it’s available and that’s besides the fact of suite night awards that change the room on the spot, you need to get out more
Stop drinking the kool-aid. No program can possibly guarantee suite upgrades and deliver, especially not Hyatt with its limited footprint !!! Think, man, think !!! If it’s available is what every single program promises!
@dcs yo should also look up the definition of kool aid apparently you don’t know what that means either
No upgrades on reward stays. I tried a number of times and after escalating was always getting the same response – award stays is not an “eligible rate” for these purposes.