Royal Ambassador
What is it?
- It’s the über elite program for Intercontinental branded hotels and resorts. Access By invitation only – although the invitation rules are fairly well known and listed below. You can look forward to a life decent upgrades and an all you can drink complimentary mini-bar!
How do I get it?
- Technically it’s invite only – but you can either earn it or blag it!
Earn it:
(Note the published requirement is to be in the top 1% of customers and be an Ambassad0r. What follows are the unwritten rules)
- Join as an Ambassador and pay the current fee (US$150)
- Stay 5060-70* nights in any hotels within the Group
- With a minimum of 3 nights in 3 different Intercontinental hotels within your Ambassador Year
- You should then be upgraded to Royal Ambassador (sometime a prompting phone call helps)
* Updated summer 2009
Blag it:
- Every Royal Ambassador that qualified the hard way has a referral voucher to invite someone else into the scheme
- They sell on ebay for US$500-US$900 – ouch..
What do I get if I make it?
- Everything an Ambassador gets and..
- A new membership card / luggage tags
- Instant Platinum Status
- If you earn it (instead of blaging it) you will also receive a referral voucher
And when I stay (officially Paid Stays only)?
- As above – Everything an Ambassador gets and..
- 1,000 extra points on every stay (So 4,000 in total)
- Guaranteed room upgrade at time of check-in to an Executive or Suite room (which in practice leads to a two level upgrade on what you book)
- Welcome gift (such as chocolates or biscuits)
- Guaranteed room availability for one room with 24-hour advance reservation (although they may offer you the presidential suite at silly prices)
- Depending on the hotel – extra perks such as club lounge access or improved upgrades
- 8am Check-in
RA does not automatically guarantee a Club room in the upgrade, but it almost always (except the likes of IC Sydney) includes free mini-bar. This I believe is often limited to drinks (alcohol included) and not the food/ snack items in the mini-bar.
@CanuckinKL
This is true – club access is not guaranteed. But a Royal Ambassador should always get free minibar beverages regardless of the hotel. If the IC in Sydney isn’t giving you free drinks then complain to the Ambassador help-desk. They are in violation of the T&C’s of the program.
When you say “offered the presidential suite at silly prices….. can you claify which way you mean by “silly” (ie silly cheap or silly expensive eg rack rate for the room)
thank you
@David
Silly being rack rate – no bargains to be had here!
Thanks “admin” what I expected.
I didn’t realise till I had read your reply that I didn’t ask this other question.
“to the best of your awareness the 50, sorry 60-70 nights, are they ‘qualifying nights’ or total…?”
@David
Definitely qualifying nights, but following the thread on http://www.flyertalk.com this is not an exact science and different people are reporting success/failure criteria!
Any experience, anecdotal or otherwise, regarding the validity/legitimacy of referral certs for sale on eBay? Seems that there are a lot “new” sellers peddling these certs.
I recevied RA referral cert but I am already have Ambassador status, do I still have to pay the $150 fee? or not then how do I let them know my a/c
No – just write your account number on the back of certificate. One warning though – the end date of your Ambassador status will remain the same (so you could get as little as a couple of months of RA status). So if it’s due to end soon it might be worth waiting until your Ambassador renewal date.
I have one the ICH’s partner employee discount code, can I get room upgrade when book using the code?
Hi everybody,
I have a referral voucher for the royal ambassador. I don´t know anybody to take use of it. The voucher is valid untill the end of August 2010.
Is anyone interested in the voucher? You can contact me on xxxxx (at) yahoo.de.
Kind regards
(Now Gone)
My wife and I will be staying at several IC Hotels in Europe for a 37th Anniversary vacation. If anyone would like to make a new friend, I would be interested in a RA referral.
I have been known to send my new friends some very nice gifts
Dennis
done
Hi @CanuckinKL you mentioned that the IC Sydney does not let you have free mini bar if you are Royal Ambassador. Is that something that has just happened to you or is it something they always do.
I stay around 80-100 nights a year in holiday inn’s etc
if i was to join ambassador and stay 80-100 nights again this year would i have a chance of royal ambassador, or do i need to stay 80-100 nights in ICH’s?
@steve
The qualifying nights accumulate at any IHG property. Unfortunately, there are not IC’s in every major city. Because of that, the vast majority of my nights are in HIE’s, CP’s, and Indigo’s. I’ve been RA for several years now. It makes the stays at IC properties all the more special.
Hi,
I also have a referral voucher for the royal ambassador. I don´t anyone else who is already an ambassador member who is interested in it. The voucher is valid untill the end of July 2010.
Is anyone interested in the voucher? You can contact me soon on xxxxxxx (at) yahoo.com.
Hello Forum,
actually i am looking for a RA referral certificate to trade. Am willing to offer either PC points and or cash and or still having a BOGOF certificate to trade from my Ambassador elevation , still valid down to May 2011. Am in rush so any response within the next 7 days would be great and is highly appreciated. Alternative e-mail can be sent to xxxxxxx
Am located in Germany near Frankfurt. All of you have a nice weekend. Best regards
(Address deleted by admin)
I have a referral voucher that is valid until Nov 2010 if you are interested.