Prior to this change:

- InterContinental hotels rewarded: 2,000 per stay+ 1,000 per stay if your were an Ambassador + 1,000 per stay if you were Royal Ambassador

- All other brands mentioned above already awarded 10 points for Eligible Charges on your individual hotel room bill (no change)

- Currently I assume that the Ambassador / Royal Ambassador bonuses will be dropped and the Gold (10%) and Platinum (50%) bonuses will kick in (this is unconfirmed)

The official press release – which in itself is very confusing – as y0u have no idea which scheme you will be on between now and the 15h Feb.

Although we will continue our focus on providing Priority Club members with new ways to redeem their points, this new earning structure at InterContinental Hotels will allow them to earn them faster than ever before, too,”  said Don Berg, vice president, Loyalty Programs and Partnerships, IHG.  “Priority Club members who stay at InterContinental properties between now and February 15 will begin to experience this richer earning policy as we operationally ramp up the program over the next 30 days,” said Berg.  Starting Feb. 15, all members can expect to earn at the new rate

The bottom line – if you stayed in cheaper InterContinental hotels for one night stays then you likely to be worse off under the new scheme – on the other-hand those with longer stays or those who stay in higher end hotels should be happy that Priority Club have removed this oddity in the earnings structure. The only questions remains is why this hasn’t been rolled out to the rest of the world?

So what’s the “official” response to feedback from Priority Club (thank you Cris):

Thank you for your reply. We appreciate your feedback and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

Your comments have been documented and shared with the management staff of the Priority Club® Rewards Service Center. The information is also available to our corporate executives that make decisions pertaining to future enhancements of our program.

Our Priority Club Rewards members are our most valued customers and we appreciate your loyalty to our hotels. Your honest feedback allows us to make future enhancements to our program and ensure our members are satisfied with our program.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to contact us as we value your patronage. Should you require further assistance, please feel free to contact the Priority Club Service Center again.

The only bit of good news – you can book rooms at the old rates until March 18th 2012 via telephone (see small print)

The Reward Night chart above is effective January 18, 2012.  If the hotel that you originally planned to book now requires more points, simply call the Priority Club Service Center to reserve your Reward Night and ask for the original point price.  This offer is valid through March 18, 2012.

Only back in 2010 did IHG say the following – shame they couldn’t stand by their own words:

“If you want your loyal customers to stick with you during tough times, it’s vital to show you appreciate them and give them more value, not less. So it’s no wonder there was such a negative reaction to Hilton devaluing their points programme,” said Tom Seddon, chief marketing officer, IHG

The new redemption levels are as follows…

Holiday Inn Express / Express by Holiday Inn:

• Was: 10,000 – 15,000 – 25,000
• Now: 10,000 – 15,000 – 20,000 – 25,000

Holiday Inn:

• Was: 10,000 – 15,000 – 25,000
• Now: 10,000 – 15,000 - 20,000 – 25,000

Candlewood Suites

• Was: 15,000
• Now: 15,000 – 20,000

Staybridge Suites

• Was: 20,000
• Now: 20,000 - 25,000

Crowne Plaza:

• Was: 25,000
• Now: 25,000 – 35,000

Hotel Indigo:

• Was: 25,000
• Now: 25,000 – 35,000

Intercontinental:

• Was: 30,000 – 40,000
• Now: 30,000 – 40,000 – 50,000

When: Effective from the 18th January – act now!

More Information: See Priority Club Website

Screen Shot – Old

Screen Shot – New

]]> http://www.priorityclubinsider.com/2012/01/no-happy-new-year-from-priority-club-increased-redemption-levels/feed/ 40 http://www.priorityclubinsider.com/2011/11/upgrade-to-a-club-platinum/ http://www.priorityclubinsider.com/2011/11/upgrade-to-a-club-platinum/#comments Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:18:41 +0000 admin http://www.priorityclubinsider.com/?p=1597 Loophole now closed

What: Signed to A-Club Gold but now ready for Platinum?

When:  ASAP – This is a loophole which is sure to close soon

How:

1. Click here

2. Login and click submit and wait for the “Welcome as an A|Club Platinum member!”

Notes:

Thank you to Australian Business Traveller

• Overnight accommodation in the 4-star Hotel Indigo with breakfast
• 2- course dinner in Marco Pierre White’s restaurant (worth £22 each)
• A bellini cocktail on arrival or with the meal (worth £7 each)
• A free gift from Elaine Cunningham Interiors**
• Complimentary late check-out until 2pm

Where: Liverpool, United Kingdom

When: 2nd October-30th December 2011

Brands: Indigo

How: Book here

Gold Benefits:

• 75% A|Club points bonus for every stay

Exclusive additional benefits at Sofitel*, Pullman and MGallery hotels.

• Welcome drink and gift
• A room ALWAYS AVAILABLE if you reserve at least 5 days before your arrival.
• Room upgrade**
• Late check-out up to 4:00 pm**

* Except Thalassa sea & spa
** upon request, and subject to availability

How: Sign up here and use promotion code AMEXSING10

(We are sorry, our system is temporarily unavailable. Please try again or contact your nearest reservation office for assistance

And does this make sense?

[CHECKBOX ] Remember my account for future sign in.
(Select this when using a public computer.)

The one improvement I’d really like to see is “You’d earn x points and y qualifying nights with this stay” when you book, I’ll wait and see, but lets get the website working first.

Other routes now open to us include the Priority Club twitter feed – so if you tweet try a DM to get your issue resovled – but expect to have your dirty washing aired in public!

@DM @celo_mendes Records show your account was opened 5/3 and check out date of the stay was 4/17. We’re not able to credit prior stays.

They have also launched a new e-mail address IHGCare@ihg.com to address your issues.#

Tell me how you get on!

Here’s your Big Break
Congratulations, Agent <me>! You’ve been hand selected to receive DOUBLE credit for Saturday stays in May.

Not that it’s going to change my behaviour as this latch only earns me 1800 points – but it would have been nice to get a heads up on this via e-mail.

So check your account - you might have something similar!

New additions to the programme include:

“Last Minute Reward Nights” will allow Priority Club members globally to redeem Reward Nights at a 50% discount off the regular point price, for selected properties.  Members will receive an e-mail on Monday providing a list of hotels where this offer will be available the following weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.  Initially, this program will be offered on the first full weekend of every month, starting with May 6, 7 and 8, 2011.

And

“Lucky Points” Sweepstakes: This feature will give members based in the US, Canada, and UK the chance to turn their extra points into great rewards.  Members will be able to redeem a very small quantity of Priority Club points (e.g., 100 or 200 points per entry) in exchange for a chance to win the prize or prizes that are most appealing to them. Typically, members will have 6-8 different prize draws to select from, ranging from terrific hotel packages (e.g. 4 nights at the InterContinental Times Square- New York) to popular merchandise (e.g., iPads), and even 1 million Priority Club points!  Priority Club Rewards will be the only travel loyalty program to offer members this chance to turn a single stay into a huge prize! The program will roll out in China and Japan beginning fall 2011.

To read Ric’s full analysis visit his blog.