Royal Ambassador (invitation only) offers all of the benefits listed above, plus the following:
IHG backs up Ambassador benefits with cash, credits, or points if they are not able to offer certain benefits during your stay:
Kimpton Inner Circle Status
Kimpton offers a special level of status by invitation-only to its most loyal guests called Kimpton Inner Circle. Benefits of this status can be awesome for those selected and include:
- Inner Circle Amenity (a personalized treat on arrival.)
- Complimentary Chef’s Taste
- Complimentary Night at New Hotels (When Kimpton opens a new hotel, you can reserve a free night for a limited time. This can be a huge benefit if you’re able to take advantage of it).
- VIP Dedicated Phone Line
- Guaranteed 1-category room upgrade
- Early check-in & late check-out: Guaranteed 10am check-in and 4pm check-out
- Waived amenity fee: includes amenity/destination fees, but does not waive resort fees
- IHG Diamond Elite Status
How to get Kimpton Inner Circle status
Kimpton Inner Circle status is by invitation-only, but it requires a member to earn IHG Diamond Elite status and show particular loyalty to Kimpton by staying at Kimpton hotels often (this isn’t defined). Invitations go out in January each year by email.
Elite perks: What and where?
One of the main elite status perks of the IHG One Rewards program are increased earnings on paid stays:
- General member (no status) = 10x points per $1 on paid stays with most brands / 5x points per $1 at Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites)
- Silver status = 20% bonus on points earned (12x / 6x)
- Gold status = 40% bonus on points earned (14x / 7x)
- Platinum status = 60% bonus on points earned (16x / 8x)
- Diamond status = 100% bonus on points earned (20x / 10x)
In addition to amplified earnings on paid stays, elite members enjoy a few other perks:
- Points do not expire for elite members. Ordinarily, IHG points expire if a member has no activity for 12 months. However, points never expire for elite members.
- Late checkout. This isn’t guaranteed, but program terms indicate that elite members are eligible for late checkout, so they theoretically have increased odds of scoring late checkout.
- Early check-in: Platinum and Diamond Elite members can get early check-in subject to availability. At Kimpton hotels, this is only guaranteed for Kimpton Inner Circle members.
- Complimentary upgrades. Platinum Elite and Diamond Elite Members will be offered a complimentary upgrade, though upgraded rooms are defined by the hotel and might include something like a more recently renovated room or a room on a higher floor or with a better view. Program terms explicitly state that hotels are not required to upgrade members to suites.
- 72-Hour Guaranteed Availability: “When contacting the IHG® One Rewards Customer Care Centre directly and guaranteeing the reservation with a valid credit card, each Platinum Elite or Diamond Elite Member will be guaranteed one guest room for personal use, for reservations made at least 72 hours prior to the date of arrival, except during special events that result in extraordinary room demand, as determined solely by the hotel, or on Reward Night reservation. The Member will not be charged more than the prevailing rate for the accommodation requested, and the Member is not entitled to a rate less than the prevailing rate. Once made, Platinum Elite or Diamond Elite Guarantees may not be dishonored for any reason.” While it says that this type of reservation can not be dishonored, terms do not indicate any compensation if it is not met.
Shortcuts to elite status
Those who have the IHG One Rewards Business card, the IHG One Rewards Premier Select card, or the older and no-longer-available IHG Rewards Club Select card with a $49 annual fee get automatic IHG Platinum Elite status.
IHG One Rewards Premier cardholders can reach Platinum Elite status when they spend $15,000 on purchases per calendar year. Additionally, IHG One Rewards Premier Select and Rewards Business cardholders can reach Diamond Elite status with $25,000 spend and $50,000 spend, respectively, in a calendar year.
Once you earn elite status this year, your status will be good for the rest of this year, all of the next, and through February of the year after that.
Things to know about elite status shortcuts:
- Earning one level of status doesn’t help you get to the next. For example, if you have Platinum status from a credit card, you are just as far from Diamond Elite status as someone with no status at all. You’ll still need either 70 nights, 120,000 elite-qualifying points, or $25,000+ in spend on a qualifying credit card to reach Diamond status. You don’t get any credit towards the next level up.
- Unlike competitors, IHG has no lifetime elite status so there is no disadvantage to shortcuts in terms of lifetime credit lost
Earnings points from stays
| Status | Points per $ at most brands | Points per $ at Staybridge Suites & Candlewood Suites |
| Club (no status) | 10x | 5x |
| Silver | 12x | 6x |
| Gold | 14x | 7x |
| Platinum | 16x | 8x |
| Diamond | 20x | 10x |
The chart above shows point earnings for stays. The middle column shows the number of points earned per dollar at most brands. The next column shows the points earned per dollar at long-stay brands Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites.
Points are not earned with online travel agency bookings. For example, if you book through Expedia, you will not earn points for your room charge.
You can earn points on up to 9 rooms at once. If you book 9 rooms with the same IHG One Rewards account number, you’ll earn points on all of the rooms but you’ll earn elite night credits for only 1 room.
IHG Business Rewards
IHG Business Rewards is a program run for business travel planners where you normally earn 3 points per dollar when booking hotel stays for other people or for events and/or meetings. In addition, IHG Business Rewards members are able to transfer their points to other members for free.
Although the points earned by the IHG Business Rewards member are in addition to the points earned by the person staying at the hotel that they booked, they can’t be the same person.
If you own your own small business and want to book your own paid travel, you’d therefore want to book it under your personal IHG One Rewards account in order to earn at least 10 points per dollar (more depending on status, other IHG promos, etc.); otherwise you are stuck earning 3 points per dollar normally if allocating the booking to your IHG One Rewards Business account.
Manage IHG One Rewards Points
Share points with others
IHG allows Diamond members to transfer points to other members for free, up to 100,000 points per calendar year. All other members can transfer points to another member without limits for a fee of $5 per 1,000 points. At a cost of 0.5c per point to transfer, that’s a horrible deal. IHG frequently sells points for the same price, so you’re better off waiting for a sale and simply buying points rather than paying to transfer them unless you’re looking to just top up an account for a specific award and points aren’t currently on sale.
How to keep points alive
Points expire after 12 months of inactivity. Fortunately, almost all points activity will reset the clock. Points remain alive and available as long as you earn or use points at least once every 12 months.
Points do not expire for current IHG One Rewards elite members (including those whose status comes from holding the IHG Rewards credit cards).
Point transfers to airline miles
IHG One Rewards points can be transferred to more than 30 different airline loyalty programs, albeit at a poor rate of 10,000 IHG points to 2,000 airline miles in most cases. That is generally a poor deal unless you’re topping off an airline account for a valuable redemption and/or draining orphaned IHG points before expiry.
Unfortunately, this can not be done online and typically takes a few weeks. You must contact IHG One Rewards over the phone to make a transfer.
IHG Rewards Credit Cards
Below you’ll find information about each currently available IHG credit card:
