The IHG One Rewards guest loyalty program underwent changes in 2022, including a name change, renaming Spire Elite as Diamond, inclusion of breakfast for two at the Diamond level, and launching Milestone Rewards from 20 to 100 annual nights.
The executive lounge at InterContinental Hotels is called Club InterContinental. For a long time, it was only available by booking a club room or suite or paying a daily supplement. It later became available for invitation-only Royal Ambassador members and, from the program refresh, for those who choose the Annual Lounge Pass option at 40 or 70 nights.
You can access IHG’s page for InterContinental Berlin here, and for Milestone Rewards here.
READ MORE: IHG One Rewards Rate & Bonus Points Offers
Milestone Rewards Options at 40 & 70 Nights:
Annual Lounge Pass:
When the program refresh took place, it took a few months before hotels could see which guests had the Annual Lounge Pass on their accounts, and there has been absolutely no need to show that on the app for more than two years now.
There was immediately a case in 2022 when an InterContinental hotel in China decided to rename its Club InterContinental as a Jade Club and have a separate lounge with water and nuts for elite members with a pass.
InterContinental Hotels Renaming Club Lounges To Prevent Free Access?
There haven’t been reported issues with lounge access, and I have also been using it at many InterContinental hotels that still have them.
InterContinental Berlin
A reader, however, sent us a tip that an InterContinental Berlin in Germany has suddenly decided not to allow those with an Annual Lounge pass to access the lounge despite still selling all types of club rooms. This blocking was taking place around Easter.
So, I made a four-night reservation for a stay in late April and contacted the hotel to find out what the club benefits were then.
InterContinental Berlin’s Reply:
Berlin, +BERHA <Berlin@ihg.com>
Mon, Feb 24, 4:27 PM (16 hours ago)
Dear John,
Thank you very much for your Email and reservation at the InterContinental Berlin.
Our Club InterContinental is not available for your Milestone Rewards stay as we are running out of capacity.
We are very sorry that your stay, of all times, is affected. Please let us know what we can do for you to still make your stay unforgettable.
We thank you for your understanding.
REMOVED | Guest Service Centre
InterContinental® Berlin | Budapester Straße 2 | 10787 Berlin | Germany
This doesn’t make much sense. Why do they continue selling club rooms and suites if they are at capacity?
The starting price for the club room is roughly double that of the cheapest one available for the exact dates.
Ambassador Benefit Guarantees
Many members with an Annual Lounge Pass must also be paid Ambassador program members. The Ambassador Benefit Guarantees only cover Royal Ambassador club access and offer $100 daily F&B credit if lounge access is not granted when the lounge exists.
Annual Lounge Pass Terms
Well, there it is. At least the hotel could claim that it is over capacity, but that cannot be the case if it continues selling rooms.
Here’s the issue:
Club lounges, especially at many Marriott and Hilton hotels, are completely overrun with members who have received the status by merely having a specific premium credit card.
It is understandable that leisure guests want to enjoy the benefits to the fullest, but if guests merely dine in the lounge, this begins to affect the profitability of the hotel’s F&B operations.
Hyatt hotels have also started to have capacity issues, as Globalist members can gift Club Access awards, each valid for a stay of up to 7 nights. Also, Globalist members have Guest of Honor awards that come with Club Lounge access and other benefits.
Here’s what hotels have done (and can do):
1. Removed Club Lounges
Many full-service brands that were previously required to have a club lounge no longer do.
2. Renamed Club Lounges
Some hotels have renamed their previous club lounge, cases in all chains, and have a separate spare bones elite lounge for those that can access it based on status.
3. Downgraded Services
Club lounges, especially in the United States, if still open, are rarely worth a visit, but those in Asia, where I am right now, can still be quite good.
4. Institute Time Limits
Some hotels, especially in Japan, have instituted time slots for lounge access, and you need to choose one that fits your needs.
5. Weird Happy Hour Times
Some hotels seem to have timed the evening happy hour at weird times to ensure that the fewest guests are back at the hotel at that hour.
6. Alternate Venues During High Occupancy
These club lounges are the busiest during the evening happy hours when complimentary alcohol is usually served with some canapes.
When the lounge itself is too busy, the hotel should not have trouble offering most of the lounge benefits at another F&B outlet.
Conclusion
It is, at minimum, challenging, if not impossible, for hotels to have high-quality club lounges if most lounge guests don’t pay extra to access them.
Marriott Bonvoy has resolved this for those staying at Ritz-Carlton, as this brand doesn’t offer complimentary lounge access at all; it is always pay-for-play.
IHG has already closed the Annual Lounge Pass loophole, which allowed you to have it for two full years if you timed the benefit selection for early in the year (as it was valid for the year it was chosen—not earned + 1).
Perhaps they need to limit the Lounge Pass to 70 nights or cap the 40-night one for non-luxury properties.
How IHG and InterContinental Berlin currently are handling this is not correct. The club lounge cannot be at capacity if they continue happily selling all kinds of club rooms and suites.
InterContinental Berlin could offer lunch, dinner, or a bar tab for those Annual Lounge Pass members who cannot access it due to capacity issues.
Have you had trouble utilizing the Annual Lounge Pass? Please comment below.
