Megan sends in her reader success story about a trip to NYC with two IHG status perks. Here’s her story:

InterContinental Ambassador Status

Last year, I bought the InterContinental Ambassador status after learning about it from this blog post. I enjoyed the perks on a trip to New York City and will likely renew it.  At the time, the status cost $200 or 40,000 IHG points. (It has since increased to $225 or 45,000 IHG points). Some of the perks the status comes with include: 

• Complimentary weekend night
• 4 p.m. late checkout
• Guaranteed one-category room upgrade
• Platinum Elite status with IHG One Rewards (which you can also get by holding the card_name or the card_name)
• $20 restaurant and bar credit per stay

The terms and conditions for the status are available here. 

 

InterContinental New York Times Square

Booking the Room

I needed a hotel room near Times Square in January to attend a knitting convention in the area. So, I used my status to book the InterContinental New York Times Square, just a few blocks from my convention.

My room cost $289 for the first night and $299 for the second night. I paid cash for the first night; the second was my Ambassador free night. An important note for the InterContinental Ambassador free night is that you must book the night before in cash; you can’t use points and your ambassador free night together.

I was only charged taxes and fees for my first (paid) night, though I have seen reports of others being charged taxes and fees for both nights. So, I saved $99 before factoring in any of the benefits of either status, just by using my free night benefit. 

 

 

Thoughts on Hotel

As for the hotel itself, we were very impressed. The property was built in 2010, and everything felt new and modern. It’s centrally located near Times Square and many Broadway theaters. Though we didn’t use it, the gym was very well-equipped. By New York standards, our room was spacious, and being on a very high floor helped minimize the noise. 

As a frequent New York visitor, I’ve really come to value a speedy elevator. Many of the older hotels in New York have very slow elevators which become crowded at peak times. We rarely waited more than a few seconds for an elevator. 

 

Taking Advantage of a Targeted Offer

In late December, a few weeks before my stay, I received a targeted offer from IHG to buy elite-qualifying points. For $800, I bought 120,000 IHG points that qualified me for IHG Diamond Elite status. These points are worth about $600 worth of hotel stays. So I essentially paid $200 for IHG Diamond status. 

While not as perk-filled Hyatt Globalist status, IHG Diamond status has advantages—including the option to select complimentary breakfast as your welcome amenity. Knowing I had IHG stays planned this year—including at the InterContinental—I was confident I’d get my money’s worth out of the $200 status purchase.  A few days before my stay, I was happy to see that we had been upgraded to a King Premium Midtown View room. 

 

Ambassador Benefits

When my husband and I arrived at the hotel, I noticed Ambassador members had a separate check-in/check-out area with no wait—nice touch! The employee who checked us in was very helpful. She confirmed our need for a late checkout, reminded us of our $20 restaurant and bar credit, and gave us our complimentary breakfast passes for The Stinger Cocktail Bar and Kitchen in the hotel lobby. (Fun fact: the hotel/restaurant has its own beehive!) 

We arrived later in the evening, so we decided to use our restaurant credit toward our dinner at the Stinger, and our meals were delicious. We also loved the breakfast buffet at the restaurant, which, with taxes and tips, likely would’ve cost close to $100 per day. So I’ve already just about “broken even” on Diamond status. Our breakfast passes covered the meals, taxes, and tips, and we weren’t even brought a bill to sign. 

 

 

A perk I really valued from Ambassador status was the guaranteed late checkout. Because we were only staying for two nights, I opted to book a late train home on Sunday evening. The guaranteed check-out allowed us to enjoy almost a whole day in the city while having a place to take a quick nap and freshen up before we had to travel home. 

 

Bottom Line

While I didn’t use any points on this stay, I saved a little money and enjoyed wonderful perks during a brief, fun trip to learn some new knitting skills and buy yarn. I look forward to returning to this hotel. 

Thanks, Megan, for your reader success story about a trip to NYC with two IHG status perks!

 

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