Royal Ambassador qualification helpful tips

I don't think we give them enough credit, I think the IT has improved substantially, certainly "my offer status" seems to be working far more efficiently for me, it's the economical call centre service that has potential for improvement.

I would agree this is still true today, when I called the agent quickly quoted my total number of nights (which seems to include reward nights) and she new exactly how many IC's I had stayed at.

If you earn your Ambassador status (say, a promotion where you stay 3 stays at an IC and get Ambassador status) versus outright buying the Ambassador status - would that affect your ability to qualify for RA status? I've got 3 stays at different IC's (one paid, two on rewards) in the last 90 days - will get another 3 stays at 3 different IC's in the next 30 days or less - plus will have no problem racking up a few dozen HI/HIX stays on top of the other HI/HIX stays I've already got. Would like to make RA this year, but if you absolutely HAVE to buy Ambassador, then it wouldn't be worth my while.

Thanks,

Erndog

no it doesn't matter, if you qualify for RA whilst an ambassador you'll get RA irrespective of how you got your ambassador

I have a question... I am a RA today and I THINK I will manage to requalify, but if not, I have a friend who will give me his ref. cert. The problem is... The ref. cert. expire in June and my RA expire in August. If I send in the ref. cert. in late June, will I only get RA for the two months (which I obviously don't need) or will they give me RA for the next year?

I also have my own ref. cert that I can give to my husband if I don't requalify. However I have heard about couples who have gotten their accounts closed because of more than one account at one household. Is it likely that that will happen? Anybody with experience of this?

When will I know if I have requalified, will I know it before I get the dreaded letter? Have anybody seen their acoount being extended after nine-ten months?

Xxx.

if you don't re qualify and you have up until the end of August, at end of May they will look at your account at the previous 12 months, if you have circa 65 nights at IHG properties, paid or award with minimum of three IC's, you should automatically qualify, if not you'll receive a letter in June saying you haven't qualified, but you have until end of August to satisfy, if you don't qualify by end of May, and you don't think you'll qualify by end of August, I'd call explain you want use cert but until till June 2012, and reference the confirmation in a letter you send with the cert, ask them to send you and email confirmation and send them the cert in June, you'll lose two months, ie you'll be RA until end of June 2012, no big deal, unless you think you'll make it be end of August, in that case would be waste of cert. No rules about couples, additional account for IHG. You won't be in trouble for giving your cert to your husband. Count your stays at end of May for the preceding twelve months, if you have 65 nights, three IC's you're right. Remember you have until end of August to re qualify, the turn down letter you may receive if June is just the first sweep.

My experience is that reward night stays at IC hotels do count towards your 3 IC stay requirement, but they do not count towards the number of nights required to qualify in total (which for me has been exactly 55 nights, on three separate occasions).

yes ag51, 55 you're probably right, i was maybe inaccurately factoring in for inflation!

Thank you very much. I have counted my stays from 1. of June to end of May and I will have 63 qualifying nights, 6 reward nights and 4 unqualifying nights (I am fighting with the PC to get them qualified), 9 different IC's and around 50% at IC's. Because it looks like I have to fight to get travel agent rates to qualify, I am not sure if the rest of my stays will be qualifying and then not sure if I will be reqaulified. I really like being an RA, but I am fed up with the inconsistency and uncertainty around the program. (At the terms and conditions at one of their pages it is said that travel agency rate will not be a qualifying night, but at their travel agent site it is said you *will* get points and I assume that stays where you get points also will be qualifying.) I have tried to direct the PC and AMB. service desk to their own travel agency site, but they don't answer me when I do so. So yes, I am really pondering if I will leave the brand but don't know what to change to. Don't know if any of the other programs are any better...

Xxx.

it's a great program, it looks like you've already reached RA, I was corrected by AG51, the threshold is 55 nights, three IC's, looks like you've already got that.

No, I will not reach it if they don't allow my travel agency rates to be qualifying as I still have 12 of those bookings left in April/May. However IC Berlin was the first hotel to deny me qualifying nights through the rate. I *do* understand if the rate is not qualifying, but then they should not write that the rate *is* qualifying. This inconsistency, uncertainty and having to guess when, why, how to qualify is what I don't like. Who knows if they change the 55 nights?

Xxx.

you should give them a call and keep trying if you don't have any luck withe first CSR, say you believe they've made a mistake re qualifying nights, there's some info on the discounted rates and how you can still qualify, Gary Leff has written about it on his blog, view from the wing.

A

Actually, since the Ambassador program is still separate from the PC program, they do have a partial revenue capability with respect to IC property stays. Or at least did in the Six Continents Club years. Ambassador and Royal Ambassador status were originally given for revenue/spend and not nights stayed. IIRC RA required an annual spend of $40K at just IC branded properties (HIs etc. were then not part of the BASS package of hotels). It was very exclusive and there was no referral system. And the PC system must track revenue since the base points earned are derived from what we spend. So the two systems together could easily track spending.

Is there a button for "most wrong information" in a post? Reward nights usually don't count. 55 paid nights with 3 different IC's is the standard rule of thumb. I'd also be very skeptical that they'd let you use an RA cert in that fashion.

I have over 120 paid/award nights in the last year, and my account just showed "Ambassador" renewed last month. I have about 80 paid nights, of which 70 or so have posted, the others, I don't get any response when I put in a missing night credit for them. Still, I should be RA again, but will probably have to call up. No such thing as consistency with PC.

Jaimito

ag51 already picked me up on the incorrect number of nights,"yes ag51, 55 you're probably right, i was maybe inaccurately factoring in for inflation!"

in any case no backpacker has 63 qualifying nights and 9 IC's so she will qualify if she gets past the travel agent booking issue.

I was at circa 90 when they did the the first sweep, three months before the RA expired and didn't get automatic renewal as I had only stayed at two IC's, but they did upgrade after a call, I believe from what others (credible) have said reward nights count towards the number of IC's if that is an issue, but that's not the issue in this case. Yes you're right I did include award stays incorrectly! What would be the problem with her using her husband's cert though?, I can't see that being a problem at all, people use other people's certs all the time, it's a referral cert. I have been reading that ambassador services have recently been telling members 65 nights whilst I appreciate the call service is pretty poor, and don't disagree, there is very little consistency from the call centers.

I went through this. I called CS and stated that I did not want to waste a freind's referral cert if I was only going to get two months worth of use. They gladly gave me 14 months of use IF (REPEAT IF) I renewed my Amb status early.

Thanks in a million for this! Now, with my ref. cert. in hand, it is very tempting to switch to another brand for some months... I have over 60 upcoming nights in May, June and July so I might ask for a chellenge to another program... It is a pity as I have been loyal (at least I have stayed at PC/IC as long as there has been such hotels where my travel has taken me), and my plan was to stay loyal, but with all this conflicting information, pondering, thinking, counting, wishing, etc... I do not intend to be loyal anymore. I will use my friends (not my husbands) ref. cert, stay at IC's and CP's where they are and simply give the rest of my over 110 nights a year to another brand. RA *is* a great program, but I don't have the time nor the energy to fight for silly things that should be obvious.

I can report back that I HAVE been in contact with a person from the executive office. The problem is.. he has the same problem with getting Amb. desk to answer as I have! Because of this he has given me 3000 points as a gesture, but hey... it's not only the 3000 points I will miss, also the 3000 extra points from their promotion to get 3000 extra points. And of course the QULIFYING nights counting to requalify for RA. However I will not fight for the extra points... not until I know what happens at least. BUT I don't understand their problem. As long as they have printed the rate to be qualifying on their own site, why on earth should there be a problem with getting me the points and qualifying nights????

I also have another issue with them, regarding the crack the case promo. Again, they refere to their genereral terms and conditions (that you only get points/qualifying nights for one room). When I quote their own rules, they simply don't answer. This is PC in a nutshell. Everytime I have been in contact with them, it feels like I have been in contact with a computer, not a normal, thinking, humain being.

Sorry for my rant.. (I know I sound like a childish girl... I am... at least right now... )

Xxx.

Have I received Royal level?
According to the Ambassador telephone support I have not???

Date Posted

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Activity Type

|

Description

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Total Activity Earning

May 3, 2013

|

Earn

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Qualifying Stay

|

3,000 pts.

May 2, 2013

|

Earn

|

Qualifying Stay

|

3,000 pts.

Apr 25, 2013

|

Earn

|

Qualifying Stay

|

3,000 pts.

Apr 22, 2013

|

Other

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Royal Ambassador Renewal

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0 pts.

Apr 8, 2013

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Other

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AWARD NIGHT ADJUSTMENT - Holiday Inn MAYAGUEZ & TROPICAL CASINO MAYAGUEZ PUERTO RICO

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15,000 pts.

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