While some hotel programs are aggressive about offering status challenges (like Hilton Honors), IHG Rewards Cub is generally pretty stingy in this regard. That’s surprising, since the program isn’t that rewarding, and also because they make it easy to earn status with their co-branded credit card, the IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card.

That’s why IHG’s new promotion is pretty noteworthy.

For a limited time only, IHG Rewards Club is offering a status challenge all the way up to their Spire Elite tier.

This promotion is only open to IHG Rewards Club members with accounts registered in the United States and United Kingdom who register between June 17 and June 30, 2019.

You’ll need to provide your name, email address, IHG Rewards Club status, and proof of status with a competing hotel group (which includes AccorHotels, Best Western, Caesars Entertainment, Choice, Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, NH Hotel Group, Radisson, and Wyndham).

You’ll be awarded status once your status challenge is approved, and that will be valid for 90 days. Then you’ll have 90 days to complete the qualifying stays needed to maintain Gold Elite, Platinum Elite, or Spire Elite status, through December 31, 2020. Specifically, you’ll need to stay:

  • Two nights to maintain Gold Elite status
  • Five nights to maintain Platinum Elite status
  • Ten nights to maintain Spire Elite status

Note that while there’s no maximum number of people who can take advantage of the Gold Elite or Platinum Elite challenge, the Spire Elite challenge is limited to 2,500 people.

There are aspects of this promotion that don’t make total sense to me:

  • It doesn’t specify who is eligible for a Spire Elite challenge, who is eligible for a Platinum Elite challenge, etc.; I’d assume that they’ll give top tier elites a Spire challenge, mid-tier elites a Platinum challenge, and entry level elites a Gold challenge, but I could be wrong
  • The terms are a bit ambiguous, but it seems you could do a Spire challenge, and then if you complete just five nights during the promotion period you’d get Platinum status through December 2020

All things considered IHG Rewards Club has very weak benefits, as they don’t offer complimentary breakfast, and don’t really offer any other guaranteed benefits aside from bonus points.

Personally I’m very happy with the IHG Rewards Club Platinum status that I receive just for having the IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card. Though I realize not everyone has access to the credit card, and also that some people might get value from Spire Elite.

Bottom line

While IHG Rewards Club is far from my favorite hotel loyalty program, it’s still noteworthy that they’re offering a readily available status challenge for those in the US and UK, since they usually don’t.

This could be an easy way to earn Spire Elite status, compared to their usual 75 night per year requirement, which is ridiculous given how lackluster the program is.

Do you plan on taking advantage of this IHG status challenge promotion?

(Tip of the hat to LoyaltyLobby)

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