Book a room at either S$350 or S$450 nett and receive the same amount in dining credits for your stay
InterContinental Singapore is now running a promotion offering its rooms from S$350 nett, and offering the full value of the room in dining credits that you can use at its restaurants.
The offer
The offer is currently running for stays between 8 Mar 2021 and 31 May 2021. The two room types you can book are:
The Deluxe King Room at S$350 nett
or the Junior Suite at S$450 nett
InterContinental Singapore Junior Suite
Both rooms will come with either S$350 or S$450 worth of dining credits which you can use during your stay (more on this later). Note that the rooms do not come with breakfast, so you will need to offset it from the dining credits.
For reference, breakfast at Ash & Elm is chargeable at S$40++ per adult making it a total of S$94 nett for two people. If you prefer ala carte options, you can also take your breakfast at The Lobby Lounge, featuring items such as eggs benedict with caviar (S$30++).
Junior Suites at the InterContinental Singapore do not come with Club lounge access, so that will have to be purchased separately upon check-in, subject to availability. Note that you will not be able to use your dining credits to offset this additional fee.
As of today (21 Mar), all Friday and Saturday dates are no longer available, but the rest of the days are pretty fair game.
The fine print
Some of the key terms and conditions you will need to know:
Firstly, the entire sum of the of dining credits must be used during the stay. Any amount over the credit will have to be settled upon check out, but unused credits will be forfeited.
The dining credits covers service charge and taxes, so it’s not S$350 or S$450 before the additional charges.
Note that while the terms & conditions for the offer explicitly said that IHG Rewards Club points will not be earned and InterContinental Ambassador membership benefits do not apply, your mileage may vary so no harm providing it at the point of booking.
Dining credits
The dining credits can be used at the following restaurants at InterContinental Singapore:
Ash & Elm
Man Fu Yuan
The Lobby Lounge
Palms Pool & Champagne Bar
Unfortunately this means that you won’t be able to use the credits at the famed Chikuyotei also located within the hotel. Also excluded is in-room dining, so please bear that in mind if you intend to take up the offer.
From experience, you will end up spending anything between S$50 to S$100 per head per restaurant, depending on whether there’s alcohol involved.
I went to Ash & Elm for dinner last Christmas, and the total bill for a party of four came up to about $450 nett, including a bottle of wine.
Final thoughts
If you are planning to dine at any of the restaurants at InterContinental on a specific day, this is an offer that you might want to look into. I personally refer to look at this offer from the other perspective: getting a free night stay if I’m looking to spend at least S$350 in dining at the hotel.
However, weekend availability is nil at this moment, but there are some public holidays coming up, so this promotion might be good for those days if you snap them up quickly.
Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, Accor ALL: See which programmes have reduced their normal requirements and which have yet to announce anything
Hilton Honors
50% reduction in requirements, lower milestone bonuses
Hilton Honors members will be pleased to know that they will only need to achieve 50% of the usual qualification requirements in 2021 to earn or keep their status.
The requirements for 2021 are:
Silver: 5 nights / 2 stays / 12,500 base points
Gold: 20 nights / 10 stays / 37,000 base points
Diamond: 30 nights / 15 stays / 60,000 base points
This means that you will earn Silver status for as little as two stays in 2021, although that is hardly worth anything, given that the real perks kick in only when you reach Gold when you hit 10 stays or 20 nights.
If you recall, Hilton will also be rolling over all the nights earned in 2020 to 2021, counting towards the reduced number of nights required to earn status. Note that only nights will roll over, and not stays or points value.
On top of the reduced status qualification requirements, Hilton Honors will also be reducing the milestone bonus requirements, and the number of nights you need to hit before gifting a status to someone else.
World of Hyatt
Hyatt has similarly reduced earning requirements by 50% for 2021:
Discoverist: 5 tier-qualifying nights / 12,500 base points
Explorist: 15 tier-qualifying nights / 25,000 base points
Globalist: 30 tier-qualifying nights / 50,000 base points
Note that any status earned or retained in 2021 will be valid until 28 Feb 2023.
If you usually earn your status through organising meetings, note that the requirements for the status have also halved, although I don’t see meetings resuming in a big way similar to pre-pandemic levels.
On top of this, World of Hyatt has also extended its Award Rebate programme to 28 Feb 2021 (registration required), giving World of Hyatt a 15% rebate on the points used for an award stay.
World of Hyatt is also running a Bonus Journeys promotion (registration required) where members earn 3x points on every qualifying stay. Elite nights will also count twice: once when they’re earned, and another time in 2021 towards status and Milestone Rewards.
Accor ALL
Accor has announced some really interesting changes to its 2021 programme requirements.
Firstly, the all status points and status nights earned between 1 Jul 2020 and 31 Dec 2020 will be credited to your 2021 count by end of January 2021.
In addition, all status points and status nights earned in 2021 will be doubled. “Twice the points, twice the fun”, they said.
With these two measures this means:
If you have earned/requalified your Accor ALL status through stays between July and December 2020, all of the nights/points will automatically roll over to 2021, which means you have effectively qualified for the same status through end 2023.
If you have not, you will effectively need only half the spending or nights in 2021 to qualify for your desired status, as follow:
Silver: Effectively 5 nights or 960 status points (€400 spend)
Gold: Effectively 15 nights or 3,500 status points (€1,400 spend)
Platinum: Effectively 30 nights or 7,000 status points (€2,800 spend)
Diamond: Effectively 13,125 status points (€5,200 spend)
Note that the status points you earn depends on the brand you stay with, with budget brands such as ibis, ibis styles and some others earning much lower status points per dollar spent. To find out exactly how many status and reward points you will earn, you can use the calculator here.
Previously, Accor has extended the duration of those who earned status in 2019 by one year, to expire in December 2021.
IHG Rewards Club
IHG Rewards Club has not announced any reductions in earning requirements in the 2021 programme year.
Earlier in 2020, all members’ programme status has been automatically extended through January 2022, allowing members to enjoy all the benefits of the status they earned during 2019.
IHG elite members’ points never expire so an extension wasn’t necessary, however, entry-level Club members will have their points extended till 30 Jun 2021.
Marriott Bonvoy
Marriott has not announced any form of status earning reductions for 2021 to-date.
Earlier in 2020, Marriott has extended all elite members’ status to expire only in February 2022, so anyone who earned their status in 2019 will have them all the way through February 2022.
In addition, Marriott also gave a one-time 50% Elite Nights Credit in June 2020 to all elite members according to their status. At the top, Ambassador Elite members get 50 elite nights, while the entry tier Silver members get 5 nights, all of which will also count towards lifetime statuses.
Final thoughts
It’s rather baffling that Marriott and IHG have yet to announce any changes to earning requirements for 2021, but this could be a case of “let’s wait and see” on the part of the programme managers.
With the Covid-19 vaccine rolling out in countries around the world, it may still take a while before international travel gradually resume, and that means that tourism and related industries such as hotels will definitely take some time to recover. As such, my guess is that both loyalty programmes will definitely announce updated measures in due time.
Several airlines frequent flyer and hotel loyalty programmes have announced membership extensions for affected members. Here are the details.
LAST UPDATED: 29 April 2020
With Covid-19 entering now heading into its fifth month soon and seeing no signs of easing, global travel has taken a severe beating. Airlines have made drastic cuts to their capacity, while hotels are reporting all-time low occupancy rates.
Moreover, China now makes up one of the most significant group of members that any airline or hotel will want, so I will imagine any loyalty programme manager will want to ensure that this group returns to the fold once the crisis is over.
Several programmes have announced expiry extensions for their elite members, almost most of them are targeted at members in Greater China. See below for details.
[Updated] Singapore Airlines have announced a one-year extension for all KrisFlyer Elite Silver, Elite Gold, PPS Club and Solitaire PPS Club membership which are expiring anytime this year till Feb 2021.
If you have already earned enough elite miles to renew your membership, note that you won’t get another free year (e.g. if your membership was going to expire in May 2020, and you have earned the pre-requisite 50,000 miles for Elite Gold for your next membership year of Jun 2020 to May 2021, you won’t get another free year till 2022).
Note that despite the one-year extension, your accrued elite miles and PPS value will still reset on your anniversary month, so you will have to earn them again in the new year.
All rewards (Elite Gold, PPS Rewards) that are expiring between July and Dec 2020 will also be extended until 31 Mar 2021.
Cathay Pacific
In an email sent to all members, Cathay Pacific informed Marco Polo Club members (separate from Asia Miles) of an extra Club Points credit given to every member, regardless of residency. It’s interesting that Cathay Pacific is not giving an automatic status extension, but instead be given three allotments of Club Points instead for the months of Feb, Mar and Apr 2020.
The number of club points given to each member for month differs by status, as follow:
Green: 10 club points
Silver: 30 club points
Gold: 65 club points
Diamond: 140 club points
All points will be credited by the end of each month. For those whose status expires in Feb, the points will be credited by end of Fen and the remaining points will be credited by the end of the subsequent months, depending on the new status qualified for.
Qantas will provide a 12-month extension on your current membership tier for all current Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One members, starting with members whose membership year ends in March. Those with statuses expiring in March 2020 would have them extended till March 2021, with the last batch of members whose statuses originally expiring in Feb 2021 now extended till Feb 2022.
Email confirming extension of QFF status
Marriott Bonvoy
Updated 29 Apr: Marriott Bonvoy announced on 8 Apr that it will (finally) be extending status earned in 2019 by 12 months.
The status will normally expire in Feb 2021, but it will now expire in Feb 2022 instead, giving you an extra year. This will apply at all elite levels (i.e. Silver, Gold, Platinum, Titanium, Ambassador). The extended year of status will count towards lifetime status in the Bonvoy program.
All points will not expire before Feb 2021, after which if it will only expire if there was no activity in the past 24 months (i.e. since 1 Mar 2019).
Suite Night Awards will be have their validity extended until end 2021, while any free night awards expiring in 2020 will be extended until Jan 2021.
Early in January, Marriott Bonvoy announced its extension policies on their Chinese social media platform WeChat on 22 Feb 2020. Members residing in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan as of 1 Feb 2020 will be given the following extensions:
Members who qualified for elite status in 2019 will have their status expire by 28 Feb 2022 instead of 28 Feb 2021.
Any associated rewards or privileges with status will also be extended to expire 31 Dec 2021, instead of 31 Dec 2020.
All points will not expire before 28 Feb 2021. From 28 Feb 2021, normal expiry rules will apply.
Read the Chinese article here. For an English translation, refer to Loyalty Lobby’s article here.
Hilton Honors
Hilton Honors announced their provisions through their Chinese social media platform WeChat on 19 Feb 2020.
Members whose residential address is listed in Mainland China, Macau, Hong Kong or Taiwan as of 19 Feb 2020 will be given effectively a year’s extension on their status.
For those whose status was going to be downgraded on 31 Mar 2020 will have it extended through Mar 2021. Those that qualified in 2019 will have it until Mar 2022.
World of Hyatt
World of Hyatt will extend the status of all members in Asia Pacific for a year.
Qualifying World of Hyatt Discoverist, Explorist and Globalist members with status expiring on 28 Feb 2020 will now be extended all the way to 28 Feb 2022, rather than a previously announced 28 Feb 2021.
All Suite Upgrade Awards, Club Access Awards and Free Night Awards that are expiring in 2020 for qualifying members will also be extended through 31 Dec 2021.
What is even better is that World of Hyatt is also working to evaluate tier and benefit extensions for members outside of Asia Pacific, but travels frequently to the Asia Pacific region. More information will be shared with qualifying members as it becomes available.
IHG Rewards Club has announced an extension for its elite members. Members with status, and who are residing in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan as of 17 Feb 2020 will be extended by a year. Points expiry will also be extended by at least a year.
For those who have purchased the InterContinental Ambassador membership between 1 Jan and 30 Jun 2019, the membership validity and free weekend night voucher expiry has been pushed back by six months.
Accor Live Limitless
Accor announced 27 Feb 2020 status extensions for all members residing in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
All members with status expiring Dec 2020 will be extended through Dec 2021, while points expiring between 1 Feb 2020 and 31 Jan 2021 will be ‘halted’.
Platinum and Diamond members with suite upgrade vouchers will have their validity extended until Dec 2021.
GHA DISCOVERY
In an email sent by Pan Pacific Hotel Group last week, the hotel will be extending the status of all Platinum and Black members until 31 December 2021.
This appears to apply to all DISCOVERY members, regardless of which hotel chain they signed up with.
Specifically for Pan Pacific members, members will be able to enjoy savings of up to 25% across all participating restaurants and bars at properties under the Pan Pacific Hotels Group from 1 Jun 2020.
Book offer room rates with confidence at up to 50% off, until 15 Mar
In the midst of plummeting hotel occupancies, IHG has decided to launch a flash sale to pick up whatever revenue that’s left on the market.
The promotion is a very short one, which started from 13 Mar and will end 15 Mar. The reservations must be for stays between 14 Mar and 20 Apr (both dates inclusive), and bookings must be made a least a day in advance.
To be able to book the offers, you must be a IHG Rewards Club member, which you can sign up here. After signing up you can access the sale offer here.
Some good offers
Intercontinental Singapore is offering Club rooms at only S$204 nett per night for two people. Enjoy afternoon tea, evening cocktails and breakfast at only about $100 per person per night.
Intercontinental Singapore runs an excellent executive lounge, the Club Intercontinental
Regent Hotel Singapore is offering its premium executive room at S$238++, a significant discount from the usual over $400 rates. Club rooms go for S$273++, which includes access to their club lounge for evening cocktails and breakfast. If you only need a room, the classic king room is available at S$198++.
Regent Singapore – Premium Executive 1 King Room
Up north in Kuala Lumpur, Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur is offering its club room for RM345+ per night, working out to another RM380 nett.
Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur King roomHotel Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur Club Room rate
If you don’t mind secluding yourself on some of Thailand’s best beaches on Koh Samui, Intercontinental Koh Samui is going for only THB6060++ for the Ocean View King Club room per night, a very fine deal this great property.
Final thoughts
This is probably a special sale on a few counts. Firstly, sale rooms are typically not changeable or refundable, but in the face of Covid-19, rooms booked under this sale is now cancellable up to a day before the stay.
Next, the sale prices are amazing: I have never seen an under $200 price tag on Intercontinental Singapore club rooms, even with industry discounts. This is also a reflection of how badly the industry is doing right now, as occupancy dips below 20% on some nights.
This sale is probably good for staycations at he moment, now that international travel is severely limited by the virus. If you are still thinking of travelling to take advantage of the sale, I do urge you to keep yourself updated with the latest developments in the country you are intending to travel to before setting off.
Earn up to 301,000 bonus IHG points on stays between 15 February and 15 May 2020
IHG has launched another bonus points promotion, offering up to 4 times the base points you normally earn.
The mechanism
Upon registration, you will start earning bonus points on your stays during the promotion period between 15 Feb and 15 May 2020. The first stay will see you net an additional 1,000 points, while subsequent stays will depend on the number of nights you clocked, as well as the base rates.
The table of points earned is as below:
Nights
Base points earned
Bonus points earned
1st night
10 points per USD on base rate
1000 points
2nd to 5th night
10 points per USD on base rate
100% bonus*
6th to 14th night
10 points per USD on base rate
200% bonus*
15th night onwards
10 points per USD on base rate
300% bonus*
*You can only earn up to 100,000 bonus points under each category, for a total of 301,000 bonus points for the entire promotion period.
While the headline number is 4X bonus points, note that it is probably more accurate to say that it is the usual number of points, plus up to three times (or 300%) of that base number of points, to make the ‘4X’.
How much are IHG reward points worth?
This is the existential question of all miles & points collector, and as the saying goes, YMMV (your mileage may vary).
I value IHG Reward Club points at about 0.7 Singapore cents (US$0.05) per point, so as a base member you get essentially a $7 bonus on your first stay, and then a 5% rebate on your 2nd to 5th night, 10% for 6th to 14th night and 15% thereafter. This is a rather good value, given that other hotel chains almost don’t offer as much a point.
For the purpose of illustrations, these are the number of points you will need for an award booking in some of the Singapore IHG properties:
Six Senses Duxton, Superior Shophouse – 55,000 points
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, Deluxe Room – 40,000 points
Hotel Indigo Katong, Deluxe Room – 35,000 points
Hotel Indigo Katong, Deluxe Room
The fine print
Note that you will need to register for the promotion here first before you can earn the bonus points. Needless to say, this promotion cannot be applied retrospectively. All stays must be booked by 15th April and consumed by 15th May.
If the booking is more than one night, the average nightly rate will be used in calculating the bonus points. This is a crucial point if your stay cuts across the tresholds (e.g. from 2x bonus to 3x bonus).
The full terms and conditions of the offer can be found here.
