To celebrate the launch, world renowned travel photographer Steve McCurry - who is best known for his 1984 photographic portrait 'Afghan Girl' - has joined forces with the hotel loyalty programme to capture how a moment of recognition is brought to life through three poignant photographs. Each photograph depicts that unique and treasured moment at which one person recognises another.
Starting this week, IHG Rewards Club will better reward its most loyal members, with the most relevant benefits, through the launch of Spire Elite. This comes following extensive research into what IHG Rewards Club members want from their loyalty programme, which identified the importance of recognition to members who want to feel rewarded for their loyalty. The introduction of Spire Elite now establishes recognition at the heart of the relationship IHG Rewards Club has with its members.
Extra bonus points
"The feeling that you're recognised for being special is what IHG Rewards Club aims to deliver with the launch of Spire Elite," Susanna Freer Epstein, senior vice-president of customer loyalty at IHG, added. "It's our way of saying thank you to our most loyal members, who will benefit from the ability to earn 100% extra bonus points on all qualifying stays across the IHG hotel portfolio. This is just the start of a series of exciting enhancements we will be introducing to continue recognising and building rewarding relationships with our members."
The global research revealed that the key ways in which IHG Rewards Club members expect hospitality brands to show them recognition, are:
Spire Elite membership can be reached by earning 75,000 qualifying reward points or staying at an IHG hotel for 75 qualifying nights, over the course of a calendar year. Including the ability to earn 100% extra bonus points on qualifying stays, Spire Elite members will also be able to choose between receiving 25,000 points, or upgrading a friend or family member to Platinum.
The qualification requirements for all IHG Rewards Club membership levels have also been restructured to make it easier for members to be rewarded for their loyalty. From July, Club members will need to earn just 10,000 qualifying points or stay for ten qualifying nights to be eligible for Gold membership. Gold members will need to earn 40,000 qualifying points or stay for 40 qualifying nights to reach Platinum membership.
