heygman
Junior Member
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2011
- Posts
- 11
- Qantas
- Platinum
Hi people,
Just a heads-up JUST IN CASE it hasn't been mentioned before. It might have, but I have searched the forum to find out...
If you use Qantas Hotels to book your accommodation, they "might" use third party providers such as Expedia.com. I say might because I've only done it once and this is the result:
I took the family recently to the US/Canada and whilst booking the flights, I also booked one hotel via Qantas Hotels.
According to IHG, the most expensive stay on our journey (8 nights in Seattle), which of course was the one I booked via Qantas Hotels, is an IHG Rewards Club "non-qualifying stay" as it was booked via Expedia.com. Wait, No. I booked it via Qantas Hotels (Hooroo). I have a Qantas booking reference and Tax Invoice. Nothing said anything about Expedia.
"No sir - the booking was made through Expedia and in the IHG conditions, Expedia.com and other similar companies bookings are non-qualifying stays. It is in the conditions." It is. I read it whilst I was trying to work out why my $2500 stay was non-qualifying...
My beef here is twofold.
1) I had to make contact with IHG no less than 4 times in order to find out the reason why it was a "non-qualifying stay". Not once did I receive a response until I eventually placed a call to the call centre (which is, as usual, pretty hard to hear and understand); and
2) That nowhere in any of the Qantas Hotels conditions did it say that the booking was going to be made through a third party company. So why shouldn't I expect to receive my IHG points for my stay? There is no transparency here from Qantas Hotels - well not that I have managed to find.
When I asked IHG if I had presented the quote from Qantas Hotels to IHG for their Best Price Guarantee, would they have then honoured that price and STILL given me my rewards points, I got the standard response of "...any booking made via Expedia or any other booking company like that would not be eligible for points as they are heavily discounted rates..."
I saved $150 for the entire stay. Not sure that is what I would consider a "heavily discounted" rate - roughly 6% discount!
So the "Best Price Guarantee" is worth what, exactly? "Best Price you can get via the IHG website or IHG app" I think.
I think it's time to use up my IGH points and then focus on my Radisson membership, or become Hotel agnostic and leverage as much discount hotel shopping as I can muster.
It's a shame that after nearly 20 years as a member IHG Club membership (at one stage platinum), they don't appear to value that loyalty.
Just a heads-up JUST IN CASE it hasn't been mentioned before. It might have, but I have searched the forum to find out...
If you use Qantas Hotels to book your accommodation, they "might" use third party providers such as Expedia.com. I say might because I've only done it once and this is the result:
I took the family recently to the US/Canada and whilst booking the flights, I also booked one hotel via Qantas Hotels.
According to IHG, the most expensive stay on our journey (8 nights in Seattle), which of course was the one I booked via Qantas Hotels, is an IHG Rewards Club "non-qualifying stay" as it was booked via Expedia.com. Wait, No. I booked it via Qantas Hotels (Hooroo). I have a Qantas booking reference and Tax Invoice. Nothing said anything about Expedia.
"No sir - the booking was made through Expedia and in the IHG conditions, Expedia.com and other similar companies bookings are non-qualifying stays. It is in the conditions." It is. I read it whilst I was trying to work out why my $2500 stay was non-qualifying...
My beef here is twofold.
1) I had to make contact with IHG no less than 4 times in order to find out the reason why it was a "non-qualifying stay". Not once did I receive a response until I eventually placed a call to the call centre (which is, as usual, pretty hard to hear and understand); and
2) That nowhere in any of the Qantas Hotels conditions did it say that the booking was going to be made through a third party company. So why shouldn't I expect to receive my IHG points for my stay? There is no transparency here from Qantas Hotels - well not that I have managed to find.
When I asked IHG if I had presented the quote from Qantas Hotels to IHG for their Best Price Guarantee, would they have then honoured that price and STILL given me my rewards points, I got the standard response of "...any booking made via Expedia or any other booking company like that would not be eligible for points as they are heavily discounted rates..."
I saved $150 for the entire stay. Not sure that is what I would consider a "heavily discounted" rate - roughly 6% discount!
So the "Best Price Guarantee" is worth what, exactly? "Best Price you can get via the IHG website or IHG app" I think.
I think it's time to use up my IGH points and then focus on my Radisson membership, or become Hotel agnostic and leverage as much discount hotel shopping as I can muster.
It's a shame that after nearly 20 years as a member IHG Club membership (at one stage platinum), they don't appear to value that loyalty.