InterContinental Hotels Group has announced the name of IHG Rewards Club’s new top membership level, Spire Elite, introduced to recognise and reward its most loyal members. 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 world’s biggest 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.
Importance of recognition
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.
Commenting on the photographs (see ‘Street’’ above) he created for IHG Rewards Club, Steve McCurry said: “Photography is about searching for little moments that happen in the blink of an eye but can last a lifetime. Each one of these photographs captures how a moment of recognition can do just this. Like a photograph, recognition does not need translation or adaptation; its prominence is understood by everyone, everywhere”.
Recognised for being special
Susanna Freer Epstein, SVP Customer Loyalty, IHG, added:
“The feeling that you’re recognised for being special is what IHG Rewards Club aims to deliver to with the launch of Spire Elite. It’s our way of saying thank you to our most loyal members, who from today will benefit from ability to earn 100% extra bonus points on all qualifying stays across the IHG hotel portfolio – an industry first. 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:
- Providing the chance to feel part of a special “club”
- Identifying a guest as someone unique, who is “not just a number”
- Remembering something about the individual; their likes, dislikes and preferences
- Providing a reward, a “thank you” for achieving something
Qualifying levels
Spire Elite membership can now 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 10 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.
As part of the launch of Spire Elite, IHG Rewards Club has relaunched its Rewarding Experiences Digital Hub to showcase the experiences available to IHG Rewards Club members all over the world and across all four IHG Rewards Club membership tiers.
Visit the Rewarding Experiences Digital Hubto find out more about Steve McCurry’s exclusive photographs for IHG Rewards Club, more information about Spire Elite, and using IHG Rewards Club points to obtain rewards. Visit here for more information on the latest enhancements to the programme and to join the IHG Rewards Club.
About the Spire Elite name
‘Spire’ is derived from the old English word ‘spir’ – a shoot or a stalk of grass standing out amongst the others. It is awe inspiring, exceptional and a symbol of prestige. It conveys a sense of dedication and an aspirational attitude: going above and beyond; the sky is the limit. The name connotes a strong sense of prestige, elevated stature, and worthiness of admiration, along with a sense of dedication and an aspirational attitude, which is in line with how IHG Rewards Club sees its most loyal members who would qualify for this tier.
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