Pretty sure I signed up separately afterwards after getting an email invite. I have separate member numbers etc...
I too have separate numbers, AFAIK everyone does. Did you join PGR before or after August 2014? I see from one of your earlier posts that it was late last year so I suspect the email was in relation to the semi-auto enrollment into Discovery.
Unless you signed up with different email and passwords, I suspect you have one "linked" account. If you go to
www.gha.com and
sign in with your Rydges email and password, and then look at the welcome message on the left near the top of the page: if it shows your Rydges number then your accounts are linked.
So you would recommend Discovery over PGR? I was leaning towards PGR on the off chance I might stay occasionally at some of these properties - at least enough to earn something useful towards a free night?
Definitely not; I haven't put much thought into why separate accounts could be an advantage, but my initial thinking is there is none. As you have pointed out, it is generally much easier to achieve status through Rydges/PGR than Discovery as the former is based on stays rather than nights. 5 stays gets you mid-tier; 10 stays gets you top-tier (Black). If like me, your tendency is short, one or two night stays then you will reach the higher status levels far more quickly through PGR.
An example: I have been top-tier with Rydges/PGR for many years, enjoying free nights, 50% discount on meals and grog, etc. It's not as good as it used to be but still not bad. Earlier this year I had my first stay at a Discovery hotel (AVANI Livingstone). After some confusion at check-in (not sure whether the check-in lass was new or just confused by the dual-branding on my Rydges card), I approached the "guest relations team", and asked whether there were any benefits in relation to my "black" status.
The lass said she would check with the Manager: long story short - we were moved to their largest suite (double upgrade), offered a complimentary Zambesi sunset cruise (retail about $US75 each) and treated like Royalty for the remainder of our stay. I repeat, this was our first stay at a Discovery Hotel.
So if you have achieved any status through your PGR membership before you arrive in SIN, make sure you book on the Discovery website using your PGR log-in and be sure to point out your status with the guest relations team (or whatever they call themselves where you are staying).
JV