Virtuoso and IHG: interested in experiences

[Lynnelanne]

Hi
I had never heard of Virtuoso before today but a lot of people seem to be using it on this forum in association with IHG. I am Platinum Ambassador with IHG and was wondering whether to continue to pay for Ambassador. Some years we stay IHG a lot and others not so much. I won’t be platinum this year because my partner has been too ill to travel much. We are going on a cruise from Sydney though in Feb so I wanted to book two nights at IHG Sydney.

Would be interested to know what people have experienced through Virtuoso. The good, the bad, the ugly. From what I can see if I book a certain room level I get upgraded to Club, which I have only once been able to do through Ambassador and that time with a huge amount of wrangling. Do you get points through Virtuoso? Late check out? Probably not in the rules, but what about in practice?
Thank you for any shared experiences and advice.

 

[samh004]

I don't know anything about Virtuoso, but don't look past this thread (regarding Ambassador extending elite status).

 

[LadyC]

I'm not sure if you know much about Virtuoso so forgive me if I am giving you information you may already know. Virtuoso is travel agent network for high end hotels, where booking through a Virtuoso agent can entitle you to additional benefits such as free breakfast everyday, a $ credit to use at the hotel for dining or spa (depending) and you may get an upgrade (subject to availability). Different hotels have different Virtuoso benefits applicable to them. As I understand it (but I haven't had any experience in it), you generally are still eligible for points as the travel agent is booking direct with the hotel. I have had mixed luck with the upgrades, I think it depends upon how long you are staying.

If you do a bit of a google search, you can find out more about the program but Point Hacks has a good summary piece on it (no affiliation).

 

[Lynnelanne]

I'm not sure if you know much about Virtuoso so forgive me if I am giving you information you may already know. Virtuoso is travel agent network for high end hotels, where booking through a Virtuoso agent can entitle you to additional benefits such as free breakfast everyday, a $ credit to use at the hotel for dining or spa (depending) and you may get an upgrade (subject to availability). Different hotels have different Virtuoso benefits applicable to them. As I understand it (but I haven't had any experience in it), you generally are still eligible for points as the travel agent is booking direct with the hotel. I have had mixed luck with the upgrades, I think it depends upon how long you are staying.

If you do a bit of a google search, you can find out more about the program but Point Hacks has a good summary piece on it (no affiliation).

Thanks so much for this. I didn’t know any of that so it’s useful. I asked them for a quote over the weekend but the price I got was totally unimpressive and the benefits the same as if I’d just paid for club access so I don’t get why several people were booking with them rather than through IHG. Will go check out your Point Hacks suggestion and see if I can learn more. Thanks again.

 

[DAC1]

I had my first IHG stay on a Virtuoso rate a couple of months back at the IC HKG.

The IC HKG appears to frequently run programs for those who book virtuoso rate. For my particular stay, by booking any room, I got a guaranteed upgrade to a Harbour View Room and included Club access. I got all this by booking the base room, which was HKD 2200 (which is AUD 360 incl taxes per night). It also included the USD 100 credit.

Fast forward to the stay, and it was in my top 2 hotel experiences for 2017. After checking in, I was escorted to the club to check in and was treated incredibly well, even above what I have normally had in Asia. They also noted my Gold Ambassador status and I assume I got a further upgrade as I received a Harbour View Room that had a pretty large patio with two lounge chairs. I spent a fair bit of time laying out here as it was a beautiful spot to be.

I used my credit for dinner at Yan Toh Heen which was incredible. The club itself was amazing, I noticed there was a price list but I couldn't work out what you did and didn't pay for as the Perrier-Jouet was free flowing yet no charge appeared on my bill for anything.

Obviously your mileage may vary with these stays and virtuoso rates, but in my case, I got an awesome stay for what I considered to be a great price in Hong Kong. I highly recommend going booking virtuoso rates in the future. I use classictravel.com to search for rates and availability, however, I will then generally contact an agent I know (or any of the agents available in Australia - these can be found on the virtuoso website).

 

[Cynicor]

Price list is likely for extra guests, as they will make them pay but people sometimes entertain in the club.

 

[muppet]

<snip>. They also noted my Gold Ambassador status and I assume I got a further upgrade as I received a Harbour View Room that had a pretty large patio with two lounge chairs. </snip>

Hi Rabbits5

Apologies for digging up an old thread - but how did you add your Intercontinental Ambassador number to the booking - did you just call the hotel or tell your Virtuoso agent?

Is it legit to go for both or a little bit greedy?

thanks
m

 

[DAC1]

Hi Rabbits5

Apologies for digging up an old thread - but how did you add your Intercontinental Ambassador number to the booking - did you just call the hotel or tell your Virtuoso agent?

Is it legit to go for both or a little bit greedy?

thanks
m

Hey Muppet - my Virtuoso agent asked proactively so they could add it, and it looks like they make the reservation directly with IHG so my confirmation email came from IHG (it wasn’t like an online travel agency one). Hope this helps!