- by David Iwanow
- 3 years ago
InterContinental coronavirus updates
- by David Iwanow
- March 11, 2020
- 0
- 1761  Views
As a guest of IHG Hotels & Resorts we appreciate your loyalty and the trust you place in us as a travel partner. Recognizing the ongoing and increased uncertainty that coronavirus (COVID-19) is causing around the world, our highest priority is the health and wellbeing of our guests and employees. With that in mind we wanted to update you on the actions we have taken in response to the outbreak.
The brands owned by IHG are Intercontinental, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Regent, Voco, Hualuxe, avid, even hotels, Kimpton & Staybridge suites.
Cancellation policy & booking flexibly
We know that flexibility is what our guests are looking for right now. So, we are waiving cancellation fees for existing and new bookings at all IHG hotels globally for stays between March 9, 2020 and April 30, 2020. This is in addition to existing cancellation policy measures we have in place, summarized below.
For any stay prior to March 9, 2020, existing measures mean that you will be able to change or cancel a valid booking reservation without financial penalty, if you are travelling to or from:
- Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and the Taiwan region for any stay between January 23, 2020 and March 9, 2020.
- Italy and South Korea for any stay between February 28, 2020 and March 9, 2020.
For bookings made through a travel agent or online booking platform (e.g. Booking.com, Expedia) please contact them directly – we have advised these companies of our cancellation policy and you should refer to their terms and conditions.
Groups & Meetings bookings
We will work with customers to manage any changes needed on a case by case basis. Our hotels are actively supporting customers to address the needs of each group, including moving event dates to another time. Groups & Meetings can continue to apply our existing measures, enabling these clients to change or cancel a valid booking reservation without financial penalty, in:
- Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and the Taiwan region for any stay between January 23, 2020 and March 9, 2020.
- Italy and South Korea for any stay between February 28, 2020 and March 9, 2020.
Please contact the hotel directly to discuss further. We continue to monitor the situation and will be keeping this policy under review.
For bookings beyond April 30, 2020 we want to remind you of the flexibility already built in to our rates and packages that allow our guests to amend travel plans as necessary. Our Best Flexible Rate allows our guests to change or cancel their reservation one to two days prior to arrival. Changing the date on any reservations through our Best Flexible Rate may result in different pricing, but there is no fee for making changes. To inquire about any booking contact the hotel or our reservations team. We hope this helps you to plan and book any future travel with confidence.
During your stay
Our number one priority is your health, safety and well-being. We are closely monitoring developments around the world and are in contact with global organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and relevant authorities for country-specific requirements, to ensure the actions we take are comprehensive and suitable. All our hotels are required to adhere to comprehensive health and safety procedures including all local laws. In addition, we provide our hotels with best practices and guidelines and have supplemented these resources with additional COVID-19 cleanliness specific guidance, training and information consistent with our own high standards.
IHG Rewards Club status
We know that many of our IHG Rewards Club members are now thinking about how to manage their loyalty activity this year and we are committed to supporting our members to do that. Our members are our most loyal guests and we want to give each member more reasons to get away and stay with us – when the time is right for them. With more constrained travel plans and a shorter time period during which members can earn Elite tier status, we are reducing the Elite membership criteria required (nights or points) this year by 25% or more:
Source: https://www.ihg.com/content/us/en/customer-care/travel-advisory