IHG introduces Spire Elite to reward most loyal members

Steve McCurry captures a moment of recognition as two neighbours delight in each other’s company

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 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.

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.

Extra bonus points

"The feeling that you're recognised for being special is what IHG Rewards Club aims to deliver with the launch of Spire Elite," Susanna Freer Epstein, senior vice-president of customer loyalty at IHG, added. "It's our way of saying thank you to our most loyal members, who will benefit from the ability to earn 100% extra bonus points on all qualifying stays across the IHG hotel portfolio. 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: