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gazza26

Sorry to be a doubting Thomas but can anyone from MSE confirm that the F&F is now okay to use using Antony Bainbridge. It would really ruin all my hard saved cash to book a holiday at bargain rates and then be charged full price cos it wasn't an authorised name.

Full marks and much thanks to Mr Rabbit, Triker and Obukit for all their hard work.

happyranter

Well my view is if you make a booking in good faith and ICH group accepted the booking through the friends and family webpage for a particular person then how can they then renege on that? If that person wasnt authorised they wouldnt have f&f access via the holiday inn site surely? Just my opinion

gazza26 wrote: »

Sorry to be a doubting Thomas but can anyone from MSE confirm that the F&F is now okay to use using Antony Bainbridge. It would really ruin all my hard saved cash to book a holiday at bargain rates and then be charged full price cos it wasn't an authorised name.

Full marks and much thanks to Mr Rabbit, Triker and Obukit for all their hard work.

MSE_Jenny

Hi there,

Just so you know where things stand, Antony, Deputy VP of HR, said it was okay to use his link.

Yet when I confirmed with the IHG press office that it was okay to use Kit's, they said they would close the link down. (Though they were happy to honour the special discount rate for any people who booked before the link closed.)

I will email them to confirm about Anthony's as you request, and post back with what they say. (I expect it will be that they are closing the link, but previous bookings are still valid).

Thanks very much

gazza26 wrote: »

Sorry to be a doubting Thomas but can anyone from MSE confirm that the F&F is now okay to use using Antony Bainbridge. It would really ruin all my hard saved cash to book a holiday at bargain rates and then be charged full price cos it wasn't an authorised name.

Full marks and much thanks to Mr Rabbit, Triker and Obukit for all their hard work.

yorksrabbit

Pending MSE Jenny's news of feedback from IHG Press Office: I was under the impression that Tony Bainbridge's F&F link is no longer operational.

It was offered in good faith (like Kit's earlier link) but of course Intercontinental Hotels Group is entitled to amend, restrict or withdraw any offer or promotion at any time, official close-out date notwithstanding.

As to anyone worried about an existing F&F booking:

IHG is a highly reputable group and there's no reason to believe it would not honour the contractual terms of the F&F promotion.

Pre-payment will in many cases -- UK certainly, but perhaps not mainland Europe or further afield -- have been taken by IHG for any bookings already made, so as long as guests make sure they present the F&F voucher along with their IHG booking confirmation email when checking-in, then that's that.

It may be worth noting that IHG continues to run other promotions, and some individually owned and operated establishments within the IHG umbrella also continue to do their own thing as and when they believe occupancy rates need a stimulus.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we have found that bookings.com is invaluable for identifying discounted accommodation rates -- including those from IHG -- and the frequently extensive guest comments on each hotel are very helpful. (Nope, I've no connection with IHG or bookings.com.)

I hope IHG Press offfice will be able to get back to Jenny sooner rather than later because what they say will be definitive (if, as it seems, likely to be disappointing: the Friends & Family promotion really was an excellent idea, good for MSErs and definitely a money-maker for IHG.)

flyingbanana_2

MSE_Jenny wrote: »

Hi there,

Just so you know where things stand, Antony, Deputy VP of HR, said it was okay to use his link.

Yet when I confirmed with the IHG press office that it was okay to use Kit's, they said they would close the link down. (Though they were happy to honour the special discount rate for any people who booked before the link closed.)

I will email them to confirm about Anthony's as you request, and post back with what they say. (I expect it will be that they are closing the link, but previous bookings are still valid).

Thanks very much

I am too very interested in hearing Jenny's response, as i have made a booking for April 2010 on this F&F and have started to get nervous!

If the link is active, Tony has given confirmation for it to be used and that IHG are allowing the personal URL to still be in use then bookings should be fine.

If in like Kits case, they will pull the link if they feel it is being abused or that they are selling too many cheaper rooms!

yorksrabbit

flyingbanana wrote: »

I am too very interested in hearing Jenny's response

If in like Kits case, they will pull the link if they feel it is being abused or that they are selling too many cheaper rooms!

Certainly Tony Bainbridge's link "has been disabled due to excessive abuse" (does that mean, abuse in excess of, um, 'normal' abuse?) but I think the 'abuse' tag is just an unfortunate IT shorthand. I mean, no-one can truly go around 'abusing' an IHG VP. Nor one of his links. :rotfl:

It's just a commercial decision, and fair enough, yet perhaps a little myopic: the capture-cost-per-customer to IHG of using MSE is absolutely zero -- no direct mail, no advertising, no emails, nothing. There's not even third-party commission to pay to online brokers like bookings.com, lastminute.com and laterooms.com.

I hope IHG will consider making a tailored MSE offer in future as the product is definitely a class act. Then again, who knows? Hilton might be thinking of exactly the same thing, too. . .

flyingbanana_2

yorksrabbit wrote: »

Certainly Tony Bainbridge's link "has been disabled due to excessive abuse" (does that mean, abuse in excess of, um, 'normal' abuse?) but I think the 'abuse' tag is just an unfortunate IT shorthand. I mean, no-one can truly go around 'abusing' an IHG VP. Nor one of his links. :rotfl:

It's just a commercial decision, and fair enough, yet perhaps a little myopic: the capture-cost-per-customer to IHG of using MSE is absolutely zero -- no direct mail, no advertising, no emails, nothing. There's not even third-party commission to pay to online brokers like bookings.com, lastminute.com and laterooms.com.

I hope IHG will consider making a tailored MSE offer in future as the product is definitely a class act. Then again, who knows? Hilton might be thinking of exactly the same thing, too. . .

Tony Bainbridge's link hasnt been disabled, it is fully working - http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/6c/1/en/friendsandfamily?key=BoRoNbBOeZFWSQKT%252FuJHisHr6K8uQC1TJUZXs%252B9PPjo%253D&cm_mmc=DCE-_-FF-_-20090304-_-EM161920

This is the link that Jenny told everyone about and that we are awaiting her feedback on speaking to them about

Obukit

flyingbanana wrote: »

I am too very interested in hearing Jenny's response, as i have made a booking for April 2010 on this F&F and have started to get nervous!

I wouldn't worry too much - IHG will almost certainly honour bookings already made. Apart from anything else, Anthony Bainbridge has just been crowned top of the weekly list, such is the power of MSE!

From our extranet: -

flyingbanana_2

Obukit wrote: »

I wouldn't worry too much - IHG will almost certainly honour bookings already made. Apart from anything else, Anthony Bainbridge has just been crowned top of the weekly list, such is the power of MSE!

From our extranet: -

That is very assuring, thank you! :j I thought that would be the case because the URL is active and allowing you to make the booking on.

So when i check in, i just present the voucher all filled in and that is all? Do they perform any checks against the name or is it completely for internal use?

As i am not traveling till April 2010, what would happen if Antony had by some chance left IHG? I am also assuming this wouldnt be a problem because he was at the time of the booking.

Obukit

flyingbanana wrote: »

That is very assuring, thank you! :j I thought that would be the case because the URL is active and allowing you to make the booking on.

So when i check in, i just present the voucher all filled in and that is all? Do they perform any checks against the name or is it completely for internal use?

As i am not traveling till April 2010, what would happen if Antony had by some chance left IHG? I am also assuming this wouldnt be a problem because he was at the time of the booking.

The hotel will only check you have the voucher, there's no link on the reservation to the name you booked it under. Hotels (and IHG for that matter) have no way of checking whether someone works at a hotel besides phoning the hotel, as they are all independently managed.