IHG® Hotels & Resorts has just announced a loyalty partnership with travel club and boutique hotel specialists Mr & Mrs Smith which effectively doubles the number of luxury and lifestyle hotels which IHG Rewards Club members can indulge in while they earn and redeem points.
As of today, 400 Mr & Mrs Smith hotels are now available to book by IHG Rewards Club members through IHG’s direct channels, with new hotels to be added every week and the full portfolio of properties to be available for booking by early December. Elite IHG Rewards Club members will now be able to earn and redeem Bonus Points for their stays at Mr & Mrs Smith hotels and receive Smith extras (see below), while InterContinental Ambassadors and Royal Ambassadors as well as Kimpton Inner Circle members will receive a complimentary room upgrade (where available) and a Mr & Mrs Smith GoldSmith welcome gift. (The 2020 Ultimate Guide to Singapore Hotel Loyalty Programmes provides more information on the existing IHG Rewards Club loyalty programme structure.)
For the uninitiated, Mr & Mrs Smith offers a carefully curated collection of over 1,600 boutique and luxury properties in over 90 countries, with highly notable and aspirational properties in the region such as Shinta Mani Wild, Aman Tokyo, Aman Kyoto, The Murray Hong Kong as well as selected Rosewood properties such as Rosewood Hong Kong and Rosewood Bangkok bookable through their website. Bookings under Mr & Mrs Smith entitles you to exclusive Smith extras such as complimentary experiences, dining credit and souvenirs. Examples of Smith extras for notable properties in the Asia-Pacific are as follows:
The Upper House (Hong Kong) – a bespoke Upper House candle
Rosewood Hong Kong – a bottle of champagne
Belmond Governor’s Residence – a bottle of wine at the bar
Villa Samadhi Kuala Lumpur – a traditional sarong
The RuMa Hotel and Residences (Kuala Lumpur) – a canvas bag
Aman Tokyo – daily American or Japanese breakfast for two
Singapore’s collection of Mr & Mrs Smith properties and their respective Smith extras are as follows:
The Barracks Hotel Sentosa – a 15-sachet tin of the hotel’s signature tea
The Vagabond Club, Singapore – one cocktail each at Bar Vagabond
Capella Singapore – afternoon tea for two
Naumi Singapore – a welcome cocktail upon arrival
Villa Samadhi Singapore – a traditional sarong
The Warehouse Hotel – a Moleskine notebook
The Fullerton Bay Hotel – SG$60 spa credit a room
I am currently a IHG Rewards Club Spire Elite member as well as a Mr & Mrs Smith Goldsmith member. I used Mr & Mrs Smith for several properties I reviewed in the past two years, and have amassed some loyalty credit in my account (Goldsmith members get money back every time they book a stay for use on future bookings) which I have yet to spend. It will be interesting to see whether and how aspirational hotels such as Aman, Rosewood or Six Senses properties approach elite status benefits such as complimentary room upgrades and late check-outs, given the vast difference between the room rates of such Crazy Rich Asians-esque hotels and those of say, a Kimpton, Regent or InterContinental hotel. Still, the loyalty partnership looks set to be quite the game-changer in introducing travellers (at least peripherally) to the world of ultra-luxury beyond the usual chain luxury hotel offerings familiar to the masses.
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