03/09/2026
We’re closing in on Diamond Elite status with IHG. By the time we leave Bucharest, we will have achieved that goal.
We are finding, more and more, that staying in hotels works for us. We enjoy the consistency, the convenience, and the location as it relates to what we want to see.
As Platinum Elite members with lounge access, we usually get a free breakfast and nice room upgrades. For instance, we booked a standard room at Bucharest’s Intercontinental, a 5-Star Hotel, and we received an upgrade to a Junior Suite which is very spacious and comfortable.
With Diamond Elite status, we will be guaranteed free breakfast. We are guaranteed a room. Regular room upgrades, plus, having lounge access often means we can eat dinner in the lounge along with drinks, and it cost us nothing. That lowers our overall cost per night.
We buy points from IHG every year, which means, often times we stay at no cost other than what we paid for the points…and it’s ALWAYS a big savings! Buying the maximum points each year is well worth it for us.
In addition, since we pay all our monthly travel expenses on our Chase Sapphire Reserve card, we accumulate a substantial number of points. Since we seldom fly, we can use those Reserve points for accommodations through IHG or other Hotel chains. Plus, the Sapphire Reserve card gives us airport lounge access for when we do fly.
If you’d like to apply for the Chase Reserve card, you can click here, https://www.referyourchasecard.com/19y/JSK91MQQO3 .
Or, if you’d like to apply for the Chase IHG Platinum Elite card, which gives you instant Platinum Elite status, you can click here, https://www.referyourchasecard.com/210y/ETC5OSCH5B.
Both cards also provide great welcome offers.
