So you thought you wanted to check on your reservation with InterContinental Hotels Group, huh? Too bad: if you’re a member of its Spire Elite loyalty program, that customer care number on your card will connect you not to helpful hotel associates, but to an adult chat line promising “interesting and exciting guys” and “hot ladies” who want to talk to you.
Consumerist reader E. wrote in to alert fellow Spire Elite members that the customer care number included on IHG’s cards will connect them to the phone sex hotline, so we called it to confirm.
“Welcome to America’s hottest talk line!” a recorded greeting chirps. “Ladies, to talk to interesting and exciting guys free, press 1 now. Guys, hot ladies are waiting to talk to you. Press 2 to connect!”
Once you’ve made your choice, there’s a message about calling another number to reach the chat line directly, as well as prompts to record the name you’d like to use. Because I wasn’t in the mood for a chat, that’s where I hung up.
So what gives? E. says he received the card about a month ago, and called IHG’s executive resolution team to alert them of the issue after he tried to use the number this weekend. He says he was told that they already knew of the mistake but “had made the decision not to alert members.”
While the message is somewhat tame, E. points out that it could cause a “huge problem” for a member trying to check on reservations: for example, if you’re calling from your work phone, or perhaps if you’re on speaker phone in your car with your mother-in-law.
We reached out to IHG for more information on the situation and how they’ll handle it, as well as whether or not the company will be taking steps to correct the number and reissue cards. We’ll update this post when we hear back.
In the meantime, members who want to use the phone to check reservations or get help can call the number listed on IHG’s rewards club site instead: 1-888-211-9874, or email at ihgrewardsclub@ihg.com.
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist