Taj InnerCircle revamps: Platinum tier arrives, perks quietly vanish

Taj InnerCircle got its revamp today, and the press-release version is all upside: a shiny new Platinum tier on top of the existing three, qualification by night count, no blackout dates, and online redemption at last.

Now read the fine print. Complimentary spouse and companion stays: gone. Spa and room-rate discounts: gone. And the fixed redemption chart — the thing that told you exactly what your points bought — is now dynamic, which means your points buy less at exactly the properties you actually want, when you actually want them.

Call it what it is: a devaluation wearing a tier upgrade as a costume. The wins (no blackouts, online redemption) are real but procedural; the losses are hard benefits with rupee value attached.

Our take: classic loyalty-program sleight of hand — announce the shiny tier, quietly take back the substance. If your Taj strategy leaned on spouse stays and the fixed chart, your points just got worth less. Recalculate before you keep hoarding.