Unlocking Luxury & Savings: A Deep Dive into Club ITC Culinaire Membership (Select vs. Elite)

Welcome back to our exploration of loyalty programs that elevate your travel and dining experiences! Today, we’re taking a deep dive into Club ITC Culinaire, an exclusive subscription plan designed to transform every dining and stay at ITC Hotels into a more rewarding affair. More than just a discount program, Culinaire offers a compelling blend of instant savings, valuable e-vouchers, and the ability to earn Green Points, positioning itself as a must-have for discerning travelers and food enthusiasts alike.

But here’s the game-changer: what if we told you that for many, acquiring this membership could be essentially “for free” by smartly leveraging your existing bank credit card points? In this detailed review, we’ll break down everything you need to know about the Culinaire Select and Elite plans, analyze their benefits, and help you decide if this is the ultimate hack for luxurious savings, especially for those who frequently explore hotels and restaurants across India.

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What is Club ITC Culinaire? The Basics

Club ITC Culinaire isn’t a standalone loyalty program; rather, it’s an exclusive, paid add-on subscription plan seamlessly integrated with your existing Club ITC membership. Its primary objective is to enhance the value you receive from dining and staying at ITC Hotels and their associated brands like Welcomhotels, Mementos, Storii, and Fortune Hotels.

With Culinaire, every eligible Food & Beverage (F&B) transaction at over 350+ participating restaurants delivers a dual benefit: you enjoy instant savings on your bill AND you continue to earn valuable Green Points on your eligible spend. For context, 1 Club ITC Green Point is valued at ₹1 when redeemed within the ITC ecosystem, making these points a tangible currency for future experiences. This powerful combination ensures that your spending translates directly into both immediate savings and future rewards, making every meal and every stay more cost-effective and enriching.

Membership Tiers & Pricing: Choose Your Plan

Club ITC Culinaire offers flexibility with two distinct membership tiers – Culinaire Select and Culinaire Elite – and the option to subscribe for a tenure ranging from 1 to 5 years. This allows you to choose a plan that best aligns with your travel and dining habits.

Here’s a breakdown of the annual fees:

The immediate cash outlay might seem significant, but here’s where the strategy becomes truly compelling: you can purchase the Culinaire subscription plan by redeeming your Club ITC Green Points!

Given that 1 Club ITC Green Point equals ₹1, a 1-year Culinaire Select membership costing ₹22,420 (inclusive of GST) can be acquired for 22,420 Green Points, and a 1-year Elite membership for 34,810 Green Points. This offers an incredible advantage, allowing you to effectively acquire the membership “for free” if you have accumulated Green Points through various means, including transfers from partner bank credit cards (a strategy we’ll explore further). This mechanism transforms the initial membership cost, including all taxes, from a cash expense into a strategic points redemption.

Core Benefits: Savings & Green Points

Beyond the significant e-vouchers (which we’ll detail shortly), Club ITC Culinaire membership immediately enhances your Club ITC status by offering consistent savings and accelerated Green Points earnings on your everyday eligible spends at participating hotels. These benefits apply from day one and are a continuous source of value.

Here’s how your Culinaire membership amplifies your rewards:

Here’s a summary of the key benefits:

• Savings on Dining: Enjoy consistent discounts on your Food & Beverage bills. Depending on your Club ITC status, this can range from 20% (for Member + Culinaire) up to a generous 20% (for Platinum Select + Culinaire). This is an instant saving that applies directly to your bill.
• Earning of Green Points on Eligible F&B Spends: In addition to the instant dining savings, you continue to earn Green Points! This ranges from 3% (for Member + Culinaire) up to 12% (for Platinum Select + Culinaire) on your eligible F&B spending.
• Earning of Green Points on Accommodation & Other Eligible Spends: Your Green Points earning isn’t limited to dining. You also earn points on your hotel accommodation and other eligible spends, ranging from 2% up to 8%, depending on your Club ITC status.
• Savings on Laundry & Spa: A Culinaire membership also extends benefits to other services. You’ll receive 20% savings on laundry services while staying at participating hotels and 20% savings on Spa treatments.

These ongoing benefits ensure that every visit to an ITC property, whether for a meal or a stay, contributes significantly to your savings and points accumulation.

Subscription Plan E-Vouchers: The Real Value!

While the ongoing dining discounts and Green Points earnings are fantastic, the true immediate value and often the primary reason members subscribe to Club ITC Culinaire lie in the robust bouquet of e-vouchers. These vouchers, provided upfront with your membership, can instantly offset the cost (or points value) of the subscription itself and unlock premium experiences.

Here’s a breakdown of the e-vouchers you receive, varying by your chosen plan (Culinaire Select vs. Culinaire Elite):

Let’s break down these highly valuable vouchers:

• Complimentary Night Voucher:
  • Culinaire Select: You receive 1 complimentary night voucher.
  • Culinaire Elite: You receive 2 complimentary night vouchers.
  • Applicability: These can be used at all ITC Hotels, Sheraton New Delhi, and select Welcomhotels across India. A single complimentary night at a premium ITC property can easily be worth ₹15,000 – ₹25,000+, making this a significant offset to your membership cost (especially if acquired via points).
• Complimentary Meal Voucher (buffet meal for 2 pax each):
  • Culinaire Select: You get 2 vouchers.
  • Culinaire Elite: You get 4 vouchers.
  • Applicability: Valid for buffet meals for two at all-day dining restaurants at ITC Hotels, Sheraton New Delhi, and select Welcomhotels. A single buffet meal for two at an ITC property can be worth ₹4,000 – ₹8,000+, offering immense value.
• Complimentary Cake while Dining:
  • Culinaire Select: 1 voucher.
  • Culinaire Elite: 1 voucher.
  • Applicability: Valid at all participating ITC Hotels, Welcomhotels, Mementos, Storii & Fortune hotels. A nice touch for celebrations!
• 50% Savings on the F&B bill (for a maximum of 4 guests):
  • Culinaire Select: You receive 2 vouchers.
  • Culinaire Elite: You receive 2 vouchers.
  • Applicability: Valid at all participating ITC Hotels, Welcomhotels, Mementos, Storii & Fortune hotels. Not applicable at Bukhara and Avaratna. These vouchers offer incredibly high value for family meals or dining with friends, effectively halving a potentially large bill.
• Savings on Best Available Rates for Accommodation:
  • 15% Savings: Culinaire Select members receive 3 vouchers for 15% off Best Available Rates.
  • 20% Savings: Culinaire Elite members receive 5 vouchers for 20% off Best Available Rates.
  • Applicability: Only for bookings made via the guest contact centre. While less flexible than online bookings, a 15-20% discount on Best Available Rates can still offer significant savings for longer stays or peak travel dates.

The combined cash value of these e-vouchers, particularly the complimentary night and meal vouchers, can often far exceed the cost of the membership itself, especially for the Elite plan. This is where the strategic redemption of points for the membership becomes incredibly powerful.

Culinaire Milestone Rewards: Spend More, Earn More!

Beyond the upfront vouchers and continuous discounts, Club ITC Culinaire offers an additional incentive layer through its Milestone Rewards. These are extra benefits you unlock as you reach specific Food & Beverage spending thresholds at participating hotels. This means the more you dine, the more you get back!

Here’s a look at the valuable rewards you can earn:

Here’s how these milestones stack up:

• Milestone #1: ₹30,000 Eligible F&B Spends
  • Reward: 1 complimentary room upgrade voucher. This can elevate a standard stay into a much more luxurious experience.
• Milestone #2: ₹90,000 Eligible F&B Spends
  • Reward: Complimentary buffet meal for two at an all-day dining restaurant. Another valuable dining experience for you and a companion.
• Milestone #3: ₹1,20,000 Eligible F&B Spends
  • Reward: INR 5,000 hotel credit for a suite night stay. This is a fantastic benefit for those seeking more spacious and premium accommodation.
• Milestone #4: ₹2,00,000 Eligible F&B Spends
  • Reward: Another complimentary buffet meal for two at an all-day dining restaurant. A generous reward for significant dining loyalty.

These milestone rewards further sweeten the deal, providing tangible benefits that go beyond the initial subscription vouchers, making the membership increasingly valuable for frequent patrons of ITC Hotels.

Where Can You Use Your Culinaire Benefits? Participating Hotels

A key factor in the value of any hotel loyalty program is the breadth of its network. Club ITC Culinaire benefits are applicable across a vast and impressive portfolio of properties, ensuring that you’ll find opportunities to use your vouchers, discounts, and points earnings in numerous locations.

Your Culinaire membership unlocks exclusive privileges at:

• All ITC Hotels: Including flagship luxury properties in major metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and more.
• Sheraton New Delhi
• Select Welcomhotels*
• Participating Mementos, Storii & Fortune Hotels*

This extensive reach means that whether you’re planning a business trip, a family vacation, or a gourmet dining experience, you’re likely to find an eligible property where your Culinaire membership will deliver substantial value.

For a comprehensive and up-to-date list of all participating hotels, please refer to the official Club ITC website

Maximizing Your Membership: The “Free” Strategy & Earning Green Points

This is where Club ITC Culinaire truly differentiates itself and becomes an indispensable tool for savvy points travelers in India. While the upfront fees might appear substantial, there’s a powerful strategy to acquire this membership for little to no out-of-pocket expense: leverage your bank credit card points to pay for it.

The “Free” Membership Strategy:

1. Earn Bank Reward Points: Accumulate reward points on premium credit cards from partners like Axis Bank (e.g., Atlas, Magnus for Burgundy) and HDFC Bank (e.g., Infinia, Diners Club Black). These cards offer accelerated earning rates on various spends, allowing you to build up a significant points balance quickly.
2. Transfer to Club ITC Green Points: These partner banks allow you to transfer your credit card reward points directly to your Club ITC Green Points account. The conversion ratios are often favorable, transforming your bank points into a direct equivalent of cash within the ITC ecosystem (since 1 Green Point = ₹1).
3. Pay for Culinaire Membership with Green Points: Once your Green Points balance is sufficient, you can then use these points to pay for the entire Culinaire membership fee, including the 18% GST! This means a 1-year Culinaire Select membership (₹22,420 including GST) costs you 22,420 Green Points, and an Elite membership (₹34,810 including GST) costs 34,810 Green Points.

This strategy effectively makes the Culinaire membership “free” in terms of cash outflow. Instead of paying cash, you’re utilizing points that you’ve already accumulated from your regular spending.

Is It Worth Spending the Points? (Yes, for Local India Travelers!)

This is the critical question, and for those who travel or dine frequently at ITC Hotels locally within India, the answer is a resounding yes. Here’s why:

• Immediate Return on Vouchers: The cash value of just one complimentary night voucher (₹15,000 – ₹25,000+) or a couple of complimentary buffet meal vouchers (₹4,000 – ₹8,000+ each) can easily equal or even exceed the Green Points cost of a 1-year membership. Once these are redeemed, all subsequent benefits (more vouchers, dining discounts, milestone rewards) essentially become pure “profit.”
• High Value Redemptions: Unlike some point redemptions where value can fluctuate, 1 Club ITC Green Point consistently equates to ₹1 for membership payment and other redemptions within ITC. This offers a transparent and strong fixed value.
• Maximizing Local Experiences: If you’re someone who enjoys staycations, fine dining at ITC properties, or often has business travel requiring hotel stays in Indian cities with an ITC presence, the Culinaire membership provides unparalleled value in savings and luxury experiences without additional cash spend.

Continuing to Earn Green Points:

Remember, even after paying for your membership with points, you continue to earn Green Points on all eligible F&B, accommodation, laundry, and spa spends (as detailed in the “Core Benefits” section). This creates a virtuous cycle of earning, redeeming for membership, and then earning more as you enjoy the benefits.

Who is Club ITC Culinaire For?

Considering its unique benefits and the strategic “free” acquisition method, Club ITC Culinaire is particularly well-suited for specific types of travelers and diners:

• Primarily for Travelers & Diners Within India: The value proposition is strongest for individuals and families who frequently utilize ITC Hotels’ services across India, whether for dining, staycations, or business trips. The widespread presence of ITC properties makes it easy to maximize the vouchers and ongoing discounts locally.
• Frequent Diners at ITC Restaurants: If you often choose ITC restaurants for your meals, the instant dining savings (20-25%) combined with Green Points earnings will quickly add up, turning your regular expenses into significant savings.
• Staycation & Leisure Seekers: The complimentary night vouchers are incredibly valuable for luxury staycations or weekend getaways at ITC’s impressive portfolio of hotels. The room upgrade vouchers further enhance these experiences.
• Business Travelers: For professionals whose companies have tie-ups with ITC or who frequently stay at ITC properties for work, the F&B savings, points earning on accommodation, and hotel credits can add a significant personal perk to their business travel.
• Families Looking for Luxury on a Budget: The complimentary meal vouchers for two (multiple, especially with Elite) and the 50% F&B savings vouchers are perfect for families, significantly reducing the cost of dining out at high-end establishments.

Consideration for Longer Tenures (e.g., 5 Years):

While opting for a longer tenure like the 5-year plan does reduce the average annual price of the membership (making it even cheaper in points), it’s important to weigh this against the general trend of loyalty program devaluations. Although Club ITC Green Points have maintained a strong ₹1 = 1 point value, and Culinaire benefits have been relatively stable, committing to a 5-year plan carries the inherent risk that specific benefits, voucher applicability, or terms might change over such a long period. Therefore, while the immediate point saving is attractive, it’s a decision best made after carefully considering your long-term usage patterns and comfort with potential program adjustments.

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Pros & Cons of Club ITC Culinaire

To help you make an informed decision, here’s a balanced look at the advantages and disadvantages of the Club ITC Culinaire membership:

Pros:

• “Effectively Free” Acquisition: The standout benefit is the ability to acquire the membership (including GST) by transferring bank credit card points to Club ITC Green Points, making it a cash-free investment.
• High Value E-Vouchers: The complimentary night and meal vouchers alone can often recoup the entire points cost of the membership, providing significant immediate value.
• Significant Dining Savings: Consistent 20-25% instant discounts on F&B bills are excellent for frequent diners.
• Generous Green Points Earning: Earns 3-12% Green Points on F&B and 2-8% on accommodation, allowing for continuous rewards accumulation.
• Milestone Rewards: Additional vouchers and credits are earned as you reach F&B spending thresholds, further enhancing the value.
• Versatile Applicability: Vouchers and discounts are applicable across a wide network of ITC Hotels, Welcomhotels, Mementos, Storii & Fortune hotels.
• Family-Friendly Benefits: Meal vouchers and 50% F&B savings are particularly beneficial for families.
• Spouse Add-on: Option to add a spouse for a nominal fee, extending benefits.

Cons:

• High Cash Outlay (If Not Using Points): If purchased with cash, the initial membership fee (₹22,420 – ₹34,810 for 1 year, including GST) is substantial.
• Voucher Restrictions: Some vouchers have specific applicability (e.g., not at Bukhara/Avaratna for 50% F&B, “select Welcomhotels” for free nights) and hotel bookings with discount vouchers require calling the guest contact centre, which can be less convenient than online.
• Value Dependent on Usage: The membership’s true value is realized only if you frequently utilize ITC properties for dining and stays, especially within India. Infrequent users may not break even.
• Risk of Devaluation: While relatively stable, long-term plans (like 5 years) inherently carry the risk of program changes or devaluations over time, which might impact the perceived value of benefits.

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Conclusion:

The Club ITC Culinaire membership stands out as an exceptional value proposition, particularly for savvy points travelers and families in India. By strategically leveraging bank credit card points to acquire the membership for essentially “free,” you unlock a treasure trove of benefits that translate into substantial savings and luxurious experiences.

For those who frequently dine at or stay in ITC Hotels across India, the combination of high-value complimentary vouchers, consistent dining discounts, accelerated Green Points earning, and additional milestone rewards makes Culinaire an unparalleled investment. It transforms your everyday hotel and dining expenditures into a powerful engine for luxury, proving that with a smart strategy, indulging in premium experiences doesn’t have to come with a premium cash price tag. Start accumulating those Green Points – your passport to the world of ITC luxury awaits!