Consumer protection authorities from Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei have summoned Six Continents Hotel Management (Shanghai) — the domestic operator of IHG Hotels & Resorts — over allegedly unlawful clauses in the IHG One Rewards membership terms. The authorities flagged provisions that exclude Chinese legal jurisdiction, require disputes to be settled by the American Arbitration Association under Georgia state law, restrict collective action, and allow unilateral program changes. The consumer groups declared such clauses legally invalid and gave IHG a deadline to revise its terms, warning that failure to comply could lead to public interest litigation.

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