IHG Rewards Club, loyalty program of InterContinental Hotels Group, is a program that allows you to book IHG hotels from one of the thirteen brands.  Kimpton Hotels can be booked with points contrary to the current IHG Terms and Conditions.

Earning Points

IHG points can be earned from hotel stays, promotions, partners, airlines, and the program’s credit card.  Hotels not in the “Suites” brand (InterContinental, Hotel Indigo, etc.) earn 10 points per $1 spent.  “Suites” brand (Staybridge, Candlewood) hotel stays earn 5 points per $1 spent.

Redeeming Points

IHG points can be redeemed in many ways.  The most common ways to redeem points are through the program’s Rewards nights, Points & Cash and PointBreaks.

Membership Levels

The program offers four membership levels: Club, Gold, Platinum, Spire

• Club
  • No blackout dates for award nights
  • Free internet
• Gold
  • Same as Club plus
  • Welcome amenity
  • Earn a 10% bonus in addition to base points
  • Earned by 10,000 Elite Qualifying Points -or- 10 Elite Qualifying Nights in 12 months
• Platinum
  • Same as Gold plus
  • Earned by holding IHG Rewards Club credit card
  • Earn a 50% bonus in addition to base points
  • Elite rollover nights
  • Complimentary upgrades
  • Earned by 40,000 Elite Qualifying Points -or- 40 Elite Qualifying Nights in 12 months
• Spire
  • Same as Platinum plus
  • Earn a 100% bonus in addition to base points
  • Exclusive choice benefit: 1) Receive 25K annual point bonus 2) Gift of Platinum status to family/friend
  • Earned by 75,000 Elite Qualifying Points -or- 75 Elite Qualifying Nights in 12 months

InterContinental separately offers additional elite membership levels: Ambassador and Royal Ambassador

• Ambassador
  • $200 annual membership
  • Complimentary weekend night stay that must be booked in conjunction with a two-night weekend stay
  • One room category higher than purchased will be assigned at check-in
  • In-room gift
• Royal Ambassador
  • Invite only
  • Same as Ambassador plus
  • Two room category higher than purchased will be assigned at check-in
  • Club InterContinental Lounge access

You can book IHG hotels by transferring your Chase Ultimate Rewards directly to your IHG account. The process works the same way with airlines as I showed in the Virgin Atlantic post.

Simply login to your Ultimate Rewards account, select “Use Points,” select “Transfer to Travel Partners,” select “Transfer Points” to the right side of IHG, and transfer the points necessary for your redemption.

IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card

The IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card is the quickest way to generate a significant amount of hotel points and earn elite status.  The benefits of the card include:

• 80,000 points (current offer) after $2,000 spent in the first 90 days
• 40,000 additional points after $5,000 spent total in the first 6 months
• $89 annual fee
• 10 points per $1 spent at IHG hotels
• 1 Free Night each account anniversary
• Platinum Elite status

The Free Anniversary Night, awarded every year you hold the card, is the most important benefit to me.  IHG’s portfolio includes 5,000+ hotels worldwide allowing you to easily redeem this benefit.  Using the Free Anniversary Night at the InterContinental brand is what I recommend. 

• Bora Bora
• Sydney
• Paris le Grand
• The Willard
• London Park Lane
• Danang Sun
• Hotel San Diego Del Mar
• Hong Kong
• Amstel Amsterdam

PointBreaks

IHG PointBreaks are Reward Nights with hotel pricing starting at 5,000 points per night.  Only select hotels participate for a limited time.  Reward Nights are based on availability at each hotel.

Points & Cash

IHG Points & Cash allows you to book a Reward Night using a combination of points and purchasing additional points.

The general pricing is $40 for 5,000 points off, $70 for 10,000 points off, $100 for 15,000 points off, $125 for 20,000 points off.

For example, you can book the InterContinental New Orleans for 50,000 points per night, 45,000 points per night + $40, 40,000 points per night + $70, 35,000 points per night + $100 or 30,000 points per night + $125.

Points & Cash is essentially buying points to reduce the total point requirement of your stay.  If a Reward Night is cancelled, the cash portion of the redemption is refunded in the form of points.

Conclusion

How do you book IHG hotels? Which IHG hotels do you recommend?  Please let me know in the comments or by sending me an email on my contact page.

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