In normal times, IHG Rewards play second (or third or even fourth) fiddle to far-more lucrative hotel loyalty programs like World of Hyatt. But these aren't normal times.
For the second time in as many weeks, IHG has launched a truly massive sale with steep savings of 50-plus percent on nightly award rates when using points. You can score these savings whether you're booking a standard Holiday Inn in New York City or a high-end Intercontinental in London, Paris, or Sydney. Loyalty Lobby first flagged the return of this amazing sale.
It's unclear how long it will last – or if it's even intentional – so search and book now … or rebook if you've already got an IHG stay locked in. Just beware: IHG's site may be struggling as travelers flock to find these deals. If you're having trouble, try using an incognito window.
IHG is the hotel chain behind properties from Holiday Inn and Avid to high-end brands like Intercontinental, Kimpton, and Six Senses. IHG Rewards no longer publishes an award chart after transitioning to full-on dynamic pricing, so it's tough to say exactly how steep some of these discounts are. The extent of the savings can vary from day to day, week to week, and month to month.
But we're seeing award rates at half the cost of the norm – and in some cases, closer to a third of the normal rates. And while you won't find deeply discounted rates every night at every single property, these steep savings do seem to be widely available all the way through August 2023. You could potentially score an even bigger discount by booking an award stay of at least four nights, as IHG offers an unparalleled fourth-night free program if you have an IHG card like the Chase IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card or the IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card.
Don't have IHG Rewards? It's a Chase transfer partner as well as a transfer partner of Bilt Rewards. Otherwise, consider a card like the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card to rack up points for the next big sale!
So where can you save? By the looks of it, almost anywhere – just start searching and see what you can find!
In New York, you could book a stay at the high-end Intercontinental New York Times Square or the straightforward Holiday Inn nearby for a fraction of what it normally costs.
Over in Amsterdam, the Kimpton De Witt is a lovely property that typically costs 50,000 points per night – or much more. You could lock it in for much less right now.
In London, some (but not all) hotels have some deeply discounted awards available through the year and deep into 2023.
Go as far as Australia and you can still find some significant savings. Many of these properties typically go for 90,000 to 95,000 a night!
And since the threshold to use an IHG Anniversary free night certificate is up to 40,000 points per night, that means many of these high-end properties that were once far out of reach are now an option.
Time it right and you can even score an absolute bargain in French Polynesia!
Bottom Line
If you've got some IHG points (or free night certificates), you cannot beat this sale.
This is the second time in just the last few days we've seen deeply, deeply discounted award rates at IHG properties around the globe. Book soon or forever hold your peace!