Every three months, IHG releases a list of PointBreaks hotels that are available for the next three months to book with points at reduced rates. Originally, all the hotels on the list were available for 5,000 points a night, which was a great deal. Starting in 2018, the program was changed to include hotels available at either 5,000, 10,000 or 15,000 points a night.
I still look at the list when it’s released every three months, but I’m kinda over it. While there are people who still get huge value from booking at hotels on the list, I’m just not one of those people. Your Mileage May Vary.
Here’s the reasons why I’m breaking up with the IHG PointBreaks list:
1) I plan travel more than three months out
Because of my work situation, I need to plan for vacations months in advance. In fact, we already have much of our 2019 plans set. I’m going to try to lock in a hotel as soon as I can if I’m looking for award space before it disappears; that’s just how we travel. I’m not going to wait to see which hotels are on the list before making my plans.
2) The US PointBreaks hotels are disappointing
These are the 15,000 point (most expensive) hotels on this list
ALABAMA
Hotel Indigo Birmingham Five Points S – UAB
COLORADO
Holiday Inn Express Boulder
FLORIDA
Candlewood Suites Miami Airport – Doral
MARYLAND
Crowne Plaza Baltimore Dwntn Inner Harbor
MASSACHUSETTS
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Great Barrington – Lenox Area
PENNSYLVANIA
Crowne Plaza Philadelphia – King of Prussia
Holiday Inn Express Grove City (Outlet Center)
If you want to stay in Grove City, PA for some tax free shopping, then this list is a bonanza for you. That’s just not the type of hotel I’m looking to book with my points.
Most of the hotels in the US for less points are located not at places you want to stay; they’re more places you have to stay because of work or because of family.
3) The real values are on international hotels
There are some interesting, and very nice hotels on the list. In Nairobi, Warsaw and Helsinki. But again, if I’m going to any of those places, I’ve already made plans before three months. I’ll admit, there may be a time where I just happen to see a hotel on the list at a city I’m planning to visit when I’m already going to be there. It hasn’t happened yet.
Final Thoughts
I feel that my relationship is going to end up with me stalking the list from a distance. I’ll pretend that I don’t care we broke up but late at night I’ll still look at the list on the day it’s released, hoping in vain there will be something to make me come back. There won’t be. But I’ll keep looking.
If you want to check out the hotels remaining on the current list, click this link to the promotion page.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
