New IHG Promotion Gives Bonus Points, Discounted Rates AND A Discount On Gas

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I’m usually not impressed by hotel promotions that tout discounted rates. The savings are often compared to the normal room rate and no one pays that. I mean, if you’re just a member of the hotel loyalty program, you can get a discounted price. I’ve found that AAA member rates are even lower. However, I’ll still check out the prices if I have an upcoming stay planned, just in case. Why throw away potentially free money, right? Well, it looks like this current IHG promotion might actually be worth looking into to.

The IHG Easy Like Summer promotion has three parts:

1. Register now and earn up to 5,000 bonus points per stay, starting on your second stay from July 1 – September 16.
2. Get 20-30%* off at participating IHG® hotels when you book the Easy Like Summer rate between June 18 and July 15 and complete your stay July 1 – September 16.
3. After your first stay, save up to 32¢ per gallon on one tank of gas with the Fuel Rewards® program.

You can sign up for the promotion by clicking on THIS LINK.

I’m not sure that I’ll stay at two IHG properties in the promotion period so earning 2,000 to 5,000 points isn’t going to make me stay at IHG properties more. I’m more interested in the second part of the promotion, the savings on IHG hotel rooms.

We have a three night stay planned at our favorite Candlewood Suites. I checked the rates using the IHG Easy Like Summer rate compared to the Your Rate by IHG (prepaid and flexible) and the AAA Flexible rate. Here’s the prices I found for a three night stay

• IHG Easy Like Summer – $304.66
• Your Rate By IHG Prepaid – $328.50 (8% higher)
• AAA Flexible – $345.00 (13% higher)
• Your Rate By IHG Flexible – $361.77 (19% higher)

The IHG Easy Like Summer rate is significantly lower than the other discounted rates offered by IHG. However, there are some restrictions on the rate:

The Easy Like Summer Sale promotional rate is valid only for bookings made with the “Easy Like Summer” rate June 16, 2018 through July 15, 2018 and consumed July 1, 2018 through September 16, 2018 at participating IHG hotels in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Central America and South America. The discount ranges from 20%-30% off the Best Flexible Rate and requires a two night minimum length of stay. Discount varies by hotel, blackout dates apply, rooms subject to availability. Reservation requires full prepayment for the entire stay at the time of booking and is non-refundable. Hotel policy varies in regards to the number of guests allowed per room. Not applicable with other discounted rate promotions. Not applicable to group bookings. Hotel specific early departure fee applies.  

I’m not a big fan of prepaid rates, as I can usually find a similar rate with an AAA discount. However, this rate will save me $40 over the AAA price and $75 off the Best Flexible Rate. This is a significant savings on a room that only costs around $100 a night for a three night stay. We’re as sure as we can be that we’ll make this trip and already have flights booked. If I were to book a prepaid room, I’d use a credit card that has good travel insurance just in case we had to cancel due to an emergency.

The final part of the promotion is an extra 25 cents off a tank of gas at a Shell station with the Fuel Rewards program after your first stay. I’m a Fuel Rewards member and already get 7 cents off a gallon of gas with my IHG membership. Saving an extra 25 cents per gallon sounds great but it’s limited to one tank and 20 gallons. That’s a nice way to say you’ll get a maximum of $5 back. I’ll take it but that’s not going to sway my hotel bookings just to get this offer.

Final Thoughts

While promotional prices usually don’t get my attention, this special from IHG for discounted room rates this summer has me thinking about finalizing out travel plans.

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