When booking a hotel, you have many choices. Why choose one over another? It could be location, price, or reviews. Another factor comes into play if you’re into points and miles: can you use points to book the room, or will paying for the stay earn enough points to cover a future booking?
With all the major brands out there, which one best suits our travel needs? Hyatt? Marriott? Hilton? Surprisingly, it’s Holiday Inn.
If this is what you think a Holiday Inn is, you need to get with the program – IHG One Rewards, that is. Photo courtesy of my father’s slide collection
IHG’s Vast Hotel Portfolio
IHG Hotels & Resorts, which owns 19 brands, including the iconic Holiday Inn, has a vast portfolio. It includes Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Staybridge Suites, Kimpton, and Intercontinental Hotels.
Through the IHG One Rewards loyalty program, you can redeem points for free nights or stretch them further with a combination of cash and points. Rooms tend to have availability on points if you plan ahead.
Why IHG Points Are So Useful
IHG points are incredibly useful for several reasons. First, IHG hotels are everywhere. IHG has 6,000 properties in over 100 countries. Whatever your destination, chances are good there’s an IHG hotel nearby. No other chain at every price level has served us more in our travels than IHG.
The IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card: An Added Boost
IHG also offers the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card through Chase. Our link provides a bonus of four free nights, each valued at up to 40,000 points. Other offers are available for up to 140,000 points, so if that’s more appealing, feel free to search for it while supporting your favorite website through a referral link. The annual fee is $99. (You can read my full review of this card here.)
The card includes automatic Platinum status, leading to room upgrades and amenity gifts (or at least avoids rooms over the dumpster!). Some hotels, like Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, make a special effort to welcome IHG Platinum guests.
My Best IHG Redemption Ever
I also love IHG points for their value. In 2016, I scored a room during Desert Trip in Palm Desert, CA, to see Paul McCartney, The Who, The Rolling Stones, and more. It’s still my best redemption—worth almost three times the usual value of 0.5¢–0.7¢ per point!
This might not initially appear to be the best redemption in the world but a room at this Holiday Inn Express – Palm Desert was worth over 2 Cents Per Point (CPP). Beat that for an IHG point stay!
Final Thought
IHG hotels might not offer the flashiest redemptions, but they’re functional and offer fantastic value, especially with the IHG credit card. Occasionally, IHG sells points at half a cent each. This makes it possible to book stays like the InterContinental Miami for 49,000 points per night (about $245) instead of paying the typical cash rate, which can be much higher.
While some bloggers recommend booking Hyatts or Hiltons because they can redeem upgrade certificates for suites, I prefer booking with IHG. Whether it’s a Holiday Inn Express for a quick stop or splurging on a Kimpton, IHG One Rewards points perfectly meet our travel needs.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
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