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IHG 8 Night to Diamond offer is back!
A reader has just messaged me about an offer email that he received from IHG.
IHG brought back is fast track to Diamond offer and you can check if you are eligible here.
- Stay by March 24
- Stay 8 paid nights to get Diamond status
- Status is valid through the end of 2024
Another reader managed to sign up successfully although he didn’t receive the email.
It is almost exactly the same offer as last year. Note that however, according to the email your status will only last till the end of this year, which is unusual. Normally the status you earn (no matter how) is valid for the next calendar year too.
IHG Diamond has some solid benefits including free breakfast and room upgrade, and you should consider this offer even if you are an occasional stayer.
New IHG targeted offers: 8K points every 4 nights and more
IHG currently has a double point promotion which ends at the end of January. They have just revealed the next round of promotion, which seems to have different targeted versions.
We have found two versions at the moment:
You check try signing up and see if you are eligible. For both offers, Stay between February 1 and March 31 to earn the bonus, and nights don’t need to be consecutive.
Reminder: London NYE hotel bookable now on points
Just a quick reminder that, if you need a hotel for the New Year’s Eve, they have already been loaded into the system and bookable using points now.
If you are looking to watch the fireworks, the most convenient option is Marriott Country Hall. It is located in the White zone and all hotel guests receive wristbands prior to their stay. You could walk down literally 15 minutes before midnight to watch the show.
My friend who went last year had some troubles though as the staff insisted they must have tickets to get on the bridge. It was confusing and horrible, but luckily they got in eventually. You may also see (some of) the fireworks from inside the club lounge and certain guest rooms.
Availability of Marriott County Hall hasn’t been loaded yet but I expect it to be soon. It will be priced at around 120,000 points, and unlikely to sell out even close to the date.
Another similar option is Great Scotland Yard. It is not as close to the show as the Marriott, and you cannot see anything from inside the hotel. But it is in the Blue zone which has an arguably much better viewing angle.
Also it costs only 29,000 Hyatt points per night. Reward night is currently not available but a friend of mine managed to book it a few days ago.
Fireworks aside, here are some hotels that are good value on points:
- InterContinental London Park Lane – 84,000 points
- Holiday Inn London Oxford Circus – 42,000 points
- Holiday Inn Express London Limehouse – 36,000 points
- Bankside Hotel (Marriott) – 92,000 points
- London Hilton Park Lane – 80,000 points
- Hyatt Regency Blackfriars – 23,000 points
- Hyatt Regency Embankment – 23,000 points
IHG flash sale: 15% off award night globally
IHG’s regular award night flash sale is back, and you can save some points if you have upcoming travel plans.
The official announcement hasn’t come through yet, but here’s what we know:
- Book by Jan 14
- Travel by February 22
- Valid at all IHG hotels globally
- Save 15% off on award stays
You can search and book directly on IHG’s website. The offer is only available to IHG co-branded cardholders at the moment, but will open up to Platinum and Diamond members on the 11th.
Deep discount: Six Senses hotel from 70k IHG points
A new year present from IHG – not sure if it’s intentional or a system glitch, but many Six Senses hotel are available for redemption at a much-lower-than-usual price, throughout the year.
Six Senses Uluwatu Bali, 70,000 points
Six Senses Zil Pasyon Seychelles, 210,000 points
Six Senses Laamu Maldives, 110,000 points
Six Senses Nihn Van Bay, 85,000 points
Six Senses Ibiza, 120,000 points
My review of Hotel Indigo Stratford-upon-Avon
I managed to burn my BA companion voucher and Hyatt’s free night voucher eventually, but still struggling to find anywhere decent to redeem my 40K free night voucher from the Chase credit card. It happens that IHG launched a 15%-off sale on reward nights, and the two IHG hotels at Stratford-upon-Avon became an option.
There’s a Crowne Plaza with larger guestrooms, swimming pool and a club lounge. The Hotel Indigo however, is ranked #1 on TripAdvisor and has a marginally better location, so we chose them instead.
The Hotel Indigo is just opposite to Shakespeare’s New Place, and about 10 minutes’ walk from the train station.
It is a Grade-II listed building that started off as a small house in circa 1500, and after centuries of renovation it became a hotel and joined IHG. The timber-framed Tudor architecture is commonly seen in Stratford-upon-Avon and some other English towns.
Entrance of the hotel is at the back, which in contrast is very modern.
The lobby has a very boutique-y style, as you would expect from an Indigo.
The hotel has a small storefront, but it is actually quite big with three buildings. The older Tudor and Georgia buildings have 32 guestrooms, whereas the new building has 61. Premium Room (above standard rooms) can be redeemed at the same cost, and I got one in the new building.
The room’s tone is dominated by blue and yellow, and measures just about 20sqm. The suites are not much bigger either at around 30sqm, but it is not unusual in Europe.
Ceramic tiles in the bathroom are the most shiny that I’ve ever seen and look quite expensive!
To be honest I’m surprised that they manage to squeeze a bathtub in. The bathroom is so small that there’s nowhere to place my washbag.
An Indigo perk: the minibar is completely free, including two bottles of water, two cans of coke, one sparkling wine and one lemonade. Safe to say that I’m drinking (or taking) them all…
A big trouble emerges when we are going to sleep. Soundproofing is terrible as we can hear our neighbour’s TV clearly. We have to phone the front desk to remind them.
Rooms in the new building are prefixed 1 or 2, and the old buildings with 3-7. Personally I prefer the new building – I can’t imagine how bad soundproofing is like in the old building.
Breakfast is complimentary for Diamond members, served at the Feasting Room. You can find all the buffet on one table:
An a-la-carte menu:
The eggs are tasty.
However compact the room is, the hotel has a lot of public space, with quite a few bars and lounges.
And even a private garden:
Regular checkout time is 11am. My late checkout is only extended till 12.30pm, which is understandable on a Saturday. Although soundproofing is a main issue, the hotel is really nice overall and I think it lives up to the #1 ranking on TripAdvisor.
Extension of IHG milestone rewards
IHG rolled out their milestone rewards in 2021 and there have been frictions in terms of implementing some of them, making them uneasy or even impractical to redeem. As a goodwill gesture IHG extended the expiry of the F&B rewards, but nothing was done to the confirmable suite upgrade ones.
As reported by a friend, followed by many others, you can apply for an extension of the CSUs through IHG’s customer service.
Give it a try if your CSU is due to expire soon. Note the language however – it is a “once-by-lifetime” extension, so only apply if you are sure about using it before it expires again.
Earn double IHG points in January 2024
You can now register for IHG’s new promotion which is valid for the January of 2024.
- Stay between January 1st and 31st
- Earn double points for all stays
It is quite straightforward and needs no further explanation. It’s not the most interesting promotion but there’s unlikely to be anything else on the table until February at least.