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IHG Ambassador Free Night Voucher Promotion Is Coming Back!
IHG Ambassador Program had a very interesting enrolment / renewal offer last year, where you could get a free night voucher for joining it. It appears that the same offer is coming back this year.
The following poster is shared in China’s frequent flyer forum Flyertea:
If you don’t understand Chinese 😉, here is what it says:
- The offer runs from 15 April to 31 July
- Everyone who joins or renew their Ambassador membership can participate
- After the purchase, you need to stay once at an InterContinental, Kimpton or Regent hotel by 31 August
- And you’ll receive a Free Night Voucher to redeem by 30 November
It’s not mentioned in the poster, but I suppose the voucher still has the same 40,000-point cap like the last time.
After the very recent devaluation, 40,000 points will get you into fewer nice IHG hotels now. However it’s still a decent promotion – if you intend to purchase the membership or are due the renewal, remember to hold out a little longer!
IHG Redemption Price Shooting Up Crazy
IHG rolled up dynamic pricing for award redemptions globally last year, and the reception has been generally very positive – until now.
It appears that award nights in some UK hotels have just shot up over night. For a Saturday night in August, this is what you are looking to pay in points or in Pound Sterling:
- InterContinental London Park Lane 100,000 points / £362.57
- Hotel Indigo London Leicester Square 90,000 points / £357
- Crowne Plaza Kings Cross 44,000 points / £115
- Holiday Inn Oxford Circus 52,000 points / £129
- Holiday Inn Express London Southwark 43,000 points / £125
- Hotel Indigo Liverpool 42,000 points / £117
- Holiday Inn Brighton 60,000 points / £262
- Kimpton Edinburgh Charlotte Square 85,000 points / £446
Some hotels on the list still pertain to the $50 / 10,000 points rule, although the cap is obviously non-existent – The max. redemption price was capped at 70,000 with very few exceptions. While others are charging totally extortionate amount of points – at Crowne Plaza Kings Cross you are only getting $36 value per 10,000 points.
Just to be clear, not all hotels are seeing the sharp increase yet, and there’s sometimes inconsistency for the same hotel on different dates. For example, InterContinental Edinburgh wants 55,000 points for a Friday night but 85,000 points for the next day, whereas cash prices are almost identical.
I’m not sure what IHG is trying to do here. Now that there’s no award chart anymore, they can basically devalue their program without any prior notice. I haven’t seen the trend in any other country yet, so maybe they are just running on a trial and see how people respond?
If you live in the UK, I’d suggest you to lock in some award nights right now while prices are still reasonable, as they might skyrocket very soon.
IHG Fast Track – 5 Nights to Platinum
IHG has followed suit in the status match game, although it works a bit differently compared to Hilton and Marriott.
You need to sign up on this page.
- Register by August 31
- You have 90 days to complete the challenge
- Stay 2 nights to earn Gold status and 5 nights to earn Platinum
- The status is valid through 2021 and 2022
The challenge is open to everyone – you don’t need any qualification, nor any elite status from another hotel program. Only paid stays count though.
Don’t be too excited – IHG Platinum can be easily earned through various other routes already. You can pay $200 or 40,000 points to purchase an Ambassador membership, which comes with Platinum status. Spire Elite members can also gift Platinum status to someone.
And it doesn’t entitle you to any guaranteed benefits, although you could usually expect one-level room upgrade and 2pm late check-out for your stays.
If you intend to participate, remember to register to the IHG global promotion which earns you 2,000 bonus points for every two nights stayed by the end of March.
IHG Luxury & Lifecycle 3-for-2 Offer with Free Breakfast, Room Upgrade, $100 Credit & More
Many hotel groups, including Marriott, Hilton and IHG, have one or more specialised booking schemes for high-end customers. Qualified travel agents can make such bookings on their behalf which come with extra benefits.
IHG’s program is called Luxury & Lifestyle, and participating brands include Regent, Intercontinental and Kimpton etc. You pay the Best Flexible Rate and enjoy 2pm late check-out, room upgrade, welcome amenity, plus:
Regent, Intercontinental & some Kimpton hotels:
- Free breakfast for two
- $100 hotel credit per stay
Other brands:
- $50 hotel credit per stay
Even better, IHG Luxury & Lifestyle is running a promotion now. For select hotels, you can book three nights and pay for only two, which is equivalent to 33% off compared to the Best Flexible Rate, plus you still enjoy all the benefits mentioned above.
Some of the participating UK and Europe hotels:
- Intercontinental London Park Lane
- Kimpton Fitzroy London
- Hotel Indigo London Kensington
- Intercontinental Edinburgh The George
- Intercontinental Paris Le Grand
- Regent Berlin
- Intercontinental Berlin
- Intercontinental Amsterdam Amstel
- Intercontinental Sofia
To check, you can simply search on IHG’s website using Corporate ID 786905371. For example, Intercontinental London Park Lane comes up at £226 per night, which is slightly higher than the Get a Night on Us offer. However remember it includes many additional benefits, and you can cancel free of charge one day before.
And Regent Berlin:
Beware though, that you can only use this method to check for availability and don’t book away. You must get a qualified travel agent to book for you, for example Virtuoso.
IHG UK & Europe 34% off Sale
Lacking in creativity, IHG has resurrected its 3-for-2 sale for UK and Europe hotel stays.
You could access the offer page here.
- Book by 30 April
- Stay by 31 May
- The Special Night on Us rate is 34% off the best flexible rate
- A non-refundable first night deposit is required
- Date is amendable up to 48 hours before the stay
Here are some London examples (rate per night):
- InterContinental London Park Lane £208
- Kimpton Fitzroy £157
- Crowne Plaza London the City £76
- Crowne Plaza Kings Cross £60
- Crowne Plaza London Kensington £76
- Hotel Indigo Paddington £67
- Holiday Inn Regents Park £65
- Holiday Inn Express Vauxhall Nine Elms £46
- Holiday Inn Express Hammersmith £40
It’s a bit weird that IHG still wants a deposit for your reservations given the current climate.
Remember to register to the 2,000 bonus points for every two nights promotion, and if you are eligible for the Milestone Bonus you can earn even more.
Official: IHG Launching Milestone Bonus
Many of us have noticed the mysterious “milestone bonus offer” in our IHG account from as early as December 2020, and now IHG has finally made an official statement.
You can view the offer details here. Invited member can:
- Earn 10,000 bonus points for every 10 nights stayed in 2021
- Earn a one-time 20,000 bonus points on top when you’ve stayed 40 nights
- Only paid nights (minimum rate of $30 per night) count
- Excluding Army, Mr & Mrs Smith and Six Senses hotels
Unlike what Hilton or Hyatt has been doing, this offer is by invitation only, which is a shame. There’s no need to register, you’ll see the offers in your account section if you are eligible.
If the responses are good, IHG might make it public to everyone next year.
Register Now: IHG 2,000 bonus points for every 2 nights
Last but not least, IHG has joined the party by reducing elite qualification requirement by 25% for 2021 (same as last year). All your elite qualifying nights from 2020 will roll over to 2021 as well, helping you retain the status easier.
I don’t see the update reflected on my account page yet, but it shouldn’t take very long.
Moreover, a new global promotion is starting soon and you can already sign up here. You earn 2,000 bonus points for every two nights stayed between 20 January and 31 March, and even better, these are elite qualifying points too.
This is roughly equivalent to 1,000 bonus points per night, which is a good offer, and the fact that they help you qualify for higher status is great!
IHG Starting Milestone Bonus Offers in 2021
If you log in to your IHG account, you may find the following two new offers under the My Offers section:
In 2021, you’ll earn 10,000 bonus points for every 10 nights stayed, and an additional bonus of 20,000 points if you stay 40 nights.
Unlike Hilton and Hyatt who’ve made status qualification very easy next year with elite nights rollover etc, IHG has decided to offer more bonus points instead. However, it heavily resembles the same offer that Hilton has had for a couple of years…
It appears that not everyone can see the offer now, but I don’t think it can be targeted and surely IHG will make an official announcement in the coming days.