Home » Hotel Groups » IHG (Page 6)
Category Archives: IHG
Save an additional 20% at UK Kimpton hotels
This year’s Black Friday is a bit of a lacklustre and nothing got me really excited. However, if you live in the UK and is an IHG fan, there is a Kimpton deal that could be useful.
Three Kimpton hotels in the UK are promoting their gift vouchers:
- Kimpton London Fitzroy promo code KFL20
- Kimpton Manchester Clocktower promo code KCT20
- Kimpton Edinburgh Charlotte Square promo code KCL20
You get 20% discount on all vouchers. What I recommend is to buy the Monetary Gift Vouchers, which can be redeemed for accommodation or dining at the respective hotel. If you book via IHG you should still be able to use the voucher, as long as it’s a pay-at-hotel rate, not prepaid.
It should work in addition to whatever discount rate you book on ihg.com, for example the BOGOF voucher via InterContinental Ambassador. Also IHG has an exciting offer coming up this Cyber Monday.
Note that the voucher is valid for 12 months, and must be redeemed in full so choose the value carefully.
My review of Hotel Indigo Belgrade
Having stayed two nights at the very tired Metropol Palace, I needed some fresh air and thus moved to the Hotel Indigo, which opened in October 2021. It is very centrally located in the shopping district, neighbouring a Courtyard and a Radisson Individual hotel.
Unlike most hotels it’s not at the storefront. There is a small entrance that leads to an alley, where there’s an elevator that takes you to the lobby of the hotel. This is a very unique feature, and kind of isolating the hotel from the busy crowd outside.
The art pieces, paintings and other decorations are so beautiful. It feels more like a Kimpton than an Indigo in my opinion.
You can have a drink at the rooftop terrace.
My reservation was upgraded to Premium the second day, then to Queen Suite one week before but then downgraded to Premium again before my arrival. The hotel has only one suite, so not sure if it was booked or upgraded for someone else.
However, my Premium room more than does its job already. Unfortunately I can already see some wear and tear, but overall it’s a very clean, comfy and functioning room.
Unlike the Indigos that I’ve visited in the UK, minibar here isn’t free (or cheap). There’s a supermarket right in front of the hotel so I suggest to top up there.
The hotel restaurant, on the other hand, is very reasonably priced and I had a simple dinner here.
Breakfast is free for Diamond members, which otherwise would cost €15 per person. The spread may not be the richest, but it’s carefully curated and food quality is excellent.
You can order one item from the menu for free too.
The hotel is pretty small but still has a gym.
They also reserved a taxi to the airport for me, which cost only 1800 dinars by metre. I am very satisfied with my two-night stay and can highly recommend Hotel Indigo Belgrade if you visit the city. From what I learned the Courtyard has a similar vibe, but obviously if club lounge and swimming pool are important to you, you need to look elsewhere.
IHG Cyber Sale preview: 10K bonus points for every two nights
IHG has just sent out an email hinting on an upcoming Cyber Monday Sale, referring to it as the biggest member event.
Although we don’t know anything about 2 & 3 yet, details on the first mystery offer has already been revealed on InterContinental Perth’s offer page.
- Book between November 28 and December 2
- Stay by February 28
- Enjoy 10% discount, and earn 10,000 bonus points for every two nights stayed
It is in line with other allegedly leaked information that I saw earlier, although the booking window spans across 5 days which is inconsistent with what the email suggests. My speculation is, the five day window is for the 10% discount, whereas the bonus points offer has a shorter booking window, presumably November 28 and 29.
(UPDATE: I just saw a screenshot of the 10k offer registration page:
- Booking window: November 28 – 29
- Stay by: December 31)
It should stack with the other ongoing global promotion, which means you’ll earn 30,000 bonus points for every four nights stayed!
Buy IHG points at 0.47c in the flash sale
It turns out I was too impatient when I wrote about IHG’s flash sale. We’ve gathered more details about the promotion:
- 15% off all reward night bookings globally
- IHG Diamond and Platinum Elites only
- Book between October 26 and October 28
- Stay by December 16th
- Max. 3 consecutive nights (so not stackable with Chase’s 4-for-3 benefit)
If you are the cardholder of select IHG Rewards Credit Cards, you are entitled to early access that started on October 24 already. Note that all dates are hotel’s local time – at the time of writing the hotels in Asia are already on sale, but not Europe or Americas yet.
It’s a good offer and you may want to cancel and rebook some existing reward bookings.
In addition, such promotions are also known as a cheap way to “buy” points indirectly from IHG, as you can make cash & point bookings and then cancel them. You won’t get any money back, but you get the full amount of points instead.
Via cash & points, the following two hotels in the U.S. are offering a good rate:
- EVEN Hotel Rockville – Washington DC Area November 1, 0.49c per point ($98 / 20K)
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hardeeville-Hilton Head November 30, 0.476c per point ($119 / 25K)
Stock is limited, and try other dates if you can’t find the cheap options anymore. Usually 0.5c is the lowest you can get when IHG offers 100% bonus on point purchases.
Note that you’ll need to wait for the respective hotel to enter 26th before you can see the discount, unless you hold an eligible IHG credit card.
25% off, 3-for-2 and more offers with Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts
You are probably familiar with American Express’s Fine Hotels and Resorts Program – Platinum and Centurion cardholders can book select luxury hotels at the Best Flexible Rate, and enjoy benefits including free breakfast, room upgrade, 4pm checkout and $100 on-property credit.
Even better, Amex FHR has launched a sale to sweeten the deal. On top of the aforementioned perks, some hotels are making an additional offer, for example:
- 25% off room rate
- 30% off suite bookings
- Complimentary 3rd or 4th night
- Extra on-property credit
The offer page is dedicated to the U.S. market, but the offer is global. I signed in with my UK Platinum card and could see the same deals. Not many UK / European hotels are participating, but here are some examples:
- Baglioni Hotel London 3for2 / $535
- Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh 25% off / $221
- Conrad Dublin 3for2 / $260
- Mandarin Oriental Prague 3for2 / $286
Rates are in USD and exclude taxes. Remember that they all come with $100 credit to spend at the hotel, so WA Edinburgh is exceptional value for a one-night stay.
There are even more great offers in Asia Pacific, and to name a few:
- Conrad Tokyo – 3for2 / $452
- Conrad Osaka – 25% off / $403
- Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong – 3for2 / $326
- Shangri-La Singapore – 4for3 / $254
- Shangri-La Sydney – 4for3 / $285
- Conrad Maldives Rangali Island – 25% off / $900
If staying with a hotel chain, you are still entitled to the usual elite benefits and points accrual. You also have the option to pre-pay, which may earn you additional Amex MR points.
(Expired) Sign-up now: Instant IHG Diamond upgrade!
(This offer has gone viral now and has appeared on multiple blogs worldwide. I have to stress that it’s a targeted corporate offer so there are certain risks. I strongly discouraged you from registering if you are already Diamond.)
(Give it a try still, but the loophole might have been closed, or be closed any minute from now.)
I wrote about IHG’s targeted Diamond trial offer recently, and I’m back today with an exciting update!
You can sign up to the Straight To Diamond offer here.
- Upon registration you’ll be upgraded to Diamond instantly
- The trial lasts 90 days
- Stay 10 paid nights by December 31, 2022 to extend your status throughout 2023
- Members / hotels in Greater China are excluded
After registration you should receive a confirmation email that looks like below, although probably not in Chinese :p
There are many success reports from my friends and online, so I’m pretty confident that it works. It is supposed to be a corporate offer, but IHG seems to be really relaxed, not enforcing any eligibility check.
So that means a minimum 90-day Diamond trial that comes with free breakfast etc which is great. If you are unable to hit the 10-day challenge, consider the Ambassador trick although I can’t guarantee it works.
IHG Gold / Platinum fast track offer and instant Diamond upgrade
IHG’s fast track route to its elite status is back for a limited time – check it out if you are interested in getting their Gold or Platinum status.
- Register and stay by December 31, 2022
- Stay two nights to earn Gold Elite status
- Stay five nights to earn Platinum Elite status
- Only paid stays count
Unlike the usual corporate offers that target select companies’ employees, this offer is open to everyone. I’ve seen two different registration links for the offer, so if the link above fails, try promo code 57159 instead.
IHG’s Platinum status comes with bonus points, room upgrade and late check-out, which isn’t hugely valuable but is worth something. You can earn an instant Platinum upgrade when joining the Ambassador program (and there’s an ongoing offer), but if you don’t feel like paying for it, the fast track offer might work better.
Meanwhile, someone from China’s FlyerT forum has shared a similar but more attractive deal.
Employees from certain IHG’s corporate partners can request an instant upgrade to Diamond Elite that lasts 90 days, and then keep the status if staying at least 10 nights during the trial. I didn’t get hold of the registration link (UPDATE: I do now), but you should check with HR if your company does a lot of business with IHG.
IHG new offer: 10K bonus points every 4 nights
IHG has launched its global promotion for the last quarter of 2022.
You can read the details and sign up here.
- Stay between October 13 and December 31
- Choose between 2,000 bonus points every 2 nights, and 10,000 bonus points very 4 nights
- Once chosen it can’t be changed
- Only paid nights count
It’s interesting that they are offering members a choice this time. However unless you are not gonna reach 4 nights in the rest of the year, it’s a no brainer to choose the second option. Therefore having two options is a bit pointless – one should probably offer double elite-qualifying night or something like that.
If you are staying enough nights, the offer equates to 2,500 bonus points per night which is a good deal. It’s a decent incentive if you are pondering about hitting Diamond or Milestone Rewards.