Are you a member of the IHG Rewards Club? Would you like to be? We explain how to optimize your subscription and get your hands on free nights, called Rewards Night.
IHG Rewards Club is the loyalty program of the international hotel chain IHG. As a member of IHG Rewards Club, depending on your status, you can expect exciting benefits and, of course, the ability to collect and redeem points at participating IHG hotels. All the important information about what the program offers you and the concrete benefits you can enjoy is presented in this guide.
What is IHG Rewards Club?
The InterContinental Hotel Group (IH) was founded in Denham, near London, in 1946 as InterContinental Hotels & Resorts as a subsidiary of Pan Am. The hotel chain has since grown to become the one of the largest hotel chains in the world, with more than 5,000 hotels.
IHG’s largest hotel division is Holiday Inn Express, with more than 2,750 hotels, and Holiday Inn, with approximately 1,890 hotels. Both chains are in the mid-range segment. But that’s not all. IHG brands also include Crowne Plaza Hotels, Indigo Hotels, Kimpton Hotels, Regent Hotels and Resorts, Six Senses Hotels and, of course, the more than 200 InterContinental Hotels & Resorts. In total, the portfolio includes 16 brands.
It wasn’t until 2019 that IHG entered the upper luxury segment when it acquired Six Senses. This is where the channel has wanted to focus its efforts ever since, with rebranding playing an important role in this regard.
IHG offers its members free membership in its loyalty program, the IHG Rewards Club. The objective is to build customer loyalty by offering them benefits during their stay in the chain’s hotels. It is possible to reach the higher status level after a certain number of hotel nights. IHG Rewards Club distinguishes between four different status levels: Club Status, Gold Elite, Platinum Elite and Spire Elite.
Points earned during your stay can be redeemed at all participating IHG hotels worldwide, including for free nights.
What are the benefits of joining IHG Rewards Club?
Membership in the IHG Rewards Club is particularly attractive, because with more than 250,000 beds in Holiday Inn hotels, IHG is ranked the third largest international chain, behind Marriott and Hilton. You will find an IHG hotel in almost every city in the world as well as many cities in France, such as Lyon, Paris, Marseille, Bordeaux and more.
By the way, membership in the IHG Rewards Club is of course also free. Depending on the status acquired, customers can benefit from attractive advantages, such as the possibility of earning points during a stay, special rates for members, free Wi-Fi and the elimination of blackout periods for Rewards Nights.
Finally, when you book through suite spot Hotels , you can enjoy special benefits at many of IHG’s luxury hotels. With every stay at an IHG participating hotel, such as the InterContinental Paris le Grand or the InterContinental Lyon – Hôtel Dieu , you will receive a complimentary breakfast, hotel credit of up to $100, a welcome gift, and many other additional benefits. Plus, when you book through suite spot Hotels , you can combine the benefits of booking through us with your IHG Rewards Club status benefits and, of course, continue to earn points in the rewards program. loyalty.
What are the different levels of IHG Rewards Club status?
IHG Rewards Club has four different status levels: Club Status, Gold Elite, Platinum Elite and Spire Elite. Each status offers distinct advantages.
Club status
Although the Club level is not really a status level, since you do not need a minimum number of nights or Elite points to reach this level, it is still a level that you already offers certain advantages.
As a Club Status holder, you earn ten IHG Rewards Club points per US dollar spent on each stay. Here’s what the additional benefits for Club Status holders look like:
- Accumulation of points or airline miles
- Exclusive rates
- Exclusive customer service number
- No blackout dates for Rewards Nights
- Counting Reward Nights for Elite Status
- Free internet access
Gold Elite status
IHG Rewards Club Gold Elite status can be achieved quite quickly: either with at least 10 nights per year or 10,000 Elite Points. This level already guarantees you important advantages, which are as follows:
- Late departure
- Additional earnings of 10% on top of base points
- No expiration of points
- Priority recording
Platinum Elite status
With 40 nights per year or 40,000 Elite Points, you can earn Platinum Elite status. In addition to Gold Elite status benefits, you will receive the following exclusive benefits at participating IHG hotels:
- Additional earnings of 50% on top of base points
- Postponed Elite Nights
- Free upgrade (subject to availability)
- Guaranteed room availability (for reservations made 72 hours in advance)
Spire Elite Status
The highest level of status you can achieve within the IHG Rewards Club is Spire Elite status. With 75 nights per year or 75,000 Elite Points, you can earn Spire Elite status. You’ll enjoy the best benefits at participating IHG hotels around the world, in addition to those of Platinum Elite status:
- 100% additional earnings on top of base points
- Exclusive choice of benefits by achieving status
- Exclusive Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star Upgrade
- Early arrival (subject to availability and from 10 a.m.)
As an IHG Rewards Club member, you also have the option of joining the InterContinental Ambassador program. Purchasing this membership entitles you to an even higher level of benefits and allows you to enjoy all the benefits reserved for InterContinental Ambassador members at InterContinental, Kimpton, Regent and Six Senses hotels. Benefits include:
- Guaranteed upgrade
- Late check-out guaranteed until 4 p.m.
- Free mineral water every day
- Free night on weekends (when booking two nights)
- Rates for a single room in double occupancy
- Resort credit up to $20 USD per stay
- Free breakfast for one person (only in China)
Members of the InterContinental Ambassador program even get free access to Club InterContinental or the Regent Club Lounge.
To renew your Ambassador membership, you will need to pay 200 or 40,000 IHG Rewards points at least 60 days before it expires. Membership is valid for 12 months. The membership itself also costs 200 or 40,000 reward points, but you’ll also automatically earn Platinum Elite status upon purchase.
How do I earn IHG Rewards Club points?
The most common way to collect points within IHG Rewards Club is by staying at an IHG hotel. During your stay, you will receive ten points per US dollar spent, plus additional bonus points based on your status. This also applies to expenses incurred inside the hotel, i.e. expenses incurred in the restaurant or in the spa.
You can also earn Miles through partner loyalty programs when you stay at participating IHG hotels. To do so, simply present your frequent flyer status card along with your IHG Rewards Club card at check-in. Before check-in, however, you must have selected your preferred airline partner and changed your account earning setting from points to miles. Every time you stay at a participating IHG, you’ll earn miles in your partner airline’s frequent flyer program.
The following airlines and loyalty programs are IHG Rewards Club partners:
- Aeroflot
- Aero Mexico
- Aeroplan
- Air China
- Air France
- Air Saudia
- Air Miles
- Air New Zealand
- American Airlines
- Alitalia
- Alaska Airlines
- ANA
- Asia Miles
- Asiana Airlines
- Avianca
- British Airlines
- China Eastern
- China Airlines
- China Southern Airlines
- Copa Airlines
- Delta Airlines
- El-Al
- Emirates
- Etihad Airways
- Eva Air
- Finnair
- Gulf Air
- Hainan Airlines
- Iberia
- Intermiles
- Japan Airlines
- jetBlue
- KoreanAir
- LATAM
- Lufthansa
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- TAP Air Portugal
- Singapore Airlines
- South African Airlines
- Thai
- Turkish Airlines
- United
- Virgin Atlantic
- Velocity Frequent Flyer
Depending on the airline, you can earn up to two miles per US dollar spent or up to 500 miles per qualifying stay at a participating IHG hotel.
You can also earn up to 125 IHG Rewards Club points per rental day with car rental company Avis.
Plus, you can also earn extra points on IHG stays through certain promotions that include earning double points on every dollar spent, among other things. This will get you a Rewards Night even faster.
How do I redeem IHG Rewards Club points?
The most rewarding aspect of collecting points is redeeming them for free nights, called Rewards Night. But you can also redeem your points in the restaurants of the hotels, in the spa or for other activities and offers of the participating hotels.
Conversely, you can also redeem your points for miles in IHG’s partner loyalty programs. However, as is often the case with hotel programs, reimbursement for hotel stays is by far the most attractive.
Here are your options for redeeming your IHG Rewards Club points:
- Rewards Nights: From just 10,000 points, you can earn Rewards Nights at any of 5,000 IHG hotels. The minimum number of IHG Rewards Club points to earn a Reward Night varies by hotel and is categorized. You can book select InterContinental hotels for 25,000 points. The most expensive hotel is the InterContinental Maamunagau Resort in the Maldives, where one night costs 100,000 points. Each reward night includes only one night in a room with a double or king-size bed, plus tax.
- Points & Cash: Of course, you don’t have to pay for your nights exclusively with points. You can pay for part of your stay with points and the rest with another payment method. To use Points&Cash, you must have at least 5,000 IHG Rewards Club points.
- Shopping: You can also redeem your IHG Rewards Club points for products listed in IHG’s online catalog . On the website, you can easily choose between different categories, such as magazines, jewelry, household goods, toys, clothing, technology, sporting goods, health and wellness and many more. still others. If you only want to redeem a certain number of points, depending on the total, you can find great products from just 10,000 points.
- Digital Rewards: In addition to the online catalog, you can also redeem your IHG Rewards Club points for entertainment rewards, such as e-books, games, software and more.
- Airline miles: In your IHG Rewards Club account, you can simply choose whether you want to earn points or miles with any of the participating airline partners. Of course, you can also exchange the points you have already earned for miles if you still run out of miles for a future trip. You can redeem, for example, 10,000 IHG Rewards Club points for 2,000 miles. To do so, simply call IHG Rewards Club customer service and have your points converted to miles.
- IHG Foundation: Want to do something good? You can also donate your points to charities or aid organisations. You can donate between 2,500 and 10,000 IHG Rewards Club points to the Red Cross, for example.
But beyond that, there is also the possibility of buying points and giving them away. Buy Point prices are subject to change at any time. You can purchase up to 100,000 additional IHG Rewards Club points per calendar year. Payment for points must be made with a valid and accepted credit card or other means of payment. When buying points, various promotions are regularly offered so that you can buy points with a bonus or a discount. This option can be interesting, especially if you have a special redemption in mind.
What is the cancellation policy for paying with points?
As a general rule, reservations and reservations can be canceled free of charge between 24 and 48 hours in advance. There are usually only exceptions to this rule during peak season and at resorts.
For normal reservations, i.e. without redeeming points, the Covid-19 policy applies:
Stays booked up to and including December 31, 2020 can be canceled free of charge 24 hours before arrival. After December 31, 2020, all non-refundable/prepaid rate reservations will be subject to the terms of the reserved room rate.
For reservations paid with points, the following applies:
Cancellation deadlines vary from 7 days in advance to 24 hours before arrival. Only if you meet these deadlines will your points be credited to you. Cancellation policies are a bit stricter, especially at InterContinental hotels. If you do not show up, or if you do not cancel before the deadline, your IHG Rewards points will not be credited.
How to get a good plan in IHG hotels with suite spot Hotels?
You can book a stay at most IHG hotels through suite spot Hotels . By booking with us, you can benefit from the following advantages during your stay:
- Resort credit worth US$100 when booking a room
- Upgrade to a higher room category (subject to availability)
- Complimentary daily breakfast for two people
- Early arrival and late departure (subject to availability)
- VIP treatment throughout the stay
- Regular points in the IHG Rewards Club program
- Flexible booking
Moreover, it is not uncommon for us to offer exclusive good deals, such as free third nights. Right now, you can indeed get a third night free at select participating hotels, such as the InterContinental Paris le Grand , Hotel du Palais Biarritz , and InterContinental Lyon – Hotel Dieu .
If you have any further questions about the hotels in the suite spot Hotels portfolio or the benefits offered, please do not hesitate to contact our customer service by email or leave a comment on this page. It will be our pleasure to answer you.
IHG Rewards Club at a Glance
IHG Rewards Club offers attractive benefits which of course vary according to status. The benefits are only particularly attractive from Platinum Elite status, although the highest, Spire Elite status, is quite difficult to obtain if you do not travel a lot. But even with other statuses, like Gold Elite status, you can enjoy exclusive rates, flexible check-in times, priority check-in, free Wi-Fi and other perks. Plus, for $200 or 40,000 Elite Points, you can purchase InterContinental Ambassador status and receive exclusive benefits at all InterContinental hotels, such as a guaranteed room upgrade or resort credit.
The answer is Yes, you can get IHG Platinum Elite Directly here, no need to spend $10,000+ staying 40 or 60 nights.