My Creation IHG card account, amongst many others, were closed last year. The biggest loss is the annual free night reward certificate, which is valid on almost all IHG properties, and unlike the one that comes with the US card it’s not capped.
If you still have an unredeemed certificate, or if your Creation card is still active, you may want to have a look at Mr & Mrs Smith properties. I knew that the certificates weren’t valid on Six Senses properties, and I just took it for granted that Mr & Mrs Smith hotels were excluded too given that they weren’t owned by IHG. But it turns out I was wrong.
You can actually redeem the free night at any IHG-participating Mr & Mrs Smith hotels (directory here), as long as there is reward availability. The UK list is already quite long, and new hotels are constantly being added.
The most expensive UK hotel is probably Heckfield Place, which is priced at around £1,000 night:
Chewton Glen, Cliveden and Linthwaite House are a few other great options in this country.
If you fancy something more exotic, The Retreat at Blue Lagoon is a very high-end hotel in Iceland.
I was quite annoyed as there’s no hotel for me to use the last free night on in the UK, since I’ve already stayed at every single InterContinental and Kimpton hotels in England and Scotland. Looks like I have plenty of options now 🙂
When you spend your free night certificate or points at Mr & Mrs Smith hotels, IHG pays cash to the properties so you’ll just be treated the same as any other paying guests, and you should also enjoy SilverSmith or GoldSmith Extras depending on your IHG status. Remember the 30-day cancellation window though, and don’t let it bite you.
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