Back in August we wrote about a new finding, that IHG was trying premium room awards at few (maybe just one?) hotels. The new prices disappeared very quickly, which made me wonder if it was just an error. It seems however, that many more hotels are participating now and it’s definitely an upcoming thing from IHG.
Although I struggle to find any hotel in Europe, there are many examples elsewhere worldwide, and it’s especially prevalent in China.
- Crowne Plaza Seattle Downtown from King Standard 23,000 points to King Junior Suite 41,000 points
- Holiday Inn Santo Domingo from Standard Room 18,700 points to 2 Double Suite 26,350 points
- voco Dubai the Palm from King Deluxe 52,000 points to King Suite 159,000 points
- Crowne Plaza Shanghai Nanjing Road from Standard 20,000 points to 1 Bedroom Suite 45,000 points
- Holiday inn Beijing Deshengmen from Standard 15,000 points to 1 Bed Suite 40,000 points
Premium room award is already a thing with almost all other mainstream chains:
- Accor – as points are redeemed at a fixed rate, all rooms are available and priced accordingly
- Hilton – all premium rooms are redeemable at a usually very bad rate
- Hyatt – certain premium rooms and suites are redeemable at a pre-set cost per the hotel’s category
- Marriott – sometimes premium rooms are redeemable at a point or cash supplement
I have barely used this feature in my life, as I don’t tend to care that much about premium rooms, and being an elite member I often receive the room upgrade / lounge access benefits already.
With IHG however, upgrade might not be as generous, and lounge access isn’t given unless you have the annual lounge pass. If you want to secure a better room and / or guarantee lounge access, the premium room award could be useful.
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