The position of Preferred Hotels & Resorts as an international brand is a bit awkward. On one hand, it has fairly strong visibility, with many luxury hotels under its umbrella, and plenty of them prominently display the brand at their entrances. On the other hand, its loyalty program is rather unremarkable, with few standout points or benefits. In the past, we mainly mentioned it in the context of Mastercard status upgrade and its redemption partnership with Choice Hotels, while paying relatively little attention to the I Prefer program itself.
Recently, however, we discovered that its points redemptions – specifically the points-plus-cash options – can be exceptionally good value and are well worth a closer look. That’s what we’ll be covering today.
Reward Night Plus
The first option is the traditional points + cash redemption, which Preferred calls Reward Night Plus. The structure is quite similar to Hilton and Marriott: if you don’t want to redeem a full award night using points, you can pay a small number of points plus cash. Generally speaking, the cancellation policy mirrors that of award stays (i.e. flexible cancellation), and the cash portion of the stay still earns points.
Key features:
- Subject to availability: having award nights available does not necessarily mean points + cash will be offered
- The points component is fixed and tied to the hotel’s redemption tier
- The cash component fluctuates with the actual room rate
Here are some example comparisons (the latter price being the member flexible rate or something similar):
- Taipei, The Archipelago: 10,000 points + £146 / £203
- Bangkok, The Landmark: 3,000 points + £83 / £106
- Singapore, Amara Singapore: 10,000 points + £129 / £146
- London, The Bentley London: 15,000 points + £189 / £242
- Vienna, Hotel Sans Souci: 15,000 points + £251 / £350
- Athens, NJV Athens Plaza: 6,000 points + £152 / £273
Value varies dramatically between hotels. In extreme cases, the points + cash option can even be more expensive than the standard cash rate, so careful comparison is essential.
Key Access
However, today’s real highlight is another feature entirely. Preferred offers a very distinctive option called Key Access. At first glance it looks similar to points + cash, but there are some major differences:
- Usually requires a minimum stay of two nights
- Points are fixed at just 500 points per night
- The cash component comes with a much steeper discount
- Non-refundable and does not earn points
Examples make this much clearer:
- Shanghai, Artyzen NEW BUND 31: 500 points + £71 / £99
- Yuxi, Treasure Bay Fuxian Lake: 500 points + £63 / £89
- Hong Kong, The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel: 500 points + £111 / £171
- Singapore, The Fullerton Bay Hotel: 500 points + £320 / £440
- Tokyo, The Prince Park Tower: 500 points + £131 / £224
- London, Royal Lancaster: 500 points + £145 / £323
- Paris, Hotel Mayfair: 500 points + £111 / £220
- Rome, Corso 281: 500 points + £219 / £323
- Hamburg, Grand Elysée Hamburg: 500 points + £98 / £186
- Oslo, The Thief: 500 points + £118 / £256
- New York, Park Lane: 500 points + £234 / £395
- Toronto, SoHo Hotel: 500 points + £136 / £181
- Punta Cana, Ocean El Faro: 500 points + £162 / £217
As you can see, discounts of 50% or even more are not uncommon, especially in traditionally expensive markets across Europe and North America. Familiar names like The Prince Park Tower Tokyo and The Thief in Oslo stand out in particular, with very attractive pricing (seasonality plays a role too, of course). At this point, it’s arguably even better value than redeeming Choice points.
The main drawback is the lack of cancellation flexibility, making it best suited to firm, last-minute travel plans. That said, the entry threshold is extremely low, at just 500 points per night. The being said, there are very limited ways to earn Preferred points aside from hotel stays. The most straightforward option is via Mastercard promotions: new members can earn 25,000 points after registering and completing their first stay.
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