Essential Information on IHG Hotels and Resorts’ Updated Loyalty Program

Dinogo collaborates with CreditCards.com and may earn a commission from card issuers. This site does not encompass all financial companies or every financial offer available. Compensation can influence how an offer is displayed. Our coverage remains independent and objective, having not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by any of these organizations. The opinions expressed here belong solely to the Dinogo editorial team.

After the reintroduction of IHG Rewards credit cards in March 2022, IHG Hotels and Resorts has launched a highly anticipated and notably enhanced loyalty program, IHG One Rewards.

The former IHG Rewards program missed many of the elite benefits that make programs like Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy so desirable. (Think complimentary breakfast and significant room upgrades!) Fortunately, IHG has revamped its loyalty program to be more appealing and competitive, though the complete range of new benefits won’t be available until June 2022.

Discover more about IHG’s expanding hotel collection, along with strategies for earning IHG points through the new rewards program now.

IHG: 17 hotel brands unified under a single acronym

IHG represents InterContinental Hotel Group, but its extensive portfolio includes over a dozen brands beyond just InterContinental properties. Within the IHG family, you'll discover well-known names such as Kimpton, Six Senses, Crowne Plaza, and Holiday Inn, totaling more than 6,000 locations worldwide (with an additional 1,800 in development as of the latest report).

IHG’s brands are categorized into four distinct collections. They include:

• Luxury & Lifestyle: Hotel Indigo, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Kimpton Hotels, Regent Hotels & Resorts, Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, and Vignette Collection
• Premium: Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Even Hotels, Hualuxe Hotels & Resorts, and avoco hotels
• Essentials: avid hotels, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, and Holiday Inn Express
• Suites: Atwell Suites, Candlewood Suites, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, and Staybridge Suites

With the IHG One Rewards loyalty program, members can earn and redeem IHG points for stays at any hotel within these collections. Earning points under the new program is relatively simple, but redeeming them can be more complex. First, availability for reward stays varies. Some highly sought-after hotels, such as the Kimpton St Honoré Paris, seem to have award inventory available year-round, while our attempts to find availability at the InterContinental Bora Bora Thalasso revealed only five nights bookable with points throughout 2022 (despite IHG's claim of no blackout dates). Additionally, when inventory is available, the points required are determined by a dynamic pricing model that considers factors like peak and off-peak seasons, as well as the property’s current cash rate. Generally, standard rooms range from 10,000 points to 120,000 points per night, depending on the hotel.

Elite Tiers of IHG One Rewards

The updated IHG One Rewards loyalty program features four elite tiers, an increase from the previous three, offering enhanced rates for elite members eager to earn bonus points during their stays.

Anyone can enroll in the program via the IHG website and achieve basic Club status. At this entry level, you'll earn points on stays (without a bonus multiplier), receive complimentary internet, and have the option to request a 2 p.m. checkout (a new benefit starting in June). Elite status starts with Silver, advancing to Gold, Platinum, and ultimately Diamond Elite, formerly known as Spire Elite. Each tier offers additional benefits, including a bonus multiplier on points accrued during stays, allowing travelers to accumulate points more rapidly (as mentioned above). These bonus multipliers became effective on April 13, 2022.

To achieve elite status, members must earn a minimum number of qualifying nights at IHG properties each calendar year or accumulate a specific number of IHG-elite qualifying points each year. These points are obtained through stays at IHG hotels, purchases on IHG-branded credit cards, and even by transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards to the IHG One Rewards program. (It's worth noting that new cardmember welcome bonuses do not qualify as elite points.) However, those who obtain or already hold an IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card (annual fee $99) or an IHG® Rewards Premier Business Credit Card (annual fee $99) automatically receive Platinum Elite status, bypassing the need for minimum stays and spending.

Additional new perks for IHG One Rewards elites

One significant drawback of IHG’s previous rewards program was the lack of substantial benefits for top-tier elite members and the inconsistent enforcement of perks like priority check-in and upgrades based on availability. IHG leadership has indicated that the new program will address these issues.

Elite members are now expected to enjoy enhanced opportunities for early check-in, late checkouts based on availability (up to 2 p.m.), and room upgrades. Upgrades may reach premium room types or even suites for Platinum Elite and Diamond Elite members. Furthermore, these members will gain exclusive access to reward night discounts, occasionally up to 20 percent. Diamond Elites will also have the option of selecting free breakfast as a Welcome Amenity (significantly more valuable than the previous offering of just 600 IHG points). While this represents an improvement, it may not be revolutionary, especially considering that similar food and beverage credits are provided at the Gold level for Hilton Honors members.

Lastly, the IHG One Rewards program will launch Milestone Rewards. Starting at 20 IHG nights and awarded every 10 nights thereafter, members can choose from Milestone Rewards such as food and beverage credits in $20 increments, a guaranteed suite upgrade, or an annual IHG lounge membership after 40 nights (with lounges available at select InterContinental and Crowne Plaza hotels). Members can earn a maximum of nine Milestone Rewards each calendar year.

Here’s a summary of benefits associated with the new elite tiers. All benefits will be available starting June 2022.

Accumulating IHG points—quickly and easily

The fastest way to rack up IHG points is by applying for one of its newly branded credit cards. Both the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card and the IHG Rewards Premier Business Credit Card have a $99 annual fee and currently offer a welcome bonus of 140,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account activation. Additionally, the no-annual-fee IHG® Rewards Traveler Credit Card is enticing new customers with an introductory bonus of 80,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 within the first three months.

In addition to the bonus, these cards allow for easy accumulation of IHG points through everyday spending. With the Premier card, you earn five points for every dollar spent on non-IHG travel, dining, and gas, and three points on all other purchases. The Premier Business card follows the same rewards structure as the personal card but adds the opportunity to earn five points per dollar on marketing expenses for your business. The Traveler card offers three points per dollar on utilities, internet, cable, phone, select streaming services, dining, and gas, along with two points per dollar on all other spending.

Using any of these cards at IHG properties will generate a significant number of points, but the Premier and Premier Business cards are particularly rewarding. With either of these cards, you'll earn a staggering 26 points per dollar on purchases made at IHG hotels and resorts. Plus, with the automatic Platinum Elite status that comes with either card, you receive a 60 percent bonus on the base points earned during your stay.

Typically, you earn 10 base points for every dollar spent at most IHG hotels (except 5 per $1 at Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites). For example, if you booked a night at the Kimpton St Honoré Paris for $500 including tax, using the Premier or Premier Business card would yield 13,000 IHG points, plus an additional 8,000 points from your stay (5,000 base points plus the 60 percent bonus), totaling 21,000 IHG points. It almost seems unbelievable! If you use the Traveler card, you'd earn 17 points per dollar on purchases made at IHG hotels. In the case of the Paris hotel, that would equate to 13,500 IHG points (8,500 from the Traveler Card, plus 5,000 base points). That's still quite impressive.

Key Takeaways

IHG Hotels and Resorts' revamped loyalty program, IHG One Rewards, marks a notable improvement over its predecessor, though we won't fully grasp its impact at the hotel level until June. With the new program’s earning structure already in effect, we recommend applying for the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card or the IHG Rewards Premier Business Credit Card now to benefit from substantial introductory bonuses, maximize points on IHG stays, gain automatic Platinum Elite status, and soon enjoy all the exciting new perks that come with that status.

Although the offers outlined above are accurate at the time of writing, they are subject to change at any moment and may have been updated or could no longer be available.