If you collect IHG points, this news could affect you!
Starting January 15, 2017, 650+ IHG hotels will change their award prices. And ~500 of them will become more expensive, and ~150 will become less expensive.
On January 15, 2017, You’ll Be Able to Reserve the Intercontinental Xishuangbanna Resort for 30,000 IHG Points per Night (Previously 35,000 Points per Night)
I’ll explain these category changes, so you can decide whether to book your hotel now, or wait until after the changes.
IHG Category Changes
Link: IHG Hotel Category Changes
Beginning January 15, 2017, IHG will change the categories of of 653 IHG hotels. And they’re mostly negative.
This change will either increase or decrease the hotel award prices between 5,000 and 15,000 IHG points per night. Some hotels that are increasing in price are:
- Holiday Inn Express Washington, DC Northeast – increasing 10,000 points to 30,000 IHG points per night
- InterContinental Los Angeles Century City – increasing 10,000 points to 55,000 IHG points per night
- InterContinental Porto – Palacio de Cardosas – increasing 10,000 points to 45,000 IHG points per night
- Holiday Inn Express Nuremberg City – increasing 15,000 points to 30,000 IHG points per night
Book a Room at the Holiday Inn Express Nuremberg City – Hauptbahnhof With a Beautiful View of Nuremberg Castle Before it Increases in Price by 15,000 points!
And in total:
- 5 IHG hotels in Australia will increase in price
- 23 IHG hotels in the United Kingdom will increase in price
- 5 IHG hotels in France will increase in price
- 7 IHG hotels in Mexico will increase in price
You can book IHG hotels ~11.5 months in advance. So if you’re planning to stay at a hotel that is going up a category, use your points to lock-in the lower prices before this category change on January 15, 2017!
Even if you aren’t sure you’ll use the nights, it might still be a good idea to book them. Because you can cancel award nights for free with IHG.
And if you’re planning a stay at a hotel moving down a category, you should wait until after January 15, 2017, to book. You can also cancel your current reservation and re-book after the category change to get a lower price.
Need More IHG Points?
Link: Chase IHG Card
To earn more IHG points, you can:
- Sign-up bonus from the Chase IHG Rewards card
- Buy IHG points
- Use the IHG Cash & Points Trick to “buy” points for even cheaper
- Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points (I do NOT recommend this, because there are more valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer partners)
It’s Possible to Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to IHG, but You Can Get Better Value by Transferring to Partners Like United Airlines or Hyatt
Bottom Line
On January 15, 2017, ~650 IHG hotels will change award prices. Nearly 500 hotels are going up in price, while the others are decreasing. All of the changes are between 5,000 and 15,000 IHG points.
That’s why I tell folks to use their miles & points sooner rather than later. Loyalty programs continue to devalue their rewards, and your points may not be worth as much down the road!
If you’re planning to stay at a hotel that will be increasing its prices, you can book before January 15, 2017, and lock-in the lower price. Or if you’ve already booked a hotel that’s lowering its price, you can cancel and re-book after January 15, 2017, at the cheaper rate!
Do these category changes affect your travel plans?
