InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is one of the largest hotel chains in the world. Therefore, the IHG One Rewards program is one you should know about to level up your travel game. While IHG is home to a family of 27 hotel brands with 5,795 hotels worldwide, many will be more familiar with the individual hotel brands than they are with IHG itself.

It’s free to become an IHG One Rewards Club member, so if for some reason you haven’t registered, you can do so via this page. Club members also have the ability to build and maintain their IHG status, which is recognised with perks across the group.

What Hotel Brands Are Part Of IHG?

Travellers can stay with IHG at 6,000 destinations across 17 brands. From there, guests can choose from four collections. Here’s what you can expect from each.

IHG Luxury & Lifestyle Collection

• Six Senses Hotels & Resorts are a top-tier luxury hotel brand, with only 18 locations such as Fiji, Maldives, Singapore and Bali. Six Senses properties aim to reconnect and reinvigorate your senses in places of incredible natural beauty.
• Regent Hotels & Resorts is one of the world’s most prestigious luxury brands with hotels in gateway cities and resort destinations around the world. Regent delivers a superb experience with service designed to enable uplifting experiences through thoughtful touches and a contemporary approach to luxury design.
• InterContinental Hotels & Resort are a well-known luxury hotel brand which can be found in more than 200 locations worldwide. Each property offers a unique touch of luxury with fantastic on-site amenities including restaurants and spas.
• Vignette Collection is the latest brand addition, with two properties up and running plus six in the works. Vignette is a family of one-off hotels where guests can indulge a growing passion for stays that are authentic, experiential and considerate.
• Kimpton Hotels & Resorts are individually designed boutique hotels, known for their highly-personal service and playful design.
• Hotel Indigo is a worldwide chain of boutique hotels. Each property has a unique design that draws inspiration on the local area. With more than 120 properties and the same amount in the pipeline, Hotel Indigo is a great choice for travellers to immerse themselves in local culture.

IHG Premium Collection

• voco is an upscale hotel brand which serves the Middle East, United Kingdom, Australia and Montenegro. The brand focuses on conversion opportunities, meaning existing properties can ‘convert’ into the new brand.
• HUALUXE Hotels & Resorts has been designed specifically to cater for Chinese guests. The hotel incorporates Chinese culture and heritage, “with particular emphasis on the Chinese values of etiquette, rejuvenation in nature, recognition of status and enabling spaces,”.
• Crowne Plaza hotels are targeted at the business traveller, being located in major cities and close to airports. Generally, desks are provided in each room, with conference and meeting facilities are available.
• EVEN Hotels offers 21 properties throughout the United States. These properties have wellness at their core, and are designed for travellers seeking a “healthier and happier stay”.

IHG Suites Collection

• Atwell Suites is a new upper-midscale all-suites hotel brand that brings inspiration to every journey. For now, the only Atwell Suites property is located in Denver Airport in the US, although 22 additional properties are in the works.
• Staybridge Suites are best for extended-stays, with 293 locations worldwide. These properties offer well-equipped kitchens, daily buffet breakfast, laundry and fitness facilities and are pet-friendly.
• Holiday Inn Club Vacations are best suited to large families or groups. You will find this vacation ownership chain at 27 locations throughout the United States, mostly in popular tourist destinations. Although you don’t need to be a Vacation Club owner to stay at these hotels, you should be prepared for timeshare presentations here.
• Candlewood Suites offer all-suite accommodation with well-equipped kitchens, laundry facilities and are pet-friendly.

Essentials Collection

• Holiday Inn offers a comfortable and affordable stay at more than 1,100 locations around the world. Holiday Inn is aimed at travellers on a budget, especially families with young children as children under 18 usually stay free when sharing their parent’s room. Up to four children aged 11 and under eat for free at on-site Holiday Inn restaurants.
• Holiday Inn Express is the largest brand within the IHG portfolio with 2,800+ hotels worldwide. As the name implies, these hotels are best for short stays, offering simple rooms at an affordable price.
  avid is one of IHG’s newest budget brands. These hotels promote the social aspect of travel with communal spaces throughout.

How do I join IHG One Rewards?

Joining IHG One Rewards is free and easy. If you are yet to join, all it takes is three simple steps:

• Step 1: Navigate to the Join IHG page and enter your personal details.
• Step 2: Read and accept the Terms & Conditions and the Privacy Policy.
• Step 3: Click ‘Join now’ to become a member.

How To Earn IHG One Rewards Points

Earning IHG One Rewards Points points is very straightforward, and for most people, points are earned by staying at IHG properties worldwide. If hotel membership points aren’t your thing, IHG also allows you to earn directly into your favourite airline’s frequent flyer program. However, in terms of value and flexibility, we recommend earning IHG One Rewards Points as you’ll be able to convert to airline points at a later date.

Most IHG brands will offer 10 points for each US$1 or equivalent currency spent. If you’ve booked Staybridge Suites or Candlewood Suites, expect 5 points for each US$1 spent. This includes the room rate plus any incidentals, such as dining and minibar purchases. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to charge everything to your room.

IHG One Rewards members with status will receive a bonus on top of the regular earn rate.

In addition, IHG One Rewards points can be earned through a variety of other partnerships such as Hertz or Thrifty car rental, plus a few other options via credit cards and dining.

Buying IHG Points

Just like many other big hotel groups, IHG sells its points, and from time to time there’s a bonus when you buy. Generally speaking, I would only recommend buying points if you have a specific redemption in mind and when a 100% bonus sale (the highest offer) is running.

If you’re planning to buy IHG One Rewards points, keep in mind you are limited to 100,000 points per calendar year. On top of that, you can also receive an additional 100,000 points as a gift from family or friends.
Purchased points usually take 24-48 hours to get credited to your account so be prepared, especially when the PointsBreaks lists gets released.

It’s best to buy IHG One Rewards where there’s a sale, to check this, visit this page. You can purchase IHG One Rewards points here.

How To Redeem IHG One Rewards Points

IHG One Rewards Points can be cashed in for stays across the IHG Group portfolio. The number of One Rewards Points needed for a stay will depend on the hotel in question, with redemptions only available in standard rooms. If you’re after a suite, you will be out of luck. Keep in mind that status benefits may not be honoured when using points to book, depending on the hotel.

After logging in to your account, hotel searches will display the points price for whichever hotel you are interested in. Unlike other programs, IHG does not have blackout dates or limitations on the number of rooms that are available for redemption.
It’s always worth checking the room rates in cash before you cash in those hard-earned points. In periods of low occupancy, or during a sale, you may be better saving points for peak periods rates increase.

IHG One Rewards Status Tiers & Member Benefits

IHG One Rewards has a total of five status tiers, plus a paid membership program. Members enjoy a different range of benefits based on their status, as below.

IHG One Rewards Club Member

• Collect points or miles on stays
• Discounted member rates
• Free internet
• 2 pm late check-out subject to availability

Requirement: join IHG One Rewards

IHG One Rewards Silver Elite

• In addition to Club Member benefits, Silver Elite members receive:
• 20% more One Rewards Points
• Points won’t expire

Requirement: 10 qualified nights

IHG One Rewards Gold Elite

• In addition to Silver Elite benefits, Gold members receive:
• 40% more One Rewards Points
• Elite rollover nights for next year’s status

Requirement: 20 qualified nights or 40,000 Elite qualifying points

IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite

• In addition to Gold Elite benefits, Platinum members receive:
• 60% more One Rewards Points
• Reward Night discounts
• Guaranteed room availability if booked 72 hours ahead
• Complimentary room upgrades, subject to availability
• Welcome amenity of points, a drink or a snack
• Early check-in, subject to availability

Requirement: 40 qualified nights or 60,000 Elite qualifying points

IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite

• In addition to Platinum Elite benefits, Diamond members can expect:
• Dedicated Diamond support
• 100% more points earned on top of the base points
• Welcome amenity including free daily hot breakfast for two

Requirement: 70 qualified nights or 120,000 Elite qualifying points

IHG Intercontinental Ambassador

• InterContinental Ambassador status is a paid program at US$200 a year and comes with instant Platinum Elite IHG One Rewards status. You’ll also receive additional perks when staying at InterContinental hotels, including:
• Guaranteed upgrades
• 4 pm checkout
• A complimentary weekend night stay
• US$20 in restaurants and bar credits

Want to know more about IHG Intercontinental Ambassador membership? Check out our in-depth guide here!

IHG One Rewards Milestone Rewards

Milestone Rewards are additional bonuses which are unlocked once you stay 20 nights in a year, all the way up to 100 nights. Perks include 5,000 or 10,000 bonus points, food & beverage rewards, suite upgrades and annual lounge memberships.

IHG One Rewards PointsBreaks

Every 3 months, IHG will release a PointsBreaks list, a selection of hotels offering discounted points redemptions. Typically, you can expect a nightly rate from 5,000 to 15,000 points depending on the hotel category.
It’s easy to book PointsBreaks hotels, and also free to cancel them. The key thing to remember is that PointsBreaks offers a limited amount of rooms on offer, meaning the best hotels usually get booked out pretty fast.

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Full disclosure: this guide was produced in partnership with IHG Australia.