Every year, IHG Rewards publishes a list of hotels where the number of points required for a Reward Night at that hotel will be changing. Yesterday, IHG Rewards published [Link removed, as no longer available] the list for 2016. The list identifies 400 hotels that are changing in levels, with half reducing in the number of points, and the other half going up in points levels.
To start with, it is best to note that the new chart does not apply until 17 February 2016. This gives a three week time period in which to book any rooms you need that are going up in points requirements. On the other hand, if the hotel you desire is going down in points levels, try holding out untli 17 February for the points to reduce (but note, of course, that you will need to be careful that availability doesn’t disappear altogether by then)
New IHG Rewards Points Levels
One major change that has been quietly snuck into the changes is the introdcution of two new points levels. AT present, the most number of points you need to gain a Rewards Night is 50,000 points. As of 17 February, there are two ned levels – one at 55,000 points and one at 60,000 points.
These new levels affect 18 Intercontinental properties with 5 moving up to the 55,000 point level, and 13 to the 60,000 points level. Among the hotels increasing to 55,000 points are the Intercontinental properties in Sydney and Melbourne. As for the 60,000 points levels, this sees the aspirational properties on Bora Bora and another in Hong Kong rising to that level. The full list of hotels increasing to the new levels are:
55,000 points level
- InterContinental Sydney
- InterContinental Melbourne the Rialto
- InterContinental De La Ville
- InterContinental The Willard – Washington
- InterContinental Boston
60,000 points level
- InterContinental Carlton Cannes
- InterContinental Paris – Avenue Marceau
- InterContinental Paris – Le Grand
- InterContinental Le Moana Bora Bora
- InterContinental Bora Bora Bora Resort Thalasso & Spa
- InterContinental Hong Kong
- InterContinental London Park Lane
- InterContinental The Clement Monterrey
- InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco
- InterContinental San Francisco
- InterContinental Alliance Resorts The Venetian
- InterContinental Alliance Resorts The Palazzo
- InterContinental New York Times Square
IHG Rewards Category Changes
Across the board there are 400 hotels that will be having adjustments made to the number of points required for a Rewards Night. In a network that has just passed the 5,000 hotels mark, this represents 8% of the hotels in the network. The changes being made are evenly split between hotels that will require addtiional points and those that will require fewer points.
From an Australian perspective, we have seen already that the Intercontinentals in Melbourne and Sydney will require additional points. On the other had, the Holiday Inn in Townsville will reduce from 25,000 points to 20,000 points. It is interesting to note that the Holkiday Inn Townsville was on the last Points Break list, which may indicate that it has a lower occupancy rate than it has in the past.
It is interesting to note that a large number of the hotels that have a reduced points level are in China (although there have been some increases there as well). On the other had, if you are heading to cities such as Hong Kong, London, Paris or New york, you may find there has been an increase in the points required.