When IHG Rewards Club announced that it was introducing a new tier to the program, the announcement contained a note that there were going to be changes to the Award Categories of some hotels. At the time, the announcement was brief and didn’t give much detail – it was just advice that the points required to redeem rooms at about 450 hotels was set to change.
While not their normal practice, IHG Rewards have now given a list of which hotels will be increasing, and which will be decreasing in the points required for an IGH Rewards Club Awards night. The list is available here. (opens a pdf)
Overall, there are around 300 hotels that will have their points requirements increased by 5,000 – 10,000 points, while around 150 hotels will decrease by around 5,000 points. Overall, the scales are not changing, it is more that some hotels are being adjusted within the existing bands that have existed for several years.
Australia
In Australia, there are four hotels that are affected by the changes, and they are all having an increase in the number of points required. The following table outlines these changes.
| Hotel | Current | From May 1 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crowne Plaza Coogee Beach | 35,000 | 45,000 | +10,000 |
| Holiday Inn Sydney Airport | 25,000 | 35,000 | +10,000 |
| Corwne Plaza Melbourne | 40,000 | 45,000 | +5,000 |
| Intercontinental Melbourne | 40,000 | 50,000 | +10,000 |
New Zealand
In New Zealand, there are two hotels that are affected by the changes, and both are increasing in the number of points required. Indeed, the Holiday Inn Rotorua is doubling in the number of points required. The following table outlines these changes.
| Hotel | Current | From May 1 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crowne Plaza Queenstown | 30,000 | 40,000 | +10,000 |
| Holiday Inn Rotarua | 10,000 | 20,000 | +10,000 |
South East Asia
Further afield, there are changes taking place at various hotels across South East Asia, including hotels in Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong
Indonesia
Indonesia has six hotels changing in value, with 5 of those actually decreasing in requirements.
| Hotel | Current | From May 1 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday Inn Express Bali Raya Kuta | 20,000 | 15,000 | -5,000 |
| Holiday Inn Resort Baruna Bali | 20,000 | 25,000 | +5,000 |
| Holiday Inn Express Semarang Simpang Lima | 20,000 | 15,000 | -5,000 |
| Holiday Inn Jakarta Kemayoran | 20,000 | 15,000 | -5,000 |
| Holiday Inn Express Jakarta Thamrin | 20,000 | 15,000 | -5,000 |
| Holiday Inn Express Jakarta Pluit Citygate | 20,000 | 15,000 | -5,000 |
Singapore
Singapore sees three of its hotels increasing in the number of points required for an award night.
| Hotel | Current | From May 1 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium | 25,000 | 35,000 | +10,000 |
| Holiday Inn Express Clarke Quay | 20,000 | 25,000 | +5,000 |
| Holiday Inn Express Orchard Road | 20,000 | 30,000 | +10,000 |
Thailand
Thailand sees 5 hotels being adjusted. There are some significant changes at the Intercontinental Resorts in Koh Samui and Hua Hin. Both of these hotels are seeing the number of points increase from 25,000 to 35,000 points.
| Hotel | Current | From May 1 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday Inn Bangkok Silom | 15,000 | 20,000 | +5,000 |
| Holiday Inn Express Bangkok Sathorn | 20,000 | 15,000 | -5,000 |
| Intercontinental Hua Hin Resort | 25,000 | 35,000 | +10,000 |
| Intercontinental Koh Samui | 25,000 | 35,000 | +10,000 |
Hong Kong
Hong Kong sees increases on four of its hotels.
| Hotel | Current | From May 1 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crowne Plaza Kowloon East | 20,000 | 30,000 | +10,000 |
| Holiday Inn Express SoHo | 20,000 | 30,000 | +10,000 |
| Holiday Inn Express Kowloon East | 20,000 | 30,000 | +10,000 |
| Intercontinental Hong Kong | 55,000 | 50,000 | +5,000 |
It is good that IHG Rewards have published change to the award categories for affected hotels. Some of the changes are negative and some are positive, but it does allow for some planning if you have a particular hotel in mind.