IHG One Rewards is the loyalty program of IHG Hotels and Resorts (IHG) – a major international hotel and resort operator. IHG operates a number of brands including Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Voco, and Holiday Inn.
In 2022, IHG has renamed the previous IHG rewards program, and given the program a makeover. This included changes to the status tier structure and some updates to the benefits of the program.
Over the last week, IHG has rolled out the new tier benefits, and milestone rewards associated with the new program.
IHG Brands
There are currently 16 brands participating in the IHG One Reward program, although not all of the brands are represented in Australia. IHG divides these into four broad market segments.
Firstly, the Luxury and Lifestyle segment consists of Intercontinental, Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, Regent, Hotel Indigo, and Six Senses.
Taking a step down to the Premium segment, we find Crowne Plaza, Hualuxe, Voco, and Even Hotels.
The Essentials segment has Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and Avid.
Finally, in the Suites segment are Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Atwell Suites, Staybridge Suites, and Candlewood Suites.
IHG One Rewards Status Levels
There are a total of five status levels within the IHG One Rewards program. These are
- Club
- Silver Elite
- Gold Elite
- Platinum Elite
- Diamond Elite
In addition, there is a paid Intercontinental Ambassador program, which provides benefits at Intercontinental Hotels.
Status Benefits
As you work up through the tiers, you will gain further benefits from the program. The following gives a basic rundown of the levels, and how they can be achieved.
IHG One Rewards Club Member
Requirement: status awarded on enrolment in the program
Benefits
- Collect points or miles on stays
- Discounted member rates
- Free internet
- 2 pm late check-out (subject to availability)
IHG One Rewards Silver Elite Member
Requirement: Achieved after staying 10 eligible night
Benefits
- All the benefits of the Club level
- Status Bonus of 20% on stays
- Points don’t expire
IHG One Rewards Gold Elite Member
Requirement: Achieved after staying 20 eligible nights, or earning 40,000 Elite Qualifying Points
Benefits
- All the benefits of the Silver Elite level
- Status Bonus of 40% on stays
- Potential for rollover nights
IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite Member
Requirement: Achieved after staying 40 eligible nights, or earning 60,000 Elite Qualifying Points
Benefits
- All the benefits of the Gold Elite level
- Status Bonus of 60% on stays
- Reward Night discounts
- Guaranteed room availability (subject to booking at least 72 hours ahead)
- Complimentary room upgrades, subject to availability
- Welcome amenity (choice of points, drink/snack)
- Early check-in, subject to availability
IHG One Rewards Diamond Elite Member
Requirement: Achieved after staying 70 eligible nights, or earning 120,000 Elite Qualifying Points
Benefits
- All the benefits of the Platinum Elite level
- Status Bonus of 100% on stays
- Welcome Amenity (Breakfast, points, or snack)
Milestone Awards
A new feature of the program is Milestone Rewards, which will be rolling out later this year. Milestone Awards are awarded when you reach a certain number of eligible nights in a year. Upon reaching each Milestone, you will be offered a choice of awards.
The first Milestone Award is available when you have stayed 20 nights in a year. After that, there are additional Milestone Awards at each additional 10 nights, all the way up to 100 nights.
At each Milestone, you can choose from one of a range of awards. For example, at 20 nights, you get to choose from 5,000 Bonus Points, 2 Food and Beverage awards, or a confirmable suite upgrade.
There are, however, a couple of exceptions. Specifically, at the 40-night and 70-night milestones, you get to choose from 2 of the awards on offer. Interestingly, these two milestones also offer the ability to choose an annual club membership.
You can view the entire range of Milestone Awards available on the IHG website
Earning IHG One Rewards Points
The IHG One Rewards program has a fairly simple earning structure. Basically, you will earn a number of points for each US Dollar equivalent you spend on room charges. The number of points varies depending on which hotel brand you stay in. Having said that, in most cases, you will earn 10 points for each US Dollar equivalent.
There are some exceptions, although these don’t really affect stays in Australia. For example, you earn 5 points per US Dollar when staying at Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites.
Using IHG One Rewards Points
Once you have earned the points, there are a variety of ways in which you can use the points.
Reward Nights
Firstly, and probably the most popular use, is to use the points for Reward nights. In the IGH One Rewards program you can redeem your points for a base-level room at your chosen hotel. The number of points you will need varies by property. Generally, the more expensive a hotel is, the more points you will need to redeem an award night.
You can search online for Reward Nights, by selecting Reward Nights as your rate preference. The IHG booking page will display the options that you have, and the number of points required.
Convert Points to Airline Miles
You can also convert your IHG One Rewards points into airline miles. At the present time, IHG One Rewards allow you to convert to 43 different airline programs.
The two main Australia programs are included. That is you can convert your points to the Qantas Frequent Flyer, or Veloxity Rewards programs. Other popular choices include Singapore Airlines Krisflyer, and the United Mileage Plus programs.
You can view the full range of programs here. Note that the transfer rate varies by program, so pay attention to this while you are transferring.
It is worth noting, that there are also options for directly earning airline miles. For example, you could set up your account to earn Qantas Frequent Flyer points, rather than IHG One Rewards points if you plan to always convert to airline miles, it may be worth considering this option, as it could give the best result overall.
