Close to 700 IHG Properties to Change Award Pricing

InterContinental Hotels Group has announced it would be changing award pricing for about 700 properties this year.

More properties are increasing rates—499 hotels will require more points to book, and 192 hotels will require fewer points to book. If you have an abundance of IHG Rewards points and a trip to plan, make sure to check the list. Most properties are increasing by 5,000 to 10,000 points, and you don’t want to be on the wrong end of the redemption rates.

Overall, the brands under the IHG umbrella include more than 5,000 properties worldwide, which means that about 14 percent of them are undergoing point adjustments. It is not clear when exactly the redemption rates would change.

Additionally, the new maximum number of points required per night at some of the higher-end properties is changing from 60,000 IHG points to 70,000 points. This affects such popular properties as InterContinental Bora Bora Resort Thalasso Spa, InterContinental Le Moana Bora Bora, InterContinental Hong Kong and InterContinental Paris Le Grand, among others.

It seems that these desirable properties are becoming more and more difficult to book with points. Just two years ago, the same hotels cost 50,000 IHG points per night. Not to mention, finding award availability is a nightmare.

Devaluations are unfortunate, and IHG Rewards points seem to be losing their value. This is just another reminder to earn and burn. If your desired hotel is increasing in price, book it now before it’s too late. Last year, the rates remained the same through mid-January, but I don’t recommend waiting too long.

Do you collect IHG Rewards points? Please share your thoughts on the latest devaluation.