Hi

to give you a better understanding about "Guaranteed Room Availability for Platinum Members" and "Reward Nights"

Guaranteed Room Availability benefit

Platinum level members will be guaranteed one room only for personal use for reservations made at least 72 hours prior to the date of arrival. Please note, however, that the 72 hour room guarantee has it's restrictions. This benefit can be requested anytime except during SPECIAL EVENTS or CLOSED TO ARRIVAL that result in extraordinary room demand, as determined solely by the hotel. The hotel can set special event up to 10 days in a calendar year. This kind of event may vary from special occasions, major sporting events, conferences, and other events that the hotel is hosting. It may also be the case of natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, etc. This is in the event the hotel is in high demand ("sold out situation") and all the rooms are fully committed. Platinum Guarantees do not apply to Reward Nights.

Hotels sometimes set minimum number of nights stay. Platinum members must comply to the required number of nights in order to proceed with the guarantee. Again, if this is the case, the minimum number of nights is somehow related to a special event the hotel is hosting.

The member will not be charged more than the prevailing rate for the accommodation requested, and the member is not entitled to a rate less than the prevailing rate.

As explained by land 31411, Royal Ambassador are guaranteed a room 24 hours in advance at any IC hotels only by contacting the Amassador reservations number. If youre Platinum Ambassador, 72 hour applies at any IHG hotel brands.

Reward Nights
As a Priority Club member, you are able to use your points for free nights in any IHG hotels. Free night rooms are available every day of the year. The hotel is not allowed to set black out dates. Please note, however, that free night rooms are strictly based on availability. There are a limited amount of rooms set aside for the use of points. Once those rooms are reserved, the hotel can no longer offer free night rooms even if they have other rooms available for a paying rate.

Rewards Night redemption process requires that members to make Rewards Night reservations in advance of their stay. However, there is no set time limit on how far in advance the reservation must be made. But, the earlier a member can make their reservation, the better their chance of not running into a hotel which has reached the occupancy threshold. Think about hotels in major metropolitan cities or hotels located in major market and tourist/premier/special destination (ie New York), rewards night rooms sell pretty fast that's why some members book their reservation a year in advance in time for thanksgiving, christmas, or new year.

Hotels are not required to make exceptions or obliged to force sell one room or extend another room on reward once those rooms they have allotted for points are already pre booked by members.

If the hotel is already sold out, it doesn mean they have blacked out rewards night it just simply means all the rooms both paying and reward are pre booked or pre reserved by guests(non members) and members. There' is no more room they can open or override their system to overbook. However, if the hotel still shows availability on paying but rewards night is no longer available it is a case where other members have pre booked those rooms in advance.

hope this helps.