IHG Points for Open Table reservations
Mar 6, 2018, 12:29 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA Premier Silver, AA, DL, IHG Diamond Amb, Marriott Silver, Hilton Silver, National
Posts: 1,530
IHG Points for Open Table reservations
Apologies if this has been posted before, but it didn't turn up in a search. I just stumbled on the opportunity to book restaurant reservations and earn IHG Points using an IHG/Open Table website. The site is found at: https://www.ihg.com/trip-extras/us/e...isc=ot_appearn
This is definitely NOT the IHG Rewards Club Dining program--the points are for booking, not the dine itself. It appears to have the same restaurants as the regular Open Table booking engine, but instead of OT points, you earn 150 IHG points per dine. There's also this: "Earn 500 Points for your first reservation & 2X the points at IHG® Featured Restaurants for all future reservations." There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to which restaurants are featured. Be sure that you enter your IHG number (along with name and email and phone) at the time of booking to earn the points.
So here's a question for anyone who has booked this way: do the points earned count towards elite status? I can't find any T&C about the program on the site. EDITED TO ADD: Per my Post #25 below, experience indicates that these dining points do post as Elite points.
This is definitely NOT the IHG Rewards Club Dining program--the points are for booking, not the dine itself. It appears to have the same restaurants as the regular Open Table booking engine, but instead of OT points, you earn 150 IHG points per dine. There's also this: "Earn 500 Points for your first reservation & 2X the points at IHG® Featured Restaurants for all future reservations." There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to which restaurants are featured. Be sure that you enter your IHG number (along with name and email and phone) at the time of booking to earn the points.
So here's a question for anyone who has booked this way: do the points earned count towards elite status? I can't find any T&C about the program on the site. EDITED TO ADD: Per my Post #25 below, experience indicates that these dining points do post as Elite points.
Last edited by bob12403; Oct 3, 2018 at 5:47 am
Mar 6, 2018, 12:43 pm
#2
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: NYC/LA
Programs: DL Plat, AA Plat Pro, Marriott Titanium, IHG Diamond Amb
Posts: 7,482
While I always welcome the opportunity to earn more points, I just checked it out and it seems like it's more hassle than it's worth. Unfortunately, the interface isn't the same as the Opentable one... I don't see a way to just put in a city, time and party size and have it show all available times... instead you seem to have to put in a city first, browse the restaurant list (or search for a specific restaurant name), and then click through to check availability.
Mar 6, 2018, 1:19 pm
#3
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Charlotte, NC. USA
Programs: AA, BA Silver, DL, UA, HH, Marriott Platinum, IHG Diamond, Various Others
Posts: 11
It looks like the "featured" restaurants are at IHG properties. At least when I looked in Charlotte they are in the Holiday Inn and the Kimpton (both in uptown).
Mar 6, 2018, 2:45 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA Premier Silver, AA, DL, IHG Diamond Amb, Marriott Silver, Hilton Silver, National
Posts: 1,530
Some but definitely not all. A very quick search showed that there are several in the DC area that are just regular restaurants, with no obvious affiliation with IHG.
Mar 6, 2018, 2:52 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA Premier Silver, AA, DL, IHG Diamond Amb, Marriott Silver, Hilton Silver, National
Posts: 1,530
While I always welcome the opportunity to earn more points, I just checked it out and it seems like it's more hassle than it's worth. Unfortunately, the interface isn't the same as the Opentable one... I don't see a way to just put in a city, time and party size and have it show all available times... instead you seem to have to put in a city first, browse the restaurant list (or search for a specific restaurant name), and then click through to check availability.
Mar 7, 2018, 9:14 am
#6
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: LON
Programs: BA Gold; LH FTL; IHG Diamond; Marriott Gold; ALL Gold
Posts: 1,758
I just discovered this in the IHG app. Is it a new feature? I'd never noticed it before... It seems to work for loads of restaurants in London, totally unrelated to IHG properties...
Mar 7, 2018, 11:00 am
#7
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Somewhere in Europe
Posts: 3,362
Just had a quick look through a couple of U.K. cities and there are restaurants in Hilton properties along with a few other hotel chains.
Handy if you flip flop between programmes. You can earn that chains points on the incidentals and pick up a handful of IHG points for the booking.
Handy if you flip flop between programmes. You can earn that chains points on the incidentals and pick up a handful of IHG points for the booking.
Mar 8, 2018, 3:51 am
#9
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: LON
Programs: BA Gold; LH FTL; IHG Diamond; Marriott Gold; ALL Gold
Posts: 1,758
Nope, I've got the Android app on my BlackBerry KeyOne. If you go to the "Upcoming Stays" section, there's an OpenTable banner underneath your list of current reservations. Tap on that.
I don't know why they decided to put it there, but it's best not to ask "why" in relation to any aspect of IHG's IT...
I don't know why they decided to put it there, but it's best not to ask "why" in relation to any aspect of IHG's IT...
Mar 20, 2018, 9:55 am
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA Premier Silver, AA, DL, IHG Diamond Amb, Marriott Silver, Hilton Silver, National
Posts: 1,530
Two weeks after my first dine with IHG/Open Table, 150 points showed up in my account for the reservation, plus a 500 point first reservation bonus. And it appears that at least the 150 counted towards Elite, but with the new miserable website, they don't indicate if the 150 as well as the 500 points earned are elite or not. I just know that between yesterday and today my total elite points went up by a several hundred points, but the exact amount I can't determine.
Jun 3, 2018, 6:51 am
#13
Original Member, Moderator: Hotel Deals and MilesBuzz
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 14,257
I was able to take advantage of this promotion when it first came out and the points posted quickly. I just tried again and it seems like it's over. Can anyone get the IHG-OpenTable link to work for them?
Jun 3, 2018, 12:06 pm
#14
Join Date: Sep 2008
Programs: IHG Platinum
Posts: 442
Its still being advertised on the app... The link opens but it won't do anything when you type a city in
Jun 4, 2018, 5:54 am
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: UA Premier Silver, AA, DL, IHG Diamond Amb, Marriott Silver, Hilton Silver, National
Posts: 1,530
Just tried it using the app on an iPhone, had no problems. If you can't find the booking page, try going to the main menu (three horizontal lines in the upper left corner of the app), then choose "Offers". The third item down is the OpenTable booking link. Enter the information for restaurant name or location, click "Update" and you should be presented with a list of options.
If you want to book in your browser, go to https://www.ihg.com/trip-extras/us/en/restaurants/
If you want to book in your browser, go to https://www.ihg.com/trip-extras/us/en/restaurants/
Last edited by bob12403; Jun 4, 2018 at 6:00 am