Combining a reward night and a paid cash night (2 night stay)
May 19, 2022, 10:43 am
#1
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Join Date: Feb 2003
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Combining a reward night and a paid cash night (2 night stay)
IHG is about a fourth/fifth hotel chain for myself so I only have an orphan amount of points in my account, about 21,000.
There's a Holiday Inn Club Vacations Resort that is super convenient for an upcoming trip in a few weeks and I'd be staying for 2 nights. Each night is 25,000pts so I was looking at topping my points up to 25,000 (perhaps transferring some of my wife's Chase UR over) and doing one night on points and then paying cash for the other.
If I do that can I email the hotel or some such and have them combine the two reservations into one so I don't have change rooms? Will have my young daughter and the paraphernalia for a 20month old so switching rooms would be little annoying...
Thanks!
There's a Holiday Inn Club Vacations Resort that is super convenient for an upcoming trip in a few weeks and I'd be staying for 2 nights. Each night is 25,000pts so I was looking at topping my points up to 25,000 (perhaps transferring some of my wife's Chase UR over) and doing one night on points and then paying cash for the other.
If I do that can I email the hotel or some such and have them combine the two reservations into one so I don't have change rooms? Will have my young daughter and the paraphernalia for a 20month old so switching rooms would be little annoying...
Thanks!
May 19, 2022, 11:53 am
#2
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 8,770
Also bear in mind that you can use the cash+points option and/or just buy points, which may or may not be better value than booking one night cash, depending on the rates available.
May 21, 2022, 4:18 am
#3
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Brighton, UK
Programs: IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 510
I wouldn't want to rely on the hotel automatically linking the two reservations, best to email them in advance. You might want to consider making the paid night the first night and in a better than basic room, chances are that you keep it for 2 nights.
May 21, 2022, 4:27 am
#4
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You will not be asked to change rooms if you book the same room type both times.
Asking in advance to combine reservations or similar is just a recipe for disaster. For example, the points price might have increased and you could end up paying more.
+1 for comparing the Cash & Points rate for 2 nights to just booking 1 with points and 1 with cash. And/or comparing against the cost of buying the required points during a points sale.
In general, either the points rate offers better value (buying points if necessary) or the cash rate offers better value.
Asking in advance to combine reservations or similar is just a recipe for disaster. For example, the points price might have increased and you could end up paying more.
+1 for comparing the Cash & Points rate for 2 nights to just booking 1 with points and 1 with cash. And/or comparing against the cost of buying the required points during a points sale.
In general, either the points rate offers better value (buying points if necessary) or the cash rate offers better value.
May 21, 2022, 4:39 am
#5
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Brighton, UK
Programs: IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 510
It's not really asking them to combine reservations, just to make sure they allocate you the same room on consecutive days and it's worked very well for me on many occasions of combining points or credit card free nights with paid nights. The points payable will remain the points paid at the time of booking regardless of if the points rate has gone up at the time stay.
May 21, 2022, 7:02 am
#6
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Indeed this would only keep the OP in the same room
I had two separete bookings for an IC in March and emailed them to say 'I have these two bookings can you please keep me in the same room'
The bookings remained separate in my IHG account and they posted as two separate stays with the correct number of nights and the correct number of points.
I had two separete bookings for an IC in March and emailed them to say 'I have these two bookings can you please keep me in the same room'
The bookings remained separate in my IHG account and they posted as two separate stays with the correct number of nights and the correct number of points.