Marriott vs IHG
 

We do discuss Marriott against Hyatt and Hilton (footprint, brands, loyalty programme) quite a bit in this forum but I rarely, if ever, see discussion of IHG as an attractive back-up chain.

I'll be relocating to Portugal so most of my short leisure stays will be in Europe with a few long-haul trips each year back to Asia and Latin America (or more specifically Brazil). I may even occasionally get back to the US after more than 12 years being on the opposite side of the world: New York, Miami, Vegas, maybe Austin haha.

I've got Lifetime Platinum in Bonvoy and want to know what people's thoughts are on IHG as a backup chain. They've granted me double night bonuses for my next two stays which I'm redeeming at very cost-effective city HIXs where I'll be fine with the limited free breakfast and don't want to waste the evenings in a lounge. In this respect it will be easy to get to 40 nights with IHG around October so I can hit Platinum status and select two years of Lounge access as a Milestone Reward around 3 January 2025 (that's the first hack I've learned). Meanwhile, I've also been buying the cheap extra points so may hit Diamond status by the end of the year without having to get close to the 70 nights but that's not a priority goal (though it is the second hack I've learned).

I'm not interested in abandoning Marriott but will appreciate some choice: cheap HIXs with rudimentary breakfast when I just need a bed (I'm paying €150 a night in Lisbon this week at a HIX while the Moxy was an incredible €500 a night - I assume they're at capacity - and I wouldn't get the value from the Sheraton or Marriott as I really just need a bed to sleep in). I will also like the choice of city hotels like Intercontinental and Crown Plaza vs the Marriotts and Sheratons and choose chiefly on the quality of the lounge (my mate just reported Champagne at the Intercontinental in Hong Kong which would be a deal-maker). I'm not interested in Six Senses (or their prices) but margarita girl has got me enthused for a stay at the Regent Phu Quoc when I get the lounge access because - unlike Ritz Carlton - apparently you do get their upper-scale lounge access at this resort and they serve branded Champagne all day. Oh yes.

So, I am interested in what people's thoughts are on Marriott's footprint and brands vs IHG's because I never felt I'd get much differentiation with Hilton or even Hyatt whereas I currently believe IHG will give me cheaper lower-end options (chiefly HIX) and some interesting upper-end city choices. Being British I like the idea of supporting a British company too and this is one reason why I've not considered Accor as a backup in Europe. Anyone thoughts, then, on IHG as a Bonvoy backup?

It's my backup scheme, as my business travel footprint is largely UK and there is an IHG hotel almost everywhere here! Marriotts coverage is much lighter outside of London/Manchester/Edinburgh. I'm not an especial fan of the brands - Moxy beats HIX by miles, Courtyard or AC beat Holiday Inn - but for those I just need a bed nights they'll do me just fine.

Who in the world would pick Austin as a destination in the US? Sounds as if you have been led astray by some wayward American, ftrichard

IHG is also my backup chain after Marriott. I had IHG Plat for two years, but IHG doesn't give breakfast for their Plats, only Diamonds and up.

We were in Lisbon and the Marriott hotels are much more expensive, so we stayed at a HI and as Plat didn't get breakfast. It was close to the train station (that we took to Porto) and Metro, so it was convenient.

Marriott is not available in some places, and IHG have filled some of the gaps for us.

IHG has become my wife's primary chain after we all but gave up on Hilton. Their footprint is indeed good; in our experience the quality of the hotels and guest service are a notch below Marriott but still better than Hilton (equivalent brand-to-equivalent brand). There seems to be a huge gap between the typical Crowne Plaza (which I would equate to a low-end Sheraton) and Intercontinental (which are more like St. Regis)--I think they could use a near-luxury brand in there both in terms of quality and pricing.

I’m a Marriott and IHG guy and have been for 2 years now after primarily being Marriott for 15 years. I mainly travel in Asia so I can’t speak to Europe or the USA but I’d say IHG offers a better value here once you get the 40 nights that unlocks the lounge pass. Some Holiday Inns and Crowne Plazas have lounges and they are usually decent and all Intercons seem to have them as well. There are great and reasonably priced Intercontinentals and even Regents in Asia that are much better value than the Marriott high end brands in Asia.

Marriott has taken a decision to drive up their prices worldwide it seems and IHG hasn’t done it so dramatically. For that reason alone, it’s worth a look.

I’ve pretty much given up on Marriott after two decades of using them as my go-to location. They are overpriced, their IT infrastructure is terrible, and most of the time I can find an IHG location that is much less expensive and just fine for what we are looking for.

I think IHG's footprint in London is (ironically for a British company) well behind Marriott's and Hilton's. I think Kimpton is also an option for "something a little less than IC". I also think Hilton and Marriott have more options in NY and Vegas.

I'm extremely agnostic about chains because credit card elite status neatly fills the bucket for me (Hilton Diamond, Marriott Platinum, IHG Platinum, some legacy Hyatt Explorist from MGM crossmatching that will become Discoverist next year). I don't travel enough to hit an organic status without having to compromise loyalty to my wallet with loyalty to a chain. IHG HIXes are fine by me a lot of the time (I'm staying at one on points in SF Union Square later this year where I, like you, just want a clean room with bed and a shower), but so are Hyatt Places/Houses, Marriott Courtyards, HGI/Hampton Inns.

If you like nicer hotels, then IHG is not a great option. ICs are mostly mediocre and inconsistent. The other lower brands are average to below average. If you are just looking for a place to sleep, it is always useful to have a back up---though reaching Diamond is a stretch now and Platinum and below gives you next to nothing, so IHG status may not be worth much. It would probably make sense to just go for independent hotels or continental European based chains if you are really just staying in Europe and need hotels outside of big cities.

20 years ago, Hampton Inns were decent. These days, I've found most of them to be worn and in dire need of a refurbishment, and their breakfast offerings remind me of a cut rate convenience mart.

In a parallel universe where 90% of my time isn't absorbed by two cities (Jakarta and Saigon), I would absolutely up my IHG game. Even if I were stationed in my former habitats -- Bali and Hanoi -- I'd have a pretty hard time pursuing One Rewards as superficially as I do now (basically rolling over Platinum status YoY by doing the bare minimum). In Bali now and IHG's throwing some curve balls over the last four nights of double Bonvoy EQN season. Fresh properties, fair prices, far more interesting locations. Hanoi's two IC's are a few hundred meters apart from their Marriott peers yet both somehow -- especially the one right up on West Lake -- have the edge on location. Point is: it really is that country/city specific. I've said elsewhere in this forum that IHG's Southeast Asian footprint leaves much to be desired, but as your travel/stay parameters are about to expand by a lot, think your instinct to give IHG a go is spot-on. So often, I've found their properties to be in parts of town (Katong in Singapore, Astrid Square in Antwerp, Da'an in Taipei, Miami South Beach) where all I wanted to do was get out and explore, so a couple drink coupons (or a few glasses of plonk at Kimpton's social hours) rather than full-on evening cocktails was all that was needed. But if you were to tarry away the eve at a hotel lounge, why not with champagne?

The real IHG hack is buying Ambassador using it for a 2-4-1 night at an IC (basically getting what you paid back) and getting Platinum.

Personally IHG is also my second brand but only because of IC Kimpton Indigo and Voco properties most old CPs are poor but the newer ones are very good.

It was only a hack when you could extend Diamond status by renewing Ambassador. Now, it is just paying an extra fee to get Platinum status which provides little benefit. The 2-4-1 was somewhat useful when they allowed it to be used any day of the week at a Kimpton during the pandemic. Now, even that is not that useful--especially in the US where there are so few ICs and most of them charge stupid amenity fees which eat up the value rather quickly.

I've ran into stinker Hyatt Places too (last one I was at in March the breakfast was completely mediocre, they couldn't issue a room key until Day 1/Night 2 of the stay because the machine issuing room keys was broken, the room was OK but tired). I've had some beaten up Residence Inns. So I don't find this is unique to Hampton Inns, certainly.

Good Input - Thanks / Clarification about Ambassador
 

Thanks for the replies everyone. I will pursue this and have two years 2025-2026 with lounge access to assess properly. I also have my eye on one of their all inclusives in the Algarve which has some very good rates out of season.

I have no objection in principle to buying the IC Ambassador status because I'd ensure I get the money back on the free weekend night however... if I become Platinum anyway with 40 nights then am I correct that the only two material benefits would be: (a) 4pm checkout instead of 2pm at ICs only; and (b) the free weekend night. There's some dining credit too at ICs isn't there? I cannot see myself staying regularly at ICs specifically so not sure if I can be bothered with this. I'd be weighing up city ICs vs Sheratons, Marriotts, Le Meridiens, Westins where I already get my elite benefits.