How much will you be charged for that hotel stay? The answer, of course, should be obvious: You’ll pay the published rate, plus government-imposed taxes and fees. Whatever that total turns out to be is your price.
InterContinental Ups Award Prices at Almost 500 Hotels
27.07.2023 - 18:23 / smartertravel.com / Tim Winship
Award-price adjustments are a fact of life for participants in hotel loyalty programs. And the annual announcements of such changes are rarely good news. Inevitably, it seems, more award prices increase than decrease, resulting in a net devaluation of program members’ points.
The latest from InterContinental’s IHG Rewards Club is a case in point.
Related:New Promotions from Marriott, Starwood, Ritz-Carlton: Double PointsThis week, the company posted a 39-page list (.pdf file is here) of hotels where award prices will change beginning on January 15, 2017. Of the 650 affected hotels, around 500 will cost more points, and just 150 will cost fewer points.
With IHG’s network of almost 5,000 properties, that amounts to price increases at a hefty 10 percent of its hotels.
For IHG Rewards Club members in the U.S., the news is even worse. More than 400 of the hotels changing prices are in the U.S., and the great majority of them will be more rather than less expensive.
As always with upcoming award-price changes, program members should peruse the list with an eye toward any planned award stays. Book stays at hotels that will rise in price before the January 15th increase. And in the rare cases where a hotel will be cheaper, wait to book until the new lower price takes effect.
More generally, any such devaluation is a good reason to reevaluate your loyalty to a hotel chain. That’s especially true today, with programs from Wyndham and Choice, among others, making a stronger bid for travelers’ hotel business.
Reader Reality Check
At what point do award-price increases become a deal-breaker for you?
More from SmarterTravel: Americans Would Rather Work Than Travel Alaska Air, Delta to Cut Ties. Who’s the Biggest Loser? 3 Ways to Earn Bonus Miles for Year-End ShoppingAfter 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.
We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Autors
Popular Topics
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:54
Marriott Changes Award Prices at 26 Percent of Its Hotels
It’s a fact of loyalty-program life: Airline and hotel programs periodically adjust their award prices. Of course, those adjustments amount to price hikes more often than not. And, all things being equal, higher award prices amount to an overall devaluation of the program.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:52
Amex Ups Platinum Card Benefit in Response to New Chase Card
There’s a storm brewing in the rarefied air occupied by the priciest of the travel-rewards cards.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:50
American Ups the Ante for Premium Airport Lounges
In its latest effort to capture the hearts, minds, and expense accounts of the travel universe’s most privileged 1 percent, American is raising the bar for airport lounges.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:46
Coming: Higher Award Prices at 13% of Marriott’s Hotels
Marriott has just published its list of award-price changes for 2016. As Marriott Rewards members have come to expect from these annual pronouncements, the news amounts to yet another decrease in the value of their points.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:45
New InterContinental Promotion: ‘At Least’ 65,000 Bonus Points
InterContinental Hotel Group’s next points promotion, Share Forever, begins next month and features bonuses for both the member’s own IHG Rewards account and to share with other program members.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:45
Limited Time: Delta Discount on Europe Award Flights
Overall, Delta’s SkyMiles program has established itself as one of the industry’s least generous loyalty schemes. To play, you’ll pay. But with this limited-time award sale, you can at least pay less.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:43
Earn 500 United Miles for a Visa Checkout Purchase
Visa Checkout allows Visa cardholders to make online purchases at participating retailers with a single sign in—no need to reenter card and personal information for every transaction.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:43
Wallet Watch: Award-Price Increases at 10% of InterContinental Hotels
Update from IHG, including effect date for new prices: “All reservations booked beginning Jan. 16, 2018, will use the new Reward Nights point prices. This is part of an annual review into the number of points needed for a Reward Night, and we’ll communicate to members through our regular channels, including email and our website.”
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:42
Trump Hotels to Expand U.S. Presence – Conflict of Interest?
Raising questions of both ethics and law, the chief executive of Donald Trump’s hotel company, Trump Hotels, has announced plans to significantly expand the company’s presence in the U.S.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:42
Putting a Price Tag on Airline Service Disruptions
In just the past month, there have been two major airline service disruptions, inconveniencing hundreds of thousands of travelers.
smartertravel.com
27.07.2023 / 18:42
Hilton Raises, Lowers HHonors Award Prices
Hilton this week posted upcoming changes to HHonors award prices. While such announcements are almost never good news—and are sometimes positively gut-wrenching—this round of changes is so modest in scope that it’s practically a non-event.