(EXPIRED) IHG Q1 2021 Promo: Earn 2,000 Bonus Points For Every 2 Nights Through 3/31/21

Choice Hotels isn’t the only hotel chain that’s just launched a new promotion. IHG has also opened registration today for their Q1 2021 promotion called “2,000 Bonus Points Every 2 Nights” which is about as self-explanatory a promotion name as you’ll ever get.

The Deal

• Earn 2,000 bonus IHG Rewards Club points for every two nights stayed.
• Direct link to registration.

Key Terms

• You must be an IHG Rewards member and must register your member number in advance of staying, to participate in the “2,000 Bonus Points Every 2 Nights” promotion (“Promotion”).
• The promotion begins on 20 January 2021 and ends on 31 March 2021 (“Promotion Period).
• Upon registration members will be presented with the opportunity to earn 2,000 bonus points upon completion of every two nights during the Promotion Period when paying a Qualifying Rate (as such rates are defined in the IHG Rewards terms and conditions).
• Bonus Points will only be awarded from the base points earned with each qualifying stay.
• You must register for the Promotion and book before 1 April 2021.
• By clicking “click to register” you are registering for the Promotion.
• Members will be awarded bonus points based upon the number of nights consumed during the Promotion Period at IHG brand hotels.
• Members will only receive bonus points for nights occurring between the Promotion Period. A stay can begin before the Promotion Period or end after the Promotion Period but will only receive the Promotion points for dates within the Promotion Period. Nights that occurred before or after the Promotional Period are excluded.
• The bonus points earned during the Promotion can be used towards Reward Nights, can be redeemed for merchandise, or for other redemption opportunities.
• Qualifying Stays (a minimum 1-night stay booked under a Qualifying Rate, with total spend exceeding US $30 for each night).
• The awarded 2,000 bonus points will be Elite Qualifying and count towards earning IHG Rewards member status.
• The Promotional Period includes 71 nights and the maximum number of bonus points that can be earned is 70,000 points over the entire Promotional Period.
• For additional details on Qualifying Rates, please see the full IHG Rewards Membership Terms and Conditions.
• Only one room per member per Qualifying Stay will be eligible for the applicable bonus points, or other benefits (if any) available under the applicable Promotion. If more than one member checks into the same room, only one member is eligible for the applicable bonus points, or other benefits (if any) available under the applicable Promotion. If a member books more than one room on the same night, they will only receive Promotion points on one room and points will be based off the room with the higher average room night rate over the Promotion Period.
• IHG Rewards Members with a Miles earning preference will earn Points.
• No retroactive bonus points will be awarded for nights prior to registration in the Promotion.
• Except as otherwise stated in the terms and conditions, please allow up to 4 to 6 weeks for Promotion bonus points to be credited after checkout.

Quick Thoughts

I’m not entirely sure what to make of this promotion. My initial reaction was that I was underwhelmed by the offer, but its appeal will depend on the cost of your stays, if you’re shooting for IHG status and the brands you’d be staying at.

There are a few things to like about this promotion or, more accurately, things to not dislike. For starters, you’ll start earning bonus points immediately, albeit after your second night. That’s better than some hotel promotions from other chains where you only start earning from your second stay, although that could still happen here if your first stay only consists of one night. The nice thing though is that the first night doesn’t go to waste provided you stay another night during the promotion period.

You also earn bonus points for every two nights you stay, rather than on every stay of two nights or more. That’s notable if you’ll be booking a longer stay because it’s the difference between earning 10,000 bonus points and 2,000 bonus points for a ten night stay.

The bonus points are also elite-qualifying which could be helpful if you’re trying to get Spire Elite status, or a lower status level if you don’t have an IHG Rewards Club credit card.

An average of 1,000 bonus points per night isn’t that great though. IHG sometimes sells their points for 0.5cpp, so you could buy 1,000 points for $5. That’s therefore not a great reward, particularly if your room rate is more expensive as you’ll come out behind when compared to the 2x/3x/4x promotion which IHG ran last year.

For cheaper stays though, it’s not quite as bad. If you were to pay $75 per night for your room, earning 2,000 bonus points every two nights means you’re earning more than 2x bonus points. Note that your room rate has to cost more than $30, but even overseas you’d probably be hard-pressed finding a rate that costs less than $30.

It’s a particularly useful promotion for anyone staying at a Candlewood Suites or Staybridge Suites property. IHG Rewards Club offers 10 points per dollar at most of their brands, but only 5 points per dollar for those two extended stay brands. If this were a double points promotion, you’d need to spend $200 per night at those two brands in order to earn the same number of bonus points.

Overall, this isn’t going to be getting a thumbs up from Greg or Nick when Mattress Running The Numbers on the podcast. However, it’s worth registering for the promo anyway seeing as it’s running for more than two months, so you might as well pick up some bonus points if you’d be staying with IHG for at least two nights before the end of March. It’s not going to do much to entice people to move stays to IHG though, so it’s somewhat surprising that they’re not making the offer more rewarding.

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