IHG 2-for-1 rates

One of the best discounts I know on paid rates for London and many places in Europe is 2-for-1 rates with InterContinental Hotels Group.

This is an ongoing promotion around for more than five years that provides great discounts for London.

IHG 2-for-1 discounts are prepaid, nonrefundable rates,so it best to book close to your stay dates when you are more assured of being in London for your travel.

One of the best features of the 2-for-1 rate is the ability to book higher category rooms, even suites. Also, the discount is often restricted to weekends in many locations. London usually has IHG hotels offering 2-for-1 rates any two days of the week.

Availability of the IHG 2-for-1 rates at hotels across London is not as widespread in my searches today compared to past checks. Read More…

Thriving or surviving: European cities hotel forecast 2013 is a report by pwc.com/hospitality sharing data from 19 European gateway cities. You can access the full report yourself through the link. I picked up a print copy at the ALIS conference last week in Los Angeles.

Best report line: “With fewer customers to go round in 2013, loyalty and reward programmes could make the difference to the bottom line.” pwc.com

The presentations at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit #ALIS 2013 conference appeared bullish on the 2013 hotel industry year for the USA.  Stocks are reaching record highs, companies are sitting on piles of money, and Americans are spending.

Europe is a different matter with the Euro crisis still being resolved.

I picked out some data from the pwc.com European cities hotel forecast 2013 report to share with readers on how the Europe forecast may affect loyalty travelers in 2013. Read More…

InterContinental Hotel Group offers a 2 nights for the Price of 1 at select hotels in Europe. Most of the chain hotels in Barcelona were at least 100 EUR per night or about USD $130 to $140 with the exchange rate in September 2012 for the dates I needed hotels.

Holiday Inn Express City 22 in Barcelona was available with the 2-for-1 hotel rate at 66 EUR per night for a 2-night stay midweek with Tuesday check-in and Thursday checkout (about USD$88 per night).

A sample rate check for tonight with Tuesday check-in and Thrusday checkout October 9-11 shows a 2-for-1 rate of 56 EUR per night or USD $72.05. Read More…

[Update Aug 31: Raffles of HeadforPoints.com blog provided an updated IHG 2-for-1 link in the comments of this post. Long live the 2-for-1!

The analysis in this post  shows a 3-for-2 rate might not be that great a deal for your travels. My subsequent post of August 31 offers a new IHG 2-for-1 rate analysis for London and Barcelona.

Original post content continues below.]

Five years now I have been writing about a special IHG 2-for-1 rate for UK and other IHG hotels in Europe. A couple times a year I’d show how to stay in London for 2 to 8 nights on average rates around USD$100 per night for Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels. Back in 2007 this rate offered the InterContinental Carlton Cannes for about $150 per night. The past few years this 2-for-1 offer was primarily Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn and HI Express.

In my last post on the IHG 2-for-1 rate about seven weeks ago I showed the London Holiday Inn Kensington Forum hotel had standard rooms available for the Olympics August 10-12 for USD$250 per night or an Executive room with lounge access for USD$295 per night (after 2-for-1 rate applied).

A Tower Suite at the Crowne Plaza Copenhagen was $340 per night using the 2-for-1 rate discount.

The T&C for this promotion stated it was available through August 31, 2012.

Yesterday, when I updated my Loyalty Traveler Hotel Promotions Guide, I noticed the IHG discount link has been updated and changed. The 2-for-1 option is no longer shown on the page. There is now only the 3-for-2 rate option. Read More…

One of the best discount rates over the past several years is the 2-for-1 discount with InterContinental Hotels Group for 2-night stays in the UK and Europe. This is a prepaid, nonrefundable rate, but the savings are truly two nights for the price of one night. Many hotels in the UK and other countries in Europe are under US$50 per night with this discount.

Another feature of this rate is the possibility to book upgraded room categories, even suites in some hotels. Back-to-back reservations also allow extended stays. These hotels are primarily for weekends, however, many hotels allow the 2-for-1 rate any days of the week.

In the past the IHG 2-for-1 rates T&C indicated no points are earned for these rates. Checking hotels today I repeatedly saw a box for new member registration in Priority Club stating members will earn points for these 2-for-1 bookings. Read More…

InterContinental Hotels Group regularly offers 2 nights for the price of 1 night in Europe. The current offer is for hotel stays through June 30, 2011 at participating Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brands. Most participating hotels offer weekend 2-for-1 rates with many locations also offering weekday 2-for-1 rates. Up to two children under the age of 18 may stay for free when sharing room with 2 adults.

Main restriction with the 2-for-1 rate is it requires full prepayment and there are no cancellations or changes allowed by the rate terms. These rates are deep discount savings, but use it or lose it once you book your 2-for-1 hotel stay.

Priority Club points are generally earned for these stays, but your results may vary depending on the specific property. Priority Club has a strange rule about not awarding points if the rate is more than a 30% discount. This is a loosely enforced rule, but when applied it seems members are out of luck with earning points.

Two other IHG hotel discount deals currently being offered in Europe like “3 nights for price of 2” and “Save up to 35% on Weekend Stays” specifically mention “Priority Club points do not apply” in the terms and conditions. The 2-for-1 offer terms and conditions do not have this “no points” statement.

London can be an incredible deal with these rates where numerous IHG properties generally mean this deal can be found every day of the week.

My observations for this 2-for-1 offer over the past couple of years concludes this is one of the best deals for European hotel stays. I have written posts in the past showing how London could be done for US$100 per night, but don’t even think you will get this kind of deal for London during the days of the Prince’s wedding.

IHG 2 for 1 special offer rate beats Priceline.com for London

April 22-24, 2011 Crowne Plaza Shoreditch, London

BiddingforTravel.com is a forum where people post successful Priceline.com bids. A member of BiddingforTravel.com posted Feb 26 on a successful Priceline.com bid for the Crowne Plaza Shoreditch at USD$110 per night for a three night stay April 22-25. She states the price on IHG website was $125 at the time.  I assume both these rates are room rate only and do not include the UK 20% VAT tax.

April 22-24 using the 2-for-1 IHG special offer rate lowers the price to just USD$89 per night before tax.

The rate using the 2-for-1 special offer gives a two-night rate for the Crowne Plaza Shoreditch hotel at £109  with 20% VAT = £130.80  or USD$106 per night after tax for the same dates as a successful February Priceline.com bid. This is an overall savings of at least $26 less than Priceline.com and $44 less than the IHG room rate listed on February 26.

xe.com currency conversion

IHG 2 nights for Price of One special rate offer.

Totally off this topic:  

I want to turn people on to the Ryan Bingham of hotel travel who is currently staying in 33 hotels in 33 days on the Las Vegas Strip. Here is a link to Paul Carr’s Huffington Post story “The Strip Diary“. The only relation of Paul Carr to this post is Paul is from London.  I’ll be hanging out in Las Vegas most of next week. Maybe I’ll run into Paul!

Several hotel chains currently offer winter hotel discount rates for Europe. Hyatt has a third night free with American Express payment. IHG has a 2 nights for price of 1 offer. Accor, the chain with the largest number of hotels in Europe, has brand specific discounts.

IHG 2 for 1 UK and Europe for hotel stays Nov 1, 2010 – March 31, 2011.

This is one of my favorite recurring hotel discount offers. The high value aspect of IHG’s 2 nights for the price of one night offer is increased when booking high category rooms like hotel suites. This offer is for Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brands, although I occasionally found InterContinental Hotels in past promotions offering the same 2-for-1 rate deal.

IHG 2-for-1 Terms:

• Prepaid rate at time of booking. No refunds, changes or cancellations.
• Based on Best Flexible Rate
• Two consecutive nights for the price of one night.
• Primarily for weekend stays Friday – Sunday, although many hotels offer this rate any days of week.
• Rate is capacity controlled meaning the rate may not be available for your stay dates.

Rates are  below $100 per night with the 2-for-1 rate at many major city properties.

The 2-for-1 rate can be used multiple times on back-to-back stays by changing hotels every two nights. For example, a 6-night stay in London can be achieved through two or three different hotels. London and surroundings feature dozens of particpating IHG hotels with some incredible discounts for upper upscale Crowne Plaza suites on weekends for less than a basic room on a weekday.  This allows you to locate yourself in different parts of London and visit sites in that area and then move to another hotel in a different part of the city after two nights. For a tourist this can save hours of commute time and hundreds of dollars on hotel rates.

Hyatt Hotels 3 Nights for Price of 2 Nights with American Express Payment in Europe, Middle East and Africa (Jan 1, 2011 – March 31, 2011)

3-for-2 Offer Code AX436 and Hyatt promotion link.

• Fully prepaid rate, nonrefundable, no changes or cancellation.
• Reservations require 14-day advance purchase.
• Diamond elite Confirmed Suite Upgrades are not allowed for these American Express 3-for-2 rates. [source is Hyatt online customer service representative to FlyerTalk-Gold Passport Concierge]
• 3-for-2 rate is eligible for Gold Passport stay credit and elite credit. [source is Hyatt online customer service representative to FlyerTalk-Gold Passport Concierge] 

Participating Hyatt Hotels:

Europe 

• Grand Hyatt Berlin, Germany
• Hyatt Regency Cologne, Germany
• Hyatt Regency Dusseldorf, Germany
• Park Hyatt Hamburg, Germany
• Hyatt Regency Mainz, Germany
• Hyatt Regency Thessaloniki, Greece
• Hyatt Regency Warsaw, Poland
• Hyatt Regency Ekaterinburg, Russia
• Park Ararat Hyatt Moscow, Russia
• Hyatt Regency Belgrade, Serbia
• Grand Hyatt Istanbul, Turkey
• Park Hyatt Istanbul – Macka Palas, Turkey
• Hyatt Regency Kiev, Ukraine
• Hyatt Regency Birmingham, United Kingdom
• Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill, United Kingdom

Middle East/Central Asia

• Grand Hyatt Amman, Jordan
• Hyatt Regency Almaty, Kazakhstan
• Grand Hyatt Muscat, Oman  
• Grand Hyatt Doha, Qatar
• Park Hyatt Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
• Hyatt Regency Dushanbe, Tajikistan
• Grand Hyatt Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Park Hyatt Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Hyatt Regency Dubai, United Arab Emirates 

Africa 

• Grand Hyatt Cairo, Egypt
• Hyatt Regency Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
• Hyatt Regency Taba Heights, Egypt
• Hyatt Regency Oubaai Golf Resort and Spa, George, South Africa
• Hyatt Regency Johannesburg, South Africa

Accor Hotels has more branded properties outside the USA than any other major hotel chain. 

Pullman Hotels 50% off second night plus Free Breakfast Jan 1 – March 31, 2011 global offer.

 Pullman is an upscale business-oriented hotel brand with 47 locations around the globe. Pullman Hotels are a rapidly growing brand since launching in December 2007. Recent acquisitions are Starwood’s Le Meridien Montparnasse Paris rebranded to Pullman Montparnasse last week on January 7 and the Hyatt Regency Auckland, New Zealand rebranding as the Pullman Auckland January 20, 2011.  

Pullman Hotels 50% off second night and breakfast Special Offer link .

• Fully prepaid rate, nonrefundable, no changes or cancellation.
• Reservations require 3-day advance purchase.
• Rate valid for stays through March 31, 2011.

Accor has several hotel brands for the traveler wanting lower market segment hotels in the economy and budget range. Here is the main Accor Hotels page for rate discounts for hotels with rates as low as US$30 per night. Here is the main page for A-Club loyalty promotion offers.

IHG has an extended time offer for 2 nights for the Price of 1 across the UK and Europe available for hotel stays through December 30, 2010 at Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, HI Express, Hotel Indigo and perhaps even other brands in some locations. This deal has been available for most of 2010. You are allowed a maximum of one two-night stay using this rate, but there is nothing in the terms against stacking up these rates back-to-back at different IHG hotels or returning to the same hotel on the 2 for 1 rate after at least a one night break in your hotel stay. 

Priority Club Promotion Credit – To be, or not to be, that is the question

Some hotels will post these 2 nights for the price of 1 hotel stays as qualifying rates using this deal and some will not. The good news is the stay may qualify for the current stay twice and earn a free night Sweet Dilemma and Crack the Case promotions. The bad news is that some hotels will argue the rate is non-qualifying since it is less than 70% of standard published rates and you may have no luck getting Priority Club credit. In that case you need to just be happy with the great rate savings.

When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life – Samuel Johnson

Loyalty Traveler priced some London city hotels over the slow business travel period from Christmas through December 30 and found some amazing bargains. The streets of London may not provide the most hospitable weather in late December, but hey, if a week in ultra-cheap upper upscale hotel rooms in central London is your idea of a suitable holiday, then IHG has the deals. And there is no need to limit yourself to London since there are hundreds of hotels around Europe to get these 2-for-1 rates.

Crowne Plaza London – The City offers a full two-room suite at $264 per night with breakfast included over December 24-26, 2010 during the “2 nights for the price of 1 special rate offer”.

Hotel Indigo London Paddington – Executive King with complimentary internet for 72 GBP per night. This rate requires another 18GBP in VAT. Currently totals out at USD$142 per night on a two-night stay. 

Holiday Inn London Mayfair as low as 49.50GBP per night for a double bed. 58.17GBP after 17.5% VAT.  That is $91.52USD per night all in for a room.

Executive King for 87.54GBP all-in  =  USD $137.76 per night. 

Holiday Inn London Mayfair – Special Rate Rules:

DESCRIPTION:
2 night minimum stay required. Special Savings! Reservations are final and require full prepayment for the entire stay. Credit card is charged between time of booking and day of arrival. No refunds if cancelled or changed.

ADDITIONAL RATE INFORMATION:
PURCHASE 1 NIGHT(S) AND GET 1 NIGHT(S) FREE

PLEASE NOTE:
Thank you for making your reservation on our web site.

RULES:
- MAXIMUM NUMBER OF DISCOUNTED NIGHTS IS 1.
- MUST STAY AT LEAST: 2 NIGHTS
- MUST STAY NO MORE THAN: 2 NIGHTS
- CHECK-IN TIME: 02:00 PM
- CHECK-OUT TIME: 12:00 PM

DEPOSIT RULES:
A deposit for the entire stay is due at time of booking.

CANCELLATION POLICY:
Canceling your reservation or failing to arrive will result in forfeiture of your deposit. Taxes may apply. Failing to call or show before check-out time after the first night of a reservation will result in cancellation of the remainder of your reservation.

You can always splurge at the Holiday Inn London Mayfair with a One Bedroom Suite = USD $300 per night.

Crowne Plaza London Docklands (Dec 28-30, 2010)

 2 single beds = USD$165.81 for two nights or $82.81 per night.

Desiring more room? A King Bed Executive Suite with two rooms and a balcony, work desk, table and four chairs, sofa, free internet is 239.95GBP all-in for two nights. That works out to just $377 for two nights or USD$189 per night.

At hotel prices this low you can afford to take the kids too 

Holiday Inn Express London Limehouse

December 26-28, 2010 = 34.50GBP per night with VAT included.

That is a total nightly rate of USD$54.30 and within less than 4 miles of city center London.

Even better is the availability of a family room at this rate with a Double Bed and Double bed sofa for two adults and two kids. Travel and spend under $55 per day for a family of four at a Holiday Inn Express hotel in central London and even get your breakfast free. Now that is room rate value.

Pay attention to the 2-for-1 rate details 

Check these 2-for-1 rates carefully since some London hotels include the 17.5% VAT in the room rate and some do not. Also check for lounge access and complimentary breakfast rates which can save USD$50 to $80 per day when included in the room rate.

The main thing to keep in mind is the 2-for-1 rate is prepaid and does not allow cancellation. Show up and get the great bargain or you lose your money. You might consider trip insurance when booking nonrefundable rooms since you can get reimbursed if you miss the hotel stay due to something like an Icelandic volcano or a major U.S. snowstorm stranding you at an airport in the wrong city. 

There’s no Christmas for travel junkies.  

Better yet. Imagine a  rainy deserted street on a blustery Dickens fantasy Christmas holiday in modern day London. Christmas Day and Boxing Day (Dec 26) will find many closed places, but come December 27 the museums will be up and running.

I freely admit that Chinese food for Christmas Day dinner has certainly been my restaurant of choice on several travel holidays in many places.

I am feeling the urge to pack the raincoat and brolly right now.

And if you find yourself in London on Christmas Day – have a pint for me.

Part three of Europe Vacation Planning is a look at InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) properties around London for April 10-18, 2009 room rate deals. Hotel search strategies I am using to find low cost, upscale hotel lodging for London is applicable to much of Europe.

European Vacation Travel Planning Part 1 is an example of the low airfare deals to Europe currently available in this tough economic climate.  Europe is cheap right now.

London Calling, but can I afford the charges? Europe Travel Planning Part 2 is about finding a hotel with Starwood Preferred Guest hotel options. Starwood options are upper upscale hotels at a total cost of about $1,500 for 8 paid nights. SPG Cash & Points awards could bring the total cost for 8 nights to $600 and 30,000 Starpoints. 30,000 starpoints in lieu of $900 is a fair exchange, however, paid nights would also earn thousands of Starpoints and receive elite credit to my account. I like to receive at least 3.5 cents per Starpoint redeemed and the Starwood hotels plan using 30,000 points does not achieve that objective.

Part 3 Planning a London Vacation: The IHG Factor in London

There are loads of InterContinental Hotel Group hotels, 60 or so in the greater London area. With a dozen or so properties in the central London tourist area, there are plenty of options to consider.

First, I checked for IHG PointBreaks hotel award for 5,000 points per night.  These are basically $60US room rates if you are around a participating hotel.  You can buy 40,000 points for $460 from Priority Club. There is one participating Holiday Inn at Stevenage, about 13 miles east of Luton Airport, north of London. Stevenage sounds like a nice place to visit for a boring sod like me.  No Pointbreaks properties in London.

Next, I checked www.frequentflyerbonuses.com for Priority Club links and that site showed me a 2 nights for Price of 1 link for Europe hotels.  The promotion states for two night stays through March 31, 2009 and for mostly Friday to Sunday stays, however, over the past two years this “2 nights for the price of 1” offer typically allows mid-week bookings at many hotels and allows bookings for dates past the stated deadline.

I have followed Europe hotel rates through this IHG promotion for the past couple years and this most recent survey of London hotels just has me saying WOW!

Rates are so incredibly low for London hotels.

Per night rate using 2 Nights for Price of 1 booking link for London:

There are actually Holiday Inn Express hotels in the greater London area for under $35 per night using the 2-for-1 reservation link.  Holiday Inn Slough-Windsor has rates at 21GBP.  I’m thinking Ricky Gervais and The Office.

I’ll take a hotel in central London please.  I still remember being 14 in 1974 and commuting an hour each way by train to travel from the campground in north London where our family slept to the city center during our week in and around the city.

From my travel experience, the rule of thumb I developed is get as close to the city center or in the vicinity of places you want to see.  Travel is costing you money and spending your time transiting from the place you sleep to the place you want to see can be a lot of wasted time.

Hotel Recommendations Anyone?

I am not IHG Priority Club elite and aside from the Crowne Plaza St. James where I stayed for my honeymoon in 1989, before it was a Crowne Plaza, I am not familiar with the IHG properties in London.

TripAdvisor was too daunting.  I searched and there are over 1,000 hotels in the database for London.

I quickly moved on to FlyerTalk where I could get the IHG experts’ opinions on the benefits of particular hotels.

Within 30 minutes I found a consensus for the InterContinental as the top choice for London. Crowne Plaza The City seems to be a popular choice.  The main complaint is the closure of the Tube station by the hotel this month for two years means a five to ten minute walk to the next station.

Crowne Plaza-The City has standard rooms for $86 and a Club room for $152 per night. TripAdvisor.com shows the Crowne Plaza-The City as having a $362 average rate. The hotel has an overall four star customer rating with 123 reviews. 80% of the TripAdvisor reviews are at least a 4 and mostly 5 star ratings.

The Holiday Inn Kensington Forum also is a popular choice for one of the best IHG hotels and the 2-for-1 offer has standard rooms for $73 or even a suite for $131 per night. TripAdvisor has 440 reviews for Holiday Inn Kensington Forum and mostly 4 and 5 star ratings, but more 4 star than 5 star.  Average price is listed at $209.

Crowne Plaza Shoreditch at $90 per night including Club lounge access with free breakfast sounds like a great deal. According to FlyerTalk posters this hotel would put me in the clubbing district. There was also the comment the club lounge is closed on weekends and guests receive vouchers for a much better breakfast at the hotel restaurant. That sounds good to me.  Looking for breakfast on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday holidays is not as easy as you might think in a major city like London.

TripAdvisor.com gave Crowne Plaza Shoreditch the highest popularity rating (#71 of 1,169 London hotels) of the three hotels.  Guests have supplied 153 hotel reviews, although the Crowne Plaza-The City has overall higher guest rating. Average price is listed at $205.

Conclusion

IHG can place me in central London for under $100 per night with a choice of hotels.  I can even book a suite at a popular hotel like the Holiday Inn Kensington Forum for $130 per night. A Crowne Plaza Club Room in central London (CP-The City) for $150 per night can easily save $50 a day or more in breakfast, snacks, and drinks for a couple.

My initial budget allows about $900 for my hotel and transportation for the week.  The closer I am to the central London sites, the less I spend on transportation around London. 

The IHG “Stay 2 Nights, Pay 1” special rates allow me to stay in central London hotels for under $600 for eight nights.  Counting on an elite status upgrade with Starwood or Hyatt is not so important when I can just pay for a suite.

Priority Club’s current 3,000 points for 3 nights along with the regular base points earned for $500+ in room spending for IHG stays will add another $100 value to the paid rooms through points received. 

Another advantage of the IHG plan for this April trip to London is my Starwood points can be saved for another vacation destination where there may not be such a good alternative like the IHG 2-nights-for-1 rates.

Note on IHG 2 for 1 London rates: Rates vary depending on the dates selected for two day stays.  I only included a sample of the rates for comparative purposes.  Rates during the April 10-18 period vary by as much as $50 per night or more depending on the dates selected.