Since 2009 my blog has carried a link for the IHG Friends & Family rate. 2009 was the year hotel loyalty programs threw everything at potential guests like free nights, RocketMiles-type frequent flyer bonuses and complimentary high elite status to guests. Steve Sickel, senior VP of IHG Marketing for the Americas at Atlanta HQ, published his Friends & Family Rate link on FlyerTalk back in 2009. We could all be friends of Steve Sickel for several years and get hotel rate discounts.
A couple of weeks ago, BoardingArea staff sent me a notice that Google was dinging me for a nonfunctional link to the IHG Friends & Family rate. Apparently, Steve de-friended us some time ago and I had not paid attention. Thanks for the years of IHG friendly discounts Steve!
No worries. IHG is still a friendly place and new friends are easy to find.
New IHG Friends & Family link: Randall McCamman, IHG Revenue Manager – Americas, posted his IHG Friends & Family link on FlyerTalk in November 2013.
FlyerTalk post – November 11, 2013.
How to Use IHG Friends & Family rate.
Important to note: IHG Friends & Family rate is a prepaid, nonrefundable advance purchase rate that does not offer loyalty points or promotion credit.
Personally, I have never used the IHG Friends & Family rate since I always found better value paying higher rates and earning points. Still, this is a promotional rate to be aware of when you can’t find a good deal where you want to be.
When you click on Randall McCamman’s Friends and Family link, you land on this IHG booking page.
After you complete a reservation, then download the rate voucher and fill it out with the name of your IHG friend and reservation details. This voucher is submitted to the hotel upon arrival.
San Francisco IHG Rate Analysis
Tuesday, March 11. 2014
Holiday Inn San Francisco Civic Center
- Advance Purchase, Nonrefundable = $162.00
- AAA = $163
- Best Flexible = $179
- Friends & Family (F&F) = $149.60
InterContinental San Francisco
- Advance Purchase, Nonrefundable = $360.06
- AAA = $379.05
- Best Flexible = $399
- Friends & Family (F&F) = $306.06
Holiday Inn San Francisco Golden Gateway
- Advance Purchase, Nonrefundable = $154.00
- AAA = $162.00
- Best Flexible = $179.00
- Friends & Family (F&F) = $130.90
InterContinental Mark Hopkins San Francisco
- Advance Purchase, Nonrefundable = $296.89
- AAA = $320.00
- Best Flexible = $329.00
- Friends & Family (F&F) = $252.36
Holiday Inn San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf
- Advance Purchase, Nonrefundable = $154.00
- AAA = $153.00
- Best Flexible = $179.00
- Friends & Family (F&F) = $130.90
Holiday Inn Express San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf
- Advance Purchase, Nonrefundable = $167.00
- AAA = $171.00
- Best Flexible = $189.00
- Friends & Family (F&F) = $141.95
The IHG Friends & Family rate discount is 15% off the Advance Purchase rate for each of these hotels.
There are similar Friends and Family rate rules for each of these hotels:
- Prepaid and nonrefundable rate.
- Must book 14 to 21 days in advance depending on hotel.
- No IHG Rewards Club points earned for stay and no promotion credit.
In short, IHG Friends & Family rate is a 15% discount on the Advance Purchase rate with no points earned for the stay.
No loyalty points is why I have never used the IHG Friends & Family rate. The primary value would be for an IHG hotel on an extended stay where a big rate discount offers more value than the points conceded for the stay.
Still, I keep this rate in my repertoire of rate discount tricks. Just in case.
*****
Ric Garrido of Monterey, California is writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler.
Loyalty Traveler shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests.
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