IHG Rewards Club Accelerate summer 2019 complete – 5 nights, $485 spent, 52,505 points earned

5 Comments

• 

  Dan July 21, 2019

  Under the latest promotion you could buy 100,000 pts for $500.00. Only $15.00 more than what you spent for 50,000 pts
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  Ric Garrido July 21, 2019

  @Dan – Spend $500 to buy 100,000 points.

  The hotels I stayed at 5 nights would have cost 120,000 points for the 5 nights using points.

  I spent $485, stayed 5 nights in hotels in cities I needed lodging since I was 6,000 miles from my home, and ended up with 42,505 points more than I started with before my trip.

  I rarely buy IHG points. I generally pick up 150,000 to 200,000 points with about 10 to 12 paid nights per year.

  https://loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com/2017/12/17/my-incredible-ihg-accelerate-year-in-review/
• 

  Andrew July 22, 2019

  rick, I am curious, let’s say there was no loyalty program, how much would you have paid for those five nights, given that you could have bought other hotel rooms? We all place different values on points — my current valuation of ihg points is about .4, but I suspect that it may be under .3 soon, given my number of points with ihg and other programs, possibility that my own travel might be quite limited in the near future, as well as the prospect of devaluations, including one that is currently rumored .

  Thank you
• 

  Ric Garrido July 22, 2019

  In Prague I could have stayed in a hotel in Prague 6 for $65 per night I had scouted out in April, but I would have likely booked Hotel Liliova in Old Town for $90 per night to be at the same hotel as our friends. The main reason I chose to stay at Holiday Inn Prague Congress Centre is I expected the relatively newer hotel to have good working air conditioner and it did. That was welcome considering Prague had its highest temperature ever recorded during our stay. Hotel also convenient to Vysehrad Metro. Another reason I wanted Holiday Inn Prague is the location allowed me to explore Prague 4, Nusle Valley and Prague 10 on morning walks, places I had not walked through in Prague yet.

  Can’t say what I would have spent, except that it would likely have been under $100 per night. One of the main reasons I like loyalty programs is they limit the time I spend looking for hotel deals. The other reason is my hotel spend is spread out over months and years with an earn and burn strategy.

  I stayed 3 nights at Holiday Inn Prague for 15,000 points per night. My only cost was $39 to buy 5,000 points for one Points & Cash night. The hotel had a small minimally stocked lounge where I could grab mineral water, sodas, coffee and some sandwiches free of charge. IHG points saved over $200 in hotel spend in Prague for this trip.

  I stayed 7 nights in Prague at Clarion Prague Old Town 2 nights for 16,000 points, 3 nights at Holiday Inn Congress Centre (40,000 points + $39) and 2 nights at Park Inn Prague 2 nights for 56,000 points.

  Assume I could have found a hotel at $75 per night. My trip to Prague would have cost $450 for hotels. Instead, my cost was basically $120 — $81 for 16,000 Choice Privileges points I purchased in May and $39 for the IHG Points & Cash reward night. My Radisson Rewards points were earned from 40,000 points through annual credit card bonus and points earned years ago from high value points promotions like 30,000 points for a 3-night stay. IHG points I have stocked up in my account are from a dozen past promotions like the current IHG Rewards Club Accelerate where $485 in spend earned 52,000 points. The $485 I spent in July with IHG will likely result in 2 or 3 free or highly discounted hotel nights on a future trip.

  In Krakow I could have probably found a place for $70 to $75 per night. I like Hotel Indigo for its ideal location with close proximity to the train station and Old Town Market Square. TripAdvisor ranks Hotel Indigo Krakow at #15 of 277 hotels.

  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g274772-d10619158-Reviews-Hotel_Indigo_Krakow_Old_Town-Krakow_Lesser_Poland_Province_Southern_Poland.html

  I got a great deal at $102 per night for 3 nights during an IHG Europe flash sale in April.

  Holiday Inn Warsaw at $95 was higher than I needed to pay. I could have booked an advance purchase room only rate at the hotel for $67. I paid $95 for 3,000 IHG points and breakfast for the two of us. We also received two free drinks at the bar, which were welcome after dining in a highly rated restaurant down the street and served warm beer.

  One of the interesting things about Holiday Inn Warsaw is free minibar privileges for IHG Platinum members.

  Hard to say what I would spend without hotel loyalty programs. I might not even visit the same cities without hotel loyalty programs since my travel is often dictated by what hotel value I can take advantage of using hotel loyalty programs to reduce the cost of my current trip by spending points and the cost of future trips by earning points.

  We received two free drinks at each of the three IHG hotels. And room upgrades to preferred view.

  I still value IHG points at $5 per 1,000 points. So when I look at a hotel like Holiday Inn Warsaw or Holiday Inn Prague Congress Centre at 15,000 points per night, I consider those $75 hotel nights. The room rates were around $110 after tax at HI Prague.
  HI Warsaw was available for under $75, but I earned 38,000 points from that stay.
• IHG Buy Points up to 100% bonus to August 23 | Loyalty Traveler July 27, 2019

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