One of the great values in Europe is the IHG 2-for-1 hotel rate at Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Hotel Indigo brands in various cities around Europe. The comments on my blog lately suggest many travelers do not know the acronym IHG for InterContinental Hotels Group.

2-for-1 rates can be great savings, however they are severely restricted.

• Nonrefundable
• Must be booked five days in advance.
• Full payment at time of booking.
• Generally do not earn IHG Rewards points.

The tricky thing about IHG 2-for-1 rates is finding the link for this special offer:

http://www.ihg.com/hotels/us/en/reservation/findandbook?ratePreference=IDEX1

Click through the drop down menu and select Partner Rate 2×1.

After searching a specific hotel, I typically have to reload the original link since IHG automatically reverts to Best Available rate and will not show the 2-for-1 rates.

Here are a few IHG 2-for-1 rates I found in different countries for stays in February 2014. In rate searches I located 2-for-1 rates in London for May 2014, however, not in June 2014. In years past 2-for-1 rates have been available in summer. It may simply be that 2-for-1 rates have not yet been loaded for June 2014 travel or I did not search enough dates and locations.

London

London has always been one of the major locations for big savings with 2-for-1 rates. For several years it was possible to find rates for under $100 per night. Rates are higher now, yet London is also one of the cities where 2-for-1 is available all days of the week. Some locations only offer 2-for-1 on weekends.

£ 89.50 per night = $145.09 per night at Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury, Monday, Feb 17- Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014.

£ 84.50 per night = $136.98 per night at Crowne Plaza London Kensington, Monday, Feb 17- Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014.

£ 87.50 per night = $141.84 per night at Holiday Inn London Commercial Road, Wednesday, Feb 19 – Friday, Feb 21, 2014.

£ 99.50 per night = $161.29 per night at Crowne Plaza The City, Friday, Feb 21, 2014 – Sunday, Feb 23, 2014.

£ 74.50 per night = $120.76 per night at Hotel Indigo London Kensington Earl’s Court, Friday, Feb 21, 2014 – Sunday, Feb 23, 2014.

These examples show it is possible to change hotels and move around London on 2-for-1 rates for any day of the week. It is also possible to book back-to-back consecutive 2-for-1 stays at the same hotel. There are several other hotels in London with 2-for-1 rates. Different hotels offer 2-for-1 rates on different dates.

Unfortunately the rate search does not show if the rate is a 2-for-1 rate. If it looks low, then it probably is a 2-for-1 rate.

Holiday Inn Express London Victoria £ 105.00 is not 2-for-1 rate.

Holiday Inn Express London Southwark £ 160.00 is not 2-for-1 rate.

Holiday Inn London Regent’s Park £ 117.50 is 2-for-1 rate.

Upgrade Rooms also offer 2-for-1 rates

£ 99.50 per night = $161.29 per night at Crowne Plaza The City, Friday, Feb 21, 2014 – Sunday, Feb 23, 2014 is for a basic room with two double beds. £ 127.00 per night or $206 an upgraded Club Lounge Queen room provides breakfast, hors d’oeuvres and access to DVDs.

Other European Countries also offer 2-for-1 rates

Paris, France – Holiday Inn Paris Elysees

• ‎ € 99.50 Queen Bed $134.82 per night Feb 21-23, 2014.

Rome, Italy, Crowne Plaza St. Peter’s

• € 62.50 Standard Room = $84.69 per night Feb 21-23, 2014.

Edinburgh, Scotland, Crowne Plaza The Roxburghe

• £ 67.50 Standard Room = $109.41 per night Feb 21-23, 2014.
• £ 132.50 King Bed Suite = $214.76 per night Feb 21-23, 2014.

There are some low rates for InterContinental Hotels in Europe even without the 2-for-1 special offer. And you can earn points on these rates.

InterContinental Budapest, Hungary

• € 64.80 King Standard = $87.81 per night February 14-16, 2014.

InterContinental Malta

• € 99.00 Deluxe Room = $134.15 per night April 11-13, 2014

*****

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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