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Bits: worst value IHG redemption ever?, get missing Accor points reinstated

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News in brief:

The worst IHG redemption – is this where Istanbul is now?

In February I will be heading down to Istanbul for a couple of days to check out Turkish Airlines long haul aircraft and their widely applauded lounge facilities.

Needing a hotel for two nights, I was planning to use the free night vouchers from our IHG credit cards.  Until I saw the prices.

The InterContinental in Istanbul, in early February, is €77 per night.  That is £56.

Alternatively, I could use 50,000 IHG Rewards Club points.

I know that Istanbul has not had the best press recently, but neither has Paris – I don’t see the InterContinental there selling for £56.

Looking at Expedia, it is carnage across the sector.  Only the Shangri-La and Four Seasons seem able to charge over £200.  The Park Hyatt, which is new and apparently very impressive, is just £128.  The Conrad is £100.

As an example of how low these prices are, Amex Travel wants £210 per night for the Park Hyatt.  This is their contracted Fine Hotels & Resorts rate which is meant to be roughly the same as the hotel rate – it is now 65% higher.

I know the weather isn’t great in Istanbul in February but it will be a lot better than the UK, and at these prices you get a very cheap short break.

Get your missing Accor points reinstated

If you earned 1,050 free Le Club AccorHotels points from their recent quiz, you may have found your points removed by Accor.  This promotion was subject to a major fraud and Accor stripped all of the accounts which looked even vaguely dodgy.

If your points were removed, the good news is that Accor is happy to reinstate them.  Get in touch with Customer Services and, once you’ve convinced them that you exist, the points will be returned to your account.  This has worked OK for a couple of Head for Points readers.

Accor Live Limitless update – December 2024:

Earn bonus Accor points: Accor is not currently running a global promotion

New to Accor Live Limitless?  Read our review of Accor Live Limitless here and our article on points expiry rules here. Our analysis of what Accor Live Limitless points are worth is here.

Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from Accor and the other major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.

Category

Accor Live Limitless, IHG One Rewards

Comments (46)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • Brian says:
    29 Dec29 December 04:20

    Why is the hotel pricing in Euros? In any case, sounds ideal for meeting those Accelerate targets, Rob!

    • Swanhunter says:
      29 Dec29 December 07:01

      Turkey hotel pricing (at least in the chain and tourist sectors) is invariable in Euros to protect against a volatile Turkish Lira.

      There are some great bargains in the non-chain boutique sector too.

    • JQ says:
      29 Dec29 December 13:19

      If you know where to go, you can spend and receive change in almost any currency (including coins) in Turkey…

  • James67 says:
    29 Dec29 December 04:44

    OT but IHG: for cash and points stays you can now get a $90 (15,000 point) option. Potentially hugely beneficial for some ICs (obviously not Istanbul!) and even CPs and Indigos in expensive cities such as London. I was very surprised, I fully expected the next move on C&P to be in the opposite direction.

    • Will says:
      29 Dec29 December 06:14

      Very good spot there, many thanks for sharing.

      • Brian says:
        29 Dec29 December 07:14

        As pointed out on LoyaltyLobby, this equates to buying points at 0.6p each (or was that cents?) – which makes the points and cash booking route to points that much cheaper.

        • Will says:
          29 Dec29 December 08:12

          Pretty much the daily getaways price for the last 2 years, but with the flexibility to buy whenever you need the points.

  • Stu R says:
    29 Dec29 December 04:56

    I ‘earned’ the 1,100 Accor points and opted for instant conversion (on the day of the article) but the points are still sitting in my Accor account with no sign of any movement to Iberia …. any clues?

    • harry says:
      29 Dec29 December 08:51

      Use browser 1, enter AH & cancel your conversion method, log out.

      Now in browser 2, re-enter the auto-conversion process, then wait overnight.

      You should get 2 emails, one for the cancellation, the second for the re-start of auto-conversion to Iberia Avios.

      Some 10 or so days later, you should get (in IB):
      15/12/15 0 Days At Hotel Accor Hoteles Hoteles 1.100

      • Alex says:
        6 Jan6 January 11:47

        I quite stupidly overlooked that I had my Accor account linked to BA (did it for another HFP promotion and never changed back). So it was converted automatically into 550 BA Avios… Is it possible somehow to reverse this conversion and redo as Iberia Avios?

  • Erico1875 says:
    29 Dec29 December 07:34

    KLM are doing EDI Istanbul for £120 in Feb.. Transit AMS was just to long to justify a weekend

  • John Tickner says:
    29 Dec29 December 08:03

    What are the benefits of using Amex Travel FHR ?

    • Raffles says:
      29 Dec29 December 09:20

      4pm guaranteed check-out, free breakfast, upgrade (at check in if available), €100 of credit to spend in hotel.

      For one nighters it can be amazing value due to the €100 credit, as long as you use it!

  • Scallder says:
    29 Dec29 December 08:13

    One factor might be the large number of Russian visitors no longer fancying a trip there with everything going on between those two countries…

    • Sussex Bantam says:
      29 Dec29 December 11:14

      I love the way you have cut and paste the section warning you not to cut and paste the article….

  • Sean says:
    29 Dec29 December 08:45

    I wouldn’t count on the weather being good in February. I visited Istanbul at the same time a few years ago and it rained for four days!

  • RIccati says:
    29 Dec29 December 08:55

    Same on Istanbul’s Winter weather and temperature, it’s very similar to London’s.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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