Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

IHG news: excellent Washington DC redemption and a new Brighton hotel

Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission.  See here for all partner links.

Two bits of news today for IHG One Rewards members.

Excellent redemption deal at the first Vignette hotel in North America

In late 2021, IHG launched its own version of Hilton’s Curio, Marriott’s Autograph or Hyatt’s Unbound Collection.

The brand is called ‘Vignette’. Here’s the logo:

Yours Truly DC joins Vignette Collection

Vignette – and Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott’s own versions of Vignette – all target upmarket hotels which want to remain independent but wish to become part of a ‘marketing system’. In return for IHG funnelling them bookings via ihg.com, the hotels agree to join IHG One Rewards and to honour member benefits.

The hotels keep their existing branding and the senior hotel management will not become IHG employees.

Progress has been slow. IHG had very little to show in the way of pipeline when the brand was announced and there are still only a handful of properties.

The first Vignette hotel in the Americas is now available.

Yours Truly DC (website here) claims that it:

offers a unique stay a five-minute drive from Washington D.C.’s Dupont Circle and a quick walk from Georgetown. Find upscale bohemian design and modern facilities in one of the most exemplary boutique hotels in the nation’s capital, perfectly perched near notable monuments, diverse eateries, free museums, posh art galleries, and more. Designed for the traveler with an eye for substance and adventure, Yours Truly DC is ideal not just for those looking to explore the history-trodden streets of Washington D.C., but for those who want to stay in style. With it’s free-spirited feel, artisan rooms and suites, world class fitness studio, high-quality record store, one-of-a-kind meeting spaces, and eclectic dining spaces, Yours Truly DC is yours, truly.

Looking at the room images, such as the one below, it does seem like the sort of upmarket, eclectic hotel that ‘collections’ like Vignette should focus on.

Here’s the good news.

Redemption rooms are currently a flat 25,000 IHG One Rewards points per night.

This is excellent value given that rooms are selling for $350 per night including taxes on some nights.

If you are planning a visit to Washington DC this year then this redemption deal is worth jumping on.

You can currently buy IHG One Rewards points via this link with (for most people) a 100% bonus. 25,000 points for a free night at Your Truly DC will cost you just $125 – good luck getting an upmarket hotel anywhere else in DC for that money.

The hotel website is here.

Yours Truly DC hotel IHG Vignette Washington

Meanwhile, in Brighton ….

If you live in London then you probably have a love / hate relationship with Brighton. It’s the only resort on the south coast with a half-decent rail connection to London and despite the shingle beach there is enough to keep you busy for a weekend.

What Brighton has lacked is a decent points hotel if you don’t want to pay for your stay.

  • Marriott has nothing
  • the Hilton Brighton Metropole is seafront and an interesting Victorian building but needed help – even the Hilton website only rates it at 3/5 (a room refurbishment is currently underway)
  • the less said about the eyesore that is Holiday Inn Brighton Seafront the better – a recent Tripadvisor review says “I stay in IHG / Holiday Inns all over the world on a regular basis and this was undoubtedly the worst of their venues I’ve visited and an embarrassment to the brand” whilst others talk of mould

The great news is that, totally under the radar, a new Staybridge Suites hotel has just opened near to Brighton’s railway station. Click here to learn more. It is described as 10 minutes from The Lanes and 20 minutes walk from the pier.

Don’t be fooled by the ‘suites’ element to the name. Whilst all rooms have a seating area and some basic catering facilities, they are relatively small at 21 – 27 sq m, with the corner suites coming in at 30 sq m.

Rates are from £70 per night and include free breakfast. As a brand new hotel you can hopefully be assured of a far higher quality of room than any other points hotel in the city. The redemption nights I looked at were surprisingly poor value and coming in under our 0.4p per IHG One Rewards target, but this can change from day to day.

The Staybridge Suites Brighton website is here.

IHG One Rewards update – April 2024:

Get bonus points: IHG One Rewards is offering 2,000 bonus points for every two cash nights you stay (not necessarily consecutive) between 1st April and 31st May 2024. You can read our full article here and you can register here.

New to IHG One Rewards?  Read our overview of IHG One Rewards here and our article on points expiry rules here. Our article on ‘What are IHG One Rewards points worth?’ is here.

Buy points: If you need additional IHG One Rewards points, you can buy them here.

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

Category

IHG One Rewards

Comments (58)

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

  • Richard Peters says:
    18 Feb18 February 08:57

    Washington booked TY for the heads up

  • davefl says:
    18 Feb18 February 09:01

    Uggg….. In Washingon, aAnyone think they’ll waive this as an Amb/Plat?

    Description of Taxes and Additional Charges
    A guest amenities fee of $30 per night, tax inclusive, includes: * Complimentary coffee in guest room * 11.43% discount on all Mercy Me orders by showing a guest room key in the outlets, including online orders – http://www.mercymedc.com * Welcome treat upon arrival * A curated Vinyl Record Library with players, upon request * Complimentary access to the Ping Pong Room for the first 30 minutes * 2 Mountain Valley water bottles * Complimentary high-speed WiFi access throughout the facility * Interactive Peloton Fitness Center including WOD by our in-house trainer * Local partnership discount at Artechouse, Doggy Style Baker, She Loves Me flower shop and more

    • Andrew J says:
      18 Feb18 February 09:04

      No

      • davefl says:
        18 Feb18 February 09:10

        I shall take my business elsewhere then.

        • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:
          18 Feb18 February 09:49

          To another hotel with resort fees?

          They are rife in the US.

          • davefl says:
            18 Feb18 February 10:13

            I know they are and on my many trips to the US I’ve chosen hotels without such ridiculous fees 100% of the time. There is always an alternative, even in Vegas.

        • BJ says:
          18 Feb18 February 09:59

          Surprised you were unaware of such charges being a regular HFP reader.

          • davefl says:
            18 Feb18 February 10:11

            I wasn’t unaware of them. But having seen what you get for the $30 I choose sanity, not fluff I won’t use and will spend my 100K points more wisely and pay cash for an apartment with terrace for my stay instead.
            Even in Vegas I stayed at a hotel without resort fees on principle.

    • JDB says:
      18 Feb18 February 09:29

      What does the “Doggy Style Baker” offer?

    • pbcold says:
      18 Feb18 February 10:01

      You`re turning down half an hour of table tennis?

      • davefl says:
        18 Feb18 February 10:23

        Pretty difficult to play TT solo at my age, although I used to when I was a student 🙂

    • Maciek says:
      18 Feb18 February 10:28

      YMMV – I’ve had the resort few waived at HIE Honolulu and destination fee waived at IC Times Square (but not at HI Waikiki – before it became a Beachcomber- or IC Barclay) when staying on points

    • Jonathan says:
      18 Feb18 February 11:57

      Not through points but Amex Plat booking 2 nights through Amex get $100 to spend on qualifying dining, spa and resort activities. Seems to be a way of getting the resort fee back – spend $60 and get $100 back. Are resort fees just a way of adding money to the marketing budget to attract high spending guests to spend on site?

      • TGLoyalty says:
        18 Feb18 February 16:12

        They’re a way to seem cheaper than you are

        I also think complaining about them in nonsense. The total price is either in your budget or not.

        25k points and $30 still seems a bargain per night

        • ianM says:
          18 Feb18 February 16:19

          Dave sounds like a fun guy

          • davefl says:
            18 Feb18 February 17:00

            No need to be snide.

            As a plat/AMB I expect free wiifi and coffee in room and water etc as I would get at every other brand and indeed at every chain. I don’t expect to pay for them. I don’t want discounts at some random stores/restaurants so why should be forced to pay $120 for the “privilege”

            The Sonder I’ve already booked in the same area is costing $400 less, includes Wifi, coffee, water and peletons… and also has double space, and a private terrace aread so spending 100k points and $120 is daft.

          • TGLoyalty says:
            18 Feb18 February 19:31

            it’s costing you $400 less than 100k points and $120 ie c$620 of value

            Then 100% $55 a night sounds great

        • davefl says:
          18 Feb18 February 17:03

          Depends on your perspective. I’ll not use any of the hotel facilities or discounts as I’ll be out doing other things all 4 days and most of the evenings.
          Biden is trying to outlaw resort fees this term. I hope he succeeds but I doubt he will. Maybe he’ll manage it as an executive order on his way out as Trump did with the Cuba/Esta mess

          • TGLoyalty says:
            18 Feb18 February 19:27

            They wouldn’t exist at all if USA had laws around transparent pricing like the U.K. / EU

  • David S says:
    18 Feb18 February 09:35

    Currently staying in Brighton at the Malmaison down at the Marina. Thoroughly recommend it – lower cost , at least for a Fri night and free parking.

    • Mike Hunt says:
      18 Feb18 February 12:32

      Plus Malmasion do a Blue Light discount sometimes 30% ish

    • Colin_Thames says:
      18 Feb18 February 14:18

      Would second that. A lovely hotel. Nice rooms and full of character.
      Where is the free parking though? That’s new to me.

      • David S says:
        18 Feb18 February 20:09

        The big multi-storey car park next door. There is a sign saying max 4 hours but it’s an old sign and the policy doesn’t apply

  • Anthony says:
    18 Feb18 February 10:23

    I read some time back that the new Brighton property was initially earmarked to be a Marriott brand (can’t recall exactly but I think it was either Four Points or Courtyard). Interesting that it’s gone the way of IHG given the proximity of the Holiday Inn. As a local Brighton and Hove resident it would have been handy to have a cheapish Marriott option nearby, oh well.

    • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:
      18 Feb18 February 10:43

      Proximity between brands makes little difference

      In Manchester there are HI, HIX, CP, Indigo and a Kimpton all within a 10-15 minute radius of Piccadilly Gardens.

    • lumma says:
      18 Feb18 February 12:10

      Why would you need a local hotel if you live there?

      • Anthony says:
        18 Feb18 February 14:05

        Inexpensive mattress runs typically, for those who may be attaining or trying to retain status etc. with loyalty programs.

    • Terry Butler says:
      19 Feb19 February 10:05

      Isn’t this simply a rebrand of what was the failing Jury’s Inn behind the railway station? It wasn’t much cop under that brand – so I suppose it can only go onwards and upwards with its new labelling.

      • JohnTh says:
        19 Feb19 February 15:06

        No that is now Leonardo. Staybridge is down the steps / Lift by the station rear exit

  • Mark says:
    18 Feb18 February 10:35

    Thanks for the heads up. Just managed to book 3 rooms in May for a one night stop over for $420 point purchase. (i was offered 80% bonus)

    Absolute bargain seeing as other half decent hotels were coming in at £200-250+ per room per night

  • Mark says:
    18 Feb18 February 10:41

    To add. The rooms should have been $447 each! so a saving of $921

  • Alex Soares says:
    18 Feb18 February 12:42

    I was looking for hotels in Washington so this came in handy, I booked 3 nights in Sep for 25k each, total cash would have been $863

  • Save East Coast Rewards says:
    18 Feb18 February 13:04

    It might take longer to get to but Bournemouth has a decent rail connection to London and a proper beach plus a decent Hilton, Hampton and Marriott. There’s a Holiday Inn too but I’ve never been there. As I was working there a lot in 2019 something like a Staybridge would have been nice then

    • Michael C says:
      18 Feb18 February 16:43

      We did our standard half-term B’mouth Hilton overnighter this week – it’s really pleasant! If you go back, book in at Lola’s, an incredibly good Spanish restaurant 5 mins’ walk away.

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

New to Head for Points?

Welcome!  We’re the UK’s most-read source of business travel, Avios, frequent flyer and hotel loyalty news. Let us improve how you travel. Got any questions? Ask them in our forums.

NEW: Sign-up bonuses boosted to 3,000 and 18,000 points

Latest Forum Posts

Get 40,000 bonus points (worth 40,000 Avios) and £300 dining credit with The Platinum Card

Check reward flight availability instantly for free!

See a whole year of reward seat availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Get £10 when you spend £150 on your free Currensea card

Booking a luxury hotel?

Our luxury hotel booking service offers you GUARANTEED extra benefits over booking direct. Works with Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, The Ritz Carlton, St Regis and more. We've booked £1.7 million of rooms to date. Click for details.

SME? SPECIAL OFFER TO 12TH MAY EARN POINTS WORTH 30,000 AVIOS WITH CAPITAL ON TAP

Get 20,000 bonus points, four airport lounge passes and your first year free with American Express Gold

The UK's biggest frequent flyer website uses cookies, which you can block via your browser settings. Continuing implies your consent to this policy. Our privacy policy is here.

Got it!