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

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:

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.

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.

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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.