IHG gains a Dubai beach resort from Accor overnight – and redemptions are good value

IHG One Rewards has a real problem in Dubai, at least until the Six Senses resort opens. Whilst I personally like the combined Crowne Plaza and InterContinental at Festival City – and indeed spent New Year there over 2020/21 – it lacks a good beach resort.

We though that the opening of voco Dubai The Palm would solve this, but the property is in a very noisy area. The website actually says ““Due to the bars and beach clubs nearby, you can expect some noise in certain rooms. If you are a light sleeper, we suggest you use the ear plugs.” Happy holiday ….

This is why the news that ‘Th8 Palm Dubai Beach Resort’ is switching from Accor to IHG is welcome. This hotel was known as ‘Th8 Palm by House of Originals’ and is one of the brands in Accor’s design-led Ennismore stable which could previously do no wrong.

Something has gone wrong, however. The hotel owner has parted company with Accor and appointed a new management company which has aligned the resort with IHG’s new ‘soft’ brand, Vignette.

Vignette is designed as IHG’s answer to Marriott’s Autograph or Hilton’s Curio – a way for 5-star hotels to join the IHG ‘system’ without adhering to strict brand standards. It is a step above voco, IHG’s ‘soft’ brand for 3-4 star hotels.

Th8 Palm Dubai Beach Resort looks good. It is very suite heavy with multiple two- and three-bed options, although standard rooms seem small at 27 sq m.

It does appear to be adult focussed or as least ‘was’ under Accor, although this is a weird thing to say about a hotel with lots of two bedroom suites and kitchens in every room. The Ennismore website says, when discussing the beach club:

“Fluid knows neither form nor conformity. This is where life is unrestricted, intuitive, and adaptive. Welcome to decadence at its finest. Let your hair down or follow your heart like the ocean’s ebb. This is where seamless service meets delightful cocktails, incomparable bites, captivating beats and a stream of unending merriment.”

You can already book – and indeed already stay, since the swap of brands was an overnight job – on this page of the IHG website.

Redemptions look good value

As often happens with new IHG hotes, redemptions are attractively priced to drum up business.

For a random date in September, a standard room was Dhs 905 all-in (£193) or 35,000 IHG One Rewards points. This is 0.55p per IHG One Rewards point, well above our standard valuation of 0.4p.

The hotel also looks good value for cash in comparison to other beach options. Over October half term – although as I said I’m not sure this is necessarily good for children unless the beach club is chopped – rooms start at Dhs 1,006 (£214) or 39,000 points which feels cheap.

Remember that your IHG One Rewards benefits will be respected here, including free breakfast if you are Diamond Elite. The huge number of suites should also make this a good place to use a Suite Upgrade Award if you received one as a Milestone Reward.

You can see more on ihg.com here.

---

IHG One Rewards update – October 2024:

Get bonus points:

You will earn 3,000 bonus points for every two cash nights you stay between 19th September and 31st December 2024.

Nights to do not need to be consecutive. Read more in our article here and click here to register.

IHG is running a second promotion for stays at five of its smaller brands. You will receive triple base points between 1st October and 31st December 2024 on stays at voco, avid hotels, EVEN Hotels, Atwell Suites and Garner Hotels. Read more in our article here and click here to register.

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.

IHG One Rewards is offering a 100% bonus when you buy points by 5th October 2024. Click here to buy.

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.