IHG experiments with opening all room categories for points
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One of the biggest complaints about IHG One Rewards – and one which has shown up a weird lack of vision – is the inability to book anything other than the most basic hotel room for a reward night.
You stay multiple nights for cash at IHG hotels to build up your points, but when you come to redeem you are forced into booking the smallest room and/or the ‘no view’ room in the hotel.
Unlike Marriott (selected hotels only) or Hyatt, you can’t pay your way out of this with more points or a cash supplement. Unless you are upgraded due to your status, you’ve got the small room overlooking the bins. Enjoy your holiday.
It’s even more of an issue if you have children. In most ‘big city’ hotels, the smallest room in the hotel isn’t going to be big enough for an extra bed. Unless you want to enter into email negotiations with the hotel over guaranteed upgrades or a cash payment for a bigger room (which you’re not guaranteed to be offered), you’re stuck.
It seems that IHG is trying to fix this
A couple of hotels – Holiday Inn Frankfurt Alter Oper (which my wife recommmends, although its not in the loveliest area) and InterContinental Osaka among them – are currently letting you book all room categories with points.
Here’s an example from Frankfurt:
…. which is what you’d normally see. However you can also book:
and
Whilst not pictured, there is also a room with two beds which can sleep three.
This hotel isn’t, I admit, a great hotel to trial ‘book any room’. It has no suites and it has no rooms that can take four. It still won’t work for a lot of people.
However, if you look at InterContinental Osaka, you can book any room up to this two bedroom residence which sleeps five:
Note that the ‘pence per point’ ratio doesn’t seem to change if you book a ‘better’ room.
This is, for now, just a small trial. I’m sure there will be issues getting some hotels to accept ‘any room’ rewards, given that the additional payment received from IHG is going to be peanuts. (If a hotel is not full, redemption rooms cost IHG as little as $25 IIRC at cheaper brands and don’t go beyond $200).
If this is the trade off for IHG removing capped pricing at luxury hotels (see our article yesterday) then it is – taking the interests of the whole membership into account – one worth making.
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IHG One Rewards update – May 2025:
Get bonus points: IHG is not currently running a global promotion.
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.
Scott 
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