IHG One Rewards is the program for InterContinental, Kimpton, Hotel Indigo, voco, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, and the rest of IHG’s 7,000-plus hotels, and you earn its points from stays, the Chase IHG cards, and 1:1 transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt. There is no award chart, so a points night can be cheap or poor depending on the hotel and date.
The sweet spots are rules rather than prices: the cards’ 4th night free, the anniversary free night that you can top off with points, and Points & Cash, which on some nights costs far less cash than the hotel’s own rate.
Every points price below comes from IHG’s own booking site, and every cash price is what the same room actually cost on the night shown.
Quick Take
- Kimpton Seafire on Grand Cayman is still 70,000 points a night, the same since at least 2019, against cash rates over $1,000.
- With an IHG Premier, Premier Select, or Business card, every 4th night of an all-points stay is free, which takes 25% off.
- The card’s anniversary free night covers a night of up to 50,000 points (60,000 on the Premier Select), and you can add points to use it at a pricier hotel.
- Points & Cash at the lowest points level can cost far less cash than the room rate: one Manhattan night was 10,000 points plus $239 against a $460 cash rate.
- Always compare the points price with the cash rate for the same night, because IHG’s value swings widely from hotel to hotel.
- Points expire after 12 months with no activity unless you hold elite status.
1. How IHG Prices Awards
IHG prices each Reward Night dynamically, from 5,000 points a night, and the price changes with the brand, the hotel, the day of the week, and demand. There are no blackout dates, but award rooms are limited inventory, and IHG publishes no cap, so InterContinental and resort nights can run well past 100,000 points (143,000 at the Bora Bora sample) while a suburban Holiday Inn Express may cost 27,000.
Because there is no chart, the only way to judge an award is to compare the points price with the hotel’s cash rate for the same dates, which is what every entry here does. Reward Nights include taxes, but resort and destination fees are still charged by the hotel.
2. The Best Uses of IHG Points
This list isn’t strictly the best value by the math. It’s my judgment of hotels and destinations that are popular or worth the trip and that are expensive in cash, which is what makes them good reward nights. There’s no exact science, and everyone values things differently, so my list might not line up with yours: these lists tend to lean toward beach resorts, and if you’d rather spend your points in cities, you may not like this one. With that said, I’ve tried to break it down in a way that makes sense for most people. I’ve also left out lower-end hotels like Hampton Inns and Four Points, even though many of them are good uses of points, because this list is about the aspirational stays you’d pick for a big trip.
The points price under each hotel is the lowest standard-room price I found for the next 12 months, as of October 20, 2026, and the cash prices are the hotel’s own rates for the same room on the nights shown.
The best part of IHG is that its better-value aspirational hotels are very different from the other big chains’: less about the Maldives, but still some nice hotels with good award availability. With an IHG Premier, Premier Select, or Business card, every 4th night of an all-points stay is free at all of them.
1. Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa
70k points/night
On Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach, with a kids’ club, kids under 5 eating free, and a spa. Reviews are kind of all over the place for this popular hotel because of the price point, but it’s family friendly and still reviewed very well overall; much of the disappointment comes from the expectations attached to the price. On points, it’s been 70,000 a night since at least 2019 while the cash rate has kept climbing: a Tuesday in November was $1,257.79 with taxes and the $95 amenity fee ($930 before).
- Where: Seven Mile Beach, Grand Cayman
- Price: 70,000 points a night, the same every night it’s available (257 of the next 365 nights)
The catches:
- The $95 nightly amenity fee is charged on award nights too.
- The award room faces the yacht club side, not the sea.
- Award nights are scarce in winter (only 7 to 11 a month from January to March 2027), and Christmas week is sold out.
2. Six Senses La Sagesse Grenada
From 104k points/night
Something a little different than the regular points crowd is used to. Six Senses’ first Caribbean resort opened in 2024 with 56 pool suites and 15 villas, every one with a plunge pool, and a spa that uses Grenada’s own spices. It’s remote and quiet, which won’t be for everyone. Monday, November 16, 2026 was 104,000 points against $923.40 with fees and taxes, breakfast included.
- Where: Southeast Grenada, 35 to 45 minutes by road from the airport
- Price: 104,000 points a night on Nov 16, 2026; 122,000 to 147,000 on most nights
The catches:
- IHG Diamond members’ free breakfast doesn’t apply at Six Senses.
- Points prices are only loaded through March 2027 so far.
- Don’t mix it up with the new InterContinental Grenada next door, opening Nov 4, 2026.
- You find it on ihg.com but book it on sixsenses.com, signed in with your IHG One Rewards account.
3. Regent Santa Monica Beach
From 148k points/night
The former Loews, rebuilt as a Regent in 2024, with 167 rooms right on the beach next to the Santa Monica Pier. Standard rooms are big (720 sq ft), and there’s a Michael Mina restaurant and a spa. Sunday, January 3, 2027 was 148,000 points against $966.53 with taxes and fees, but most nights cost a lot more points.
- Where: Santa Monica, California
- Price: 148,000 points a night on Jan 3, 2027; 194,000 to 250,000 on most nights, and up to 500,000
The catches:
- The $90 nightly amenity fee (it includes a $50 daily dining or spa credit) is charged on award nights.
- January is the only month with prices near the low.
4. InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace
From 73k points/night
A palace built around 1900 to host ambassadors, on Via Veneto near Villa Borghese, which reopened as an InterContinental in 2023 with a rooftop bar that looks out over the city. On Tuesday, January 19, 2027, it was 73,000 points against about $429 with taxes (€377).
- Where: Via Veneto, Rome
- Price: 73,000 to 85,000 points a night on many nights from December 2026 to March 2027; 150,000 to 250,000 in spring and fall
The catches:
- Rome’s city tax, about €20 a night, is paid at the hotel.
5. Regent Hong Kong
From 77k points/night
Back as a Regent since 2023 after a full renovation, on the Kowloon waterfront looking straight across at the Hong Kong Island skyline, with pools over the harbor and Lai Ching Heen, a Cantonese restaurant with two Michelin stars. Sunday, January 10, 2027 was 77,000 points against about $442 with taxes.
- Where: Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- Price: 77,000 points a night on some Sundays in January and February 2027; 79,000 to 103,000 on most nights
The catches:
- The cheapest award rooms aren’t harbor view; a harbor-view room was 134,000 points the same night.
3. Other Ways to Stretch IHG Points
Not hotel picks, but the rules that make the hotels above cheaper.
1. Fourth award night free with an IHG credit card
IHG prices every night dynamically and charges each one, but holders of the Premier, Premier Select, and Business cards pay 0 points for every 4th night of an all-points stay, which takes 25% off a four-night stay, and there is no limit on how many stays a year get it. At a Kimpton in Manhattan on a Thursday in November, that’s 59,000 points saved per four nights at a hotel selling for about $500 a night.
- What: Any participating IHG hotel, standard room Reward Night paid with all points, 4 or more consecutive nights
- Price: 4 nights for the points of 3 (Reward Nights start at 5,000 points a night)
- Taxes and fees: Reward Nights include government taxes; resort fees and destination fees are still paid to the hotel (e.g. $45 a night at that Kimpton).
- Cash price: $497.73 a night with taxes and a $45 fee, against 59,000 points, at a Kimpton hotel in Manhattan (Thu, Nov 12, 2026)
The catches:
- Credit card benefit: Premier ($150 fee for new applicants), Premier Select ($350), and Business ($200). The no-fee IHG One Rewards card gets it only after $5,000 of spend in a calendar year starting in 2027.
- Standard room Reward Nights paid with all points only; not paid stays or Points & Cash bookings.
- 4 or more consecutive nights in the same room reservation at the same hotel; every 4th night is free on longer stays.
- If you cancel or check out before the 4th night, the free night is forfeited.
- Resort fees and parking are still yours to pay.
2. Card anniversary free night topped off with points
The certificate used to be capped and stuck at cheaper hotels, but IHG now lets you add points from your account, so at a hotel pricing at 143,000 points the certificate plus 93,000 points books the night, and the certificate covers the first 50,000 points of any night. That makes it worth the most at hotels whose cash rate is high and whose points price is above the cap.
- What: Any IHG hotel; certificate covers nights up to 50,000 points (Premier, Business) or 60,000 (Premier Select), more with points added
- Price: Free night certificate worth up to 50,000 or 60,000 points; add your own points for pricier hotels
- Taxes and fees: Certificate covers one standard room night and tax; resort fees and parking are extra. Card annual fees for new applicants: Premier $150, Business $200, Premier Select $350; existing cardholders’ fees are adjusted in 2027.
- Cash price: 87,527 XPF (about €733) against 143,000 points at InterContinental Bora Bora Le Moana Resort (Wed, Jan 13, 2027)
The catches:
- Issued on each card account anniversary; must be redeemed and the stay completed within 12 months of issue.
- Cap is 50,000 points on the Premier and Business cards and 60,000 on the Premier Select; IHG says existing cardholders are told the effective date of the new cap by notice, so check the cap on your own certificate before booking.
- One standard room night; resort fees and parking are paid to the hotel.
- Using the certificate does not count as account activity, so it won’t stop points expiring on a Club-level account.
- Business card: a second certificate (50,000 cap) after $60,000 of spend a year; Premier Select: a second (60,000 cap) after $40,000.
3. Points & Cash at the lowest points level
With Points & Cash you pay part of the night in points and buy the rest, and at the lowest points level the cash part can sit well under the hotel’s own cash rate: at a Hotel Indigo in Manhattan on a Thursday in November, 10,000 points plus $239 replaced a $460.41 room, so 10,000 points did the work of about $221 of cash. It also lets you book a Reward Night with as few as 5,000 points in the account.
- What: Hotels that offer a low-points Points & Cash option (often 5,000–10,000 points plus cash)
- Price: From 5,000 points plus cash a night
- Taxes and fees: Taxes are included; the hotel can still charge its resort or destination fee (that Hotel Indigo’s cash rate includes a $40 fee).
- Cash price: $460.41 a night after tax, against 10,000 points plus $239 or 50,000 points, at a Hotel Indigo in Manhattan (Thu, Nov 12, 2026)
The catches:
- The options and the cash part change daily and vary by hotel; compare each option against the cash rate on the same date.
- The cash part buys points and is non-refundable; if you cancel within the hotel’s policy, the purchased points go back into your account, not the cash.
- Points & Cash stays don’t get the credit card 4th night free.
- You need at least 5,000 points in the account.
4. Weeknights at expensive city hotels
IHG’s points prices follow cash rates only loosely, so the points price looks best where cash is high: in Manhattan the same night ran 59,000 points against a $497.73 room, while in Paris on a January weeknight an InterContinental ran 120,000 points against €539.32. Comparing the cash and points prices for your dates is the whole trick.
- What: Upscale and boutique IHG hotels in high-cost cities on high-demand dates
- Price: Varies by night; Manhattan hotels ran 49,000–112,000 points on the nights I checked
- Taxes and fees: Taxes included in Reward Nights; Manhattan hotels add destination fees of about $15–$49 a night that are still charged.
- Cash price: $497.73 against 59,000 points and $606.98 against 73,950 points at two Kimpton hotels in Manhattan (Thu, Nov 12, 2026)
The catches:
- Prices change daily and the ratio of cash to points varies a lot between hotels in the same city.
- Destination or resort fees are still due on award nights.
5. Member and cardholder Reward Night discounts
IHG’s terms give Platinum Elite and Diamond Elite members and IHG cardholders access to promotional discounts on Reward Nights at participating hotels, with early access for cardmembers, so it pays to check for a discounted price before booking at full points.
- What: Participating hotels during promotions, for Platinum and Diamond Elite members and IHG cardholders
- Price: Discounted Reward Night prices; amounts vary by promotion
- Taxes and fees: Same as any Reward Night: taxes included, resort fees extra.
The catches:
- Promotional, participating hotels only, and not always running.
- Discounts come and go with promotions, so there’s no fixed price to compare with cash.
4. Which Points Transfer to IHG
Bank points to IHG points. Transfers can’t be undone, so confirm the room before you move points.
| From | Ratio | Usual time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | 1:1 | 4–8 hours | |
| Bilt | 1:1 | Instant |
Every bank partner and ratio is in the transfer partners table.
5. The new IHG card lineup
Chase and IHG relaunched the card lineup on October 1, 2026: a new Premier Select card ($350) with a 60,000-point anniversary night, the Premier at $150 with a 50,000-point night, the Business card (formerly Premier Business) at $200 with a 50,000-point night, and the no-fee IHG One Rewards card (formerly Traveler). IHG says existing cardholders’ annual fees are adjusted in 2027, with the effective dates sent to them by notice, and the no-fee card’s 4th night free needs $5,000 of spend in a calendar year starting in 2027.
6. What to Skip
- Transferring Chase or Bilt points to IHG by default: both are 1:1, and on the sample nights checked a point covered roughly 0.4–0.9 cents of room, so transfer only to finish a specific booking.
- Points & Cash options at the high points end, which can mean paying cash and most of the points price as well.
7. Quick Answers
No. IHG prices Reward Nights dynamically from 5,000 points a night, and the price depends on the hotel, brand, date, and demand. There are no blackout dates, but award inventory is limited.
If you hold the IHG Premier, Premier Select, or Business card, a standard room Reward Night stay of 4 or more nights paid with all points charges 0 points for every 4th night, on unlimited stays. The no-fee IHG One Rewards card gets it after $5,000 of spend in a calendar year starting in 2027.
Yes. The Premier and Business card certificates cover a night up to 50,000 points and the Premier Select up to 60,000, and you can add points from your account to use the certificate at a hotel that costs more. It must be used within 12 months of issue.
Club-level members’ points expire after 12 months with no earn or redeem activity, and using a credit card anniversary night doesn’t count as activity. Elite members’ points don’t expire while they keep elite status.
Chase Ultimate Rewards (from the Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, and Ink Business Preferred) and Bilt Rewards both transfer to IHG at 1:1.
Yes, where the hotel charges them. Reward Nights include government taxes, but IHG’s terms say resort fees and service charges may apply and are paid to the hotel.
More programs: sweet spots by program · devaluation timeline · award search tools.
Last checked: October 20, 2026.