15 of the best international IHG Rewards Club hotels bookable for 10k points per night or less
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While searching for hotels, you've likely come across an IHG Rewards Club hotel bookable for 10,000 points or less per night. Many of these properties are practical hotels along highways or in the suburbs. But some of the IHG Rewards Club hotels bookable for 10,000 points or less per night are real gems.
After stumbling across a few 10,000-point gems, I undertook a time-consuming project to find the best IHG Rewards Club hotels bookable for 10,000 points or less per night. Then, I wrote this guide and a guide to the best IHG Rewards Club hotels in the US bookable for 10k points per night.
Today I'll start by introducing the basics you need to know about redeeming IHG Rewards Club points. Then, I'll discuss how many nights you can squeeze out of the sign-up bonus on the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card and the IHG Rewards Club Traveler Credit Card. Finally, I'll present some of my favorite international IHG hotels that are usually bookable for 10,000 points or less per night.
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Redeeming IHG Rewards Club points for reward nights
In early 2020, the IHG Rewards Club program switched to dynamic pricing. So, now the number of IHG Rewards Club points required to book a reward night varies based on the specific hotel, your travel dates and when you book.
Luckily for my research, many of the hotels that were bookable for 10,000 points per night pre-dynamic pricing are still available at that rate. However, now you'll also find some IHG hotels bookable for as little as 7,500 points on select dates. Based on TPG's valuations, 7,500 IHG points are worth $38 and 10,000 points are worth $50.
IHG doesn't have a calendar search tool to find the least expensive reward nights at a particular hotel. And, IHG doesn't provide a points range for each hotel. As such, I can't guarantee that all of the hotels described in this guide will be bookable for 10,000 points or less per night on your dates.
Related: 6 ways IHG Rewards Club should improve its loyalty program
Maximizing the IHG Rewards Club credit card bonuses
One easy way to earn IHG Rewards Club points is to sign-up for an IHG Rewards Club credit card. Two cards are currently accepting new applications: the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card and the IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card.
IHG Rewards Club credit cards
The IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card currently offers a sign-up bonus of 150,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. Based on TPG's valuations, this bonus is worth $750. There's an $89 annual fee (waived for the first year). However, I've found I can justify the IHG Premier's annual fee by using the anniversary night and taking advantage of the card's automatic Platinum Elite status.
If you don't want to pay an annual fee, there's also the no-annual-fee IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card. The IHG Traveler Card currently offers a sign-up bonus of 60,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Based on TPG's valuations, this bonus is worth $300.
One valuable perk offered by both cards is a fourth reward night perk. This perk reduces the cost of every fourth reward night to zero when you redeem points for a stay of four nights or longer. Best of all, there's no cap on how often you can use this perk.
To learn more about each card, check out the IHG Rewards Premier Credit Card review and the IHG Rewards Traveler Credit Card review.
Related: How to maximize longer hotel stays by using a free night benefit
How many nights can you get from the bonus?
You can find IHG award nights for as little as 7,500 points. But, most of the hotels I describe in this guide cost 10,000 points per night on most dates. So, I'll assume 10,000 points per night for this calculation. And I'll also assume that you'll maximize your IHG Rewards Club points by staying in four-night increments.
So, you could squeeze 15 nights out of the IHG Premier Card's 150,000-point bonus. And, you could stretch the IHG Traveler Card's 60,000-point bonus for 8 nights. However, you'll have more points to work with since these calculations don't consider the points you'll earn while meeting the minimum spending requirements to trigger the sign-up bonus.
TPG's most recent valuation pegs the value of IHG points at 0.5 cents each, so 10,000 points are worth about $50. And, the 30,000 points needed for a four-night stay at a 10,000-point property are worth about $150. Now, let's take a closer look at some of my favorite IHG properties outside the U.S. that are usually bookable for 10,000 points or less per night.
Related: Earn extra points at your favorite restaurants with IHG Rewards Club Dining
Hotels in Europe
Some of my favorite IHG hotels bookable for 10,000 points per night are in Europe. Here are some IHG hotels in Europe that are bookable for 10,000 points per night on every date I searched.
- Holiday Inn Berlin - City West (Germany): This hotel is located just a short walk away from a U-Bahn stop in northwest Berlin. You can walk along the fence around Berlin Tegal to see an old Boeing 707.
- Holiday Inn Express Belgrade - City (Serbia): This hotel is well-located within Belgrade, Serbia. Although I recommend eating at restaurants that serve Serbian food such as Drama ćevapi, one of my favorite comfort food restaurants is just a few blocks from this hotel: Agi Pasta Away.
- Holiday Inn Bratislava (Slovakia): This hotel is slightly outside Bratislava's heart, but there's a bus stop two minutes away that you can use to reach the city center. Note, the hotel is currently closed to guests.
- Holiday Inn Skopje (Macedonia): This hotel is just a two-minute walk from the Stone Bridge and is across from a bus stop that provides service to the city center.
Related: Reopening Europe: When can you visit again? A country-by-country guide
Hotels in North America (excluding U.S.)
Besides all of the 10,000-point IHG properties in the U.S., most 10,000-point IHG properties in North America are in Mexico. Luckily, Mexico is currently open to tourists. But, there's also an attractive 10,000-point IHG property in Nicaragua. So, here are three of my favorite IHG hotels bookable for 10,000 points or less per night in North America (excluding the U.S.):
- Holiday Inn & Suites Mexico Zona Rosa (Mexico): This hotel is well-located in Mexico City's Zona Rosa neighborhood, known for shopping and nightlife. If you decide to visit Mexico City, be sure to check out our tips on what to eat and drink.
- Holiday Inn Express Merida (Mexico): Mérida is an excellent non-beach destination in Mexico that you can combine with a trip to Cancun. This hotel is on the northern side of Mérida, but the hotel offers transportation within four miles of the property during the day.
- Holiday Inn Express Managua (Nicaragua): This hotel is next to one of Managua's main avenues, so getting around the city is easy.
Related: These are the Central American countries US travelers can visit right now
Hotels in South America
IHG has 10,000-point properties scattered throughout South America, but Brazil and Chile certainly have the most options. Here are a few of the most appealing IHG hotels in South America bookable for 10,000 points or less on most dates:
- Holiday Inn Fortaleza (Brazil): This hotel is situated along the shore of Iracema Beach near Beira-Mar Avenue. The hotel has an outdoor pool, a fitness center, a "Baby's Kitchen" where parents can prepare food for their children and two restaurants. And, unlike most Holiday Inn hotels, this property includes breakfast in your room rate.
- Holiday Inn Manaus (Brazil): This hotel is on Manaus's outskirts in an industrial area, but could be an excellent place to stay before or after a trip deeper into the Amazon.
- Holiday Inn Sao Paulo Parque Anhembi (Brazil): This hotel is in northern Sao Paulo but has a free shuttle to a nearby metro station and mall. If you don't mind using the metro, this could be a good location for exploring Sao Paulo.
- Holiday Inn Express Puerto Montt - Patagonia (Chile): Port Montt is known as the gateway to the Andes mountains and the Patagonian fjords. This hotel is in the port town of Puerto Montt, and all of the hotel's windows offer views of the bay and surrounding hills. The hotel is in the same building as a popular shopping destination, Paseo Costanera Mall.
Related: Maximizing points and miles to book a trip to Brazil
Hotels in Asia
Within Asia, most of the IHG hotels that are bookable for 10,000 points or less per night are in mainland China. Unfortunately, many of these hotels aren't in cities U.S. tourists typically visit. But, it's worth checking IHG if you're traveling off the beaten path in China as I did on my Trans-Mongolian train review.
Even if you don't want to travel far off the beaten path, there are several IHG hotels in Asia that you may find appealing for 10,000 points per night. Here are four of my favorites:
- Holiday Inn Resort Batam (Indonesia): This resort is in Indonesia, just a short ferry from Singapore. The resort even provides free transfers to and from the Sekupang Ferry Terminal and Waterfront Ferry Terminal. There are four restaurants, two bars, three pools, a kid's club, a water slide and a game room at the resort. I visited this resort earlier this year and can't want to return.
- Holiday Inn Express Taoyuan (Taiwan): I've stayed at this hotel multiple times on mileage runs. Each time, I enjoyed the friendly staff. And, on numerous stays, I was given impressive upgraded views as a Platinum Elite. The hotel is an inexpensive Uber from Taipei airport. But, Taoyuan is also an interesting city to explore in conjunction with a trip to Taipei.
- Holiday Inn Express Shanghai Putuo (China): This hotel is in the western part of Shanghai, about halfway between Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA) and downtown Shanghai. The hotel is a four-minute walk from a metro station, which means you can easily reach attractions throughout Shanghai.
- Holiday Inn Express Suzhou New District (China): This hotel is in Suzhou's New District, within walking distance of two metro stations. The hotel is near Suzhou Amusement Park and offers hot breakfast daily as part of your room rate.
If you decide to travel to China, it's a good idea to have these useful apps installed on your phone and a VPN installed on your computer.
Related: 8 tips for your first trip to China
Map of all 10,000-point hotels
Here's a map of all the 10,000-point IHG properties outside the U.S. as of Aug. 14, 2019. I didn't check that all of these properties are still part of IHG Rewards Club or bookable for 10,000 points per night or less on most dates. But, as most properties I checked are still bookable for 10,000 points per night or less, I decided this map was still worth including in this guide.
Dark blue pins are Holiday Inn Express & Suites, light blue pins are Holiday Inn Express, green pins are Holiday Inn, dark green pins are Holiday Inn & Resort and purple pins are Holiday Inn Resort.
Bottom line
I've planned trips around visiting some of the IHG Rewards Club sweet spots described above. And, I plan to visit some of these hotels once the coronavirus pandemic subsides. In particular, I plan to visit the Holiday Inn & Suites Mexico Zona Rosa on an upcoming trip to Mexico. And, I look forward to returning to the Holiday Inn Resort Batam for its fabulous spa and the Holiday Inn Express Taoyuan for its fun views and friendly staff.
Although this guide focused on international IHG properties, there are also many IHG hotels bookable for 10,000 points in the U.S. So, whether you want to travel domestically or internationally, it's worth checking whether an IHG hotel bookable for 10,000 points per night or less will fit nicely into your trip.
If you also want to stretch your points with other hotel loyalty programs, be sure to check out my guides to the best U.S. Category 1 Hyatt hotels and best Hilton hotels in the U.S. bookable for 20,000 points. And, if you like the Marriott Bonvoy program, check out my guide on how to get up to 25 award nights from 100,000 Marriott points. Finally, once you're ready to travel internationally again, take a look at the top international Hilton hotels bookable for 10,000 points and the best international Category 1 Hyatt hotels.