On Monday, the latest round of IHG PointBreaks came out. As should be expected since it is prime summer travel season, the list did not feature any eye-popping property at a bargain price. But, there were 100 hotels on that list in cities around the world and they do only cost 5,000 points per night! Since you can now purchase IHG points for as low as .46 cents each, that translates to paying only $23 per night! That is a great deal – now to find out to make it a great value with the current IHG PointBreaks list!
4 Ways to Make the Most of a Disappointing IHG PointBreaks List
This first one isn’t really one of the 4 ways but kind of a nice guideline for the current state of IHG PointBreaks – just because the list does not contain a hotel that you would travel halfway around the world and build a trip around to visit does not mean there is not value to be had!
I love great hotels just as much as the next person but there is a time and place for recognizing that a hotel room needs to only consist of a bed and shower to provide its basic purpose for lodging abroad. Sure, we want more and the hotels on this list will give us that! But, just temper your expectations!
How to Buy IHG Points To Pay Only $23 For These Rooms!
Airports & Interstates
The Holiday Inn Johannesburg Airport – available for only 5,000 points!
This one is easily searchable and can be a big help! Since 5,000 IHG points can be easily purchased for .46 cents per point, this places these PointBreaks properties at a cost of only $23 out of pocket per night. That is a great deal and one that can easily be realized with airports and interstates.
When it comes to traveling, airport hotels and hotels along interstates can be great but sometimes pricey depending on where you are. If you have a layover of a few hours or more (or are traveling with kids), having an airport hotel is a great way to get some work done, freshen up, and rest before/after a long flight. They can also be great, of course, for early morning flights.
Interstate hotels are the same – they provide a great place to crash for a few hours when on long drives. I have done that at a few and while there are some that can be booked for around $30-40 per night, it doesn’t hurt to see what the prices are in the areas you are going by.
The current list has 10 airport hotels around the world so check them out if you are traveling this summer!
Already Booked Trip
If you already have booked a trip, check your cities against the PointBreaks list! You may find that your destination is very near one of the hotels on the list and it can help to save you a lot of money or points by switching to a PointBreaks hotel.
This has happened for us before. We had a family event in town and one of the IHG properties nearby was on the list. My relatives were going to be staying in a nearby hotel for $110 per night. By using a PointBreaks hotel near there, it was possible to realize a savings of the $110 per night!
So, check that list! Do not just perform a search as some of the locations are in a nearby town and are under a different area name than you may look for. Check the state and look up anyplace you are not sure of.
This works great for travel booked with cheap airfare deals, too! Many times we book flights way in advance if the deal is good enough. If you check out the hotels on the list, it may give you a great deal to combine with your great airfare deal.
Add On Destination
Take a quick trip over to Lithuania if you are in Europe and stay at this Crowne Plaza for 5,000 points per night!
Again, nothing on this list screams at you to come visit for the hotel’s sake. But, there could be hotels on the list that are in a place you would have thought about visiting except for the hotel situation. For example, if you are traveling to Europe this summer, you could throw a visit to Budapest or Lithuania into the mix for a night or two and get that hotel for only 5,000 points per night! That would make it more convenient/cheaper to check out more places!
Special Events
This can be huge for things like sporting events. If you want to hit the road to catch your favorite team play their opponents, you may be able to save a good bit of money by checking the PointBreaks list. Many times, I will spot a hotel on the list that I know is near a stadium. Because many stadiums do have Holiday Inn Express-type hotels near them, this PointBreaks list could open up some great value for you.
Bonus – Race Destination
We will throw this one under the Special Events heading and tag it as a bonus for the runners out there! 🙂 Check the list for hotels in cities where there are races. If you plan on running a race during this period, you may just find a hotel that could suit your purposes and do it for only 5,000 points per night.
There have been such hotels in the past, some that were only about a mile from the starting line! That is a great way to lock in a cheap hotel!
Takeaway
Sure, some of these lists are far from inspiring, but there are still ways to realize value from them. These 4 ways should help you to be able to do that and always keep in mind – you are getting a hotel for like $23 per night that may regularly cost well over $100! That is a pretty great deal even if it doesn’t have the Intercontinental tag on it!
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I’ve used Pointbreaks to determine where I would take my next vacation. Panama City, Quito, Liverpool, Baton Rouge and Leeds are all cities that I visited based solely upon the fact that they had PB hotels.