Stupid IHG. Just when I decide to go all-in on Hyatt this year, they send me the most massive offer they ever have to date. Formerly the “Accelerate” offer, this IHG pseudo-quarterly promotion doesn’t have a name anymore. But it is offering me up to 97,000 points for completing some or all of the various offers. Which is insane.
Details of my huge IHG “multibrand” offer
That’s about the best name I can find for this promotion. Multibrand. It appears in the URL, and at least one other PWaC writer has an offer that also awards points for staying at different brands. A good chunk of the points are awarded for completing that challenge; however, the real prize is if you complete four of the five offers. Here is a screenshot of the details of my offer:
It is intriguing, to say the least. The challenge offers a good number of points. The offer points plus the points I would earn for the stays are worth about $600, valuing IHG points at 0.6 cent each, which I think is a fair valuation these days. We’re seeing yet another devaluation of their award chart, not to mention a slough of properties changing category.
Link to promotion sign up page.
How to maximize earning the 97,000 points
While there seems to be a lot to the offer, there are really only three primary limiting factors:
- One 4-night stay
- Stay at 4 different brands
- Two weekend stays of at least 2 nights, including a Saturday
Assuming I can combine the 4-night stay with one of the weekend stays at brand #1, book the second 2-night weekend stay at brand #2, and the final two stays as single nights at brands #3 and #4, 8 nights is the absolute minimum number I need to stay to accomplish this promotion. Paying with my IHG card and booking a stay in February are simple. I can reasonably assume I can find hotels for $100 or less after taxes, so I’d be looking at $800 in stays for $600 worth of points. Not worth mattress running, but a very good return.
If I could leverage work travel to cover at least the longest 4-night stay, there is potentially an easy path for me to complete this. The problem is…Saturday is the night that I am least likely to be spending away for work. I only have one work trip on the radar at the moment, so at best I’d complete the one 4-night stay. Bonus points if somehow I can work in a Saturday.
Conclusion
Overall, this is an intriguing promotion, and one that I am going to consider completing, pending the potential for a business trip in the next few weeks.
How does your IHG multibrand promotion offer stack up?
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
I only got a 41,900 point offer. Fortunately (& oddly for what Accelerate is supposed to incentivize) I will achieve all but 1 goal with previously booked visits. Unfortunately the only way to fit in that 12,000 point goal (a 2nd 4-night in a row stay) I’d have to bump a stay at I’m looking forward to in a non-IHG property. That’s particular one will not work for me.