IHG Rewards Club periodically runs a discounted award-night promotion called PointBreaks. Award nights in this promo are sold at a flat rate of just 5,000 points per night. Based on the valuation most people assign to IHG points, that works out to about $35 per night, which is an excellent deal. Of course, the better PointBreaks properties tend to sell out quickly, so if you have travel plans in the fourth quarter, this is worth considering. Most PointBreaks participating hotels are in less exciting locations, so don’t be too disappointed if you don’t see a property you actually want to stay at. If you’re hoping for a vacation destination like Hawaii or Miami, PointBreaks probably won’t help much. If you don’t have enough points, don’t worry: IHG has recently been selling points with a 100% bonus, which works out to 0.00575 cent/point.
Details
From October 31, 2016 through January 31, 2017, you can book PointBreaks award nights at select participating hotels:
- Just 5,000 IHG Rewards points per night.
- During each promotion period, each person may book PointBreaks only 2 times at the same hotel.
- Cancellation policies depend on the hotel.
- Availability is limited and ends when properties are sold out. This is especially true in more popular areas, so book quickly if you want one.
This time, only Changzhou and Hefei in China are participating in PointBreaks. Below are some selected hotels. There are also PointBreaks options near Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Missouri, Princeton University, and Rutgers. If you’re graduating in December, PointBreaks might come in handy for you.
- Crowne Plaza Portland-Lake Oswego (Portland, OR)
- Crowne Plaza Suites Pittsburgh South (Pittsburgh, PA: 30 minutes’ drive to CMU)
- Staybridge Suites Chantilly Dulles Airport (IAD airport)
- Candlewood Suites Richmond – West Broad (Richmond, VA)
- Crowne Plaza Princeton – Conference Center (Princeton, NJ)
- Crowne Plaza Monroe South Brunswick (close driving distance to New Brunswick, NJ)
- Holiday Inn Express Clermont (30 minutes to Universal Orlando)
- Holiday Inn Express Waldorf (DC area)
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites Eagan – Minneapolis Area
- Staybridge Suites Columbia-Hwy 63 & I-70 (University of Missouri)
- Candlewood Suites Calgary Airport North (Calgary airport)
For the full list, please see the official Blog link. If you don’t have enough points, you can also consider the still-active IHG official points sale discount. Are you planning to book IHG?