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With the launch of the IHG One Rewards program in 2022 got here IHG’s Milestone Rewards program. You’ll be able to earn IHG factors or meals and beverage rewards at most Milestone Rewards tiers. You may also select an IHG annual lounge membership on the 40-night and 70-night tiers.
Most IHG resorts and resorts don’t provide membership lounges, however if you wish to entry the membership lounge at IHG properties that do have one, you’ll must do one of many following:
- Guide a room that features lounge entry or buy lounge entry throughout your keep
- Have an IHG annual lounge membership
- Keep at an InterContinental property whereas having Royal Ambassador standing
Additionally, needless to say even when an IHG property upgrades you to a club-level room, you received’t robotically get entry to the lounge. At IHG membership lounges, you sometimes get complimentary breakfast and nonalcoholic drinks all through the day. You’ll typically even get afternoon tea, night drinks and hors d’oeuvres.
Right here’s every part you must find out about IHG’s annual lounge membership, together with tips on how to earn and use it.
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What’s IHG annual lounge membership?
IHG’s annual lounge membership — which you’ll earn by way of IHG’s Milestone Rewards program — supplies lounge entry for one member and a visitor, in case you keep at an IHG property with a membership lounge.
An annual lounge membership will get you entry to the membership lounge and its facilities throughout your keep. Nonetheless, IHG’s phrases and circumstances enable for lounge entry to be restricted “because of renovations, closures, or different facility limitations.” This membership additionally doesn’t embody Membership Regent or Membership InterContinental facilities or companies past the bodily lounge.
In keeping with IHG’s phrases and circumstances, an annual lounge membership supplies entry to membership lounges on certified stays, together with reward nights, free nights and stays booked by way of on-line journey companies. Throughout stays at collaborating Iberostar Beachfront Resorts, an annual lounge membership offers you entry to the Star Status amenities and companies (however to not Star Status rooms). Nonetheless, an annual lounge membership doesn’t present lounge entry at InterContinental Alliance Resorts in Las Vegas and Macau.
Sadly, there’s no fast strategy to decide which IHG resorts in a selected metropolis have membership lounges. As a substitute, I’ve discovered it most effective to easily test whether or not a selected resort shows rooms with lounge entry within the room’s title or description.
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earn an IHG annual lounge membership
The one strategy to earn an IHG annual lounge membership is to pick it as a 40-night or 70-night Milestone Reward. You’ll earn IHG Milestone Rewards as you attain the next tiers every calendar yr:
- 20 nights: 5,000 bonus factors, two $20 meals and beverage rewards or one confirmable suite improve
- 30 nights: 5,000 bonus factors or two $20 meals and beverage rewards
- 40 nights (select two): 10,000 bonus factors, 5 $20 meals and beverage rewards, one confirmable suite improve (restrict one) or one annual lounge membership (restrict one)
- 50 nights: 10,000 bonus factors or 5 $20 meals and beverage rewards
- 60 nights: 10,000 bonus factors or 5 $20 meals and beverage rewards
- 70 nights (select two): 10,000 bonus factors, 5 $20 meals and beverage rewards, two confirmable suite upgrades (restrict one) or one annual lounge membership (restrict one)
- 80 nights: 10,000 bonus factors or 5 $20 meals and beverage rewards
- 90 nights:10,000 bonus factors or 5 $20 meals and beverage rewards
- 100 nights: 10,000 bonus factors or 5 $20 meals and beverage rewards
As soon as you choose an annual lounge membership as a Milestone Reward, it will likely be legitimate by way of the tip of the next calendar yr. So, if you choose an annual lounge membership at any level this yr, the move will probably be legitimate by way of Dec. 31 of subsequent yr.
Since you may have 90 days to pick a Milestone Reward after reaching a selected milestone, Frequent Miler found you may earn an annual lounge membership legitimate for nearly two calendar years in case you attain the 40-night or 70-night milestone on or after Oct. 3 and choose an annual lounge membership initially of January.
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use an IHG annual lounge membership
Between incomes an IHG annual lounge membership and its expiration, there’s no restrict to the variety of instances you should use your membership.
While you test in to an IHG resort or resort with a membership lounge, present the entrance desk workers your annual lounge membership. You will discover your memberships in your IHG account’s Rewards Pockets beneath “Rewards to reinforce your keep.” Click on “Redeem,” and present the ensuing web page to the entrance desk workers. The workers will then add membership lounge entry to your room key or inform you tips on how to entry the lounge.
You’ll be able to solely use your annual lounge membership if you’re the first member of a qualifying keep. An IHG spokesperson advised TPG that the member with the annual lounge membership should be the first member on the reservation so “the resort will have the ability to verify the existence of the Annual Lounge Cross within the account.”
Along with manufacturers like InterContinental, the place you may anticipate finding a membership lounge, you’ll often discover that different IHG manufacturers (like Crowne Plaza and Vacation Inn) provide lounges.
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Is it price incomes an IHG lounge membership?
So, ought to you choose an annual lounge membership on the 40-night or 70-night milestone? And do you have to attempt to remain 40 nights at IHG resorts to earn an annual lounge membership as considered one of your Milestone Rewards selections?
Sadly, the reply isn’t all the time a transparent “sure” or “no.” My husband redeemed an annual lounge membership in early 2023, and I’ve gotten to expertise a number of IHG lounges since then. All of the membership lounges I’ve visited provided a wide selection of meals and drinks, together with complimentary alcoholic drinks within the evenings. So, I’ve been glad with our determination to pick an annual lounge membership on the 40-night Milestone Rewards tier.
Nonetheless, you’ll additionally wish to think about how a lot you suppose you’ll use an IHG annual lounge membership. Particularly, you might wish to think about how essential membership lounge availability is to you within the locations you’ll go to. For instance, we selected the InterContinental Cartagena de Indias in Colombia and the Vacation Inn Singapore Atrium in Singapore primarily as a result of their award charges have been affordable and we knew the properties had membership lounges.
When you determine the worth you suppose an annual lounge membership would supply, think about the worth you’d get from the opposite Milestone Rewards selections on the 40-night or 70-night tier. For instance, on the 40-night milestone tier, would you worth having 10,000 bonus factors, 5 $20 meals and beverage rewards or one confirmable suite improve greater than an annual lounge membership? TPG’s June 2024 valuations peg the ten,000 bonus factors at about $50, whereas 5 $20 meals and beverage rewards will probably be price round $100.
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Backside line
I’ve been very pleased with IHG’s annual lounge membership. In case you keep at a number of IHG resorts with membership lounges annually, I count on you’ll additionally discover it price choosing an annual lounge membership by way of IHG’s Milestone Rewards program after staying 40 or 70 nights in a calendar yr.
Nonetheless, in case you hardly ever keep at IHG resorts and resorts with membership lounges, steadily journey with multiple different particular person or don’t worth lounge entry, you may not get sufficient worth from an annual lounge membership to justify choosing it over different Milestone Rewards on the 40-night or 70-night tiers.
