Is the IHG flash sale a big snooze?

For one thing, I’m not entirely sure something is a “flash sale” if you spend the week leading up to the even publicizing it and marketing it. That’s really more of just a sale. But at least it is actually a discount on the 127 properties where the IHG flash sale is offering discounts on award bookings as much as 75% off (20,000 points –> 5,000/per night). That’s great in theory but in looking at the options available and the tight timeframe (only valid for stays between 20 November – 20 December) it just doesn’t seem that great a draw to me.

Sure, if you’re going to be in the area anyways it is worth repricing at the lower rates. But with so few participating properties it just doesn’t seem like a tremendous deal to me in many cases. Then again, in some cases you’re getting 2 cents per point which is pretty good for IHG Rewards Club points, though that might mean getting to Central Turkey:

IHG Flash Sale works at the Holiday Inn Ankara

Or Guatemala:

Take the IHG flash sale rate at the HI or pay cash at the CP in Guatemala??

Then again, I’m not sure that the HI is better than the CP there and the cash rates are pretty low.

So, yeah, I’m apparently grumpy, mostly because the story doesn’t actually seem to justify the hype. Then again, on the off chance it works for you, congrats. Where are you going??

Compare IHG award and cash rates easily

Never miss another post: Sign up for email alerts and get only the content you want direct to your inbox.

Alaska Airlines welcomes complexity with Hawaiian Airlines acquisition

Alaska Airlines will buy Hawaiian Airlines for $1.9 billion in a cash transaction. Unlike most other mergers, however, the company plans to embrace the complexity of multiple product offerings as it intends to keep both the Hawaiian and Alaska brands in service.

by Seth Miller 5 months ago4 months ago

3 Comments

I will be in BKK this weekend and actually would have used this deal if something was available. But instead we will stay at a local boutique hotel for $50 net, which includes breakfast for 2, internet, and has great food and an easy walk to my wife’s favorite spa.

The locations were dreadful and this was hyped PR for nothing.
I agree with Carl. I will book a cheaper hotel with a better location.

IHG PointBreaks promotions, similar to this one, are regularly the most over-publicized, underwhelming promos out there. The properties on sale are invariably ones you wouldn’t normally stay at. Contrast that with lucrative IHG points-EARNING opportunities like the Big Win, bonus points codes, the Chase card, and points-and-money bookings and cancellations.

With IHG, you rack up the points, then burn them at standard rates (minus Chase card and AMB rebates) at any property you want.

Comments are closed.