IHG news: Iberostar earning now live, redeem for Wilderness Festival glamping

Two bits of IHG One Rewards news:

Elite benefits and earning now available at Iberostar resorts

Last November, IHG announced a 30-year deal with Spanish hotel group Iberostar to add 70 four- and five- star beach resorts to its portfolio. The group owns hotels in Mallorca, Tenerife, Mexico and the Dominican Republic amongst other places.

It’s a complex deal, but in simple terms:

• Iberostar Beach Resorts becomes a new IHG brand

• the hotels remain under the management of Iberostar

• Iberostar’s city hotels and properties in Cuba are excluded from the deal and will not be marketed by IHG (although potentially the city hotels could be rebranded in time under other IHG brands)

It is very similar to the deal that Lindner Hotels of Germany recently agreed with Hyatt. More and more independent hotel groups are realising that they can benefit from reaching 100+ million members of the major hotel loyalty schemes, whilst not having to give up their existing branding. I wouldn’t be surprised to see other similar deals – Melia, in particular, feels ripe.

As of yesterday:

• you will earn IHG One Rewards points when you stay at an Iberostar Beach Resort property, as long as you book via IHG (although most cannot be booked there at present) or Iberostar directly. You won’t get anything on a package holiday.

• your IHG status benefits will be respected, including upgrades, late check-out, welcome amenity, free breakfast (albeit most resorts are all inclusive) and (if chosen as a Milestone Reward) lounge access

What you cannot do at the moment is:

• book a reward night at an Iberostar Beach Resort
• redeem a Food & Beverage milestone reward cash credit
• use a Confirmable Suite Award milestone reward
• see existing bookings, or modify them, at ihg.com

…. but these things will come.

You can learn more about Iberostar on its website here.

Full details about IHG One Rewards benefits at Iberostar Beachfront Resorts can be found on this special page of ihg.com.

Use IHG One Rewards points to attend the Wilderness Festival

IHG is sponsoring the ‘glamping’ part of the Wilderness Festival this year, which takes place at Cornbury Park in Oxfordshire from 3rd to 6th August.

Details of the glamping packages are here. In what seems a missed opportunity, you don’t earn IHG One Rewards points on your booking!

A number of packages are now available for auction on the IHG Experiences website. Some of these sound fantastic. For example:

“For the ultimate in comfort, stay in style in a Luxury Suite, so you can rest your head whilst discovering all the eccentric hidden gems of Wilderness. It doesn’t stop there: you will experience an intimate and private acoustic set by main stage artist Flyte for an unforgettable and magical moment. You will also be invited to sample the delights of renowned chef Adam Handling who’ll be cooking at The Chef’s Table: Wilderness’ exquisite dining experience with lake views. In addition, the opportunity to craft the ultimate festival accessory from fresh-cut seasonal flowers accompanied by a ‘Raspberry Tipple’ cocktail. To round off the weekend, retreat to a private hot tub at the lakeside spa followed by indulgent massages.”

There are eight different packages up for auction. All include accommodation, with varying levels of tent and varying add-ons.

Auctions start at 50,000 IHG One Rewards points. Given the relatively short notice, these may go for relatively modest amounts and are worth keeping an eye on.

The IHG Experiences site is here.

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IHG One Rewards update – January 2024:

Get bonus points: Our article on IHG’s January 2024 bonus promotion is here. You will receive double base points on every cash stay between 1st January and 31st January 2024. Click here to register.

New to IHG One Rewards?  Read our overview of IHG One Rewards here and our article on points expiry rules here. Our article on ‘What are IHG One Rewards points worth?’ is here.

Buy points: If you need additional IHG One Rewards points, you can buy them here.

You get a 100% bonus when you buy IHG One Rewards points by 2nd February 2024. Click here.

Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from IHG and the other major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.