Most organizations try to get their employees to use the company’s products and services. It helps them with valuable feedback, a sense of ownership, and a more in-depth understanding of their products and services.
IHG is no different.
Similar to Marriott’s Employee Rate and Hilton Go Program, IHG offers a substantial discount to its employees, and their friends and family for staying at IHG hotels and resorts worldwide.
There are 2 programs available to IHG employees, and their friends and family to book discounted stays at IHG hotels and resorts.
- IHG Employee Room Benefit Program.
- IHG Friends & Family Rate.
Which program to use depends on whether the stay is for self or for friends or family.
| Type of Booking | Program | Discount |
|---|---|---|
| Employees booking a stay for self use. | IHG Employee Room Benefit Programme | Up to 80% |
| For friends or family traveling with the employee. | IHG Employee Room Benefit Programme | up to 80% |
| For friends or family, traveling without the employee. | IHG Friends & Family Rate | Up to 40% |
IHG Employee Room Benefit Program
IHG Employee Room Benefit Program is the primary offering by IHG for employees planning to stay at IHG properties.
You can get as much as 40% to 80% discount on the room rate with IHG Employee Room Benefit.
There are two types of room rates available to IHG employees for booking.
- Standard Employee Rate: Hotel can assign any room type based on availability. Typically, this is the option with a better discount.
- Flex Employee Rate: You choose the room type while booking. At times, this rate can be cheaper than the Standard type booking.
Who is eligible for IHG Employee Rate?
- Employees of all companies in the IHG Group.
- Employees of third-party franchisees, who work at IHG-branded hotels that are franchised by a subsidiary or affiliate of IHG.
- Any friends or family traveling WITH the employee.
Employee ID card (and some other identification) might be (mostly would be) required to be presented at check-in.
How many nights and rooms can an employee book?
Employees can book a maximum of 7 room nights per hotel, per year.
Additionally, a maximum of 2 rooms can be booked per booking.
If you book 2 rooms for 3 nights, it will be considered as 6 room nights out of your 7 room night quota.
Employee rate can be booked no more than 90 days in advance.
However, there is no limit on the number of hotels you can stay at. You just can’t keep going back to the same hotel.
How much discount do IHG employees get on hotel bookings?
Standard Employee Rate
IHG has a fixed rate chart for IHG employees. The rates depend on the Average Daily Rate(ADR) of the previous year for that particular property.
Every year, ADR is announced before the year ends and is valid for the entire next year.
| Tier | ADR Range | Employee Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $84.99 or less | $39.00 |
| 2 | $85.00 - $99.99 | $49.00 |
| 3 | $100.00-$124.99 | $59.00 |
| 4 | $125.00-$149.99 | $69.00 |
| 5 | $150.00-$199.99 | $79.00 |
| 6 | $200.00-$249.99 | $89.00 |
| 7 | $250.00-$299.00 | $99.00 |
| 8 | $300.00-$399.99 | $119.00 |
| 9 | $400.00 and up | $139.00 |
Flex Employee Rate
The hotel uploads the inventory basis the availability and the discounts can be anywhere between 30 and 50%.
How to book IHG Employee Rate?
IHG employee rates can be booked directly on IHG’s website or through the app.
However, you need to first link your IHG Rewards number to your Merlin ID or have your manager activate your employee benefit through Loyalty connect.
Then it’s like your regular booking process on IHG, but with exclusive rates.
If you are facing an issue, contact HR or your manager to get your account activated.
Note that an employee room reservation booked at the ‘Employee Rate’ cannot be made more than 90 days in advance of the first day of the stay.
IHG Friends and Family Rate
IHG Friends and Family Rate is available to, like the name says, friends and families of IHG employees.
The discounts are lower than that for IHG Employee Benefit rate. Typically, in the range of 30% to 40%.
However, the beauty of this program is that friends and family can use this rate even when the employee is NOT traveling with them.
Who is eligible for IHG Friends and Family Rate?
The Friends & Family Rate is available to friends and family of all full-time and part-time employees of all IHG companies, IHG hotel owners or managers, and IHG franchisees.
You can book a maximum of 7 nights and five 5 rooms per stay.
How to book IHG Friends and Family Rate?
Stays can be booked directly on the IHG Friends and Family Rate page. The rate requires a first-night deposit that is refundable as per the hotel’s cancellation policy.
You also EARN IHG Rewards points on Friends and Family stays now. However, bookings made with this rate are not eligible for most bonus points promotions.
Some blogs and posts on social media suggest that anyone can use the IHG Friends and Family link and book a discounted stay. That is not advisable.
Remember that there are specific eligibility requirements for this rate, and anyone else attempting to use the link to book a stay could be considered fraudulent. As a result, you may either be denied accommodation or be required to pay the full rack rate upon check-in. You may also end up with your IHG account being suspended for abuse.
Conclusion
Team members of IHG, along with their friends and family, are eligible to book stays at IHG hotels and resorts across the globe at discounted rates.
Please disregard blogs claiming that anyone can book a stay using the IHG friends and family rates — this is misleading information. Even though it is a public link, you can’t just ignore the terms mentioned on the same page.
