29 June 2009
Priority Club Rewards Launches "Points & Cash"
New Program Empowers Consumers to Cash-In on Rewards, Faster and Easier
ATLANTA - IHG's (InterContinental Hotels Group) Priority Club® Rewards, the world's largest hotel loyalty program, today announced the launch of "Points & Cash," a new program feature that allows members to redeem points with cash for reward night stays at any of IHG's more than 4,200 hotels worldwide. IHG's seven brands include InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®.
"Points & Cash" allows for two cash options - $30 and $60 USD - to be combined with reduced point levels for reward night stays. Priority Club Rewards members redeeming for reward night room reservations for IHG hotels through www.priorityclub.com will now have three options: Points Only; Points + $30; or Points + $60.
"Our members told us they wanted more flexibility and versatility in their redemption options, and Points & Cash meets that request," said Don Berg, vice president of IHG loyalty programs. "In this economy, everyone is trying to stretch their wallets, so it's not surprising that our members want to stretch their loyalty program currency, too. Points & Cash is the perfect solution for either - or both. And with summer vacation season now in full swing, Priority Club members will be able to take advantage of this new feature right away."
Priority Club Rewards members redeem their points for nearly two million reward nights each year. In 2008, more than 80 percent of points were redeemed for reward nights. Priority Club Rewards features a "no point expiration" policy and no blackout dates on Reward Nights.
Media Contacts:
Stephen Boggs, IHG, [email protected], +1(770) 604 5793
Tola St. Matthew-Daniel, Weber Shandwick, [email protected], +1(212) 445 8115
About Priority Club Rewards
With 43 million members globally, IHG's Priority Club Rewards is the first, largest and fastest-growing guest loyalty program in the hotel industry. Winner of the 19th Annual Freddie Awards hotel loyalty Program of the Year for the second consecutive year and named Best Hotel Rewards Program in the World four years running by Global Traveler magazine, Priority Club Rewards offers more sought-after benefits and the greatest ease of use of any hotel loyalty program. In addition to flexible features like No Points Expiration and No Blackout Dates, Priority Club Rewards members have more options for point redemption than any other hotel loyalty program, including redemption at more than 500,000 lodging establishments worldwide - even at rivals' hotels - through the industry-leading Any Hotel, Anywhere Reward. Members can redeem points not only for hotel nights, but also for airline miles on more than 40 partner airlines, for auto rentals, for gift certificates and for hundreds of products available in the Rewards Catalog. And Priority Club Rewards is the only hotel loyalty program to offer members a Personal Shopper program that allows members to exchange points for items not found in the Rewards Catalog.
Enrollment in Priority Club Rewards is free. Guests can enroll by logging onto priorityclub.com, by calling 1-888-211-9874 or by inquiring at the front desk of any of IHG's more than 4,200 hotels worldwide.
Notes to Editors:
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world’s largest hotel group by number of rooms. IHG owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, over 4,200 hotels and more than 620,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. The Group owns a portfolio of well recognized and respected hotel brands including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®, and also manages the world’s largest hotel loyalty program, Priority Club® Rewards with 43 million members worldwide.
IHG has nearly 1,700 hotels in its development pipeline, which will create around 140,000 jobs worldwide over the next few years.
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group’s holding company and is incorporated in Great Britain and registered in England and Wales.
IHG offers information and online reservations for all its hotel brands at www.ihg.com and information for the Priority Club Rewards program at www.priorityclub.com. For the latest news from IHG, visit our online Press Office at www.ihg.com/media