The author in London. Coren Feldman
When I travel, I often stay at chain hotels with members-only rewards programs.
In many cases, all you need is an email address to set up a free member account.
This hack has saved me hundreds of dollars on hotels over the years.
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When I was booking a Holiday Inn for a wedding in 2018, I stumbled upon a travel hack I’ve used with almost everyone hotel booking could save money.
I wanted to see if late checkout was an option and found out that it was offered as a perk for IHG One Rewards members, a rewards program operated by the InterContinental Hotels Group, which also owns hotel chains like Crowne Plaza, Intercontinental, and Staybridge Suites. While regular check-out at Holiday Inns is typically 11am or 12pm, IHG One Rewards members can depending depends on availability check out by 2 p.m.
I assumed that such membership would come with a fee, but I just needed to a free online account with my email address create. This account also gave me access to lower member exclusive rates when booking directly through the Holiday Inn website.
Not only was I able to sleep late, I was also able to save money.
Now I always check if hotels offer free membership programs that offer lower rates or other perks
I saved 15 percent on my reservation by signing up for a free member account on the hotel’s website. Talia Liquorice/Insider
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This is often the case, and it has been worth it.
If I Visited the UK earlier this yearI created for the website of the Tavistock Hotel, a subsidiary of Imperial London Hotels, a free member account. I was shocked when this simple step saved me 15 percent on the price of my reservation, bringing the total price down from £561.18 to £477 (€655 to €557). I decided to spend a little more by adding the hotel’s full English breakfast buffet to my stay, and it still cost less than if I hadn’t become a member.
I’ve found that most hotels advertise the special member rates directly on their booking pages, making it easy to tell if they’re offering this promotion. If this is not the case, a quick online search for the hotel’s name in conjunction with “membership rewards program” is usually sufficient.
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These days I never book a hotel without first checking if I can set up a free account for discounts or perks. As far as I can tell, there really isn’t a catch. I wasn’t bombarded with email or junk mail, and I wasn’t charged any extra fees.
This hack probably isn’t for those who prefer smaller, independent hotels, as in my experience these rewards programs are often offered by larger hotel chains. Personally, however, I enjoy the predictability of staying in different places within the same hotel company. My partner jokes that we are a “Holiday Inn household”.
The discounts offered through member accounts don’t always make a big difference in my travel budget. But even if it only saves me $10, that’s $10 more to spend on a souvenir or candy on my travels.
Read the original article in English here.