Tag Archives: IHG Hotels

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My IHG Accelerate Promo Bonus Points Posted Quickly (with no Customer Service Calls/Emails)

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Good morning everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend.  A few months ago, I registered for IHG’s Accelerate promo where I had to complete a few requirements between January 1 and April 15 to complete the promo.  The requirements differ from person to person as well as the number of bonus points offered.  Here are my requirements:

  • 3,000 IHG Points – Complete 1 stay
  • 10,000 IHG Points – Complete 5 nights
  • 2,000 IHG Points – Book 1 stay with Points + Cash
  • 1,500 IHG Points – Use your Chase IHG Rewards Credit Card to pay for a stay

If I completed at least 3 out of 4 requirements, I would get 23,500 bonus IHG Points, on top of the bonus points earned above.  I’m happy to say that I recently completed my third requirement and the bonus points posted.  I think I could have technically booked 1 stay, paid with Points + Cash, and used my Chase IHG Rewards Credit Card to complete 3 requirements with only 1 night.

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Holiday Inn Club Vacations Timeshare Presentation at Orange Lake Resort in Orlando, Florida

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Good morning everyone, I have another quick deal that might interest you if you have plans to visit Orlando, Florida in the next few months.  I just received an email from Holiday Inn Club Vacations (the timeshare division of IHG) for an offer of 4 days / 3 nights at the Orange Lake Resort for $349 + tax.  If you want an extra night, book by March 10, 2017 and pay an extra $100.

HIVC Orlando Orange Lake Resort Timeshare

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Grant is Back from South America: Upcoming Hotel Reviews & Trip Reports

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Good morning everyone, I am back from my week-long trip around South America.  I was going to write about my experience during the trip, but I accidentally left my laptop charger on my flight to Bogota, Colombia, so I had no way to charge my laptop during the trip.  With that said, here is a tentative list of blog posts that I will write about my trip.  Here are my 4 hotel reviews:

  • Aloft Bogota Airport Hotel (3,000 SPG Points / Night)
  • Holiday Inn Buenos Aires Ezeiza Airport Hotel (20,000 IHG Points / Night)
  • Sheraton Iguazú Resort & Spa (Iguazu Falls, Argentina) (12,000 SPG Points / Night)
  • Sheraton Libertador Hotel (Buenos Aires, Argentina) (7,000 SPG Points / Night)

Along with those hotel reviews, I am going to share my experience with these trip reports:

  • How Cheap is Bogota, Colombia?
  • Should you Visit the Argentine or Brazilian Side of Iguazu Falls?
  • Buenos Aires Centurion Lounge (Access with US AMEX Platinum Card)

There are also a few upcoming posts from Shelli about her interview with a full time Uber driver and her next stop on her coffee world tour.  Whitney just got back from her trip to Spain, so she will have several posts about her trip.  I’m not sure what Tonei and Will the Tactical Traveler are working on, but I am sure they have some interesting posts in the pipeline.

If you have any questions about any of my upcoming hotel reviews or trip reports, please leave a comment below.  Have a great day everyone!

P.S. Here is a sneak peak of our trip to Iguazu Falls, full of rainbows and big water falls.

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My Outrageous 2017 Travel Predictions + Reader Ideas Needed

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Good morning everyone, I’m sorry for the delay, but I have been diligently thinking about my 2017 travel predictions.  I am going to channel my inner Nostradamus to come up with some outrageous travel predictions for 2017.  Doctor of Credit has a good resource for all other 2017 travel predictions.

Disclaimer: I have made some travel predictions in previous years and I am more often wrong than right, but that losing streak has not dampered my prediction spirit.  To see how bad I am at making predictions, please read A Look Back at my 2016 Predictions (Airlines, Hotels, Credit Cards & MS).  I consider myself an optimistic pessimist (I prepare for the worst, but hope for the best), so these travel predictions will sound depressing.

Airlines

  • Southwest seems bent on making the Companion Pass very difficult to get unless you fly Southwest every week.  I believe credit card signup bonuses will no longer count toward the Companion Pass and Southwest might kill the whole concept of the Companion Pass entirely or switch to a certificate program similar to the Alaska Airlines companion fare or Virgin America companion ticket.
  • Other airline credit cards will adopt the Alaska Airlines companion fare (you pay full price and your companion pays up to $120) or the Virgin America companion ticket (you pay full price and your companion pays full price minus $150).

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Trip Report: Holiday Inn Gare de l’Est, Paris

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Bonjour everyone,

We spent our first three days in Paris at the Holiday Inn Gare de l’Est, an 8-story, 207-room hotel that was renovated in 2015.

Location: The hotel is in Paris’ 10th Arrondissement, directly across the street from the Gare de l’Est SNCF station and right on top of the Metro station of the same name, and a few minutes’ walk from the main Gare du Nord station (offering easy access to intercity and international trains, and Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly (ORY) airports. It’s about a 10-15 minute train ride to the main tourist attractions downtown.

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View of Gare de l’Est from our hotel room. Photo by Yagrel Ruber.

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