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IHG announced it is adding a wide range of sporting experiences for its members. From 2024, members will be able to redeem their points for a variety of different packages and sporting events through the IHG One Rewards Access Platform.
The auction-style experiences will include various activities like exclusive ticket packages to behind-the-scenes stadium tours and merchandise signed by legendary players of a given spot. While the details are still thin on the ground, IHG promises various unique experiences.
According to the Senior Vice President, Global Guest Experience, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Brian McGuinness:
“One of the biggest reasons our guests travel is to be closer to their passions – and for many, that’s tied to seeing their favorite sports team or player compete. We have a portfolio of 19 brands and over 6,000 hotels to meet various sports traveler needs, and our diverse group of incredible sports partners help us bring more options to create unforgettable moments for our members.”
2024 IHG One Rewards Access Sporting Partners
For 2024, IHG has announced partnerships with the following sports for some of the biggest events in the sporting calendar:
- The U.S. Open Tennis Championships
- Major League Soccer
- Professional Pickleball Association
- Six Nations Rugby
- European Professional Club Rugby
- Rugby Australia
- A-Leagues
How Valuable Are These Awards?
When it comes to redeeming your IHG One Rewards points for experiences (which you can do here), your mileage will vary wildly. And you will have to do some thoughtful planning to get top dollar for your points. Take, for instance, the current offer for a pair of Adelaide Fringe headline attraction tickets priced at 2,000 points. With the offer, you can select a ticket to one of the following events:
- Natural Wonders, where a pair of tickets will set you back between $23.54 and $45.56.
- Sleep's Hill Tunnel, where a pair of tickets will set you back between $23.54 and $32.52
- The Dome, where a pair of tickets will set you back between $10.40 and $15.60.
It is unclear which type of ticket you will receive by redeeming your IHG points for an Adelaide Fringe headline attraction ticket. However, if you were to receive a cheaper Dome ticket for 2,000 points, that would yield an unimpressive 0.52¢ per point. However, if you were to redeem the most expensive Natural Wonders ticket, you would generate a value of 2.28¢ per point, which is an outstanding return on IHG points.
The difference in value is huge when you consider that AwardWallet members have, on average, leveraged their IHG points for 0.68¢. Therefore, if you can snag the most expensive ticket, that is more than three times the value and well worth doing. On the other hand, if you can only get the cheapest Dome ticket, that is incredibly poor, and you are better served keeping your points for other uses.
Our Take
Redeeming your IHG points for experiences is a great way for brands to offer choice and build value. Marriott has led the way in this respect with its Marriott Bonvoy Moments and some of its exceptional value One Point Moment drops in recent years.
Unique experiences you can only access via redeeming your points are exciting for members. However, redeeming your points for events you can buy tickets for is a totally different proposition. Now, it becomes a simple situation of crunching the numbers and working out whether you are getting good value or not. The last thing you would want to do is get caught up in a bidding war for an event for which you can buy a ticket at a decent price.
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