IHG Hotels is Giving Away Free Hotel Stays for a Year

After 16 long months of a global pandemic and numerous lockdowns, are you ready to get out of the house and finally go on that vacation you’ve wanted to take but couldn’t? IHG Hotels & Resorts is offering one U.S.-based traveler the opportunity to stay at their properties ‘rent-free’ in locations across the world, for one year, through its new sweepstakes known as the ‘Department of Epic’.

The value of the prize is $60,000, and the winner will get to stay at any IHG Property (there are 16 brands) including Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts, Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants and the Holiday Inn Express. People can enter the sweepstakes between June 22 and July 20. 

In order to enter, you’ll need to be on either Instagram or Twitter and make a post about why you’re deserving of a grand adventure. When posting, travelers need to ‘tell IHG why they need an epic vacation – without telling IHG they need an epic vacation’, (a play on the popular TikTok trend) using the hashtag ‘#IHGTellMeContest’ and tagging @ihghotels. Each individual is allowed ten entries in total 一 five each for Instagram and Twitter. The winner will be announced on August 2.

The winner will get a host of different perks beyond free hotel stays. These perks include but are not limited to: complimentary snacks every time you check into a new room, free dining in one of IHG’s restaurants once a month, access to a private car at select hotels, the highest level of IHG rewards member status and a personal booking concierge. 

While entering the sweepstakes gives you a chance to win stays at luxurious hotels in far-flung places, if you don’t win, there are still opportunities for you to get free stays and other rewards. If you’re loyal to a specific hotel chain or brand, like IHG, you should consider signing up for a hotel credit card. The IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card recently released a generous welcome bonus offer of 150,000 points when you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. 

What can you get with 150,000 points? It depends on the location, but you can get a five night stay at the Hotel Indigo in Brooklyn, a three night stay at the Holiday Inn Express in Orange Beach or a two-night stay at the Kimpton Hotel Van Zandt in Austin.

The IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card also comes with numerous perks including one statement credit of $100 for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck every four years, the fourth night free when you use points to redeem for four or more nights, and one reward night after each account anniversary year (worth up to 40,000 points). IHG Premier credit holders also get IHG Platinum Elite status.

The card has a high rewards-earning rate for IHG spend, offering cup to 25X points per dollar spent at IHG® 一 you earn 10x points per dollar for being an IHG Rewards club member, 10x points per dollar spent at IHG hotels as a cardholder and 5x points for having Platinum Elite Status (which is offered with the card). 

This card is also a good choice for international travelers because it has no foreign transaction fees. The card does have its drawbacks: there’s an $89 annual fee, but it’s waived for the first year. 

Additionally, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to IHG Rewards if you have an eligible card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®.