(Now Live)New IHG PointBreaks List: Anything Worthwhile?

The release of new IHG PointBreaks list is always an exciting time for me as well as many of my readers. Most of the properties have been kind of “meh” lately, but as I’ve said before: I don’t look  a gift horse in the mouth. Staying in a hotel (any hotel) for 5,000 IHG points per night is an incredible deal.

I’ve mentioned in my roundup that I don’t see any spectacular deals. That being said, the list covers holiday season, so I expect many properties to drop off quickly. See full list on Loyaltylobby. It will be available for booking on Monday October 31st, for stays until January 31, 2017.

Here are a few semi-gems (a word?) in United States  that are likely to drop off the list within few days:

1) Hotels in Florida

There are two of them:

• Holiday Inn Express Clermont
• Candlewood Suites Ft Myers I-75

The one in Clermont could make for a good base to explore Orlando area since it’s located only 32 miles from MCO airport. You could even go to Disney if you don’t mind the drive. Keep in mind, award rooms only fit 2 people, but it’s still a spectacular deal for only 5,000 points per night. Breakfast is included.

Hotel in Fort Myers is also a decent option for exploring the surrounding area. You are only 30 minutes from Fort Myers beach and Sanibel island. I love this part of Florida! Drive just one hour, and you’ll be in Naples. Breakfast is not included. But for this price, who cares?

2)  Staybridge Suites properties

Those are usually a bit nicer than run-of-the-mill Holiday Inn, plus they have more room. There are a few on the list:

• Staybridge Suites Rogers – Bentonville
• Staybridge Suites Dearborn MI
• Staybridge Suites Columbia-Hwy 63 & I-70
• Staybridge Suites Columbus-Dublin
• Staybridge Suites Laredo International Airport
• Staybridge Suites Chantilly Dulles Airport
• Staybridge Suites Eau Claire – Altoona

3) Crowne Plaza properties in New Jersey

Good location if you want to explore New Jersey or do a day trip to NYC.

• Crowne Plaza Princeton – Conference Center
• Crowne Plaza Saddle Brook
• Crowne Plaza Monroe South Brunswick

4) Crowne Plaza near Portland, Oregon

• Crowne Plaza Portland-Lake Oswego

This looks like a really nice property that has been recently remodeled. I wholeheartedly recommend Portland. We’ve visited the area twice, and absolutely loved it.

There are many other hotels on the list, so check and see for yourself.

You have a few options to get the points right now if you don’t already have them in your IHG account:

1) Transfer the points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to IHG  1:1 if you have Chase Sapphire Preferred, Reserve or Ink Plus cards. Per reports, the points don’t always transfer instantly.

2) Buy them directly from IHG at a cost of 13.50 per one thousand points. LINK (you may get a targeted bonus offer when you sign in)

3) You can also buy them via “Cash+Points” trick, where you make a reservation at a random IHG hotel, then cancel it and get the points refunded. That way, they end up costing 0.7 cents each. You have to have 5,000 points  to begin with. I don’t endorse this method and IHG may suspend your account if you do it too many times, but it’s there if you are willing to risk it.

If you are interested in a specific property, I recommend you book it right away. Reserve now, ask questions later since you can always cancel and get your points back. You are allowed two reservations per IHG account, but they can be for as long as you like.

Readers, anything looks appealing to you?

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