Top 5 Hotels in Europe to Book With IHG Card’s Free Night

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Folks with the Chase IHG Rewards Club Select card get 1 free night each year they’re a cardmember to use at ANY IHG hotel, even top-tier luxury hotels that normally cost hundreds of dollars a night!

Get Big Travel from a card whose annual fee is only $49.  I’ll show you 5 top hotels in Europe where you can enjoy your free night!

Top Hotels to Book With the Chase IHG Card Annual Free Night

• 5 Top Hotels in Europe to Book With IHG Card’s Free Night
• 5 Great Hotels in the US With IHG Card’s Free Night
• 5 Outstanding Hotels in the Caribbean & Mexico With IHG Card’s Free Night

About the Chase IHG Rewards Club Select Card

Link:   Chase IHG Rewards Club Select

When you sign-up for the Chase IHG Rewards Club Select card, you’ll earn 70,000 IHG Rewards points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the 1st 3 months of opening your account.  You’ll also get:

• 5,000 IHG points after your 1st purchase and adding an authorized user in the 1st 3 months of opening your account
• IHG Platinum elite status (free upgrades, priority check-in, and elite rollover nights)
• A free night at any IHG hotel worldwide each year of card membership
• 5X IHG points for every $1 you spend at IHG hotels
• 2X IHG points per $1 you spend at restaurants, grocery stores, and gas stations
• 1X IHG point per $1 you spend on everything else
• 10% rebate on redeemed points (up to 100,000 IHG points a year)
• NO foreign transaction fees

There’s a $49 annual fee on the card, but it’s waived for the 1st year.

Top 5 Hotels in Europe Where You Can Stay With Your IHG Free Night Certificate

Link:   IHG Hotels

I’ve written about how to get Big Travel with the Chase IHG Rewards Club Select card.

You can use the free anniversary night from the Chase IHG Rewards Club Select card at any IHG hotel, including their top category hotels and resorts!

So it’s worth paying the $49 annual fee to enjoy a free night at a fancy hotel that normally costs hundreds of dollars each night.

It’s also worth redeeming the certificate at hotels that cost a lot of IHG points for an award night.

For example, the Intercontinental London Park Lane normally costs 50,000 IHG points per night (their highest tier).

If award nights are available, you can use your IHG free night certificate to book it.  Just log into your account and click the link for “Free Night Status.”  This link will appear on your cardmember anniversary.  Simply click through and book your hotel as usual – except for free!

With this in mind, here are my top 5 picks on where to use the free night certificate.  I haven’t personally stayed at all of these hotels, but they look like fantastic deals!  If you have 1 to add to the list, let me know!

The rates here are based on availability in May 2016.  And remember rates can go up or down, depending on the season!

1.   Hotel Indigo Rome St. George

Link:   Hotel Indigo Rome St. George

Hotel Indigo is a “boutique” brand of IHG hotels.  They’re often in terrific locations, near the shopping and art districts.  The Hotel Indigo Rome St. George is no exception.

Emily and I had a great trip to Rome!

I found a standard room available for ~$410 a night.

If you’re in Rome (or any other city), the free night certificate would be a fantastic way to mix-and-match award stays and paid stays to get a 2-for-1 experience in this historic city!

2.   InterContinental London Park Lane

Link:   InterContinental London Park Lane

London is very expensive.  So it’s a good idea to use your anniversary night certificate for a free stay there!

If you want to be walking distance to lots of tourist attractions, consider a stay at the InterContinental London Park Lane, where room rates are ~$380 a night.

Folks on TripAdvisor gave this hotel nearly all 5-star reviews!

3.   InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam

Link:   InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam

You can also use your free night certificate at 1 of IHG’s flagship hotels, the InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam.

The hotel has been open since 1867, and is located near the shopping and cultural districts.  You can walk to the Van Gogh Museum, or bike around Amsterdam via the many canals.

Rooms here are usually 50,000 IHG points or ~$549 a night, so you’ll save a lot of money by using your free night certificate here!

Read my tips on how to stretch your IHG points when you stay at Holiday Inn hotels, including in Amsterdam!

4.   Hotel Indigo Barcelona – Plaza Catalunya

Link:   Hotel Indigo Barcelona – Plaza Catalunya

The Hotel Indigo Barcelona – Plaza Catalunya is located near La Rambla, and lots of shops and boutiques.  You’ll also have access to a pool and in-house bar and restaurant for a glass of local cava (sparkling wine from Catalonia).

You’ll be next to the Plaza Catalunya, which is the center of Barcelona.  From there, you can take the metro to art museums and other attractions, or even walk down to the beach on the Mediterranean!

5.   InterContinental Paris – Le Grand

Link:   InterContinental Paris – Le Grand

The InterContinental Paris – Le Grand is located near L’Opera, and is walking distance to the Louvre and the world-famous Champs-Elysees.

There are lots of options for hotels in Paris, and this IHG hotel is a great way to get 1 more free night there.

And again, if award nights are available, you can use your IHG free night certificate for it.  A night here is usually close to $400!

The Chase IHG Rewards Club Select card has a $49 annual fee, but you can book a room that’s worth many times more with the annual free night certificate.  To me, that makes this card a keeper!

If You’re New to IHG, Get Another Free Night!

Folks who register for a new IHG account and stay 2 nights at IHG hotels before December 31, 2015, get a certificate for a free night at ANY IHG hotel! 

You can combine this offer with your IHG points to get even more free nights at an IHG hotel!

Is Kimpton in the Future?

Link:   Kimpton Hotels

Link:   IHG-Kimpton Merger FAQ

IHG recently acquired Kimpton Hotels, so folks have been wondering if they can redeem their IHG points or use their free night certificates at Kimpton.  According to Kimpton,

For the time being Kimpton will be a standalone business and we will retain Kimpton Karma Rewards.

So don’t expect to be able to access Kimpton Hotels with your IHG points any time soon, but this could be an exciting development in the future.

Bottom Line

For a card with a $49 annual fee, you can get a free night at a hotel that’s worth much more, even hundreds of dollars a night, with the Chase IHG Rewards Club Select card!

Stay at beautiful IHG hotels in Europe like the InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam or Hotel Indigo Rome St. George.  These hotels normally sell for ~$400 to over $500 a night, so it’s very easy to get Big Travel with the Chase IHG Rewards Club Select card.

To stretch your stays, you can mix-and-match award stays and paid stays to get a 2-for-1 experience in a European city.  For example, you can splurge for a luxury experience with your free night certificate, then use your IHG points to stay at Holiday Inn hotels.

If you’re brand new to IHG, you can also earn another free night when you sign-up for an account and stay 2 nights before December 31, 2015.

I love Big Travel with Small Money and it doesn’t get much better than paying a $49 annual fee in exchange for a fancy hotel room that usually costs ~$400 (or more!).

Let me know your favorite IHG hotels in Europe to redeem your free night certificate!