The InterContinental Hotels Group, or IHG, is a very popular hotel rewards program for frequent travelers. With almost 6,000 properties worldwide it’s an attractive portfolio for business travelers meaning many negotiate corporate rates in advance.

If you happen to be lucky enough to be associated with any of the partner organizations you should definitely plan on taking advantage of one of these perks. The discount can be sometimes be 10% – 30% off the regular nightly rate and will typically include perks like free wireless internet, parking, and breakfast.

Depending on where and when you travel there won’t always be availability but given it’s a major city you are almost always likely to find space.

Just because you find a corporate rate doesn’t always mean its the lowest rate the hotel has to offer. Be alert to compare the rate you find to the normal nightly price since there are times a corporate rate can be higher based on the corporations deal terms.

Use the steps below to see if you can receive a IHG discount on your next booking.

Locate your corporate rate

There is a high chance business travelers currently book hotels through a company portal or have a travel agent secure all reservations. With the corporate rate inserted on the backend a lot of times you may not even be aware of what your own companies code is.

Many companies have multiple rates with IHG so make sure you try all the ones assigned to your given organization.

To find Hotel Corporate Codes for all major programs including Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, and more please visit our code homepage.

Input discount code into IHG search

IGH makes it easy to search using a corporate discount. Simply navigate to the stay tab in the menu bar bar to begin your search. When you click to input “Destination” you will see a drop down appear that includes a section to input a “Corporate ID”. Make sure even when making your search you have your “Rate Preference” set to “Best Available”. This will make sure you don’t overpay for a corporate rate when the standard rate is cheaper.

As soon as you enter your rate and click “Search” all the results will be eligible for that rate.

Compare rates

As mentioned above corporate rates are considered “Special/Preferred Rates” and while they do usually provide discounts, they are actually not always the cheapest. There are a lot of reasons to why, but hotels may be running their own special deal making the standard rate lower than the corporate rate for a given night.

In this example, the corporate rate is cheaper per night than the hotel’s direct “Best Flexible Rate”. We always recommend comparing your corporate rate to other promotions the hotel may be running directly.

What Is Included With A Corporate Rate

A corporate rate is not always just a discount in room price, they often come with additional perks. In our experience the most common additional benefits include free wifi, breakfast, and at times more flexible checkout.

Another major benefit in booking with a corporate rate is the ability to cancel up until the last minute. IHG typically offers the ability to cancel any corporate rate booking until one day before checkin. This is a huge benefit as often plans change and allows you to make bookings without having travel plans fully confirmed.

Each property varies in what they offer business travelers so make sure you read the details before booking.

Present identification upon arrival

This part can may not always happen but according to several hotel group’s official policy, a hotel must check ID to confirm your rate upon check in. We found this to vary wildly based on location.

Acceptable forms of identification include

• A badge or pass with the company name and picture
• A business card that includes your name and company
• An email address the hotel will confirm by sending you a confirmation

In our experience, hotels in Asia tend to check ID almost 100% of the time but in North America and Europe, it has been less than 10%.

Who Is Eligible To Use Corporate Rates

This will vary by company but it’s not uncommon for full time employees, contract workers, consultants, or those affiliate with an organization to use a corporate rate. If you work for an organization on the list but are not aware if you are eligible seek out advice internally.

Often times if you are affiliated with an organization to obtain identification associating yourself with it that is usually enough for a hotel group to consider you eligible.

IHG corporate discounts should also only be used when traveling for business. If you are planning leisure travel you may not be eligible to book on a corporate rate. It’s also no surprise that many hotels in vacation heavy destinations do not offer corporate discounts.

Note for booking you must be associated with the organization and authorized to do redeem the rate. Use the steps to see if you can receive a IHG discount on your next booking.

What Locations Offer Corporate Discounts

An important thing to note is that not all corporate discounts are made the same across IHG. Each hotel is typically required to negotiate a corporate rate with each company making the amount you get discounted vary by location and hotel popularity.

Whether you are traveling to New York City, San Francisco, or any city for that matter, make sure you check the latest rates at the time of booking.

In our experience cities that attract more business travelers will often have the most discounted hotels available.

Companies That Get The Best Rates

Not all discounts are created equally and naturally some companies have negotiated better rates than others. The rate you receive is based on the amount of stays a company provides to a certain hotel leading to a better discounted rate.

Typically companies that travel the most such as Deloitte, IBM, Accenture, and At&t will get the best rates as well as have the most available hotels. If you are affiliated with any of these companies then you can expect the best rates at various properties around the world.

How To Negotiate A Corporate Rate At IHG Hotels

If your company does not currently have a corporate rate with IHG you can negotiate one. Note you will need to negotiate with each IHG hotel individually instead of IHG as a whole so choose your locations and properties carefully.

The process is a bit informal but starts by sending an email to the corporate-programs office or directly to a hotel manager if you are a frequent visitor. The process for joining may vary by hotel but generally involves filling out an application indicating number of employees, expected stays, and additional details. Once agreed you will obtain a code that will enable you to see discounted rates on IHG website and app when booking.

Additional Discounts At IHG Hotels

Corporate rates are not the only way to receive a discount when booking an IHG hotel as the program has many other ways to provide incentives to their customers and employees.

IHG Merlin

The IHG Merlin program is an employee intranet linking all of its hotels around the world. IHG Merlin offers a special rate for all employees at various properties around the world.

In order to book at the IHG Merlin special rate you will need the employee to general a special link that they can share with you. If you don’t have access to one, an example can be found here.

Summary & Takeaways

As IHG continues to expand their global footprint they will continue to be popular with business travelers. If your company has a corporate rate with IHG you can take advantage of all the benefits they offer. If you are not then your company can reach out to IHG to begin the process of negotiating your own corporate rates.