Effective as of Monday, January 1, 2018, all members of the Karma Rewards frequent guest loyalty program became part of IHG Rewards Club, as Karma Rewards ceased to exist after Sunday, December 31, 2017…
You Can Now Book Kimpton Hotel Award Nights With IHG Rewards Club Points
…and as a result, you can now book award reservations at 62 Kimpton hotel properties in 28 cities by redeeming IHG Rewards Club points.
“Note that this doesn’t necessarily indicate that these hotels are a value in the IHG system”, according to this article written by Nick Reyes of Frequent Miler, who compares award redemption rates with revenue rates — and shows you where are the best values. “How much value there is to be found will likely depend on the time of year, events going on, and prevailing cash rates.”
Meanwhile, the “costs range from 40,000 to 70,000 points per night, which I think is mostly in line with the quality of Kimpton hotels”, according to this article written by Enoch of Point Me To The Plane, who has compiled a list of all Kimpton hotel properties which are now available to redeem with IHG Rewards Club points and sorted by price. “There are some nice value to be had here. For example, you can redeem 50,000 points for the Kimpton DeWitt Amsterdam Hotel, the only Kimpton hotel in Europe (that’s actually converted from a Crowne Plaza). In contrast, the InterContinental Amstel in Amsterdam is going up to 60,000 points a night come January 16, 2018, so the Kimpton represents a good alternative.”
Enoch is referring to the changes in redemption rates at a total of 691 hotel and resort properties which were announced earlier this month. You will need an additional 5,000 to 10,000 IHG Rewards Club points to redeem for an award night at 499 of those hotel and resort properties.
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC announced that it had agreed to acquire Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants — which was the largest independent boutique hotel operator in the world and a sophisticated food and beverage operator with 71 destination restaurants and bars — for $430 million in cash back in December of 2014.
Summary
The good news is that some of the benefits which made the Karma Rewards program unique will remain intact for all members of IHG Rewards Club who have earned it to enjoy when they stay at hotel and resort properties of the Kimpton brand — and any benefits which can no longer be earned are still valid until they expire.
