Unlocking Hotel Discounts: Inside the IHG Employee Room Benefit Program (Including Friends & Family Rates)

If you’ve ever wondered what kind of travel perks hotel employees enjoy — or how those benefits can extend to you — you’re in the right place. Previously, we took a deep dive into the Go Hilton Team Member Program, Hilton’s generous employee travel scheme that includes steep discounts for both staff and their friends and family.

Now, we’re turning our attention to IHG Hotels & Resorts, the global parent of brands like InterContinental, Kimpton, Holiday Inn, and Crowne Plaza. IHG has a dedicated Employee Room Benefit Program, offering impressive savings for its team members — and yes, even their loved ones through the IHG Friends & Family Rate.

In this guide, we’ll explore both the IHG Employee Rate and the Friends & Family Rate, explaining how they work, who can use them, what the restrictions are, and how they compare to other hotel discounts. Whether you’re an employee looking to maximize your benefits or a savvy traveler connected to someone who is, this article will walk you through everything you need to know.

What Is the Employee Room Benefit Program?

IHG team members around the world – whether they work in a hotel or in a corporate office – are eligible to book rooms at significantly reduced rates at IHG participating hotels around the world for personal vacation travel as part of the official Employee Room Benefit Program.

This program is split into two main components:

1. The IHG Employee Rate is exclusively for team members traveling on personal time.
   
2. The IHG Friends & Family Rate is extended to those connected to an IHG employee (reviewed in detail in the next section).
   

Let’s start with the Employee Rate, which is arguably one of the most valuable hotel perks in the industry.

Key Features of the IHG Employee Rate

• Incredible nightly rates – often starting as low as $39 to $59 per night, depending on the brand and region.
  
• Available globally – valid at thousands of participating IHG hotels worldwide, including luxury brands like InterContinental and boutique properties under Kimpton and Vignette Collection.
  
• Personal travel use – strictly intended for off-duty vacations or short trips; not valid for business travel.
  
• Easy booking – accessible via IHG’s internal employee platform (IHG Merlin) or through a dedicated portal using employee credentials.
  
• Flexible reservations – in many cases, the employee rate is fully cancellable, though cancellation policies vary by hotel.
  
• No blackout dates – many properties offer availability year-round, although usage is still subject to room availability.

How to Access the Employee Rate

1. You must be an IHG Rewards member. If you are not already registered, please do so here. 
2. Link your IHG Rewards account to your employee profile using your IHG Merlin ID. If you don’t have a Merlin ID, ask your manager to activate your benefits through Loyalty Connect. 
3. You can book online or through the mobile app.

The program covers most of IHG’s brands – from Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza to InterContinental, Kimpton, and beyond – so you can use it at thousands of hotels worldwide (subject to availability).

Examples of Typical Employee Rates by Brand

While rates can fluctuate based on location and demand, here’s a rough idea of what you might expect under the employee program:

Note: These are approximate figures based on past booking experiences and online community reports. Rates are subject to change and vary by market.

If you’re an IHG One Rewards member with elite status, you can also enjoy elite benefits during your stay (such as room upgrades or late check-out).

Stays booked at the employee rate are not eligible for IHG One Rewards points or elite credit. limited to 7 nights per stay and no more than 2 (two) rooms at a time.

If you’re an IHG team member planning a vacation, this benefit is one of the best industry perks around.

Next, we’ll dive into the IHG Friends & Family Rate, which allows employees to extend similar savings to loved ones, with more flexible eligibility.

IHG Friends & Family Rate (F&F rate)

The IHG Friends and Family rate is a special hotel rate program offered by IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) that provides discounted rates to the friends and family of IHG. In simple terms, it’s a perk that IHG employees can share with others – a way for employees to extend hotel discounts to their loved ones (and sometimes to a wider circle of friends or acquaintances). This is often referred to as the IHG friends and family rate or the IHG family and friends discount.

Discount level

The exact amount of the discount can vary, but the F&F rate usually offers a significant percentage off the hotel’s best flexible (standard) rate, often in the range of 15% to 30% off the regular rate.

In many cases, the discount is around 30% off the regular rate, but it can vary by hotel or date. This means that if the hotel’s standard price is $200, the price for friends and family can be around $140-170, which means significant savings. 

Importantly, the Friends & Family rate is typically fully flexible, meaning you can usually cancel or change it without penalty up until a certain date (often 1-3 days before arrival, depending on hotel policy). This is a huge advantage over other cheap rates like Advance Purchase, which are non-refundable. Always double-check the rate’s cancellation policy during booking, though, as it can vary.

How to Access the IHG Friends & Family Rate

Get a unique link: The employee can log in to the IHG intranet (often referred to as “Merlin” for IHG corporate customers), in the section dedicated to employee benefits, which includes hotel discounts, go to the Friends and Family section, and enter certain information to create a certificate. He or she may need to enter the name and email address of the friend to whom he or she is giving the certificate, as well as select the validity period or number of uses. The system will then generate a unique certificate code or link.

For example, you can receive a code that looks like a series of numbers/letters or a link, such as https://www.ihg.com/hotels/…friendfamily?code=XXXX. If you have a physical Friends & Family certificate in PDF format, print it out and keep it with you. If not, print out the email from the employee or at least save it to your phone.

Access the Booking Page: Follow the link to open a special booking portal for friends and family and get a 30-40% discount off standard rates.  

Search for Hotels: Enter your desired destination, travel dates, and the number of guests to search for available hotels.

Select a Hotel and Room: Browse through the list of participating hotels and select the one that best fits your needs.

Complete the Booking: Follow the prompts to finalize your reservation, ensuring all required information is accurately entered.

It’s important to note that bookings made through the Friends & Family Rate are subject to availability and may have specific terms and conditions, including cancellation policies and deposit requirements.

The Friends and Family rate does not require the employee to check in or be present during their stay, in contrast to the Employee Discount Room. 

If you have a friend or relative who works for an IHG hotel or the corporate offices, you can politely ask them about the friends & family discount. And remember, an employee’s job could be on the line if their code is misused, so treat the privilege with respect.

IHG Friends & Family policy restrictions and fine print

IHG Friends and Family has a number of restrictions that guests should be aware of before booking. 

Maximum number of nights and rooms

• Maximum number of nights and rooms per stay: 7 nights per reservation.
• Maximum number of rooms: 5 rooms per reservation.

Prepayment requirements

A deposit for the first night’s stay is required at the time of booking. This deposit is refundable if you cancel your reservation in accordance with the hotel’s specific cancellation policy.

For hotels in California, state law provides additional protection: If a reservation is made 72 hours or more prior to arrival and you cancel within 24 hours of booking, your deposit will be refunded in full, regardless of the hotel’s general cancellation policy.

Taxes and fees

The Friends & Family rate does not exempt you from paying taxes, service charges, or standard fees.

You must pay all local and hotel taxes, resort taxes (if any), and other service charges as you would for a standard reservation.

If you are planning a longer stay, need more rooms, or are booking multiple destinations, you will need to create separate reservations that follow these rules.

IHG Friends & Family Rate vs. Other IHG Rates: Comparison

How does the Friends & Family rate compare to other general IHG rates? If you’re a loyalty program member or frequent hotel booker, you know that IHG (like all hotel chains) offers different types of rates for the same room, each with different requirements and discounts. 

Let’s compare the Friends & Family program with a few of the most popular room types:

• IHG One Rewards Member Rate: This is a special rate you get just for being a member of the IHG loyalty program (IHG One Rewards). Usually, the membership rate is a small discount (3% to 5% off the best flexible rate). It is available to all IHG members when booking directly. Compared to Friends & Family, the discount for club members is much smaller. The Friends & Family discount can be around 30%, while the club member discount is around 5%. One of the benefits of the membership rate is that you earn points and elite credits for those stays (since it’s a qualifying rate), while F&F doesn’t earn points.
  
• Advance Purchase (Non-Refundable) Rate: IHG offers advance or prepaid rates that are lower than standard rates, often by 10-20%, but they require full payment in advance and are non-refundable if you cancel. You save money but lose flexibility. The Friends & Family rate, on the other hand, usually gives you the same or even greater savings (up to ~30%), while maintaining flexibility (free cancellation in many cases).
  
• AAA/CAA fare: If you are a member of AAA or CAA (car clubs). Typically, the AAA rate is about 10% off the best flexible rate (sometimes up to 15%, depending on the hotel). These rates are typically flexible (they can be canceled) and you must present your AAA membership card at check-in. Compared to Friends & Family: AAA is easier to get (anyone can join AAA for ~$50/year and enjoy the discount), but the discount is smaller. AAA/CAA fares allow you to earn loyalty points.
  
• Corporate rates: Many companies have corporate rates negotiated with IHG. These can vary widely – some corporate rates are only 5-10% off, but some larger companies may provide significant discounts or additional perks (such as included breakfast). Corporate fares often require that you are traveling on business for that company and may ask for a work ID or business card at check-in to prove this. This is somewhat similar to the Friends & Family program, as it all depends on who you are (or who you know, in the case of F&F) to qualify for the discount.
  
• IHG promotional rates: Sometimes IHG runs public sales (for example, “Summer Sale – 20% off for everyone” or “4th night free for club members on bonus stays”). Compared to Friends & Family, these promotions can be useful if you can’t get F&F or if they are cumulative using points, etc. But in terms of discounts, F&F is often as good as or better than many public sales, especially considering that it is available year-round through employee connections. If you’re chasing a big promo bonus, you may have to stick to a qualifying rate. 

A Quick Comparison Example

Design Rendering of Holiday Inn Express Generation 5 EXPRESS Café & Bar  | Image source IHG News

Let’s say a standard room at a Holiday Inn costs $150 per night.

• The membership rate can be ~$142 per night (you save $8).
• AAA can cost ~$135 per night (you save $15).
• A pre-purchased room can cost $120 per night (you save $30, but it will be blocked).
• Friends and family can cost ~$105 per night ($45 savings) and remain flexible.

Tips to Maximize Your IHG Friends & Family Discount

If you have access to an IHG Friends & Family code, congratulations – you have a powerful tool to save money on hotel stays. Here are some practical tips to help you get the most out of this privilege:

• Plan expensive trips with F&F: The more expensive the hotel or destination, the more you’ll save with a percentage discount. Try using the IHG Friends and Family Discount for stays at high-end brands (InterContinental, Regent, Kimpton) or in expensive cities/seasons where accommodation prices are high.30% off $300 is a much bigger savings ($90) than 30% off $100 ($30).
• Compare prices before booking: Even with the F&F code, do a quick comparison with other available rates for your dates.
• Use the F&F rate for multiple rooms or nights: Often, you can book more than one room with one Friends & Family code. For example, you and your friends who are going to a wedding can book 2-3 rooms with the F&F rate.
• Remember the employee’s trust: If a friend has given you their code, be a good friend in return. Do not share this code with others unless the employee agrees to it. And don’t post it on the Internet. The reason is that if an IHG hotel sees the code being used by strangers, and possibly finds out it’s posted on blogs, they may report it to management, which could get the employee in trouble or have the code revoked.
• Combine with the benefits of elite status: If you have an elite status with IHG (Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond), make sure your IHG One Rewards number is added to your reservation. You get the benefits of your status. For example, as a Platinum or Diamond member, you may receive a room upgrade, late check-out, or a greeting at check-in – yes, even when booking for friends and family.
• Respect the cancellation policy: If you have booked an accommodation and then your plans change, be sure to cancel before the deadline (usually 24-48 hours) to avoid any penalties. Just because you booked a room for friends and family doesn’t mean that no-show penalties don’t apply. Treat it like any other reservation – cancel on time so that the employee code does not attract negative attention due to an unused room, and you are not billed.

By following these tips, you’ll get the most out of your IHG Friends & Family rate.

Conclusion

Whether you’re an IHG employee planning your next trip or a lucky friend who’s been fortunate enough to book a discounted room, the IHG Employee Room Benefit Program offers generous travel perks that can make hotel stays more affordable around the world. From ultra-low employee-only rates to extended discounts for friends and family, IHG makes it easy to explore its global portfolio of hotels without breaking the bank. Combine this with a flexible cancellation policy and access to top-tier brands, and you have a lucrative travel advantage in the hotel industry.