Quite honestly, I don’t remember the last time everyone was so excited about the IHG 5,000-point PointBreaks. Everyone and their mother has been speculating, guessing, speculating some more. Maybe that’s because of the rumors of the impending doom (there have been consistent speculations that PointBreaks will be replaced with flat 50% reductions as they do now with their flash sales).
I have to say, that I am a bit disappointed with this list. There is not a single InterContinental anywhere, and only three hotels in Asia. There are some international properties on the list, however, that I find interesting. The full list is here.
Europe
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS BARCELONA – MONTMELO
Note: The hotel about a 30-minute train ride to Barcelona Center. On the other hand, your stay includes a buffet breakfast and besides, Barcelona is expensive.
FRANCE
HOLIDAY INN TOULON – CITY CENTRE
BELGIUM
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS ANTWERP CITY – NORTH (short, 20-minute walk to the city center)
ITALY
HOLIDAY INN GENOA CITY and HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS MILAN – MALPENSA AIRPORT for those of you who got in on the most recent mistake fare.
GERMANY
HOLIDAY INN FRANKFURT AIRPORT – NORTH
UK: A bunch of Holiday Inns in smaller cities.
There are only two Crown Plaza hotels in Europe.
LITHUANIA
Explore other areas of Lithuania if you are in the country: Kaunas, Klaipeda, Nida, to name just a few.
ROMANIA
Asia
Thailand: CROWNE PLAZA BANGKOK LUMPINI PARK
India: HOLIDAY INN RESORT GOA (a very nice sea resort, supposedly)
Middle East & Africa
EGYPT
HOLIDAY INN CAIRO – CITYSTARS
OMAN
CROWNE PLAZA RESORT SALALAH
SOUTH AFRICA
CROWNE PLAZA JOHANNESBURG – THE ROSEBANK
Central & South America
PANAMA
HOLIDAY INN PANAMA CANAL
COSTA RICA
HOTEL INDIGO SAN JOSE FORUM COSTA RICA
Canada
QUEBEC
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS AND SUITES CENTRE-VILLE DOWNTOWN (the reviews are not very good, but the location in downtown Montreal is excellent)
Oceania
AUSTRALIA
HOLIDAY INN TOWNSVILLE
FIJI
HOLIDAY INN SUVA
I will admit I know nothing about these places, but Australia and Oceania are a rare guest on these lists, so I felt obliged to include them.
Remember that according to the new rules, you are not supposed to book more than two reservations at the same property. And of course, the most popular locations sell out quickly. They often come back, however, so keep checking if the hotel of your choice is unavailable.
