The IHG Employee Rate: How IHG Employees Save up to 75%

As one of the world’s largest hotel companies, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) offers a range of employee benefits and perks to its team members. Among the most popular of these is the IHG employee rate, which provides savings of up to 75% on hotel room rates at IHG properties worldwide.

For employees who love to travel or are planning a family vacation, the IHG employee discount can be a great way to save money on your next vacation!

This article explains how the IHG Employee Room Benefit Program works and what to expect when booking employee rates. For a complete overview of IHG One Rewards—including how points, elite status, and promotions work—start with the IHG One Rewards overview hub.

If you are looking for a detailed breakdown of how IHG One Rewards earning rules and rate eligibility work across different booking types, see our in-depth IHG One Rewards program guide.

IHG Employee Rates

The IHG Employee Room Benefit Program (“IHG Employee Rates”) offers heavily discounted room rates designed exclusively for:

1. Employees of companies in the InterContinental Hotels Group (“IHG”), and
2. Eligible employees of third-party franchisees, who work at IHG-branded hotels franchised by a subsidiary or affiliate of IHG.

Employees can choose to book either Standard Employee Rate with the Standard room type (meaning the hotel will assign the actual room,) or Employee Flex Rate with a specific room type. Note the pricing for Employee Flex Rate may be more or less than the rate available for Standard Employee Rate.

Limitations & Restrictions with the IHG Employee Rate

These employee rates are designed exclusively for IHG employees and their guests (while traveling with the participating employee) so the employee must show proof of identification upon check-in.

Because the discounts are so large, there are limits to the use of the employee rate, including:

• Employees may not book more than seven (7) room nights, at the employee rate, in the same hotel each calendar year.
• Employees cannot book more than two rooms with the employee rate per hotel, per visit.
• Each room counts towards the maximum of seven (7) room nights per calendar year at the Employee Rate.
  • For example, if an employee uses their rate to book two rooms for three nights at a hotel, that will count as six of the seven-room nights for that hotel in that calendar year.
• An employee room reservation booked at the Employee Rate cannot be made more than 90 days in advance of the first day of the scheduled stay.
• The employee who made the reservation must check-in and stay at the hotel for the duration of the reservation:
• Employee Rates are for personal travel only. They are not available and must not be used for business-related travel.
• Employee Rates do not qualify for IHG Rewards Club points.

Because employee rates often do not qualify for points earning, it’s important to understand how IHG defines eligible rates and stays—especially if you are comparing the employee rate against a qualifying paid rate to earn points or hit elite status thresholds. For a full explanation of how points, elite nights, and rate eligibility work together, see our in-depth IHG One Rewards program guide

Do IHG Employee Rates Earn Points or Count Toward Elite Status?

IHG employee rates are designed to provide deep discounts, but they typically do not earn IHG One Rewards points and may not count toward elite night credits the same way qualifying paid rates do. That means the nightly cost can be significantly lower, but the stay may not help you accumulate points or progress toward elite status.

If your goal is to maximize rewards over time—especially during quarterly bonuses—compare employee rates with qualifying paid rates and promotions before booking. You can review current offers on our current IHG One Rewards promotion details page and learn how elite status benefits work in practice in our IHG elite status tiers and benefits explained guide.

Can Family Members Use the Employee Rate?

Family members can only participate in this program when traveling with an employee for a limited number of nights.  However, they can get a nice discount when not with the employee via the IHG Family and Friends Rate, which is open to anyone, at any time!

IHG Employee Discount: How Much Can You Save?

IHG does not provide employees with a flat rate across their hotel brands. Instead, they have a calculation called IVEDI to determine what rate a hotel will charge employees per night.  The employee rate IVEDI is determined using a hotel’s 12-month Average Daily Rate (ADR) from the STAR Report (A benchmark that shows how a hotel is doing against its competitive set).

IHG determines the Employee Rate for the next calendar year based on a hotel’s 12-month rolling Average Daily Rate (“ADR”) as of September 30 of each year.  The rate will then remain in effect from January 1^st for the next full calendar year.

Brand new hotels will use rates based on the 12-month market class tract average on the Star Report. Once the hotel has a 12-month rolling ADR, the Employee Rate will be adjusted as outlined for existing hotels.

IHG Employee Rate Codes

When booking rooms, employees will have two rate types to choose from.  Either an IVEDI rate, with the flow through the room, meaning the hotel will assign the actual room.  Or an IVED2 rate that is associated with a specific room type.

IVEDI – The IHG Employee Rate Can Save you up to 75%

The IVEDI rate is the most deeply discounted rate for IHG employees and provides 9 rate tiers.  It’s determined by using a hotel’s 12-month Average Daily Rate (ADR), as shown in the table below.

Rate Tier	ADR Range	Employee Rate	Employee Savings %
1	$84.99 or less	$39.00	up to 54%
2	$85.00 – $99.99	$49.00	42 – 51%
3	$100.00-$124.99	$59.00	41 – 51%
4	$125.00-$149.99	$69.00	45 – 54%
5	$150.00-$199.99	$79.00	47 – 60%
6	$200.00-$249.99	$89.00	56 – 64%
7	$250.00-$299.00	$99.00	60 – 67%
8	$300.00-$399.99	$119.00	60 – 70%
9	$400.00 and up	$139.00	65% +

IHG will pre-load room inventory for the Standard Employee Room Benefit Program for each night of the next calendar year for each hotel:

• Hotels with 100 rooms or more will have 2% of room inventory pre-loaded;
• Hotels with 99 rooms or less will have 2 rooms per night pre-loaded;
• Hotels may allocate more rooms for the program at their discretion; and
• No more than 50 dates can be blacked out each year in the reservation system.
• Hotels that have 98% occupancy or greater for 100 or more days for the 12 months preceding September 30 each year may apply directly to the IHG Corporate office to reallocate the number of Employee Rate rooms to be pre-loaded.
  

The landing page will say “No locations match the provided destination”. Click on the change search field and the booking box will pop up. From here enter the destination and dates for your trip, then make sure the “IHG Employee Rate” button is highlighted. Hit the search button and see what hotels are offering the employee rate.

Employee Note: You will need to first link your IHG One Rewards number to your Merlin ID to book these rates. If you are having an issue linking your account, contact Human Resources to get your account activated.

IVED2 – The IHG Employee Flex Rate

The IVED2 rate allows hotels to sell additional room types at a discount ranging from 35 – 50 percent off the Best Flexible Rate, depending on demand fluctuations. The pricing for IVED2 could be more or less than the rate available for IVEDI.

The landing page will say “No locations match the provided destination”. Click on the change search field and the booking box will pop up. From here enter the destination and dates for your trip, then make sure the “IHG Employee Flex Rate” button is highlighted. Hit the search button and see what hotels are offering the employee rate.

Setup for the Employee Rate Benefit Program

There are three things an employee must do before being eligible for the employee rate:

1. Sign up for the IHG Rewards Program.
2. Have a Merlin ID
3. Link the IHG Rewards Club number with their Merlin ID

Linking your IHG Rewards Club number to your Merlin ID is required to access the employee rate. Once complete, you will be able to book Employee Rate online and through the mobile app.

Alternative Discounts

If you do not qualify for employee rates—or if you want a discount that may better align with earning points and elite credit—these guides may help:

• IHG corporate discount codes and booking guide
• IHG friends and family rate savings guide
• IHG travel agent rate discount guide
• IHG Business Edge program review

Frequently Asked Questions

More Great Content for IHG Rewards Fans

If you like what you’re reading now, here are some more great articles every IHG Rewards member should check out!

• IHG One Rewards overview and strategy hub
• In-depth IHG One Rewards program guide
• Current IHG One Rewards promotion details
• IHG elite status tiers and benefits explained
• IHG corporate discount codes and booking guide
• IHG friends and family rate savings guide
• IHG travel agent rate discount guide
• IHG Business Edge program review