Short answer: with IHG's dynamic award pricing, which night you book matters more than which hotel you book. In our live data for November 2026, the same hotel's redemption value more than doubled between two nights less than a week apart.
The one formula you need
Value per 10,000 points = cash price ÷ points price × 10,000
We grade every night on four bands: Poor (under €40, pay cash), Fair (€40–€50), Great (€50–€60), and Exceptional (€60 or more, use points).
Case 1: ANA InterContinental Tokyo swings from €32.4 to €73.5 in November
| Night (1N) | Cash | Points | € per 10k | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 17 Nov | €1,041.53 | 321,000 | €32.4 | Poor, pay cash |
| Sat 14 Nov | €905.62 | 260,000 | €34.8 | Poor, pay cash |
| Tue 10 Nov | €881.35 | 120,000 | €73.4 | Exceptional |
| Sat 21 Nov | €882.43 | 120,000 | €73.5 | Exceptional |
Look at 14 Nov versus 21 Nov: the cash price is almost identical (€905.62 vs €882.43), but the points price is 260,000 one week and 120,000 the next. Across the month, points ranged from 73,000 to 321,000 a night, and 10 of the 30 nights priced at exactly 120,000 points while cash on those nights ranged from €495.20 to €882.43. Those high-cash, 120,000-point nights are where Tokyo's value hides.
Case 2: InterContinental London Park Lane, same cash, 34,000 points apart
| Night (1N) | Cash | Points | € per 10k | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 10 Nov | €511.15 | 133,000 | €38.4 | Poor, pay cash |
| Sat 14 Nov | €511.15 | 99,000 | €51.6 | Great |
| Mon 23 Nov | €854.57 | 141,000 | €60.6 | Exceptional |
On 10 Nov and 14 Nov the cash rate is identical to the cent, yet the points price differs by 34,000. Park Lane's November median sits at €668.69 cash and 135,000 points, so most nights are only Fair. The best 4-night value window in the calendar is 20–24 Nov at €54.7 per 10k.
Case 3: Kimpton Ashbel New York Park Avenue, a whole month of sweet spots (with one trap)
With a 15% points discount on every night shown, 28 of 30 November nights grade Exceptional. The best night is Sun 22 Nov (€301.85 or 35,700 points, €84.6 per 10k). The one to avoid is Sat 7 Nov: €1,245.05 or 330,650 points, just €37.7 per 10k. That's one Poor night sitting in a month of Exceptional ones.
This week's best 2-night redemptions (live, EUR)
| Hotel | City | Dates (2N) | Cash total | Points total | € per 10k | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kimpton Ashbel New York Park Avenue | New York | 24–26 Nov | €1,362.72 | 163,200 | €83.5 | Exceptional |
| Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok | Bangkok | 24–26 Nov | €707.12 | 93,000 | €76.0 | Exceptional |
| InterContinental New York Times Square | New York | 5–7 Dec | €1,678.56 | 222,000 | €75.6 | Exceptional |
| Garner Hotel Rome Aurelia | Rome | 24–26 Nov | €223.80 | 32,000 | €69.9 | Exceptional |
| Crowne Plaza Paris Marne-la-Vallée | Paris | 5–7 Dec | €385.30 | 55,250 | €69.7 | Exceptional |
| Holiday Inn Express Bangkok Sukhumvit 11 | Bangkok | 24–26 Nov | €135.62 | 20,000 | €67.8 | Exceptional |
And the traps: pay cash here
| Hotel | City | Dates (2N) | Cash total | Points total | € per 10k | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crowne Plaza Dublin - Blanchardstown | Dublin | 24–26 Nov | €296.10 | 94,000 | €31.5 | Poor |
| Crowne Plaza London - Ealing | London | 13–15 Nov | €295.94 | 90,000 | €32.9 | Poor |
| Holiday Inn Express London - Stratford | London | 24–26 Nov | €372.90 | 109,000 | €34.2 | Poor |
| Holiday Inn Express Barcelona - Sant Cugat | Barcelona | 24–26 Nov | €184.50 | 52,000 | €35.5 | Poor |
| ANA InterContinental Tokyo | Tokyo | 13–15 Nov | €1,595.78 | 439,000 | €36.4 | Poor |
To see what a typical reward night costs before you pick a date, read how many IHG points you need for a free night, or jump to the cheapest IHG reward nights in our live check.
So when is the best time to book IHG with points?
- Book the night, not the hotel. Pull the full month before you commit; a 3–4 day shift can double your value.
- Hunt for high-cash nights with flat points prices. When cash spikes but the award price doesn't follow (Tokyo's 120,000-point nights), value jumps.
- Watch for discounts. Every Ashbel night carried 15% off points, which is why the hotel cleared €60 on 28 of 30 nights.
- Pay cash below €40 per 10k. If a night grades Poor, save your points for one of the Exceptional nights above.
The day of the week moves points prices as well. See IHG points on weekdays vs weekends for a city-by-city comparison.
Check your own dates on the IHG Points Finder value calendar.
Methodology: Prices pulled from the IHG Points Finder live API on 27 Oct 2026 for tracked IHG hotels in 62 cities. Values are in EUR. History statistics are computed in each hotel's own currency so currency moves are never mistaken for price changes. Prices change constantly, so check live rates before booking.
The same calendar swings decide whether a points sale pays off. Our IHG buy points sale guide shows which November 2026 nights beat cash at 0.5 cents a point.
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