Q2 2026 Hotel Promos Tested: IHG 3x Points vs Marriott Elite Nights

April 2026 is forcing a choice. With the Easter travel season here and May bank holidays approaching, the major hotel chains have drawn distinct battle lines for your spring bookings. IHG is relying on a pure, aggressive points multiplier to drive volume. Marriott is playing directly to elite status anxiety by dangling bonus Elite Night Credits.

For Points Uncovered readers, this is a strategic fork in the road. Do you chase the high immediate rebate of IHG’s 3x points to offset expensive summer redemptions later this year? Or do you leverage Marriott’s double credits to secure Platinum status, ensuring free breakfasts and suite upgrades for family holidays through early 2028? Making the wrong choice now means leaving either significant cash value or a year of elite benefits on the table.

How the IHG Q2 2026 promo works

The Q2 2026 IHG One Rewards promotion offers exactly what it says on the tin: triple points on all eligible paid stays completed by early June 2026. Since base earning across most IHG brands is 10 points per $1 spent, this promo bumps you up to 30 points per $1.

Factoring in current April 2026 exchange rates, UK travellers are looking at roughly 38 points per £1 spent on the room rate and eligible incidentals. The 3x multiplier is capped at 100,000 bonus points for the duration of the promotion. Once you hit that ceiling, you drop back to standard earning rates.

Here is the thing about multipliers: they heavily favour expensive stays. If you are booking a £400-a-night InterContinental in London or Paris, your points balance will explode. Because IHG is not a direct UK American Express Membership Rewards transfer partner, this 3x promotion is currently the absolute best way for UK residents to build a meaningful IHG balance for future redemptions.

How the Marriott Q2 2026 promo works

Marriott Bonvoy’s Q2 2026 promotion takes a completely different approach. For every eligible paid night you stay by early June, you get a flat 1,000 bonus points and one bonus Elite Night Credit (ENC).

Because Marriott is offering a flat rate rather than a multiplier, the maths flips entirely. A £60 Moxy stay earns the exact same bonus as a £400 St. Regis stay. You earn 1,000 points whether you sleep in a budget bed near the airport or a luxury suite over the water.

The points are nice, but the bonus ENC is the real prize. Elite Night Credits are the currency you need to climb Marriott’s status ladder. By giving you two credits for every night you actually sleep in a bed, Marriott is effectively cutting the qualification requirements for their elite tiers in half during the promo window.

The maths: IHG points vs Marriott Elite Night Credits

Let’s run the numbers on a standard £150 ($188) per night stay to see the actual return on your spend.

At IHG, that £150 night yields roughly 5,640 points. We currently value IHG points at 0.4p each. That gives you about £22.50 in value back — a very respectable 15% return on your spend.

At Marriott, the same £150 stay yields 2,880 points (including base points and the 1,000 bonus). We value Marriott points slightly higher at 0.5p each, making your return worth £14.40. That is a 9.6% return on spend.

On pure cash back value, IHG wipes the floor with Marriott. But that ignores the value of the bonus Elite Night Credit. If that extra credit helps you reach Platinum status, the free breakfasts and lounge access you receive over the next two years will heavily outweigh the £8 difference in points earned on a single night.

Why Marriott Platinum status matters in 2026

Airline loyalties are shifting rapidly in 2026. British Airways recently dropped routes like Jeddah and slashed various Gulf flights. Later this year, Amex will end Lufthansa lounge access for Platinum cardholders. Frequent flyers are losing their traditional airport perks and are relying more heavily on hotel elite status to inject comfort into their trips.

Marriott Platinum Elite is the sweet spot. It guarantees lounge access at most full-service brands, a 4 PM late checkout, and free breakfast. This is where the Q2 promo becomes incredibly lucrative for UK travellers.

If you hold the UK Marriott Bonvoy American Express card, you automatically receive 15 Elite Night Credits every year. Platinum status requires 50 nights. Stacking your credit card ENCs with the Q2 double nights promo means you only need 18 actual paid nights during the promo window to hit the 50-night threshold. You can lock in top-tier benefits through early 2028 with just two and a half weeks of hotel stays.

Hilton and BA Holidays: The alternatives

You do not have to limit yourself to IHG and Marriott. Hilton Honors is currently running a 100% Bonus Points promo this spring, effectively doubling base points to 20 per $1 spent. This yields roughly a 10% return on spend.

For UK Amex Platinum cardholders, Hilton is the path of least resistance. The card grants you automatic Hilton Gold status, which secures your free breakfast without needing to mattress-run for nights. If you are topping up for a redemption, UK Amex points transfer to Hilton at 1:2, compared to Marriott’s 2:3 ratio.

If you do not care about hotel points and just want Avios, look at BA Holidays. They are currently running a 10,000 bonus Avios offer for spring bookings. Booking a hotel through BA Holidays will not earn you Marriott or IHG promo points, but 10,000 Avios is worth about £100. On shorter weekend breaks, that flat Avios bonus often outweighs the hotel points you would earn booking direct.

The small print you need to know

Hotel loyalty programs love their terms and conditions. The small print for these Q2 2026 promotions contains a few traps that will cost you points if you aren’t paying attention.

Reward nights do not count

Both the IHG 3x multiplier and the Marriott bonus points/ENC require cash stays. If you book a reward night using points, you will not trigger the Marriott bonus ENC. At IHG, you will only earn the 3x points on your incidental cash spend during that reward stay, like room service or parking.

IHG multiplier excludes elite bonuses

The IHG 3x promo only triples your base points. If you are an IHG Platinum member, your 60% elite tier bonus is applied to the base rate, not the tripled rate. You get 30 points per $1 from the promo, plus 6 points per $1 from your elite status — not 48 points.

The third-party booking trap

Do not book your stay through Expedia or Hotels.com. Even with the newly returned Hotels.com rewards program, third-party bookings strip you of all Elite Night Credits and promo points at major chains. You must book direct.

Currency exchange dilution

Both IHG and Marriott calculate points based on USD spend. With the Pound fluctuating in April 2026, a stronger pound means your £100 hotel bill converts to fewer dollars. This marginally lowers your points haul compared to previous years when the exchange rate was weaker.

Practical tips to maximise your Q2 2026 hotel stays

Knowing the rules is one thing. Exploiting them is another. Here are the strategies working best right now.

• The Moxy mattress run: If you are within 5 to 10 nights of Marriott Platinum, look for cheap UK Moxy or Aloft rates. You can often find these under £70 a night on Sundays. A 5-night stay yields 10 Elite Night Credits and 5,000 bonus points. This easily justifies the cost if you have a luxury Marriott redemption planned later in 2026 where free breakfast will save you hundreds.
• Stack with Amex cashback: If you have a targeted Amex offer saved to your Preferred Rewards Gold or Platinum card — like “Spend £250, get £50 back” at Marriott or IHG — you will still earn the promo points and ENCs on the full pre-cashback rate. Just ensure you pay directly at the hotel checkout desk.
• Use the Rove loophole: You can now book loyalty-eligible hotels through the Rove platform. If you book an IHG or Marriott property via Rove, you can triple-dip. You earn Rove rewards, your credit card points, and the Q2 hotel promo bonuses, because Rove passes your loyalty number through directly to the hotel.
• Register for everything immediately: Registration is required before you stay. Existing bookings are perfectly fine and will trigger the bonuses, but you must hit the “Register” button on the IHG or Marriott app prior to checking in. Even if you are a die-hard Hilton loyalist, register for the IHG and Marriott promos today. Irregular operations happen, flights get cancelled, and you do not want to miss out on points because of a last-minute airport hotel booking.

The honest verdict

Honestly, I am not convinced the maths works for chasing Marriott status from scratch right now. If you are starting at zero nights, paying for 25 nights just to earn Platinum status is a poor use of capital, even with the double credits.

However, if you hold the Marriott Amex and already have those 15 head-start nights, Marriott is the clear winner for cheap, short stays. Securing lounge access and guaranteed 4 PM checkout for the next two years is a massive upgrade to your travel life.

For everything else, IHG takes the crown this quarter. High UK inflation means travellers need immediate, tangible rebates on their travel. Earning a 15% return on expensive cash stays is a fantastic deal. If you are booking a premium property or a long family holiday this spring, direct that cash to IHG and bank the points for a free weekend away later this year.

Ready to optimise the rest of your travel year? You can explore more guides on Points Uncovered.