I Prefer Hotel Rewards is a more low-key loyalty program that offers independent luxury resorts to all types of travelers. Although its global reach is not as strong as Hilton, Marriott or Hyatt, the brand continues to expand, recently adding 14 resorts to its portfolio. Additionally, those who want a more intimate and exclusive hotel experience should consider staying at one of I Prefer Hotel Rewards’ branded hotels.
The following four hotel brands are associated with the program:
- Preferred Hotels & Resorts: Boutique luxury hotels in more than 80 countries
- Beyond Green: Luxury hotel with an emphasis on sustainability
- American Historic Hotel: Upscale, historic hotels in the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
- Global Historic Hotels: Former castles, villas, palaces, monasteries, etc. transformed into the best hotels in the world
Additionally, now that I Prefer Hotel Rewards is a transfer partner of Capital One and CitiThankYou Rewards, this loyalty program may be even more advantageous for travelers looking to book award stays. Here’s what you need to know about the program, including how to earn and redeem points and how to earn elite status.
Related: The World’s Best Hotel Rewards Programs: Which One Is Right for You?
I prefer hotel rewards elite status and benefits
I Prefer Hotel Rewards is free to join and offers three elite tiers: Silver, Gold and Titanium. Depending on your status, you can enjoy additional benefits such as early check-in or late check-out, room upgrades, free Wi-Fi, bonus points, and more. The following are the benefits associated with each status level:
Silver level (0-24,999 points)
- Earn 10 points per $1 spent on eligible stays (excluding taxes and fees)
- Superior room upgrade (subject to availability; may include upgrade to a higher floor, room with better view, or higher room category)
- Member-only price
- Free in-room Wi-Fi
- Early check-in, late check-out (subject to availability)
- Digital travel magazine of choice
Gold level (25,000-49,999 points)
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You’ll receive the same benefits as Silver status, plus:
- Earn 12 points per $1 spent on eligible stays (excluding taxes and fees)
- Receive a welcome gift (unique to each hotel)
Titanium level (50,000 points and above)
You’ll receive the same benefits as Silver and Gold status, plus:
- Earn 15 points per $1 spent on eligible stays (excluding taxes and fees)
- Complimentary food and beverages (unique to each hotel)
- Digital Anniversary Gifts
- Get special offers and experiences
It’s free to join the I Prefer Hotel Rewards program and you’ll automatically receive Silver membership immediately upon registration. Unlike other hotel loyalty programs, your elite status is based solely on your spending over a 12-month period, not the number of nights you book using the program.
Additionally, members do not have to wait until their anniversary to upgrade to the next level, they can upgrade once they reach the next spending threshold. For example, if you join the program in June 2025 and reach 25,400 points in October 2025, your account will automatically move you to Gold level.
RELATED: Comparing the Best Hotel Elite Tiers and How to Earn Them
How to earn I Prefer Hotel Rewards points
Earn points by staying at hotels
Once you join the loyalty program, you can earn I Prefer Points for stays at participating hotels through Eligible Booking Channels. These channels include booking directly with the four brands associated with the program, through the Preferred Travel Group call center or directly with the hotel. Points are not earned on bookings made through third-party travel agencies (e.g. Hotels.com, Expedia, etc.).
Members earn 10 points for every US$1 (or currency equivalent) spent. If you are a Gold member, you will receive an additional 20% bonus points, and if you are a Titanium member, you will receive 50% bonus points. You cannot earn points for taxes, resort fees, service fees or tips.
However, at some hotels, you can earn points for non-room charges such as dining, parking, gift shop purchases, spa treatments, and more. However, this is subject to the discretion of the individual property and is not guaranteed.
While members can’t earn points for Reward Nights, the loyalty program allows you to book stays using a combination of points and cash, called I Prefer Reward Nights+. Book a hotel room for just 3,000 points and cash; members can only earn points on the cash portion of the reservation.
Earn points with credit card partners
In addition to booking eligible stays at I Prefer Hotel Rewards hotels, you can also earn points by transferring credit card rewards. Currently, I Prefer Hotel Rewards is a hotel transfer partner for CitiThankYou Rewards and Capital One.
Eligible Citi card members can transfer points at a ratio of 1:4, which means for every 1,000 ThankYou Rewards points transferred, you will receive 4,000 I Prefer points.
Capital One miles transfer to I Prefer Hotel Rewards at a 1:2 ratio, which means for every 1,000 Capital One miles transferred, you’ll earn 2,000 I Prefer points.
Notable credit card offers include:
RELATED: Credit Card Transfer Partners: A Guide to Transferring Points and Miles to Airlines and Hotels
How to Redeem I Prefer Hotel Rewards Points
You can redeem I Prefer points to book free nights at select hotels around the world. Award prices start at 15,000 points per night and go up to 150,000 points per night.
As mentioned before, this hotel loyalty program doesn’t have the hotel footprint of competing brands, so it may be difficult to find hotels in the destinations you visit. For example, there are only 74 hotels in the United States that can be booked with points. That being said, the program is worth exploring as you can find some great deals on luxury properties, especially if you transfer Capital One miles or Citi Appreciation Rewards points.
In our experience, the “I Prefer” website is not the most user-friendly. First, be sure to log into your account before searching for available award hotels. When I wasn’t logged in, the website only showed about 72 properties; however, when I logged into my account, 223 hotels popped up.
Whether you’re searching for a specific area or want some vacation inspiration, you can filter by region, country, state, or city; you can also sort by lowest point or highest point.
For example, if you’re planning a trip to Ireland in the summer of 2026, you can see that there are a range of points hotels available on the Emerald Isle. Is Cork on your itinerary? You can book a stay in June 2026 for $387.32 or 50,000 points per night (plus $17.24 tax and fee) at Castlemartyr Resort, a restored 18th-century manor house with two Michelin-star dining options, an 18-hole golf course, a spa and more.
While the points-to-cash ratio only gives you about 0.7 cents of value, transferring your Capital One miles or Citi Appreciation Rewards points can get you a great deal on your dream property. Since Citi Points transfer at a 1:4 ratio, you only need to transfer 13,000 points to book a one-night stay, or 50,000 points to book a four-night stay.
So, is it a good deal if you book with Citi Points? Let’s break down the math:
- Book a one-night stay using Citi Points (June 17, 2026): Transfer 13,000 Thank You Rewards points to I Prefer and earn 52,000 points ($387.32 – $17.24/13,000 = 2.85 cents per point)
- Book a four-night stay using Citi Points (June 17-June 21, 2026): Transfer 50,000 Thank You Rewards points to I Prefer and receive 200,000 points ($1,887.08 – $68.95/50,000 = 3.64 cents per point)
This shows the total cash value of a one- or four-night stay, minus taxes and fees, divided by the number of Citi Points required to transfer to book this hotel stay. Therefore, for a one-night stay, you will receive a redemption value of 2.85 cents per point, and for a four-night stay, you will receive a redemption value of 3.64 cents per point. Since TPG values ​​Citi Thank You Rewards points at 1.9 cents per point (based on our October 2025 valuation), these are excellent redemption values ​​to help you maximize your transferable credit card rewards.
Now, while Capital One won’t give you as great a redemption value as Citi Thank You Rewards, as the redemption rate is only 1:2, you can still book a luxury property for essentially half the points value.
For example, you can book a stay at the Grand Canal Hotel in Monaco in June 2026 starting at $766.10 or 150,000 points per night (plus $10.45 tax). You can choose to spend your Italian holiday in a restored 17th-century palace beside the famous Venetian canals.
So, if you book your stay through Capital One Miles, is it a good deal? Let’s break down the math:
- Book a one-night stay with Capital One miles (June 17, 2026): Transfer 75,000 Capital One miles to I Prefer and earn 150,000 points ($766.10 – $10.45/75,000 = 1 cent per mile)
- Book a three-night stay with Capital One miles (June 17-June 20, 2026): Transfer 225,000 Capital One miles to I Prefer and earn 450,000 points ($2,532.79 – $31.34/225,000 = 1.11 cents per mile)
If you stay one night at the hotel in June, you’ll earn about 1 cent per mile in redemption value; if you stay three nights, you’ll earn about 1.11 cents per mile in redemption value. TPG values ​​Capital One miles at 1.85 cents per mile (based on our October 2025 valuation); so this particular redemption won’t maximize your Capital One miles, but you’ll be redeeming rewards for about 1 cent per mile, which is still good value if you want to save on cash rates.
But it’s important to note that cash prices at I Prefer Hotels fluctuate. For Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal, cash prices can be as high as $1,239.41 per night (including taxes and fees). So if you transfer 75,000 miles to book a one-night stay for 150,000 I Prefer points, you’ll get a value of about 1.64 cents per mile, which is close to TPG’s valuation.
As always, we recommend comparing the cash rate to the points cost, as transfers are irreversible. While you may be able to score great transferable rewards at select hotels, even a 1-cent-per-point or per-mile value is worth it if it saves you money on out-of-pocket costs.
RELATED: Rewards aren’t always the best: 4 times I booked at a paid rate instead of redeeming points or miles
bottom line
With Capital One and Citigroup adding I Prefer Hotel Rewards as a hotel pickup partner, you should keep an eye on this loyalty program, especially if you have Citi Thank You Rewards points. Simply use points or miles to book a unique luxury boutique hotel at a great price.
Although this portfolio is limited to just over 200 “spot” properties, we expect it to continue to grow in the near future.
