With Hyatt having acquired Mr. & Mrs. Smith, it’s no surprise that the IHG partnership with Mr. & Mrs. Smith has been terminated.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith cuts ties with IHG One Rewards
The partnership between InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Mr. & Mrs. Smith has been discontinued effective immediately:
- It’s no longer possible to make new bookings, whether paying cash or redeeming points
- All existing bookings will be honored, and will be eligible to earn points
For some background, in 2020, IHG launched a loyalty collaboration with Mr. & Mrs. Smith, intended to give IHG members access to more luxury properties. Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a luxury hotel booking platform, which describes itself as a “travel club and boutique hotel specialist,” affiliated with over 1,500 hotels. The way I view it, Mr. & Mrs. Smith is essentially a luxury travel agency and marketing agency of sorts.
With the partnership between IHG One Rewards and Mr. & Mrs. Smith:
- IHG One Rewards members could earn points when booking Mr. & Mrs. Smith hotels through IHG booking channels, including earning elite bonuses
- IHG One Rewards members could redeem points for Mr. & Mrs. Smith hotels, with dynamic award pricing; generally the value wasn’t great, but it was a nice option to have
- IHG One Rewards didn’t offer true elite perks at Mr. & Mrs. Smith, though did offer a welcome gift, which varied based on your status
Mr. & Mrs. Smith’s future with Hyatt
Hyatt has now acquired Mr. & Mrs. Smith, so it was a given that the IHG relationship would end. Now we have to wait and see exactly how Hyatt will integrate Mr. & Mrs. Smith into its booking channels. Don’t get too excited, in the sense that Mr. & Mrs. Smith doesn’t manage or operate any hotels, but rather is just a marketing channel.
My expectation is that Hyatt’s loyalty collaboration with Mr. & Mrs. Smith will look similar to IHG’s, and perhaps similar to Hyatt’s existing partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH).
When booking through Hyatt channels, I expect you’ll be able to earn points and elite nights for Mr. & Mrs. Smith properties. Redemptions might just be revenue based, given the caliber of hotels that Mr. & Mrs. Smith partners with. I also wouldn’t expect much in the way of elite benefits.
So while we’ll have to wait and see, World of Hyatt members will soon likely have a similar arrangement to what IHG One Rewards members had up until now.
Bottom line
Mr. & Mrs. Smith is now owned by Hyatt, so has cut all ties with IHG effective immediately. IHG One Rewards members can no longer earn or redeem points for Mr. & Mrs. Smith properties. Now we just have to be patient, and see what’s in store for World of Hyatt members.
Did you ever take advantage of IHG’s partnership with Mr. & Mrs. Smith?
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