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Which hotel brand is best, IHG Vs. Hilton? IHG includes the luxury hotel brands Regent, InterContinental, Six Senses, Kimpton, Vignette, and Indigo hotels. Hilton’s luxury hotels include Waldorf, Conrad, and Canopy by Hilton. We review which is best below.
It’s worth mentioning at this point that you can book both these brands via our luxury travel concierge to get extra free benefits such as free breakfast, hotel credit, room upgrades, and your usual Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honours rewards.
Luxury IHG and Hilton Hotels are gorgeous, and which you pick will depend on which destination you are heading to. Many major cities and resorts house both an IHG hotel and a Hilton, Waldorf or Conrad. These locations include London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and Cannes. We compare these two brands in detail below.
1. Loyalty
IHG has at least two reward schemes: IHG One Rewards is free to join and gives you access to exclusive member rates. It is relevant to all IHG brands, including Regent and Kimpton. You can earn points for reward nights, get free Wi-Fi, and have a better chance of getting late checkout. Plus, you get perks like bonus points, reward night discounts, welcome amenities, and milestone rewards.
IHG also has an InterContinental Ambassador, which is relevant only to InterContinental hotels and is a loyalty program that delivers benefits exclusively at InterContinental Hotels & Resorts properties worldwide. The benefits of InterContinental Ambassador membership are: guaranteed one category room upgrade, guaranteed extended 4:00 pm checkout, complimentary weekend night, Platinum Elite status in IGH One Rewards and the corresponding benefits, restaurant, and bar credit of USD20 for every stay, complimentary mineral water, complimentary internet, dedicated check-in area, a single room rate for double occupancy and for mainland China only, complimentary breakfast for one each night you stay.
The cost of InterContinental Ambassador membership is USD 200 every 12 months. IHG One Rewards members can also purchase membership for 40,000 points.
The complimentary weekend night is valid on the second night of a minimum two-night paid weekend stay on the Ambassador Complimentary Weekend Night Rate at any InterContinental Hotels & Resorts property worldwide, excluding InterContinental Alliance Resorts.
Hilton hotels are usually 4—or 5-star and, in most locations. These, along with Waldorf, Conrad, and Canopy by Hilton are all part of the Hilton Honors reward program. Diamond Hilton Honors members and up to one additional guest registered to the same room will also enjoy complimentary access to executive club lounges if there is a club lounge at that Hilton hotel.
The IHG and Hilton loyalty benefits are usually nowhere near as good as the benefits you get by booking via our luxury travel concierge. Our travel agency partnership with IHG and Hilton hotels means you will get brilliant complimentary benefits at all luxury IHG and Hilton brands, usually including breakfast for two, prioritized room upgrades (subject to availability), hotel credit, and more if you book with our concierge. Our deals are almost always better than booking directly on the hotel website for both brands.
If you book with our team, you will also get all your usual IHG and Hilton Honors points during your stay. In Paris, New York, and London, you get free club lounge access when you book an InterContinental hotel via our team. Your loyalty tier is irrelevant to this perk.
2. Style
The Hilton Stucky Venice, which we have reviewed in detail, is an outstanding Hilton hotel and is the top choice if you’re deciding between the IHG and Hilton brands in Venice.
This Hilton has the advantage of being in the center and only a short shuttle boat ride away from St. Mark’s Square, and the shuttles are extremely regular. Plus, you are a short walk from the nearest water bus stop, which means the whole of Venice is accessible from this hotel.
There is no InterContinental, Regent, Kimpton, or Six Senses in Venice, but there is a Hotel Indigo Venice, which is stuck at the end of the main island and is a decent choice, although we prefer the Hilton for the location, views, breakfast and rooms. The Indigo is quite a walk from the center which would be unpleasant in the hot Venetian summer months.
The rooms at the Hilton in Venice are gorgeous and have phenomenal views, and the rooftop terrace is a fun place to hang out. The Hilton’s breakfast is amazing, although it is served indoors, so it lacks an Italian atmosphere. This hotel also has a Hilton club lounge.
Beyond Venice, we have also reviewed the London InterContinental Park Lane, which is about a one-minute walk south of the London Hilton Park Lane. The InterContinental is surrounded by London’s Parks and positioned on Hyde Park Corner, moments from Buckingham Palace. The Hilton Park Lane is set slightly back from the road and is very Marmite.
It has a decent club lounge but is set in an old tower block with slow and usually full lifts. We didn’t like this hotel, as we’re not keen on old tower blocks. I’m always reminded of the old movie Towering Inferno, which puts me off, although the views from the Hilton are arguably the best of these three hotels due to its height. In London, most hotels are positioned in less high and sometimes historic buildings.
Another Hilton option in London is the Conrad, which has an excellent club lounge and is a nicer hotel overall than the aforementioned Hilton, but the InterContinental London beats all the Hilton hotels in London in our opinion and it is one of our favorite InterContinental hotels.
This InterContinental has a lovely foyer downstairs with Theo Randall’s delicious Italian restaurant, along with a main bar area and an additional restaurant. Mayfair rooms here have been recently refurbished and have a slightly Asian feel with a modern cherry blossom-type design behind the beds. The highlight here is their fabulous club lounge, which is the best club lounge in London for views.
The InterContinental New York Barclay sits above the New York Hilton Hotels in terms of luxury in New York and at around the same level of luxury as the Waldorf. The Conrad is also good in New York. The InterContinental is a particularly great pick if you book a stay here via our luxury travel concierge, as you will get free club lounge access at this InterContinental hotel and its club lounge is fabulous, and contemporary with a particularly good breakfast and afternoon tea.
The other InterContinental in New York is InterContinental New York Times Square, which is another great property, but we don’t offer free club lounge access here.
The Hilton New York Times Square and the New York Hilton Midtown are both solid hotels, but the InterContinental is superior. Like London, The Conrad in New York is worth considering, and the Waldorf Astoria is very good, too.
There are numerous Hilton hotels in Paris. We think the best Hilton hotel in Paris is the Canopy by Hilton Paris Trocadero. We love this hotel brand because many have fantastic rooftop terraces, and the Paris Canopy has a superb rooftop terrace with views of the Eifel Tower.
InterContinental Paris Le Grand is your luxury IHG choice in Paris, and again, if you book a stay here via our luxury travel concierge, you will get free club lounge access at this InterContinental hotel. This hotel is gorgeous and recently refurbished, and its club lounge is a great place to hang out.
There are also several Kimptons in Paris and London, which should be considered if you are looking for a stylish hotel and are not bothered by a slightly smaller room size. Kimpton St Honoré Paris is an excellent boutique hotel in Paris that feels very special and unique compared to the more generic and corporate Marriott hotels.
We also reviewed the excellent Kimpton Fitzroy in London, which we love for its funky British decor and great atmosphere. Like all Kimptons, the rooms aren’t large here, but the communal areas are really fun, and the level of luxury is similar to the Hiltons. This is a great IHG choice.
Cannes is another destination with a Regent, which is part of IHG, and a Canopy by Hilton. The Regent is head and shoulders the winner here with chic contemporary decor, a beautiful pool, and a brilliant seafront location. The Canopy by Hilton has a fabulous rooftop terrace but falls below the Regent Hotel in almost every aspect.
3. Location
As a general rule, luxury IHG and Hilton Hotels are both centrally located in cities. Most of the IHG and Hilton hotels in New York are located in the concrete jungle, a walk from Central Park, unlike the Ritz-Carlton hotel, which is part of Marriott and is located on the edge of Central Park with gorgeously green park views. The Ritz-Carltons win our hearts in New York.
In Cannes, the Regent is at the heart of the action, and in London, all the luxury IHG and Marriott hotels are central.
The Canopy by Hilton in Cannes is brilliantly located with incredible waterfront views from its rooftop terrace, but the rooms feel budget. Boulevard de la Croisette, the Regent location, is the place to see and be seen in Cannes.
4. Size
IHG and Hilton hotels vary hugely in size. Some larger IHG and Hilton hotels are used for conferences. Again, there are exceptions, with some brand hotels that are almost boutique in size, so it is worth investigating each hotel individually. Kimpton is a lovely IHG boutique brand and is worth considering if you want a more unique place to stay. Canopy by Hilton is Hilton’s boutique brand and is worth considering in Paris and Cannes if you can’t stretch to the InterContinental and Regent, respectively.
5. Rooms
Standard rooms at IHG hotels tend to be similar to those at Hilton hotels, but again, this depends on the individual hotel and brand. Kimpton and Canopy by Hilton brands are super fun, but their rooms can be small. You do tend to get what you pay for.
6. Pool & Gym
Whether there is a pool and gym is very property-dependent. This shared pool area at the Hilton Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Astoria Orlando is outstanding, as is the tropical pool with slides at the Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort.
Overall, Waldorf hotels tend to have the best pools when compared to all the IHG and Hilton brands.
Very few IHG and Hilton hotels in New York have pools, although the Park Hyatt has a good one set high in the sky.
7. Ski
IHG and Hilton have some brilliant ski hotels. The best IHG ski hotel is the Six Senses Residences Courchevel, which has 53 hotel residences and has been thoughtfully designed with interiors mirroring the beauty of their Alpine environment.
The best Hilton ski hotel is the Waldorf Astoria Park City, which offers unmatched accessibility to the best of Park City with its historic Main Street, three ski resort properties, and inspiring Olympic Games venues. However, if you are looking for a great Hilton ski hotel, we love the Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa, which can be found in the heart of Whistler Village. Enjoy staying just steps from the Whistler and Blackcomb Mountain gondolas, located only minutes from the Whistler Conference Center.
8. Club Lounge
InterContinental hotels have brilliant club lounges, too. The two InterContinental club lounges in London are fantastic (one at the O2 and one on Park Lane). The fact that our luxury travel concierge agents can get you free club lounge access at many InterContinental hotels might sway your choice towards the IHG brand.
9. Family Facilities
IHG and Hilton hotels are both great for families, particularly if they are located on a beach. The best family friendly hotels are Four Seasons as well as some Belmond properties like the Hotel Cipriani.
10. Price
Price is brand and region-dependent. Asian hotels are often cheaper than their Western counterparts, although Hong Kong and Singapore tend to buck this trend. Hilton and Kimpton hotels tend to be less expensive than Regent, InterContinental, and Waldorf hotels primarily due to their smaller room size.
11. Conclusion
While both IHG and Hilton hotels are great hotel choices in a city or a resort, the differences between the brands within these umbrella groups mean that you should research before you pick your hotel. We prefer the more boutique hotels within each brand, like the Kimpton and Canopy hotels. You should enjoy a wonderful stay if you can stretch to a Regent, InterContinental, or Waldorf hotel.
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Image courtesy of Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel.
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