IHG Hotels & Resorts and Rakuten Travel unveil partnership to offer domestic travellers exclusive loyalty benefits

IHG Hotels & Resorts and Rakuten Travel have joined forces to provide domestic travellers exclusive loyalty benefits when booking on Rakuten Travel and staying at more than 50 IHG hotels across Japan.

From today, Rakuten Travel users will be able to access IHG One Rewards members rates, the best rates available on the market, and earn points – Rakuten Points and IHG One Rewards Points – when they stay at IHG hotels across Japan. These new benefits can be accessed once users seamlessly enroll in IHG’s award-winning loyalty programme on the Rakuten Travel platform or the IHG App.

In addition to these benefits, the 145 million IHG One Rewards members globally have been able to choose Rakuten Points as their earning preference since June 2025 when booking direct and staying at select hotels from our more than 6,800 IHG hotels and resorts worldwide. Members are also able to convert existing IHG One Rewards Points to Rakuten Points, giving them even more choice and value than ever before.

Yoshiyuki Takano, Group Senior Managing Executive Officer, Senior Vice President of Commerce & Marketing Company, Rakuten Group, Inc. said: “We are delighted to expand our collaboration with IHG Hotels & Resorts to offer Rakuten users even more rewarding ways to experience travel in Japan. By connecting two trusted loyalty ecosystems, we’re creating new opportunities for our customers to enjoy greater value, convenience and flexibility in how they travel and earn points.”

Rakuten is a global technology leader that empowers individuals, communities, businesses and society, offering services in e-commerce, fintech, digital content and communications.

The company’s consumer offering is built on an ecosystem of more than 70 services, all connected through its flagship loyalty programme, Rakuten Points. Members can use points as a common currency for shopping, travel and other Rakuten services.

Abhijay Sandilya, Managing Director Japan & Micronesia, IHG Hotels & Resorts and CEO IHG ANA Hotels Group, said: “As we continue to deliver on our ambitious growth plans in Japan, we are proud to announce our expanded partnership with Rakuten. Together, we will deliver considerable added value to Rakuten Travel users and IHG One Rewards members.”

“This partnership will enable us to attract new customers to our hotels and our award-winning loyalty programme, IHG One Rewards. This agreement will also enhance awareness and preference for IHG brands, which in turn drives increased revenue for hotel ownerships.”

IHG’s loyalty programme is critical to our business and future growth. With more than 145 million members globally the programme offers industry-leading value, richer benefits and greater choices for members to enhance their stays while attracting the next generation of travellers.

Across Japan, there are 57 IHG hotels in operation across 10 brands, with 20 properties in the pipeline.

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IHG Hotels & Resorts (tickers: LON:IHG for Ordinary Shares; NYSE: IHG for ADRs) is a global hospitality company, with a purpose to provide True Hospitality for Good.

With a family of 20 hotel brands and IHG One Rewards, one of the world’s largest hotel loyalty programmes with over 145 million members, IHG has more than one million rooms and 6,800 open hotels in over 100 countries, and a development pipeline of over 2,300 properties.

• Luxury & Lifestyle: Six Senses, Regent Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Vignette Collection, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Hotel Indigo
• Premium: voco hotels, Ruby, HUALUXE Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, EVEN Hotels
• Essentials: Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, Garner hotels, avid hotels
• Suites: Atwell Suites, Staybridge Suites, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Candlewood Suites
• Exclusive Partners: Iberostar Beachfront Resorts

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group’s holding company and is incorporated and registered in England and Wales. Approximately 385,000 people work across IHG’s hotels and corporate offices globally.

Visit us online for more about our hotels and reservations and IHG One Rewards. To download the IHG One Rewards app, visit the Apple App or Google Play stores.

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