I Prefer Hotel Rewards

I Prefer Hotel Rewards is the points-based loyalty programme of Preferred Travel Group, so pick your hotel, then book through ShopBack before you pay: ShopBack Cashback works like a discount, only easier than a promo code. The programme covers more than 700 independent luxury and upscale properties worldwide, including boutique city hotels, resort properties, heritage conversions and villa collections that sit outside the big-chain umbrellas (Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Accor). Membership is free and benefits apply immediately on enrolment. Singapore travellers typically use I Prefer for independent luxury stays in Bali, Phuket, Hoi An, Kyoto, Lisbon, Amalfi and the European heritage circuit where chain representation thins out. Activate ShopBack Singapore on the I Prefer page above before clicking through to preferredhotels.com to earn Cashback on the room rate you pay.

I Prefer members earn 10 base points per 1 USD spent on eligible room spend at most Preferred Hotels and Resorts properties, and 5 base points per 1 USD at select participating hotels. Points post after check-out and typically land within a few weeks. Reward Certificates become redeemable from 15,000 points, applied as a cash-value discount against a future stay. Sign in to the I Prefer account before booking to accrue points, and activate ShopBack Singapore before clicking through to preferredhotels.com to earn Cashback on the paid room rate.

I Prefer runs four tiers: Member (entry, no stay requirement), Explorer, Elite, and Titanium at the top. Explorer typically includes complimentary bottled water and WiFi; Elite adds early check-in and late check-out, plus space-available room upgrade; Titanium adds the deepest upgrade priority, welcome amenity, and highest Reward Certificate value. Tier qualification is based on eligible stay nights or earned points per calendar year on Preferred Hotels and Resorts stays, with status match offers surfaced from time to time against Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, Hyatt Globalist and World of Hyatt. Benefits are honoured at property discretion and may vary by brand within the Preferred family.

For Singapore travellers heading to independent luxury markets (Bali boutique villa, Hoi An heritage pool villa, Amalfi family-run cliffside, Kyoto ryokan-style conversion, Lisbon design hotel), the Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors footprint thins out quickly and the local category leader is often a Preferred Hotels and Resorts member rather than a Luxury Collection or Curio property. I Prefer unlocks the member rate, point earn and Reward Certificate pathway on those stays, which Marriott and Hilton loyalty cannot touch. For mainstream city hotels in Tokyo, London, Dubai, Bangkok and KL where the big chains have deep representation, Bonvoy and Honors usually win on redemption value and status upgrade frequency. The clearest I Prefer edge is boutique independent luxury. For a deeper look, see Marriott vs Hilton vs Hyatt Status Match 2026.

Signed-in I Prefer members unlock a member rate on preferredhotels.com that is typically 5 to 10 percent below the public rate on participating properties, with select Member Only Deals offering steeper cuts during off-peak windows. The best price pathway for Preferred stays is: sign in to the I Prefer account, book directly on preferredhotels.com rather than through Booking.com or Agoda (so point earn and tier benefits apply), compare with the direct property website in case the hotel is also running a direct-book incentive, and activate ShopBack Singapore Cashback on the I Prefer merchant page before clicking through. OTA-booked Preferred stays typically do not earn I Prefer points.

I Prefer Reward Certificates become redeemable from the 15,000-point floor. Certificates apply as a cash-value discount against a future eligible stay at any participating Preferred Hotels and Resorts property, rather than as fixed-value free-night awards. Certificate value is published inside the I Prefer dashboard at the time of redemption and typically escalates with tier (Titanium certificates carry higher per-point value than Member tier). Certificates have an expiry window published at issue, and are typically single-use per booking. Sign in to the I Prefer account before booking to apply.

Preferred Hotels and Resorts organises properties into five collections: Legend (grandes dames of hospitality), L.V.X. (upper-upscale luxury), Lifestyle (design-forward lifestyle hotels), Connect (urban business-leisure), and Preferred Residences (branded serviced residences). Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide cover heritage-conversion properties, and Beyond Green covers sustainability-certified lodges and eco-resorts. All collections earn and redeem I Prefer points. The portfolio weighs heavier on independent luxury than chain hotel groups; typical Preferred properties for Singapore travellers include boutique European heritage conversions, Mediterranean island villas, and Asian spa resort properties.

For Singapore travellers, the highest-traffic I Prefer destinations are typically short-haul regional luxury: Bali (Ubud and Seminyak villa resorts), Phuket and Koh Samui (private pool villas), Hoi An and Danang (heritage and beach resort combinations), Kyoto and Hakone (traditional-style luxury conversions), Chiang Mai (jungle resort villas), and Siem Reap (temple-adjacent luxury lodges). Longer-haul staples include Maldives overwater villas, Lombok and Komodo liveaboard-adjacent lodges, and Jaipur heritage palace conversions. These properties typically do not appear in Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors award charts, which is where I Prefer carries clear independent-luxury value. For a deeper look, see Book Direct vs OTA Singapore 2026.

I Prefer has a growing network of transfer partners. Citi ThankYou Rewards in the US lists I Prefer as a transfer partner; check whether your own card's points programme does before planning a transfer. Status match offers surface from time to time against Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors elite tiers. Airline partnerships are more limited than the big three chains, so most I Prefer value is captured on the room earn side rather than cross-programme transfer. Verify the current partner list on preferredhotels.com or by sign-in to the I Prefer dashboard before planning a transfer.

I Prefer is a loyalty programme rather than a booking platform, so cancellation and change terms are set by the individual Preferred Hotels and Resorts property on the booked rate. Flexible rates on preferredhotels.com typically allow free cancellation up to a few days before arrival, and advance-purchase rates are typically non-refundable with deeper discounts. Signed-in I Prefer members sometimes see a member rate that pairs standard flexibility with the loyalty-rate discount. Confirm the specific cancellation window on the rate page before booking, and activate ShopBack Singapore before clicking through so Cashback attaches to the paid room rate.

ShopBack Singapore is a Cashback and rewards platform that returns a share of every eligible I Prefer booking to members as cash. To earn Cashback on an I Prefer booking, sign in to ShopBack Singapore, open the I Prefer merchant page above, and click through to preferredhotels.com. Sign in to the I Prefer account on the Preferred Hotels site and complete the booking there. For repeat bookers, the ShopBack Cashback Buddy browser extension on desktop Chrome auto-detects preferredhotels.com browsing and prompts activation of Cashback before checkout. The current Cashback rate is shown in the rate table on the ShopBack I Prefer merchant page above.

The ShopBack Cashback Buddy browser extension on desktop Chrome detects preferredhotels.com browsing and prompts you to activate ShopBack Singapore Cashback before checkout. On your phone, open I Prefer from the ShopBack app via the I Prefer merchant tile and finish the booking there. You can sign in to your I Prefer member account as usual while you book.

Stays paid entirely with Reward Certificates or points carry no paid room rate, so Cashback applies to the cash portion of a mixed booking where the merchant terms allow.

Pending Cashback confirms after check-out, once the stay is completed and the property's cancellation window has closed, with the merchant-specific confirmation window shown on the ShopBack I Prefer page.