Travelers can revel in long winter weekends and spring break sprees without the inconvenience of checked baggage fees because IHG announced it will be extending its 'Check It Free'.

Guests can now get back up to $100 in checked baggage fees for each roundtrip flight with a two-night weekend stay at any of IHG's 4,500 hotels worldwide including InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, Holiday Inn®, Holiday Inn® Club Vacations, Holiday Inn® Express, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®.

IHG initiated its first Check It Free promotion period in fall 2010 to help guests save on travel expenses.  Building on its popularity, the hotel group has extended the promotion period and doubled its reimbursement offer to $100 from $50. 

Consider these statistics:

• According to the Consumer Travel Alliance, in a recent survey of more than 1,300 travelers, 91 percent of respondents rated carry-on baggage fees "very annoying"
• Checked bag charges have become commonplace in the airline industry with many airlines charging a minimum of $25 per checked bag
• The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported that travelers paid $1.6 billion in checked baggage fees in the first half of 2010 alone. This, combined with additional hidden fees, has led more than 50,000 consumers to sign a petition to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) urging it to require airlines to disclose fees in advance.