SPG and FourSquare for 250 points per stay and chance of free resort nights

Someone with 30 FourSquare checkin badges for SPG hotels may not necessarily be the “best travelerâ€, but Starwood will crown you mayor if you are the Starwood Preferred Guest member with the most check-ins during each month of May, June or July. Apparently your Starwood-FourSquare mayor title will give you some web space to share your story and travel tips.

Then again, the person who actually stays in 30 Starwood Hotels in May, or June or July gets 10 free resort nights through SPG Stay 3, Getaway Free promotion in addition to being Starwood mayor. That is certainly one savvy traveler on the go.

SPG is giving 250 Starpoints for every reservation at a Starwood Hotel from May 1 through July 31 with a check-in on FourSquare.com — a geo-location social network site. You don’t actually check-in to your hotel through FourSquare, but while you are at the hotel log on to FourSquare and checkin showing FourSquare you are at the hotel location and you will receive FourSquare credit and receive 250 Starpoints.

• Your FourSquare and SPG accounts must be linked.
• You must have a reservation at the hotel to earn 250 bonus points.
• Paid stays and award stays (Points only and Cash & Points stays) count for 250 bonus points.
• Only one 250 points bonus for FourSquare checkin per hotel stay.
• You must complete FourSquare checkin using a mobile app on your phone.

Other features of the Starwood Preferred Guest promotion are a chance to win a free resort night award with every FourSquare Starwood Hotel checkin through May 31 and a sweepstakes entry for a 5-night Starwood Resort trip with airfare for every FourSquare Starwood Hotel checkin through July 31.

 

FourSquare for squares

Originally I thought I would try and explain the process of setting up FourSquare and linking accounts, but I had such difficulty with my account that I am not even going there. Turns out I signed up at FourSquare in May 2010 and I was having trouble downloading the mobile app to my phone until I realized I needed to use a different email address I set up for my phone. This FlyerTalk thread has some folks more knowledgeable about the tech side of FourSquare.

FourSquare off-the-grid checkin is a feature I favor. I disabled all the FourSquare notification buttons for my account since I don’t want Twitter and Facebook followers knowing where I am staying each night I checkin to a Starwood Hotel using FourSquare. I wouldn’t even bother with FourSquare for 250 points per night if not for the fact that I should be able to pull in 6,000 or 7,000 points over the next three months while I am working the Starwood Resorts promotion for a free night after every three Starwood Hotel stays.

Four Points Fresno is my first FourSquare badge

I have one FourSquare checkin so far at the Four Points Fresno. The hotel room there was nice and spacious for my Deluxe room reservation. The pool is sizeable with three large cabanas. Free cabanas after the $1,000 per day cabanas at the Palazzo Las Vegas seem like a steal. Although, the Fresno Four Points cabanas are missing the flat screen tv you’ll find at The Palazzo.

I received complimentary buffet breakfast as an SPG Platinum member and a free drink coupon for Smugglers Restaurant.

My primary hotel complaint is party-girl Anna across the hall who apparently passed out while her friend accompanied by hotel security spent 20 minutes banging on Anna’s door at 2:15 in the morning trying to wake her up to no avail.

Thanks Anna. You cost me an hour of sleep!

My insider FourSquare tip: When the party across the hall is raging at 8pm, follow your instinct to go back down to the front desk and ask for a different room.