SPG Promotion Progress: Paid $685 and received estimated $2,760-$3,960 in hotel and airline travel value.
Kelley observed the hallways at the century old Westin St. Francis and The Palace Hotel in San Francisco have wide hallways on the room floors. Modern hotels tend to squeeze more room space on floors with narrow halls.
Ten years ago when I first started reading FlyerTalk I wondered about all these traveler stories on great loyalty promotion offers and elite status benefits. The deals sounded too good to be true.
I came into travel loyalty programs as a relatively low wage person seeking a way to travel comfortably at an affordable price for someone with limited vacation money. I learned that spending time planning travel could reduce the cost of travel by 50% or more while going upscale. In other words, I learned to travel in upper upscale style for the price of Priceline rooms.
Even after learning many strategies over the years with FlyerTalk, I needed to ante up thousands of dollars to test the loyalty program waters when it came to the high value promotions.
In 2003 I planned a trip to Australia and Starwood Preferred Guest ran an Asia/Pacific hotels promotion for 50,000 Starpoints for any SPG member who stayed in 5 of the 6 Starwood brands: Westin, Sheraton, W Hotels, Luxury Collection, Four Points, and St. Regis.
Australia had all these brands except for St. Regis (China). At the time I was a Hilton HHonors Diamond elite. I applied for a Starwood Preferred Guest elite status match and I was given complimentary SPG Platinum elite membership normally requiring 25 stays or 50 nights in a calendar year. I have been SPG Platinum since 2003.
My first qualifying hotel night for the 50,000 points bonus was at the Luxury Collection Sheraton Southgate in Melbourne, Australia. Reviews on FlyerTalk were not kind to this hotel.
I received a three room corner suite. I wouldn’t normally call a bathroom a room in a suite, but when it has a walk-through shower for two leading to a Jacuzzi tub large enough for a small party, the bathroom qualifies its status as a room. Kelley was blown away by the size of the room.
The second night at the hotel was under Kelley’s name and we had to move to a standard room. Kelley was only SPG Gold elite.
Four out of five of our stays in Australia followed the pattern of a lovely preferred view room or suite for my reservation night as a Platinum elite, followed by a move to a smaller room, or the less desirable view for Kelley’s reservation as SPG Gold elite. Four Points Sydney was the exception to the rule by keeping us in the same hotel suite for two nights.
Starwood Preferred Guest Elite Status and BRG claims
The current free nights promotion is a great deal for any SPG member. The deal is awesome for this SPG Platinum elite.
And if you are not SPG elite, then there is no better year to go for 25 stays. The ability to earn a free night at nearly any Starwood Hotel worldwide is an incredible offer.
Request a status match to SPG elite if you have status with another hotel loyalty program.
Potential Best Rate Guarantee (BRG) claims are all over the place with lower online travel agency competitor rates on sites like Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity, and Hotels.com. I have submitted over a dozen claims in the past month and many more I passed over since I have scheduling issues due to Kelley’s cancer treatments keeping me from taking advantage of many Starwood Hotel deals I have found. The online travel agencies are blasting the web with hotel rate discounts and undercutting Starwood Hotel’s own sites.
There are 7 Starwood Hotels in the city of San Francisco and 3 Starwood Hotels at San Francisco airport. In the past three weeks I have submitted BRG claims for 8 of these 10 hotels.
I don’t even bother with the St. Regis San Francisco since its rates are over $300 per night. I plan to use some of my free nights there.
And I haven’t noticed a BRG rate for the W San Francisco yet, but with rates as low as $150 per night, the W is already showing rates as low as I have seen in the past six years.
I keep finding multiple properties for the same night. I have thought about applying BRG claims under Kelley’s account, but that takes me back to the issue of elite status.
I booked a BRG claim for the Westin Market a couple of weeks ago. My lowest category room reservation for a traditional room on Floors 4-7 was upgraded to a full suite on the 33rd floor. I received a $400 value complimentary suite upgrade on a $110 BRG rate. ( I underestimated the upgrade value in the table below.)
Kelley currently has no elite status with SPG. Submitting a BRG claim under Kelley’s name will get the same rate as I would receive, but we are unlikely to get the same type of room. Kelley would likely be booked in a room on Floors 4-7 at the Westin Market Street. Kelley would likely receive the booked room for a double bed in a room with no view at the Westin St. Francis rather than the Junior Suite room I received with Union Square view room.
Elite status makes a big difference in the hotel experience. So if you currently do not have status this is the time to go for it.
My ‘go for elite’ advice: Hammer out 25 stays at the lowest rates you can find during this Starwood promotional period through July 31. In many locations this can be achieved for about $2,500 for 25 stays. Earn platinum elite status by July and then use your free weekends for resort stays in August and September after you have attained Platinum elite. Your $400 per night free room may well be upgraded to an $800 per night free room.
SPG Promotion Progress: Paid $685 and received estimated $2,760-$3,960 in hotel and airline travel value.
Paid $595 for 6 hotel stays + $90 taxes = $685
Received $1,055 in room value through complimentary upgrades based on SPG Platinum elite status.
Earned $430 value in Starpoints based on purchase price of $35/1,000 points.
Earned 3 free weekend nights from Stay Two, Earn One Free Night promotion. ($1,200-$2,400 value?)
Earned 6,000 Northwest Airline miles from combinable airline miles + free nights promotion. ($75 value)
|
Hotel
|
SPG Category |
Rate/ Type/ room category |
Category room received |
Upgrade Value |
Bonus Points |
|
Four Points SFO |
Cat 2 |
$79/BRG/traditional |
$119 Penthouse Bi-level Suite |
$40 upgrade |
2,000 BRG points + 250 Platinum amenity |
|
Westin Market Street |
Cat 4 |
$110/ BRG / traditional |
$250 33rd floor full suite |
$140 upgrade |
2,000 BRG points + 500 Platinum amenity |
|
Westin St. Francis |
Cat 4 |
$107 AAA traditional |
$250 Historic wing Junior Suite partial Union Square view |
$150 upgrade |
500 Platinum amenity |
|
Luxury Collection The Palace |
Cat 5 |
$134 AAA traditional |
$172 Junior Suite |
$40 upgrade |
500 Platinum amenity |
|
Four Points SFO |
Cat 2 |
$76 BRG traditional |
$119 Penthouse Bi-level Suite |
$43 upgrade |
2,000 BRG points + 250 Platinum amenity |
|
Sheraton Gateway SFO |
Cat 2 |
$89 BRG traditional |
$145 Club Floor |
$56 upgrade |
2,000 BRG points + 500 Platinum amenity ; Club lounge access; complimentary breakfast; free appetizer; $6 parking |
|
My Starwood Hotel promotion summary for completed stays: |
$595 paid rates (+$90 taxes)
San Francisco has >15% room tax. |
$1,055 value of rooms I stayed in, if booked at lowest rates at the time I made my reservation. |
$470 complimentary value-added upgrades |
10,500 bonus points in BRG claims and Platinum elite amenity points; plus 1,785 regular points earned ($595x 3 points/$1)
$430 value |
|
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