Changed SPG category changes for 2012

SPG posted a link to a pdf list of Starwood Hotels changing category for 2012 on February 16, 2012 on this FlyerTalk thread with changes taking effect on March 1. Turns out that several hotels listed on the originally published list from Starwood Hotels did not actually change category, mostly hotels that were listed as going down, and some hotels not listed went up in category. The pdf list that is currently accessed through this link is different from the initial Feb 16 file. There are still inaccurate hotel category changes on the list today.

Here are a few of the hotels originally listed that did not change category and some new hotels that did change category since the February 16 list was published.

• Le Meridien Bora Bora remains category 7. This hotel was listed as dropping to Category 6.
• Westin Key West Resort went up from a category 5 to category 6. This hotel was not on Starwood’s original list.
• Le Meridien Istanbul Etiler went up from category 4 to category 5. This hotel was not on Starwood’s original list.
• Le Meridien Chiang Mai remains at category 2 and did not drop to category 1. This hotel is still listed on the current SPG list as dropping to category 1.
• Four Points Long Island – remains at category 3 and did not drop to category 2.
• Sheraton Bradley Airport Hartford, CT remains category 3 and did not drop to category 2.
• Sheraton Denver West – remains category 3 and did not drop to category 2.
• Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort – remains category 4 and did not drop to category 3.
• Westin St. Louis – remains category 4 and did not drop to category 3.
• Le Centre Sheraton Montreal listed as dropping from category 4 to 3 in the current SPG changes pdf online is actually now SPG category 5  according to its hotel website.
• Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers remains Category 5 and did not rise to Category 6. This is good news for New York guests and the one positive change from the original list.

The hotels listed here are the discrepancies between the February 16 list of SPG hotel category changes and the March 16, 2012 list of SPG hotel category changes. At least two hotels are still listed with the incorrect category level on the SPG March 16 list with Le Centre Sheraton Montreal and Le Meridien Chiang Mai. There may be more changes, but without an accurate list from SPG those changes will be hard to detect.

This really is a regular occurrence with SPG annual category reassignments. I have written articles over the past few years and been burned by reporting SPG category changes for Hotel Gritti Palace, The Pulitzer in Amsterdam and Prince de Galles, Paris that didn’t happen after the original SPG list was published.

I want Starwood to continue publishing the annual changes, but keep in mind next February 2013 that the initial published list of Starwood Hotel category changes is not set in stone.

Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel shown as dropping from Category 4 to 3 in pdf list online March 16.

This hotel actually increased and is listed on the Sheraton Montreal website today as SPG category 5.