Croatia has three category 2 and one category 4 Starwood Hotels as of April 2016. This amounts to a comparatively high number of hotels in a country with few US chain brand hotels. There are two Starwood hotels along the several hundred miles of island-dotted Adriatic Sea coastline. Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera is located south of Dubrovnik about 6 miles and not actually in the ancient city on the southern Dalmatian coast of Croatia. The hotel is about 7 miles distance to Dubrovnik Airport and the airport is only ten miles from the Montenegro border, another of the six countries to emerge after the 1990s breakup of Yugoslavia. Le Meridien Split is a category 4 hotel at another easy to reach international airport location in the central coast section of Croatia.
When it comes to Zagreb, the inland northern capital city of Croatia, Starwood offers the best selection of the major chains.
Club Carlson is the leader for most hotels with six properties in Croatia, including four Park Plaza hotels in the north coast area at Pula, and two Radisson Blu hotels, one mid-coast in Split and one in southerly Dubrovnik.
Hilton has two hotels in Croatia in Zagreb and Dubrovnik. Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik is the top ranked brand name hotel on TripAdvisor in a selection with few brand names.
Best Western has two hotels, both located in Zagreb.
Marriott is not present in Croatia, but rumors are several hotels by 2020 (not including the current Starwood Hotels).
IHG has no presence in Croatia. Neither does Accor, Choice, Hyatt or Wyndham.
Croatia is a big time summer resort destination these days. Regional civil war for much of the 1990s dampened tourism in the Balkans. The presence of U.S. brand hotel chains is developing, but still constitutes a very small percentage of overall lodging options in Croatia, the most touristed of the countries of former Yugoslavia consisting of Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo.
Croatia saw international tourism increase by about 50% in the past decade from 8 million to 11 million visitors in 2013 Trading Economics data. In contrast, Slovenia is between Croatia and Italy and its comparable international tourism was only 2.25 million, while Serbia was under one million visitors.
Croatia ranks favorably in comparison to tourism in other countries in western Europe. Switzerland had around 9 million and Greece close to 18 million international visitors.. 11 million tourists in Croatia tops Belgium, Ireland, and any of the Scandinavian countries. Tourism provides a significant economic driver for Croatia.
Ancient coastal cities and regional National Parks conservation are influential attractions for international visitors. Romans spread across Europe and the Adriatic ports were some of their earliest settlements. The coastline and interior of Croatia have remnants of Roman and Venetian society with architecture and artifacts ranging across more than 2000 years of European development.
Two Starwood Hotels are in Croatia’s capital city: Sheraton Zagreb and Westin Zagreb. Croatia has three Starwood Hotels in April 2016 at SPG category 2 reward nights for 3,000 points Friday and Saturday or 4,000 points Sunday to Thursday nights. There is no discount 5th night free option for SPG Category 1 and 2 hotels.
Award availability for Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera is totally blacked out for the month of August with directions to phone for reward reservations. The Dalmatian coast is a popular place in summer.
Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera
Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera Room Rates: 175 EUR / night.
Saturday July 9 – Tuesday July 12 for 3-night stay.
   
$199 USD per night room rate for entry level room or 3,666 points per night.
3-night stay = $597 paying lowest available room rate.
Or pay 11,000 Starpoints, an amount you can buy today for $289 from SPG.
3 nights on the Dalmatian coast in a beach resort for $97 per night in mid-July looks like good Starpoints value.
As if you need more convincing this is a great hotel deal, then read a hotel review from 2015 on One Mile at a Time when Tiffany stayed in 2015. The hotel was SPG category 4 then at 10,000 points per night – Review: Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera Hotel.
Starpoints Sale $26.25/1,000 points ends April 30
There is currently a purchase Starpoints discount promotion ending tomorrow April 30. Starpoints are as low as $26.25 per 1,000 points in this sale.
SPG usually runs limited time offers two or three times per year to buy points at a discount. Prices are discounted 5% to 20% from $35 per 1,000 points in the typical sale. This current SPG Starpoints sale offers a maximum 25% discount on normal $35 per 1,000 points purchase price to drop the price down to $26.25 per 1,000 points.
That means the $597 Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera hotel reward stay in July is discounted to $289 if you buy $525 in Starpoints in this sale. And you still have sufficient points for a couple of nights at one of the category 2 Starwood Hotels in Zagreb.
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