Starwood Program - very hard to earn points?

[alarice]

I find the value of the Starwood Program points to be superior to those of other providers. Starwood is the only hotel points program that i participate in. I have had such wonderful experiences with the Sheraton Hotel and always stay with this provider as I know that they have the resources that I need while travelling. It's like a home aways from home for me and my family!

 

[straitman]

I find the value of the Starwood Program points to be superior to those of other providers. Starwood is the only hotel points program that i participate in. I have had such wonderful experiences with the Sheraton Hotel and always stay with this provider as I know that they have the resources that I need while travelling. It's like a home aways from home for me and my family!

alarice,

Welcome to AFF and thanks for the comments.

Starwood always did OK by me however since they have gone about selling hotels in the places I frequent it's become an impossible mission so I've gone elsewhere (as have a few others) .

 

[Keith009]

Starwood always did OK by me however since they have gone about selling hotels in the places I frequent it's become an impossible mission so I've gone elsewhere (as have a few others) .

Besides FFP accrual possibilities, I also assess whether a city is worth visiting by whether an SPG property exists. Unless I've actually met my quota for the year or something for SPG Gold requal and if there's no way of making PLT - going to try for PLT next year though.

Like alarice Starwood is like a home away from home for me. Guess I'm a sucker for their branding and marketing. There's a huge emotional appeal involved. It's the hotel chain I feel most comfortable staying with. I'd miss the Heavenly Bed, Bliss Lemon Sinkside 6, The Living Room, Whatever/Whenever, the Wonderful Bed, the Heavenly Shower, the Sweet Sleeper Bed etc etc too much if I stayed with anyone else. I've even modelled my own house after a W hotel, complete with Bliss bath amenities I shipped home from the States.

Oh how sad - letting these things dictate where I go on holiday.

 

[straitman]

Oh how sad - letting these things dictate where I go on holiday.

Not much sadder than some of the other status and points chasing that goes on around here :!: (me included )

 

[Hawkeye]

Besides FFP accrual possibilities, I also assess whether a city is worth visiting by whether an SPG property exists. Unless I've actually met my quota for the year or something for SPG Gold requal and if there's no way of making PLT - going to try for PLT next year though.

I am just completing my RTW, and have progressed from SPG nuthin, to gold, to platinum along the way. You do get treated with a certain deference at check-in, but many of the other benefits of platinum seem to get forgotten about i.e. room upgrade, late check-out, lounge access.

To hijack the thread for a moment, if you have any reason to visit Barcelona after you hopefully attain platinum, stay at the Le Meridien - my wife and I were upgraded to the most amazing suite I have ever seen on the top floor. It was at least 3 times bigger than any room I've ever stayed in! Add-in the absolutely breathtaking views over La Rambla, Montjuic, and to the Gothic Quarter, and it was a truly magical stay.

None of that W bling, though.

 

[serfty]

I find the value of the Starwood Program points to be superior to those of other providers. Starwood is the only hotel points program that i participate in. I have had such wonderful experiences with the Sheraton Hotel and always stay with this provider as I know that they have the resources that I need while travelling. It's like a home aways from home for me and my family!

As an SPG Gold I received Cr*p treatment twice in Sydney.

My main Oz accom needs are not in Sydney so in reailty SPG is not a viable option for me.

I am no longer an SPG Gold as I will not use the one or two viable facilities available to me here in Oz.

 

[Keith009]

I
To hijack the thread for a moment, if you have any reason to visit Barcelona after you hopefully attain platinum, stay at the Le Meridien - my wife and I were upgraded to the most amazing suite I have ever seen on the top floor. It was at least 3 times bigger than any room I've ever stayed in! Add-in the absolutely breathtaking views over La Rambla, Montjuic, and to the Gothic Quarter, and it was a truly magical stay.

Am going there Feb 2008 and I've already booked the LM - it's the only SPG there. It looks very nice, a bit like the Art and Tech LMs (like LM Cyberport and LM Wien) which are almost as good as Ws anyway. Just put in some groovy nightclub music in the lobby and dim the lights a little and they'll be heaven!

At least until the planned W Barcelona opens (Hospitality Net - Industry News - Starwood Announces First W Hotel in Europe; Barcelona to get a New City Landmark Designed by Spanish Architect Ricardo Bofill) - 2008 is set as an opening date but I'm not very sure that it'd be open when I get there since it's not even showing up on spg.com when I searched for Barcelona.

Alas I'll only be SPG Gold by the time the stay occurs, so none of that suite bling for me. However I've been lucky enough in the US and Australia to get club rooms so I'll try my luck in Europe.

 

[futaris]

MEL: Holiday Inn, Hilton, Westin

Any reason why you prefer Holiday Inn over Crowne Plaza in Melbourne?

 

[IainF]

Any reason why you prefer Holiday Inn over Crowne Plaza in Melbourne?

I can answer that....in one word..

UPGRADES !!!:mrgreen:

 

[oz_mark]

CP Mel upgrades are to higher rooms and/or 'better' views. HI upgrades are to better rooms (when they occur - pretty hit and miss IME)

 

[QF WP]

As IainF said (we can both attest to their fantastic upgrade policy). Plus it is a little closer to my clients workplace than CP. I haven't felt they are as much in touch with Pltinum benefits...

 

[Alanslegal]

Am I missing something? Is starwood really that difficult to earn enough points for a stay? It seems like a total waste of time to me if its that tough.

Any thoughts?

Cheers

S

No you are definitely not missing anything. Earning points and gaining status with Starwood is definitely not as easy, as say with Hilton Honors.

I'm quite a newbie to all these loyalty / reward programs and tried with Starwood in the past 12 months to receive zilch - no status in return, whereas a nice stay in NYC with Hilton using their promotional triple base points offer, I have been able to gain 100,000 base points from a 6 night stay meaning I've qualified for HH Diamond VIP. (rather than qualifying on nights or stays)

But in terms of Starwood, only method of gaining status is via stays and points earn is harder and points accrual is less, again as with Hilton where they have promotions, and double dippingR etc.

 

[Febs]

But in terms of Starwood, only method of gaining status is via stays and points earn is harder and points accrual is less, again as with Hilton where they have promotions, and double dippingR etc.

Starwood also have these promo's from time to time...though perhaps they're more targetted.

We recently had a promo at work - world-wide, but only for employees of the firm I work for. Basically for a period of ~3 months, all stays and nights were doubled, for the purposes of status accrual.

I stayed 1 night in three separate SPG hotels (one W, one Sheraton, and one Westin which AA paid for ), which earned me 6 "stays". So despite only staying 3 nights in total (and only paying for two of them), I only have 4 stays to go to earn SPG gold. Not "close", but not unfeasible either.

Cheers,
- Febs.