Starwood Lurker posted a Starpoints purchase offer yesterday on FlyerTalk with DiscoverAmerica Daily Getaways in support of the U.S. Travel Association. Starwood Hotels is first up in a month of daily travel offers from May 3 to June 4, 2010 involving 50 companies. Lucky’s One Mile at a Time blog brought this offer to my attention today.

On Monday, May 3 at 10:00 AM ET, you have a chance to buy from any of three Starwood Preferred Guest fixed price items on sale at the DailyGetaways.DiscoverAmerica.com website.

Forget the Starwood Hotels branding distracters of aloft, Four Points, and Sheraton free nights. Starpoints are the items for sale and there is no restriction on their use. If you buy 4,000 points through the Stay 1 Night for $60 aloft hotel branded page, there is no obligation for you to use the 4,000 points at an aloft hotel. The points are deposited into your account for whatever hotel or airline miles exchange you choose.

Starwood Points Getaway Offers at DailyGetaways/DiscoverAmerica.com

• 4,000 Starpoints for $60 (281 items available; maximum purchase is 5 items = 20,000 points/$300)
• 7,000 Starpoints for $100 (400 items available; maximum purchase is 5 items = 35,000 points/$500)
• 10,000 Starpoints for $145 (470 items available; maximum purchase is 5 items = 50,000 points/$725)

The terms of the sale state any credit card may be used for Getaway Offer purchases.  Starpoints items are a fixed price offer. Registration is not required to purchase this offer. DailyGetaway Frequently Asked Questions.

Loyalty Traveler analysis: 8,624,000 Starpoints for sale Monday, May 3

Purchasing Starpoints through the DiscoverAmerica deal at $14.28 to $15.00 per 1,000 points is nearly 60% off the normal rate for buying Starpoints from Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) at $35 per 1,000 points.

You can try to buy as few as 4,000 points for $60. You could likely save $50 on a category 2 Starwood hotel night. This offer may go fast and require immediate action at precisely 10:00 AM on Monday, May 3 to get your order through the channels. A maximum purchase of 5 items in each category means this could be as few as 230 total transactions to clear out the nearly 9 million in points inventory.

You can go for a big purchase and buy as many as 50,000 points for $725. For 50,000 points you can buy 5 nights in a category 5 hotel (48,000 points actually). There are dozens of category 5 hotels that will run over $300 per night, so basically you get an upper-upscale hotel for half-price. Points, Miles & Martinis just posted a St. Regis Atlanta (SPG category 5) hotel review today.

40,000 points ($580) exchanges into 50,000 airline miles with about 20 SPG airline partners.

This is one of the best opportunities in years to buy Starpoints at a price this low per 1,000 points. No guarantee that we will see an offer like this again from SPG. Starpoints normally sell for $35 per 1,000 points. A current sale on the Starwood website offers points for $28 per 1,000 points until May 31, 2010.  Just a few years ago points were sold by SPG for $50 per 1,000.

Remember: Monday, May 3, 2010 – 10:00 AM ET.

“I mean everyone has got to take a road trip, at least once in their lives.
Just you and some music.”

Claire Colburn in the Cameron Crowe movie Elizabethtown.

The next two weeks will likely be different types of blog posts than typically seen here on Loyalty Traveler.  The plan is for sporadic dispatches from the road.

Yesterday was supposed to be the first day of my two week road trip through the Pacific Northwest.  The California winter rain season started this weekend.  Going north on Interstate 5 the rain was supposed to be greater than 2 inches.  California is a state where most people only drive in rain about 10% of the year.  Driving during the first major storm of the year is “No Fun”. 

The rainy weather changed my itinerary from a coast road drive to an Interstate 5 trip to Vancouver, British Columbia. I’ll see how the weather is next week for the return south and determine if time and inclination take me coastward.

I feel like there is no better time than election day USA to go on the road.  The media is anticipating change.  I anticipate a national breakdown if we, as a nation, don’t embrace change. 

My  schedule is 1,050 miles north through California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia to Vancouver over the next five days.   Portland plans include visiting an elementary school converted into a hotel/brewpub.  I’ll see if they need a substitute for the day. 

As with most travel trips the cost generally comes out more than what you initially planned.  The price of gas is down, and some hotel rates are down, however, there are still a fair share of $200+ per night hotels out there in the Pacific Northwest.  I have pulled out lots of hotel rate tricks for this trip.  

Starwood Best Rate Guarantee for two hotels is saving about $50USD and SPG awarded me with 4,000 bonus points for the successful claims.  SPG 50% off awards will save me another $175 in Portland, Oregon. 

IHG PointBreaks awards at 5,000 points per night discount the Holiday Inn Express hotels in Oregon to $62.50 per night compared to the outrageous $140 per night regular rate the hotels command from Interstate 5 traffic. I bought 11,000 points for $125 on Saturday and the points posted to my account by Sunday.  Yesterday I booked my PointBreaks hotel for 5,000 points.

Canada is an absolute bargain right now for hotel rates.  The Canadian Dollar is down against the US Dollar.  When I first started planning this Canada trip a couple of weeks ago the exchange rate was $1.15 and on Monday, Oct 27 it approached $1.29CAD.  The Canadian currency has strengthened during the last week and today the US Dollar is back to $1.16CAD.  I should have exchanged some cash last week.  Many of the 4-star and 5-star hotels in Vancouver downtown area are under $130USD per night, even among the major brand hotels. 

Kimpton Hotels Fall-ing for Vancouver with $139CAD suite (under $120US + 18% tax)

Some deals in Vancouver are under $100 USD per night like Kimpton Hotels’ Vancouver Pacific Palisades Hotel with an $89USD room special. 

Next Loyalty Traveler dispatch should be from the state of Oregon.

A call-out to any readers with sight-seeing tips or other recommendations for a traveler along the I-5 corridor.  Leave me a comment or send an email ricgarrido@frequentguest.net.

Wanted: Affordable Luxury Hotel Vacation

Solution: Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Cash and Points Awards

Last April I took a road trip from Monterey, California to Phoenix, Arizona and booked two of my hotel stays using Starwood Preferred Guest’s Cash & Points option for resorts in the Palm Springs and Scottsdale area.   In Palm Springs I stayed at the Westin Mission Hills Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage and posted about the experience here, in “Wanted: Room with a View”.  In Scottsdale I was upgraded to a suite at the Westin Kierland Resort on my Cash & Points award stay.  I had a great view at the Westin Mission Hills, but I suspect there are hundreds of people every year disappointed with their parking lot view rooms.  A hotel loyalty plan for travel could prevent that let-down.

Cash and Points is a type of hotel loyalty program award allowing the frequent guest member to substitute a fixed amount of cash for a portion of the hotel points normally required for a free hotel stay.  This payment strategy can be one of the highest value ways to use your hard-earned hotel points.

Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, Scottsdale, Arizona

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

SPG Category 5 Hotel

Payment Option 1 – Best Available Rate: $479 per night ($538 per night with 12.27% taxes)

Payment Option 2 – Free Night Using Points: 12,000 Starpoints per night

Payment Option 3 – SPG Cash & Points award: $90 + 4,800 Starpoints per night

All Cash Payment:  Out of the three payment options for the Westin Kierland I toss option 1 out at first glance as it is $479/night.  That is the lowest rate, nonrefundable, and another 12.27% tax is on top of the $479 base room rate to reach $538 per night. 

All Points Payment: Payment option 2 using 12,000 points for a free night is commonly the only other choice for a one night hotel stay.  An advantage of the Starwood hotel loyalty program is the easy redemption of points when and where you want to stay.  You can even buy 12,000 Starpoints from the SPG website for $35/1,000 points or $420 for 12,000 points if you needed to stay at the Westin Kierland.  The all points option will save $118 compared to the fully paid rate if you have to buy all 12,000 points.  Awards on points generally do not have additional taxes, which is a significant savings to consider. 

Cash & Points Payment:  Payment Option 3 uses a combination of $90 cash + 12.27% tax ($11.05), plus 4,800 points.  Cash & Points Hotel Night costs 4,800 points + $101.05 per night.

I feel much more comfortable parting with 4,800 Starpoints rather than 12,000 points for a hotel stay.  And financially the Cash & Points award is a fantastic savings on the nightly rate.

Purchasing Starpoints from SPG (link to SPG)

Assume you have zero Starpoints.  You can enroll for free in Starwood Preferred Guest if you are not a current member.  As soon as you are a member you can buy Starpoints.

You simply purchase 5,000 Starpoints for $175 from the SPG website link shown above.

Total cost for the Westin Kierland has been reduced from $538 for a fully paid one night stay down to $276.05 per night for a Cash & Points award stay. 

You can book a two-night stay using the SPG Cash & Points option for just a few dollars more than a one-night fully paid cash stay. 

SPG Cash & Points is one of the best hotel discount strategies available.

Another Sample Hotel Cash & Points Savings

W Mexico City, November 10-13

SPG Category 5

Lowest nightly rate: $394 (+17% tax) = $466.83/night or $1,400.49 for 3-night stay.

Cash & Points $90 + 4,800 points  = $105.30 (after tax) + 4,800 points per night.

You can purchase 15,000 Starpoints for $525 and the cash portion of the 3-night award stay will be $315.90 for a total cost of $840.90 at the Starwood Hotels W Mexico City.

W Mexico City, a 3-night stay will be at least $560 less using Cash & Points Award nights compared to the regular paid rate for the sample date searched.  And if you have SPG elite status you can anticipate an upgrade to an even better category room.

Important to remember

Cash&Points awards are capacity controlled and many Starwood hotels will not have this award option during peak seasons. 

I searched a couple of weekends in San Diego for October 2008 and there were no Cash & Points options for any of the San Diego area Starwood hotels. 

I did not see any Cash & Points options for New York City hotels over several dates I searched. 

Starwood Preferred Guest Category 5 and 6 hotels, the properties that trend toward a luxury and resort clientele, generally will have the high average room rates to make Cash & Points a lucrative savings opportunity. 

Cash & Points are a hotel savings strategy to consider when you want a luxury getaway at an affordable price.

Fall 2008 PointBreaks List Currently Available for IHG Priority Club Rewards Reservations for Stays through November 30, 2008

PointBreaks are one of the best available hotel loyalty deals for the traveler.  The new list of participating hotels in the InterContinental Hotels Group for Priority Club Rewards PointBreaks is out and contains nearly 140 hotels around the world available for just 5,000 points per reward night.

·         Middle East = 5 hotels in Egypt, Eritrea, Israel, Lebanon, and Yemen

·         Asia = 21 hotels in China, India, Japan, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka

·         Oceania = 4 hotels in Australia and Fiji

·         Europe = 20 hotels in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and the UK.

·         Central and South America = 6 hotels in Brazil, El Salvador, and Guatemala

·         Mexico = 6 hotels

·         Canada = 11 hotels in 6 provinces

·         USA = 65 hotels in 17 states

In Fall 2007 there were 49 hotels in Europe on the PointBreaks list and this year there are only 20 hotels in the Fall 2008 PointBreaks offer.  Still, although the participating hotels are fewer, there are great savings to be had if one of the properties matches your destination.

Haifa, Israel has a Crowne Plaza hotel where I saw 6 nights availability for 30,000 points in October using Pointbreaks.  The lowest available rate for the Crowne Plaza Haifa during the dates checked for Pointbreaks availability was $156US/night. 

For a traveler planning to stay in Haifa for six nights the choice becomes 30,000 points or $936?  If you are paying the bill with your own funds, consider 30,000 Priority Club Rewards points can be purchased for $345 online on the Priority Club Rewards website.

I tried a dozen dates for the Crowne Plaza Milan, Italy and could not find any availability using PointBreaks.  With room rates in the 150-200 Euro per night range, the PointBreaks would be quite valuable at this location if you can locate availability.

October 14-17, 2008 sample dates for 3-night hotel stay searches:

Crowne Plaza Hannover, Germany had availability for a 3-night stay in October on my first date search.  The lowest available room rate for these dates was a nonrefundable 117€/night ($1.47/€ = $172US/night).  15,000 Priority Club points would save $516 on this stay.

Holiday Inn Jaipur, India had availability for a 3-night stay in October for 15,000 points using PointBreaks.  The lowest available rate was 6,750 Indian Rupees ($158US) or $474US for a 3-night stay.

Hotel Indigo Fishers Indy’s Uptown, Fishers, Indiana, USA

3-night stay will cost 15,000 Priority Club Rewards points or $159 (+ 12% tax)/night or $534.24 for a 3-night stay at a Hotel Indigo in Indiana.

Priority Club Points Purchase when used for PointBreaks Award Nights.  Members can purchase up to 40,000 points in a 12-month period.

5,000 points = $67.50  at $13.50 per 1,000 points. 

1-night PointBreaks award costs $67.50.

15,000 points = $187.50 ($12.50 per 1,000 points.

3-night PointBreaks reward costs $62.50/night.

25,000 points = $287.50 ($11.50 per 1,000 points.

5-night PointBreaks reward costs $57.50/night.

Priority Club has a real treat for the savvy consumer who can fit Pointbreaks Reward nights into your travel itinerary.

*****************************************************************************************

The hotel frequent guest promotions were flying out of the internet this week as I was busy helping my wife move from one classroom to her new kindergarten classroom (the amount of classroom stuff she has is equivalent to moving our household).

And then there are the Beijing 2008 Olympics.  I watched the opening ceremonies online Friday morning, August 8, on Russian and German TV.  I watched Michael Phelps win his first gold medal live over the internet on Saudi TV.  And each day as I learned of new sites for online viewing access, the sites were made inaccessible to viewers in the USA.  Big brother is squeezing the internet and the American viewers suffer through this Olympics.  Some of us more than others.  At least east coast USA is seeing some of the Olympics live, particularly Michael Phelps swimming races.  I have been spending 8 to 9 pm every evening online picking up the posted times and scores of the races here in California while running a verbal rant against the corporate idiots who subject American viewers to tape-delay sports while simultaneously blocking access to live video feeds of the Olympic events over the internet. 

Roger Federer and the Williams sisters should have considered sleeping in a Beijing Holiday Inn Express.  The Tennis US Open is just around the corner and unfortunately the new IHG Priority Club PointBreaks list for Fall stays does not include Beijing, California, or New York for those of us finished watching tennis breakpoints. 

Priority Club increased the purchase limit for Priority Club points from 20,000 in a 12-month period to 40,000 points in a rolling 12-month period. Unfortunately, the price also increased from $10/1,000 points to $11.50 per 1,000 points, a 15% increase.

This still means a Priority Club member can just buy points for a PointsBreak room for about $57.50 per night. On the flip side, an InterContinental Hotel reward room for 40,000 points may sometimes be a better deal at $460 cash to purchase 40,000 points.

A side benefit of purchasing Priority Club points is the eligibility of purchased points to count towards elite status. Priority Club requires 50 nights or 60,000 points earned to qualify for platinum membership. Purchased points can take you two-thirds of the way to Priority Club Platinum Elite and a few well-planned stays with promotional bonus points can easily put a member over 60,000 points.

I was looking back at an article I wrote in October and I used the JW Marriott Ihilani as my example hotel for saving cash by just buying marriott Rewards points. This is text from my article in Hotels-and-Points October 2007. The 12-page newsletter can be downloaded as an Adobe PDF file. It is about 3 MB size so takes a a little bit to download and open. The focus of my October report was purchasing hotel points for room discounts.

[from Hotels-and-Points, October 2007-Ric Garrido]
“Marriott Rewards Points Purchase ― Prices Too High, Just Buy

Marriott Rewards members may buy or receive up to 50,000 purchased points per calendar year ( Jan 1-Dec 31) at the price $12.50/1,000 points. Another program rule allows spouses to transfer points, free of charge, between their accounts at the time of reward stay redemption. These rules mean spouses can buy a combined total of 100,000 points per calendar year and opens up the pos-sibility of buying the best high-value reward stays.

See the possibilities:
$1,250 = 100,000 Marriott Rewards points in 2007.
$1,250 = 100,000 Marriott Rewards points in 2008.

In practical terms, a couple can buy 200,000 Rewards points over the next three months for a vacation goal.

Marriott Buy Points link: http://www.marriott.com/rewards/usepoints/tranpurc.mi

The bottom line is:

Does buying points save money overall?

Hawaii Resorts on Marriott Rewards Hotel Points

Example of how to use a “buy points” strategy for Hawaii hotel savings:

JW Marriott Ihilani Resort and Spa at Ko Olina, Kopolei, Oahu, Hawaii
Marriott Rewards Category 7 hotel. 150,000 hotel points for a 7-night Rewards Stay.

JW Marriott Ihilani Resort, Oahu, Hawaii

Regular Hotel Rates
July 10-17, 2008 (Search conducted Oct 2007)
$341 (AAA rate) Quality Room-Mountain View
$389 (AAA rate) Ocean View
$436 (AAA rate) Deluxe Ocean View

When booking Marriott Rewards stay, the website offers an upgrade at JW Marriott Ihilani to Deluxe Ocean View room for an additional $100/night or upgrade to Ocean View room for additional $50/night.

Cost to buy 150,000 Marriott Rewards points = $1,875 = $268 per Reward night

Cost of upgrade to Deluxe Ocean View room is additional $100 per night or an additional $700 for a 7-night Marriott hotel points stay at Ihilani Resort.

Total Hawaii vacation cost is $2,575 for 7-night Marriott Rewards stay with a paid upgrade to a Deluxe Ocean View room at JW Marriott Ihilani.

This is $368/night to buy points compared to AAA rate of $436/night.

JW Marriott Ihilani Resort Deluxe Ocean View room, July 10-17, 2008 (search made Oct 2007)

AAA Paid Rate $436 ($488 with 12% tax) x 7 nights = $3,417

Senior Paid Rate $373 ($418 with tax) x 7 = $2,926 (great savings if you qualify)

Marriott 7-night Reward Stay (Buy Points and upgrade with $700 cash) = $2,575.

Save $842 on this 7-night hotel stay. This hotel savings covers other travel expenses for the week. ”

This points purchase vacation option I wrote about in October 2007 is still the best deal for a Deluxe Ocean View room at JW Marriott Ihilani considering my analysis of the Marriott Hawaiian Sand Dollar Vacation value this morning.

Look at the numbers and see the dollars washing away in the sand dollar vacation.

An article appeared today in PR Newswire for Journalists, Economy Foreclosing on Spring Break?, based on a survey by AccessAmerica, a travel insurance company. “Access America survey finds half of American families scaling back spring break plans…or forgoing their vacations altogether”

The not-so-surprising conclusion of the data is poorer families are cutting back on vacation spending this March 2008. The website says the full report is available upon request.

My observation, as someone who has traveled nearly every Easter to Europe for the past ten years, is airfare to Europe is dirt cheap right now for long-haul travel this Spring 2008. The fares are comparable or lower than commonly available fares at Easter time since 2000. Airfare is probably near a record low right now for purchasing trans-Atlantic travel in just 14 days or so from today.

I have seen fares from Monterey, San Francisco, and Los Angeles hovering around $500 all-in to Frankfurt and London. The fare was $541 Monterey to Frankfurt last week, 21 days before Easter travel. I think that airfare has to be near the record low over the past five years for a ticket purchase from Monterey this close to Easter. There were flights costing less from Monterey to Europe than San Francisco to Europe. The flights route from Monterey to San Francisco and then on to Europe. $100/barrel oil doesn’t seem to have much of an impact on airfare prices.

I commented a couple of months ago that trans-Atlantic travel was down 2006 to 2007 year-over-year. American Airlines reports February passenger loads have increased to Europe. The low prices are getting people across the ocean, but are you prepared for the $7.00 Coca-Cola and $18 fishs & chips pub tab?

Hotel Tips from the Loyalty Traveler –
Planning a Spring Break European hotel stay?

Here are links to some of the best hotel opportunities for a lower-cost trip. I provide a hotel sample, but there are many choices of hotels and locations offering these reduced hotel stay awards. And there is good news for those of you not banking enough points at the moment for a free hotel stay this Spring trip. Hotel points can be purchased and there is a possibility you can save money by just purchasing the hotel points you need to book a free hotel stay.

Hilton Point Stretchers and London.

Hilton London Canary Wharf has PointStretcher dates from March 16-28 and May 1-7. This 40,000 HHonors point/night Category 6 hotel can be booked for 24,000/points/night with an HHonors Point Stretcher reservation.

HHonors members can buy 40,000 HHonors points in a calendar year. Purchases of 10,000 points reduce the price to $10/1,000 points.

Hilton London Canary Wharf can be booked for 24,000 points. If you don’t already have the points, you can buy 24,000 points for $240.

March 20, 2008 rate check of Hilton London Canary Wharf
The nightly rate ranges from $454 low to $500+ for most rooms. This would be a high value use of a PointStretcher night, if you could get a reservation. In contrast, the Friday night rate at the London Canary Wharf is under $175/night.
S
ample trip for a couple: Each person purchase 24,000 Hilton HHonors points and redeem for one free Point Stretcher night ($480 total cost). Pay for two weekend nights when rates drop to about $175/night from the $400 to $500 midweek rates. Friday and Saturday night will cost $350. Four nights at the Hilton Canary Wharf London for a little over $200/night.

Other HHonors Point Stretcher hotel opportunities

Marriott PointSavers
Marriott has several UK hotel properties available for Spring break trips at reduced points rates.

InterContinental Hotels Group Priority Club PointBreaks

These awards are an unbeatable deal if you have a trip to a hotel location where IHG Priority Club is offering a PointBreaks award. The cost is only 5,000 points per night. Priority Club members can purchase 10,000 points for $100, up to 20,000 points per calendar year.

Sample Award night:
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Caserta, Italy (near Naples)
March 19-21, 2008 for 10,000 points (=$100 for 2-night stay)
Paid rate for a 2-night stay March 19-21, 2008 = 77EUR/night or $230 for 2-night stay.

Another incredible deal with IHG Priority Club is their Pay 2 Nights, Get 1 Free offer. Dozens of hotels in Europe are participating this Spring season. Check the link and search for a hotel.
Naples, Italy Holiday Inn for March 19-21 is only 45EUR/night. That is a budget saver.
If you are lucky you may save hundreds of dollars between this offer and a PointBreaks stay.

Laurence Geller listed some interesting data points in a blog from Jan 18, 2008. His piece discusses the widening divide between Generations X and Y mass consumers and the truly “super-affluent”. In 2006, the affluent spent on average $2,400 on hotels and resorts, while the super-affluent spent $61,200. He argues new brands will proliferate as today’s luxury brands become commonplace.

St. Regis Hotels are luxury brand of Starwood Hotels and Resorts

Friday morning on CNBC, a news crew reported from the St. Regis Fort Lauderdale, Florida from a CEO conference. The studio reporters were asking about the age of the hotel and the reporter stated it had been open 9 months. I haven’t looked into those facts.

The report got me to thinking about the super-affluent and the merely affluent. For the Loyalty Traveler the travel is reduced to the numbers. I wondered what the rates are at the Fort Lauderdale St. Regis.

Here are the search results for St. Regis, FLL room rates for Monday, 2-18-08

OceanView
$476.10 (AAA rate)
$479 (Best Available on StarwoodHotels.com)
$509 Special Offer Page “SRSPG”
$529 (Best Available on SPG.com)
$549 Special Offer AAA rate “XRF”

Ocean Front
$566.10 (AAA)
$579 (Best Available on StarwoodHotels.com and SPG.com)
$609 Special Offer “SRSPG”
$649 Special Offer AAA rate “XRF”

Pool Terrace
$607 Florida Resident rate
$669 Best Benefits Package special offer “SRSPG”
$689 (Best Available on StarwoodHotels.com and SPG.com)
$709 Pool Terrace Special Offer AAA rate

[special offers accessed from St. Regis Fort Lauderdale ]  [Loyalty Traveler note:  St. Regis converted to a Ritz-Carlton in summer 2008 a few months after this post]

XRF rate includes complimentary valet parking, two Bloody Mary’s, and complimentary room upgrade to next available room type. In this case, contact hotel and find out a good night for booking with a good upgrade potential.

SRSPG rate includes two Bloody Mary’s, triple Starpoints and complimentary internet access.

The super-affluent spender could be looking at about 2 to 3 months of Pool Terrace living over the course of a year at this hotel and comparable properties. The affluent spender on $2,400 is looking at a long President’s weekend holiday and sitting home the rest of the year.

Starwood Cash & Points Award Savings

While checking St. Regis Fort Lauderdale, I came across an example of where loyalty program membership leads you to a much better booking option than a regular search on the hotel chain primary web site.

Westin Colonnade, Coral Gables, FL
Saturday, Feb 16, 2007
Rate = $429/night

www.starwoodhotels.com web site hotel rate for the Westin Colonnade through a regular search as a hotel guest not participating in Starwood Preferred Guest and not looking for the Starwood Preferred Guest hotel loyalty program site.

Checking http://www.spg.com/ – I have the option of getting a Cash & Points award at the Westin Colonnade, a Category 4 SPG Hotel for $60 and 4,000 Starpoints.

The ability to buy up to 20,000 Starpoints online from SPG at the rate of $35/1,000 points is a strategy to keep in mind if you do not have 4,000 Starpoints. Adding the cost to buy 4,000 Starpoints for $140 and the $60 Cash portion of a Cash & Points award makes a $200 room rate booking possible. The website states purchased Starpoints will be posted to your account within 24 hours.

The corporate-branded hotel websites generally have the lowest rates for their own hotel rooms compared to third-party online travel agencies like Expedia and Travelocity.

The difficulty for the DIY online hotel reservationist, is the time needed to sift through thousands of pages on the corporate-branded websites to find the lowest rate page. Finding the lowest rate is a matter of knowledge and luck at the time you search.

$485 through Starwood Hotels corporate web site compared to $200 for the SPG member using Cash & Points booking option for a one-night rate at the Westin Colonnade is the differential cost for the guest with a lack of knowledge and time. The Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty program gives the member a hotel rate option that is nearly $300 less.

An additional benefit of a Cash & Points stay is the award stay usually does not incur tax. The minor detraction of a Cash & Points award is the hotel stay does not count for elite qualification or promotional offer credit. A Cash & Points award stay also does not earn points for the Cash portion of the award.

Priceline Hotel Bookings

CNBC reported Friday morning Priceline has experienced a surge in bookings. The TV commentator asked, “Does the growth in Priceline indicate a weak economy?”

Priceline is a great resource when hotel room rates are threatening to make your credit card bleed. Last June, I booked the Marriott Key Bridge in Arlington, Virginia for a Sunday night before a Monday afternoon flight to Buenos Aires. I wanted to be in DC, but the major loyalty program hotel rates ranged from $250 to $350/night. I considered renting a car and driving to the Virginia outer suburbs for a $100/night Sheraton rate.

Marriott Key Bridge Hotel, Arlington, Virginia (Priceline.com booking $115)

Instead I paid $115 total for the Marriott and I was a ten minute walk across the bridge into Georgetown. I had an interior pool view room on the third floor while the preferred rooms look out over DC from 6 to 10 stories up.