Starwood Hotels Starpicks are limited time offer nonrefundable rates that you either use or lose your full prepayment cost for the room reservation.

In general, I was not impressed by rates at hotels I checked. These are by no means low rates in terms of historical low rates for the past year at hotels I searched.

Westin Mammoth Lakes = $149. I have seen that rate regularly over past few months.

The Palace San Francisco = $189. The Starwood Hotels in San Francisco seem to have jumped weekend rates by over 25% in 2011 compared to 2010. Occupancy has been high in this popular international tourist and conference destination. I look for rates under $150 at the Palace and they still happen occasionally.

Rates for Colorado hotels I checked frequently in July are basically the same low rates I saw last month.

Westin Riverfront Mountain Resort & Spa Beaver Creek, Avon (near Vail) was $189 standard rate or $170.10 with AAA rate in July and $179 Starpicks rate in this offer.

Sheraton Denver West is $79 and I paid $76 AAA rate in July with day of arrival no penalty cancellation option.

Element Denver Park Meadows is $71 as Starpicks. I paid $80 for a week of arrival reservation, but the AAA rate had been $71 just a few days before my booking.

AAA rates I booked in Colorado typically had “day of until 6pm” or “one day before arrival cancellation”.

Calendar function is not working correctly on my computer when using IE9.0.1. Dates disappear as I hover mouse over calendar. Very touchy feature that I had quite a problem with when trying to search hotels for Starpicks rates. I required slowly surgical precision to move mouse over the calendar and select dates before a large portion of the calendar decided to disappear. Mess up and the only way to get the calendar dates showing again was to start search over. This truly was hunting for low rates.

Starpicks are nonrefundable rates that you either use or lose your full prepayment cost for the room reservation.

My general advice is minimize your exposure to prepaid, nonrefundable rates  at every opportunity when booking hotel rooms.

Use it or lose it rates offer some savings sometimes, but the overall savings is generally wiped out after one or two missed nights due to airport delays, bad weather, meeting cancellations and changes, and other factors that are often out of your control.

In the past I have often found the Starpicks rate to be a really low rate for some hotels I’ve stayed. Starwood Hotels seems to have formalized the Starpicks offers into a nice webpage offer, but the savings now seem more like a typical Hilton Hotels sale that really isn’t a sale. The Starpicks rates are low if you were planning a stay, but probably not so low that you should plan a nonrefundable stay just for these rates.

Starpicks Terms and Conditions

• Rates are valid at participating properties only for the book and stay period specified on the offer, and are subject to availability at the time of reservation. A limited number of rooms may be available at these rates and additional
  restrictions and blackout dates apply.
• Guests must arrive on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday at hotels over the following six (6) weekends following the Tuesday launch of the sale. Blackout dates may apply at some hotels and availability may be limited on some weekends. Stays including a Sunday night require a two-night stay including a Saturday night.
• Resorts do not have arrival day or minimum stay requirements. Guests must arrive over the following
  six (6) weeks following the Tuesday launch of the sale.
• Length of stay restrictions apply to all properties. For hotels, the maximum stay is four nights (Thursday-Sunday) and for resorts the maximum stay is fourteen nights (Thursday – two Wednesday nights later). Not all hotels will have Thursday and/or Sunday nights available and not all resorts will have Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights available.
• Advance purchase required. Credit card will be charged at time of booking. Cancellations are non-refundable; if cancellation takes place, guests forfeit total room charge plus tax.

Argentina

Buenos Aires

Sheraton Libertador Hotel

Mar del Plata

Sheraton Mar del Plata Hotel

 

Canada

Alberta

Calgary

Four Points by Sheraton Calgary Airport

Calgary

Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire

 

British Columbia

Vancouver

The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver

 

Whistler

The Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler

 

Ontario

Blue Mountains

The Westin Trillium House, Blue Mountain

 

Hamilton

Sheraton Hamilton Hotel

 

Mississauga

Four Points by Sheraton Mississauga Meadowvale

 

Mississauga

Four Points by Sheraton Toronto Airport

 

Mississauga

Four Points by Sheraton Toronto Mississauga

 

Ottawa

Sheraton Ottawa Hotel

 

Toronto

• Four Points by Sheraton Toronto Lakeshore
• Le Méridien King Edward
• Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel
• Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Toronto International Airport
• Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel & Conference Centre
• The Westin Bristol Place Toronto Airport
• The Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto
• The Westin Prince, Toronto

 

Quebec

Dorval

Sheraton Montreal Airport Hotel

 

Montreal

Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel

Le Méridien Versailles

 

China

Shanghai

Sheraton Shanghai Hongqiao Hotel

 

Costa Rica

Guanacaste

Playa Conchal

The Westin Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal

 

Germany

Frankfurt

The Westin Grand Frankfurt

 

Guatemala

Guatemala City

The Westin Camino Real, Guatemala

 

Malaysia

Langkawi

The Andaman, Langkawi

 

Mexico

Baja California Sur

Los Cabos

Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf & Spa Resort, Los Cabos

The Westin Resort & Spa, Los Cabos

 

Campeche

Hacienda Puerta Campeche

 

Uayamon

Hacienda Uayamon

 

Yucatan

Santa Rosa

Hacienda Santa Rosa

 

Temozon Sur

Hacienda Temozon

 

Tixkokob

Hacienda San Jose

 

Netherlands

Amsterdam

Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel and Conference Center

 

Panama, Republic of Panama

Panama City

Sheraton Panama Hotel & Convention Center

 

Poland

Warsaw

Le Méridien Bristol, Warsaw

 

Thailand

Koh Samui

W Retreat Koh Samui

 

Pattaya

Sheraton Pattaya Resort

 

United Kingdom

England

London

W London – Leicester Square

 

United States

Alabama

Birmingham

Sheraton Birmingham Hotel

 

Huntsville

The Westin Huntsville

 

Arizona

Phoenix

Aloft Phoenix-Airport

 

Scottsdale

Sheraton Desert Oasis Villas, Scottsdale

 

Scottsdale

The Westin Kierland Villas, Scottsdale

 

Tempe

Aloft Tempe

Sheraton Phoenix Airport Hotel Tempe

 

Tucson

Sheraton Tucson Hotel & Suites

 

California

Carlsbad

Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa

Emeryville

Four Points by Sheraton San Francisco Bay Bridge

 

Los Angeles

Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles International Airport

 

Los Angeles

The Westin Los Angeles Airport

 

Mammoth Lakes

The Westin Monache Resort, Mammoth

 

Millbrae

The Westin San Francisco Airport

 

Rancho Mirage

The Westin Mission Hills Resort Villas, Palm Springs

 

San Diego

Four Points by Sheraton San Diego

 

San Francisco

Palace Hotel, San Francisco

The Westin San Francisco Market Street

The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square

W San Francisco

 

Ventura

Four Points by Sheraton Ventura Harbor Resort

 

Colorado

Aurora

Aloft Denver International Airport

 

Avon

The Westin Riverfront Mountain Villas, Beaver Creek Mountain

 

Avon

The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa at Beaver Creek Mountain

 

Broomfield

Aloft Broomfield Dnver

 

Lakewood

Sheraton Denver West otel

 

Lone Tree

Element Denver Park Madows

 

Connecticut

Meriden

Four Points by Sheraton Meriden

 

Florida

Cocoa Beach

Four Points by Sheraton Cocoa Beach

 

Fort Lauderdale

Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek Ft. Lauderdale

 

Jacksonville

Aloft Jacksonville Tapestry Park

Sheraton Jacksonville Hotel

 

Jensen Beach

Vistana’s Beach Club

 

Lake Buena Vista

Walt Disney World Dolphin

 

Lake Buena Vista

Walt Disney World Swan

 

Lake Mary

The Westin Lake Mary, Orlando North

 

Orlando

Four Points by Sheraton Orlando Studio City

Sheraton Orlando Downtown Hotel

Sheraton Vistana Resort Villas, Lake BuenaVista/Orlando

Sheraton Vistana Villages Resort Villas, I-Drive/Orlando

The Westin Imagine Orlando

 

Port St. Lucie

Sheraton PGA Vacation Resort, Port St. Lucie

 

Tampa

Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk Hotel

 

Georgia

Atlanta

Sheraton Atlanta Hotel

Sheraton Suites Galleria-Atlanta

The Westin Atlanta Perimeter North

The Westin Buckhead Atlanta

The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta

W Atlanta – Midtown

 

Augusta

Sheraton Augusta Hotel

 

Hawaii

Kailua-Kona

Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa

 

Illinois

Itasca

The Westin Chicago Northwest

 

Lombard

The Westin Lombard Yorktown Center

 

Louisiana

New Orleans

The Westin New Orleans Canal Place

 

Maryland

National Harbor

The Westin Washington National Harbor

 

Massachusetts

Cambridge

Le Méridien Cambridge-MIT

 

Norwood

Four Points by Sheraton Norwood

 

Wakefield

Sheraton Colonial Boston North Hotel & Conference Center

 

Michigan

Romulus

Four Points by Sheraton Detroit Metro Airport

 

Missouri

St. Louis

Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel St. Louis

 

Nebraska

Omaha

Element Omaha Midtown Crossing

 

Nevada

Las Vegas

Element Las Vegas Summerlin

 

New Jersey

Morristown

The Westin Governor Morris, Morristown

 

New York

New York

Aloft Harlem

The Chatwal, New York City

The Manhattan at Times Square Hotel

W New York – Downtown

 

North Carolina

Charlotte

Aloft Charlotte Ballantyne

 

Ohio

Columbus

The Westin Columbus

 

Pennsylvania

York

Four Points by Sheraton York

 

South Carolina

Myrtle Beach

Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel

 

North Charleston

Aloft Charleston Airport & Convention Center

 

Tennessee

Memphis

Four Points by Sheraton Memphis East

 

Texas

Dallas

Le Méridien Dallas by the Galleria

Sheraton Dallas North Hotel

The Westin Park Central, Dallas

 

Fort Worth

Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa

 

Frisco

The Westin Stonebriar

 

San Antonio

Four Points by Sheraton San Antonio Downtown by the Riverwalk

Sheraton Gunter Hotel San Antonio

 

Virginia

Alexandria

Sheraton Suites Old Town Alexandria

The Westin Alexandria

 

Ashburn

Aloft Dulles Airport North

 

Falls Church

The Westin Tysons Corner

 

Norfolk

Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel

 

Vienna

Sheraton Premiere at Tysons Corner

 

Wisconsin

Brookfield

Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel

 

Green Bay

Aloft Green Bay

Starwood Hotels promotion for one free resort night after three stays ended yesterday. I stayed in three Starwood hotels in the Denver area during the Brokeass Tour of the West and earned one free resort night. There are eight Starwood Hotels in the Denver area, but only two hotels, Westin Denver Downtown and Sheraton Denver Downtown, are actually in the Denver city limits. The other six hotels are located in the suburbs of Denver.

Element Denver Park Meadows – Lone Tree (southeast Denver just off Interstate 25 south of the Denver Tech Center area).

Weekend Room Rate = $80 (AAA) King bed studio.

Element is Starwood’s extended stay brand where each room comes with kitchen facilities and a couch. These hotels also offer complimentary breakfast.

This was the second Element hotel I have stayed. This is the first hotel I have ever stayed that didn’t have a parking entrance directly to the hotel. You have to drive through a shopping mall or across a fitness center parking lot to reach the hotel.

The indoor pool was the only thing different about this hotel compared to the Las Vegas Element. I was kind of surprised to see a group playing Wii in the lobby of the hotel near midnight with a Costco-size bottle of alcohol on the counter fueling the activity. Our room was far enough away from the lobby for the noise factor to not be an issue.

Walking into the room revealed an identical room design to the Las Vegas Element hotel room where we stayed two years ago. I am growing increasingly bored with cookie-cutter hotel brands like Aloft, Element, and Hyatt Place where you need to look out the window to remember where you are located.

The photos here are from the Las Vegas Element, but the room was identical to the Element Denver layout.

 

 

Sheraton Denver West – Lakewood, Colorado.

Room Rate = $76 AAA breakfast rate Traditional room King Bed.

This is my favorite Starwood hotel in the Denver area. This property is located just off US-6, the same lonely highway we drove across central Nevada. The hotel has easy freeway access and is located in a good location for heading west on I-70 into the Rocky Mountains for places like Golden and high mountain towns and resorts.

We had a large 12th floor Club Lounge corner room. The hotel has an indoor pool, Sheraton lobby computer center, restaurant, bar and free parking.

 

Westin Westminster on the road to Boulder was a hotel with a huge AAA discount dropping the rate from $139 to $109.

This is a beautiful hotel in a planned entertainment and sports park complex. This place is total suburbia with restaurants, theaters, bars, an ice skate rink, ball parks and bike paths all right outside the door. The rates tend to be high here so $109 seemed like a bargain. I could have even had a Best Rate Guarantee for $97 on the night I chose to go to the Element. In retrospect I should have gone with the BRG claim for Westminster rather than the Element.

This hotel does not have a club lounge and I think the standard rooms are small. The location is a nice feature of this hotel and there always seems to be somthing happening here. This seems like the kind of hotel where it is easy to meet people. The indoor pool is okay, but the hot tub outside is a bit more fun.

Three Starwood stays in Denver for $265 earned a free resort night. Our St. Regis Aspen resort stay a couple nights later saved over $500 or 20,000 points on the lowest available rate. I think Aspen is severely overpriced, but all in all we paid $265 for four hotel nights in Denver and Aspen so I guess that is an overall great value with Starwood hotels for the Brokeass Mountain Tour.

 

Brokeass Mountain Road Trip, July 2011

Monterey, California – Denver, Colorado

• Yosemite’s Tioga Pass Road across the Sierra Nevada Mountains
• Westin Monache Resort Mammoth for year round vacations
• Even Lonelier than the Loneliest Road in America
• Earth’s Oldest Trees in Great Basin National Park Nevada
• Less extreme than 127 Hours in Utah
• Brokeass Mountain Tour eastbound – Hotel Value at High Elevation
• Brokeass Mountain Tour visits Starwood in Denver
• Driving by the 14ers South Park to Aspen, Colorado
• Top of the Rockies on the High Road to Aspen – Independence Pass 12,095 feet.
• St. Regis Aspen – Too Late to Cancel
• Aspen, Colorado to Park City, Utah: Ghost lands of Buffalo Soldiers, Utes and Dinosaurs
• The California Trail across Nevada
• Homeward Bound – Carson Pass Highway 88 over the Sierra Nevada to Monterey

Aloft, Element and Four Points in North America offer a free $40 gas card with a two-night stay booked by July 31 for hotel stays completed by September 15, 2011. The SSBGAS rate code is the same as the Daily Rate. The $40 gas card requires a daily rate $5 to $10 per night more than AAA rate for several hotels I checked.

Earning a $40 Gas Card

Book your stay using this link: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/gas with special rate plan SSBGAS.

About 150 participating Starwood Hotels are shown on the promotion page.

Members with an eligible stay will receive an email gas coupon code valid for $40 gas credit at member’s choice of participating major gas suppliers like Exxon, Mobile, BP, Circle-K, Chevron, Texaco, Shell and Petro-Canada.

SPG $40 Gas Card Terms and Conditions.

Marriott, Starwood, Best Western and Choice have free night promotions allowing you to pay now and stay free later on another trip. They all have restrictions on the type of free night allowed, so read the rules carefully and see if the free night looks like one you can use.

Marriott Rewards – One Free Night after Two Stays June 1 – August 31.

Marriott International hotel brands: Marriott, JW Marriott, Marriott Vacation Club, Renaissance, Fairfield Inn, Residence Inn, Courtyard, SpringHill Suites, TownePlace Suites, Autograph Collection, Ritz-Carlton, Edition. (AC Hotels is Marriott’s new brand in Europe, but AC Hotels are not listed as a participating brand for this promotion.)

• Register for this promotion by June 30.
• Stays at Marriott brand hotels worldwide qualify for promotion.
• Maximum of two free nights may be earned per member during promotion period after 4 stays.
• Free night is valid for any hotel category 1 to category 4 hotel worldwide. These are the lower category hotels, but includes around 2,500 hotels globally.
• Free night may be redeemed from June 5 to December 31, 2011.
• Award nights are not transferable and may not be gifted.
• Loyalty Traveler May 16 post on this Marriott promotion.

Strategy for Marriott Rewards promotion: My wife and I have traveled where one night at a hotel is a reservation in my name and the second night is a reservation in her name. First person should check out and get a hotel stay folio before second person checks in under different member account to be sure the stays credit appropriately to each member’s account for the free night credit.

This allows longer stays without changing hotels while maximizing promotion credit. Just tell the hotel you are staying on two different reservations to maximize the Marriott Rewards promotion and you might not need to change rooms during your hotel stay.

Starwood Preferred Guest – One Free Night at a Starwood Resort after Three Stays, May 1 – July 31.

Starwood Hotels brands: Westin, Sheraton, Four Points, Aloft, Element, St. Regis, Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Le Meridien.

• Register for this promotion by June 30.
• Stays at Starwood brand hotels worldwide qualify for promotion.
• No limit to earned free nights during promotion period.
• Free night is valid at over 200 Starwood Resorts worldwide.
• Free night may be redeemed any day of week to December 21, 2011.
• Redeem free nights by calling Starwood customer service 1-888-625-4988 (toll-free) and requesting Award ID 3FRN
• Award nights are not transferable and may not be gifted.
• Loyalty Traveler April 15 post on this promotion.

 

Choice Hotels – 8,000 points after Two Stays, May 19 – August 11, 2011.

Choice Brands: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, Ascend Collection, MainStay Suites, Suburban, Rodeway Inn, EconoLodge.

• Register for this promotion to increase earning limit to 4 bonuses for 32,000 points, otherwise the limit is 2 bonuses for 16,000 points. Elite Platinum and Diamond members may earn bonus 10 times for 80,000 points.
• Must be a resident of U.S., U.S. territories or Canada.
• Book at ChoiceHotels.com or 1-800-4CHOICE. (Elite platinum and elite diamond may book through any channel.
• Important to note: a minimum 2-night stay is required for an eligible stay at the Choice Hotels budget brands of EconoLodge and Rodeway Inn and extended-stay brands Suburban and MainStay Suites.
• 8,000 points is sufficient for about 1,500 hotels or 25% of all Choice Hotels. Many hotels will require 16,000, 20,000 or 25,000 points for a free night.
• Loyalty Traveler May 16 post on Choice Hotels promotion.

 

Best Western Hotels – One free night after three stays June 19-August 14, 2011.

Best Western hotels are all one brand, but in 2011 three tiers were created with most of the worldwide 4,000+ properties remaining Best Western and about 800 hotels as Best Western Plus and around 100+ hotels (mostly outside U.S.) as Best Western Premier.

• Register for this promotion by logging into account, click My Account tab, and in section titled “Membership Overview” click the tab “Special Offers Sign-Up“.  This promotion should be listed.
• Here are the promotion terms.
• Promotion registration only open for residents of U.S., Canada, Bahamas and U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Stay at any Best Western worldwide to qualify for free night.
• Limit of one free night voucher per member during promotion period.
• Free night voucher expires January 31, 2012.
• Free night voucher valid only at Best Western hotels in U.S., Canada, Bahamas and U.S. Virgin Islands.
• Elite members of Best Western Rewards earn 6,500 bonus points if two of three stays are in two different tiers of Best Western (Best Western, Best Western Plus (about 800 hotels), Best Western Premier (100+ hotels). Limit of one elite bonus per member.
• Earn an additional 6,500 bonus points if each of three stays paid with Best Western Rewards MasterCard. Limit of one credit card bonus per member.

This post organizes newly opened New York City hotels by hotel loyalty program and shows the cost of a reward night.

NYC & Company at nycgo.com compiled a New York City briefing sheet on Hotel Development in NYC distributed at International Pow Wow 2011. I do not see the paper I have online, but here is a similar briefing sheet from six months ago. The paper covers recently opened hotels in the five boroughs of New York City and a list of hotels scheduled to open in the next two years.

42% of new NYC hotels were built outside of Manhattan in the past three years from 2008 to 2011. The city has seen a 25% increase in hotel rooms in the past five years from 72,625 rooms to more than 90,000 active inventory rooms by the end of 2011.

There are 86,230 hotel rooms in New York City in active inventory as of April 30, 2011. Occupancy rates averaged 85% in 2010 and average daily rate, ADR was $263 for April 2011.

Here are some of the hotels opened since 2010 and hotels in the pipeline for opening in the next two years across major hotel loyalty programs.

2010 and 2011 Hotel Openings in New York City organized by hotel chain:

Room data shown here is mainly from NYC & Company press release. I found some discrepancies with numbers compared to hotel website room number at a couple of hotels.

Best Western Hotels – Best Western Rewards

Best Western Plus Prospect Park, Brooklyn – 99 rooms, opened December 2010. Best Western Rewards 28,000 points.

Best Western Plus Arena Hotel Brooklyn  – 56 rooms. Best Western Rewards 24,000 points.

 

Choice Hotels – Choice Privileges (Reward levels shown are through Sep 15, 2011)

Comfort Inn Lower East Side – 32 rooms, opened September 2010. New build hotel located Lower East Side. Choice Privileges 25,000 points.

Comfort Inn Brooklyn – 77 rooms, opened August 2010. Choice Privileges 20,000 points.

Sleep Inn Brooklyn – 72 rooms. Choice Privileges 20,000 points.

Quality Inn Woodside near Shea Stadium and JFK. – 72 rooms. Choice Privileges 20,000 points.

Comfort Inn Staten Island – 93 rooms. Choice Privileges 20,000 points.

Hilton Worldwide – Hilton HHonors

Doubletree by Hilton NYC Financial District – 399 rooms, opened December 2010. HHonors category 7 at 50,000 points.

Hilton New York Fashion District – 280 rooms, opened February 2011. HHonors category 7 at 50,000 points.

Conrad New York – 463 rooms. Scheduled for late 2011 opening. Undoubtedly this will be HHonors category 7 at 50,000 points (unless they create a category 8 before the end of year).

 

Hyatt Hotels – Hyatt Gold Passport

Andaz 5^th Avenue – 184 rooms, opened July 2010. Hyatt Gold passport category 6 at 22,000 points.

Andaz Wall Street – 253 rooms, opened February 2010. Hyatt Gold passport category 5 at 18,000 points.

Hyatt 48 Lex New York– 116 rooms. Opening July 2011.

Hyatt Union Square opening late 2011? No official page yet, but the link has construction updates.

InterContinental Hotels Group – Priority Club

Holiday Inn Express Staten Island West – 95 rooms, opened August 2010.

InterContinental New York Times Square – 607 rooms, opened July 2010. Priority Club 40,000 points.

Holiday Inn Express NYC Wall Street –112 rooms, opened July 2010.

Staybridge Suites Times Square – 310 rooms, opened May 2010. Priority Club 20,000 points.

Hotel Indigo Brooklyn  – 172 rooms. Scheduled for late-2011 opening as one of the premier hotels in the downtown Brooklyn area.

Loyalty Traveler Note: Priority Club’s site has been terribly dysfunctional for the past month and I find it quite difficult to look up hotel rewards at the moment. I assume the HIX hotels are 25,000 points.

 

Kimpton Hotels – Kimpton In Touch

Hotel Eventi –  Kimpton Hotels –287 rooms, opened June 2010.

Marriott International – Marriott Rewards

Courtyard New York Manhattan/SoHo – 120 rooms, opened December 2010. Marriott Rewards category 7 at 35,000 points.

Fairfield inn & Suites Manhattan/Chelsea – 112 rooms, opened December 2010. Marriott Rewards category 6 at 30,000 points.

Fairfield Inn & Suites New York Brooklyn – 133 rooms June 2011. Marriott Rewards Category 5 at 25,000 points.

Fairfield Inn & Suites New York Manhattan/Fifth Avenue – 92 rooms. Marriott Rewards Category 6 at 30,000 points.

SpringHill Suites by Marriott New York Queens/Corona – Opening June 2011. Marriott Rewards Category 4 at 20,000 points.

 

Starwood Hotels – Starwood Preferred Guest

Aloft Harlem – 128 rooms, opened December 2010. SPG category 3 at 7,000 points.

Aloft Brooklyn – 176 rooms. Opening June 9. SPG Category 4 at 10,000 points.

Element New York Times Square West – 410 rooms, opened November 2010. SPG category 5 at 12,000 or 16,000 peak-season points.

Four Points by Sheraton Long Island City – 91 rooms, opened April 2011. SPG category 3 at 7,000 points.

The Chatwal, Starwood Luxury Collection  – 88 rooms, opened August 2010. SPG category 6 at 20,000 points or 25,000 points in peak season.

Sheraton Hotel Brooklyn –321 rooms, opened June 2010. SPG category 4 at 10,000 points.

Sheraton TriBeCa New York Hotel – 360 rooms, opened October 2010. SPG category 5 at 12,000 or 16,000 peak-season points.

W New York Downtown – 217 rooms, opened August 2010. SPG category 5 at 12,000 or 16,000 peak-season points.

Wyndham Worldwide – Wyndham Rewards

Super 8 Brooklyn New York Park Slope – Wyndham Rewards Tier 4 at 16,000 points.

Dream Downtown – 315 rooms. Scheduled for summer 2011 opening. New hotel brand partner with Wyndham Worldwide.

New York City Hotels In Construction 

There are plenty of other big hotel projects with scheduled openings in late 2011 and 2012. There are not official links for most of these hotels on the hotel chain websites yet. Google searches indicate New York neighborhood papers and bloggers have interesting stories and photos on the construction development of several of these hotels.

Aloft Chelsea (Starwood Hotels) – 170 rooms. 815 Sixth Avenue. Projected opening 2013.

Best Western Staten Island – 111 rooms. 290 Wild Avenue. Projected opening late 2011.

Clarion Brooklyn – 65 rooms. 1120 36th Street, Brooklyn. Projected opening late 2011.

Hampton Inn – 150 rooms. 231 E. 43rd Street. Projected opening late 2011.

Holiday Inn – 132 rooms. 150 Delancey Street. Projected opening late 2012.

Holiday Inn Express – 175 rooms. 538 W. 48^th Street. Projected opening late 2012.

Park Hyatt – 210 rooms. 157 W. 57^th Street. Projected opening 2012.

Hyatt Place – 219 rooms. 206 E. 52^nd Street. Projected opening late 2012.

SpringHill Suies by Marriott – 173 rooms. 25 W. 37^th Street. Projected opening late 2012.

Tryp New York City by Wyndham – 173 rooms. 345 W. 35^th Street. Opening summer 2011.

Wyndham Garden Hotel – 108 rooms. 93 Bowery at Hester Street. Projected opening summer 2011.

  

Related Post: Travel Weekly – New York Hotel Market Booming, and not just Manhattan (May 4, 2011)

“A Fast-Track to a Fabulous Getaway” is the way Starwood Preferred Guest is advertising their “Stay Three, Getaway Free” promotion for one free night at any of 200 Starwood Resorts worldwide after three hotel stays at nearly any Starwood Hotel worldwide.

The offer counts stays from May 1 to July 31, 2011. Free nights earned can be redeemed through December 21, 2011. There is no limit for the number of free nights earned except for the time limit.

SPG Stay Three, Getaway Free registration. Must register by June 30, 2011.

SPG Promotion FAQ.

 To redeem your Free Night Awards, contact SPG Customer Service and mention Award ID 3FRN.

Loyalty Traveler Analysis

This promotion for me is a fast-track to a fabulous getaway. I happen to have quite a bit of travel I can plan around California and the Pacific Northwest over the next three months. Portland, Oregon and Fresno, California have Starwood Hotels under $100 per night after tax. These are not my destination cities, but I can probably pull out six one-night stays in these two locations while enjoying the locale. Portland, Oregon is a great location for maximizing cheap Starwood stays.

$600 for six hotel nights on a couple of trips while I see locations like Yosemite National Park and visit some Portland microbreweries is a great deal when my paid stays earn two free nights for a place like Westin Mammoth which will be an even better hotel stay than the Four Points Fresno on another trip to Yosemite National Park later in the year. Or I can stay at St. Regis Monarch Beach rather than cheap Orange County Airport hotels when I go south to see my sister’s family. Basically what I spend for the three nights to earn a free resort night will be the going rate for the hotels where I redeem my free nights. Paying $600 for hotel stays I need to earn $600 in free resort hotel stays I desire is a good deal for my travel pattern.

The San Francisco Bay Area shows several hotels at under $100 in May. This is a great place to maximize cheap Starwood stays, but not in downtown San Francisco and the other locations kind of bore me now since I have been to these places so often.  A night at the Sheraton Palo Alto offers the free Stanford University Museum for a day of culture, a thought provoking lecture or two and the restaurants in Palo Alto are reliable for some interesting direct conversation or common eavesdropping if you comprehend the language.

The sensible strategy for someone in the US for this Starwood Resorts free night offer is to try and stay Starwood heavy in May before summer travel and room rates pick up. That is if we actually see a travel increase this summer with higher prices. Sure, occupancy has been up for the past year by 5 to 10%, but the room rates are not significantly higher than two years ago.

I actually thought San Francisco had been much higher priced hotels in 2011 and then I tracked May 2011 Starwood Hotel rates alongside May 2009 hotel rates and at least 50% of 20+ Starwood Hotels in the Bay Area are actually lower rates now on average.

Six Starwood Resort nights on a Greek or Italian Island can be a $3,000 hotel stay. I don’t know if I can get to Europe this summer for a trip. Loads of Starwood nights are less valuable if I can’t travel with my wife during summer school break when we both benefit from a luxury hotel stay.

Earning six nights with 18 hotel stays in the next three months is a plan I think makes economic sense for encouraging summer travel for me. My back-up California locations are St. Regis Monarch Beach (category 6), Westin Verasa Napa (category 5) and Westin Monache Mammoth (category 5).

Westin Napa has suites with a full kitchen, dining table, balcony patio, sitting room, bedroom and 1.5 bathrooms that I received an upgrade to when I stayed there as an SPG Platinum on free nights earned in the 2009 free weekend nights promotion.

We might even go for a Rocky Mountain tour to St. Regis Park City, Utah and St. Regis Aspen and Westin Beaver Creek Mountain, Colorado.

This “Stay Three Getaway Free” offer is a good promotion for making a $1,000 to $3,000 investment if you are in a position to travel frequently from now through July and still have the opportunity to get great value from free nights earned.

Starwood Resorts participating in free nights. These are the hotels where you can redeem free nights earned. Three stays at any of 1,000+ Starwood Hotels worlwide in all nine Starwood brands qualify for earning the free Starwood Resort night. Starwood brands include Sheraton, Westin, Four Points, Le Meridien, Luxury Collection, Aloft, W Hotels, St. Regis, and Element.

United States  

Arizona

• Sheraton Desert Oasis
• Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa
• The Canyon Suites at The Phoenician
• The Phoenician, Scottsdale
• The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa
• The Westin Kierland Villas, Scottsdale
• The Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa

California

• Four Points by Sheraton Ventura Harbor
• Le Parker Méridien Palm Springs
• Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa
• The St. Regis Monarch Beach
• The Westin Desert Willow Villas, Palm Desert
• The Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa
• The Westin Mission Hills Resort Villas, Palm Springs
• The Westin Monache Resort, Mammoth
• The Westin Verasa Napa

Colorado

• Sheraton Mountain Vista Villas, Avon / Vail Valley
• Sheraton Steamboat Resort
• Sheraton Steamboat Resort Villas
• The St. Regis Aspen Resort
• The Westin Riverfront Mountain Villas
• The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa

Florida

• Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel
• Sheraton PGA Vacation Resort, Port St. Lucie
• Sheraton Sand Key Resort
• Sheraton Suites Key West
• Sheraton Vistana Resort Villas
• Sheraton Vistana Villages Resort Villas, I-Drive/Orlando
• The Westin Beach Resort & Spa, Fort Lauderdale
• The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, Hollywood, Florida
• The Westin Key West Resort & Marina
• W Fort Lauderdale
• W South Beach
• Walt Disney World Dolphin
• Walt Disney World Swan

Georgia

• The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa

Guam

• Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort
• The Westin Resort, Guam

Hawaii

• Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa, Waikiki Beach
• Sheraton Kauai Resort
• Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa
• Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa
• Sheraton Princess Kaiulani
• Sheraton Waikiki
• The Royal Hawaiian, Waikiki
• The St. Regis Princeville Resort
• The Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas
• The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka’anapali
• The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas

North Carolina

• The Ballantyne, Charlotte

Pennsylvania

• Cove Haven Resort
• Paradise Stream Resort
• Pocono Palace Resort

Puerto Rico

• The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, Puerto Rico
• W Retreat & Spa – Vieques Island

South Carolina

• Sheraton Broadway Plantation
• The Westin Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa

Texas

• The Westin La Cantera Resort, San Antonio

Utah

• The St. Regis Deer Valley

Vermont

• The Equinox Golf Resort & Spa, Vermont

Virgin Islands

• The Westin St. John Resort & Villas

Virginia

• Sheraton Virginia Beach Oceanfront Hotel

 

Algeria

• Sheraton Club des Pins Resort and Towers

Argentina

• Sheraton Iguazú Resort & Spa

Aruba

• The Westin Resort & Casino, Aruba

Australia

• Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Resort
• Sheraton Mirage Resort and Spa Gold Coast
• Sheraton Noosa Resort & Spa

Austria

• Schloss Fuschl Resort & Spa, Fuschlsee-Salzburg

Bahamas

• Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort

Brazil

• Sheraton Rio Hotel & Resort

Cambodia

• Le Méridien Angkor

Canada

• Four Points by Sheraton Quebec Resort
• Le Westin Resort & Spa, Tremblant, Quebec
• Sheraton on the Falls Hotel
• The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver
• The Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa, Victoria
• The Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler
• The Westin Trillium House, Blue Mountain

Cayman Islands

• The Westin Casuarina Resort & Spa, Grand Cayman

China

• Four Points by Sheraton Shenzhou Peninsula Resort
• Le Méridien She Shan Shanghai
• Le Méridien Shimei Bay Beach Resort & Spa
• Sheraton Dameisha Resort, Shenzhen
• Sheraton Haikou Resort
• Sheraton Hangzhou Wetland Park Resort
• Sheraton Huadu Resort
• Sheraton Huizhou Beach Resort
• Sheraton Jiuzhaigou Resort
• Sheraton Qiandao Lake Resort
• Sheraton Qingyuan Lion Lake Resort
• Sheraton Sanya Haitang Bay Resort
• Sheraton Sanya Resort
• Sheraton Shenzhou Peninsula Resort
• Sheraton Yantai Golden Beach Resort
• The Malus Resort, Sanya
• The St. Regis Lhasa Resort
• The St. Regis Sanya Yalong Bay Resort
• The Westin Resort, Macau

Croatia

• Le Meriden Lav Split

Cyprus

• Le Méridien Limassol Spa & Resort

Egypt

• Le Méridien Dahab Resort
• Le Méridien Pyramids Hotel & Spa
• Sheraton Luxor Resort
• Sheraton Miramar Resort El Gouna
• Sheraton Sharm Hotel, Resort, Villas & Spa
• Sheraton Soma Bay Resort

Fiji

• Sheraton Denarau Villas
• Sheraton Fiji Resort
• The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa, Fiji

France

• Le Méridien Nice

Gambia

• Sheraton Gambia Hotel Resort & Spa

Germany

• ArabellaSheraton Alpenhotel

Greece

• Arion Resort & Spa, Astir Palace, Athens
• Blue Palace Resort & Spa, Elounda
• Santa Marina Resort & Villas, Mykonos
• Sheraton Rhodes Resort
• The Romanos, Costa Navarino
• The Westin Athens Astir Palace Beach Resort
• The Westin Resort, Costa Navarino
• Vedema Resort, Santorini

India

• ITC Mughal, Agra
• Le Méridien Jaipur
• Le Méridien Kochi
• Sheraton Udaipur Palace Resort & Spa
• The Westin Sohna Resort & Spa

Indonesia

• Sheraton Lampung Hotel
• Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta Resort and Spa
• Sheraton Senggigi Beach Resort
• The Laguna Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua, Bali
• The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali
• W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak

Israel

• Le Méridien Dead Sea
• Le Méridien Eilat

Italy

• Le Méridien Rimini
• Sheraton Catania Hotel & Conference Center
• Sheraton Golf Parco de’ Medici Hotel & Resort, Roma

Japan

• Sheraton Grande Ocean Resort
• Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel
• The Westin Awaji Island Resort and Conference Center
• The Westin Miyako, Kyoto

Malaysia

• Four Points by Sheraton Langkawi Resort
• Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort
• The Andaman, Langkawi
• The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa

Maldives, Republic of

• Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa

Malta

• Le Méridien St. Julians Hotel & Spa
• The Westin Dragonara Resort, Malta

Mauritius

• Le Méridien Ile Maurice
• The Grand Mauritian Resort & Spa, Mauritius
• The St. Regis Mauritius Resort

Mexico

• Hacienda San Jose
• Hacienda Santa Rosa
• Hacienda Temozon
• Hacienda Uayamon
• Le Méridien Cancun Resort & Spa
• Sheraton Buganvilias Resort and Convention Center
• Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf & Spa Resort
• The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort
• The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort Villas, Cancun
• The Westin Resort & Spa, Cancun
• The Westin Resort & Spa, Los Cabos
• The Westin Resort & Spa, Puerto Vallarta

Monaco

• Le Méridien Beach Plaza

Morocco

• Le Méridien N’Fis

New Caledonia

• Le Méridien Ile des Pins
• Le Méridien Nouméa

Nigeria

• Le Méridien Ibom Hotel & Golf Resort
• Le Méridien Ogeyi Place

Panama

• Westin Playa Bonita

Peru

• Hotel Paracas, Paracas
• Tambo del Inka Resort & Spa, Valle Sagrado

Poland

• Sheraton Sopot Hotel & Coference Center

Portugal

• Convento do Espinheiro Hotel & Spa, Evora
• Le Méridien Penina Golf & Resort
• Sheraton Algarve Hotel, Albufeira

Qatar

• Sheraton Doha Resort & Convention Hotel

Seychelles

• Le Méridien Barbarons
• Le Méridien Fisherman’s Cove

South Africa

• Arabella Western Cape Hotel & Spa

Spain

• Castillo Hotel Son Vida, Mallorca
• Le Méridien Ra Beach Hotel & Spa
• Marqués de Riscal, Elciego
• Sheraton Fuerteventura Beach, Golf & Spa Resort
• Sheraton La Caleta Resort & Spa, Costa Adeje, Tenerife
• Sheraton Mallorca Arabella Golf Hotel
• Sheraton Salobre Golf Resort & Spa
• Sheraton Santa Maria de El Paular

St. Maarten

• The Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa, St. Maarten

Switzerland

• ArabellaSheraton Hotel Seehof
• Sheraton Davos Hotel Waldhuus

Syria

• Le Méridien Lattakia
• Sheraton Ma’aret Sednaya Hotel & Resort

Tahiti

• Le Méridien Tahiti

Thailand

• Le Méridien Chiang Rai Resort, Thailand
• Le Méridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort
• Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort
• Sheraton Grande Laguna, Phuket
• Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa
• Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort
• Sheraton Pattaya Resort
• The Westin Siray Bay Resort & Spa, Phuket

 

Turkey

• Sheraton Cesme Hotel, Resort and Spa

 

United Arab Emirates

• Le Méridien Abu Dhabi
• Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort
• Sheraton Jumeirah Beach Resort & Towers
• Westin Abu Dhabi Resort & Spa

 

United Kingdom

• Turnberry Resort, Scotland

 

Uruguay

• Sheraton Colonia Golf & Spa Resort

Vietnam

• Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa

In July 2009 Starwood Hotels extended the terms of its co-branded credit card agreement with American Express to June 15, 2015. Starwood Hotels received $250 million in cash towards the purchase of future SPG points by American Express.

SPG points liability increased from $634 million at year-end 2009 to $702 million year-end 2010. That is 10.7% more liability added in one year.

The average daily rate worldwide for Starwood Hotels at year-end 2010 was $160.00.

$702 million in liability at $160 per room night = 4,387,500 room nights in free rooms waiting to be redeemed. I have no idea how liability is actually calculated, but needless to say that members are holding points for millions of free room nights.

I just redeemed 16,000 points yesterday for Category 4 Cash & Points award nights to save $800 at a hotel in June.

Speculation on how many points $250 million buys.

I was thinking American Express probably pays about $10/1,000 points for something like 25 billion points for $250 million. After running some numbers I now think American Express must buy points for far less than a penny a point to cover all the 20,000 points new cardmember bonuses and points given for credit card spend.

Any guesses on how many points $250 million buys?

Starwood Hotels reported its Q4 2010 financials yesterday. I am not a stock guy. I like the room rate and hotel numbers data from these reports to get an idea of where travel trends are happening.

Loyalty Traveler Quick Observations on year-end 2010 compared to year-end 2009:

• Occupancy for Starwood Hotels is up in every global region, particularly Asia Pacific (over 7.0 percentage points) and Latin America (6.7).
• Africa is one region where Starwood Hotels showed slower occupancy growth at 1.9 compared to the next lowest growth region here in the U.S. / North America 4.8 and Europe at 4.9 in the mid-range occupancy growth for 2010.
• W Hotels is 2010 highest performing brand in Starwood Hotels at 4.7% Average Daily Rate (ADR) increase and 9.4 occupancy increase. W hotels also leads all Starwood brands for highest average occupancy 73.7%. W hotels are located in major cities and business is coming back. The two W Chicago hotels were packed with suits during my week in Chicago October 2010.
• St. Regis and Luxury Collection are reported together by Starwood Hotels. These luxury brands had weakest performance of Starwood brands with lowest overall average occupancy at 62.9% and the greatest room rate decline (down 1.9%). Still, Average Daily Rate of $296 for these two luxury brands was more than double the room rate for Sheraton (ADR $143) and 26% higher than W hotels (ADR $234).
• St. Regis and Luxury Collection had lowest occupancy percentage of any Starwood Hotels brand at 62.9%. However, this is a rise of 5.2 percentage points and the best occupancy rise of any brand behind W Hotels (9.4). Starwood luxury segment hotels are seeing a comeback. But the luxury segment also suffered the biggest downturn in the past two years after the ‘AIG effect’ triggered by the late-2008 conference at St. Regis Monarch Beach, Orange County, California.
• Average room rates in Europe, Middle East and Africa have declined since 2009 and are still  dropping for last quarter 2010.
• Asia Pacific is a hot hoteliers market with rates rising 12% year-to-year for last quarter 2010.

Starwood Hotels 2010 Q-4 Statistical Data

2010 Year-End Statistics

Estimate of annual hotel spend needed to earn SPG elite status

The average room rate for Starwood Hotels in North America is $154 for Q4-2010.

• SPG Gold elite = 10 stays = $1,540 annual spend for 10 one-night stays.
• SPG Gold elite = 25 nights = $3,850 annual spend for 25 nights.

 

• SPG Platinum elite = 25 stays = $3,850 annual hotel spend with one-night stays.
• SPG Platinum elite = 50 nights = $7,700 annual spend with 50 nights.

SPG Gold elite will likely range in price from $1,540 to $3,850 in annual hotel spend to earn.

SPG Platinum elite will likely range from $3,850 to $7,700 in annual hotel spend to earn.

Many frequent guests will spend far in excess of these upper range hotel spend values.

And some SPG elites will spend far less than the lower range values shown here.

A savvy shopper with flexibility in planning hotel stays can reasonably expect to reach 25 stays at low cost Starwood Hotels for about $2000 in annual hotel spend or an average $80 room rate. If SPG offers a ‘stays count double’ promotion during the year, then the total hotel spend can be even lower than $2,000.

Starwood Preferred Guest has launched SPG.com/mycard allowing all program members to customize their own 2011 membership year SPG card. The site is up and running for any SPG member who has not been downgraded in elite level for 2011. Some members facing a potential downgrade in elite status for 2011 will be directed to return to the site in March.

SPG Front Side

There are 60 Starwood hotel images from which to choose for the SPG card front.

I just went through the SPG mycard site and designed my 2011 SPG Platinum card using the hotel image of Le Meridien She Shan Shanghai, China on the face of my new card. I have not been to Shanghai, but I want to go.

China has been on my mind lately. As far as the hotel world is concerned, China is the place to be right now. Every major hotel chain has rapid expansion plans underway in China and new hotels open every week.

SPG Back Side

The back side of the SPG card can be customized with a Starwood brand logo or activity icon or national flag colors. There are also three custom text lines where you can add personal information like other frequent flyer or car rental loyalty account numbers or whatever you can fit in 27 character spaces per line.

SPG since 1999

My SPG card states member since 1999. My first Starwood trip in 1999 was to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I earned 7,000 bonus points for three hotel stays and fell in love with the skyscraper city of the west coast while staying at the Sheraton Wall Centre.

I sent my online customized card design today and the reply from SPG says my new card will arrive in a few weeks.

Many travelers do not think about a hotel until the trip destination is concrete and the nonrefundable tickets for the deed are done. The travelers writing on BoardingArea.com tend to think of travel loyalty programs ‘one year at a time’. 

Elite is an annual strategy for many loyalty travelers. Hotel and airline travel offers so much more when you are elite. 

Personally I plan hotel stays throughout the year with the purpose of earning elite in my primary loyalty programs and free nights for cheap upscale lodging with other hotel programs.

Business travelers with 100+ nights per year paid by an employer may not care about counting hotel stays and analyzing the value of points and promotions. But as a frequent guest and traveler who generally pays my own way, I want to stretch my few thousand dollars in annual hotel spend as far as I can. 

When I spend $500 on hotel rooms I try and get $1,000 in hotel value. Over the course of a year’s hotel stays I tend to average that rate.

Meet Me in the Elite Line

You do not need to be a high roller to play the upgrade game. Airlines offer complimentary and certificate upgrades to elite frequent fliers. Hotels offer complimentary room upgrades to high level elite frequent guests.

Attaining top elite hotel loyalty member status takes anywhere from 10 to 50 eligible nights during the calendar year in the hotel program. Nights or stays required for high elite depends on the hotel program. How much you spend to earn elite status is a matter of your travel needs and preferences.

My travel anecdote I typically toss out to readers is top elite status in a hotel loyalty program can be $100 per night added value between bonus points, special offers, hotel amenity gifts, complimentary room upgrades, service issue points (points given when something goes wrong) and extra personal attention.

This value will be quite a bit lower for some frequent guests.  Depending on your travel pattern the added value of high elite may be $50 or less per hotel night.

Large full-service hotels have many rooms and room types and upgrade potential. Room upgrades will be far less in lower hotel market segments. For example, Hilton Hampton Inn, Hyatt Place, Marriott Fairfield Inn, Priority Club Holiday Inn Express properties are the kinds of places where upgrades may be few and far between.

Better room location and view is common for elites.  Frequent guests who commonly have extended stays of three or more nights may have reduced upgrade-to-suite potential. A hotel is less likely to give a suite upgrade to someone on a four-night stay compared to someone staying one night when the suite at check-in time is unsold for that single night.  

Current Fast-Track Elite Promotions

Here are two current promotions to jumpstart elite status at the mid-tier level while you consider the benefits and working your way to a higher level.

Currently Starwood Preferred Guest is offering Gold elite with four hotel stays by January 31, 2011 at three Starwood Hotel brands: Aloft, Element and Four Points. SPG Gold elite normally requires 10 hotel stays or 25 nights in the calendar year. You can earn one year of Gold elite for under $400 compared to around $1,000 without a fast-track promotion.

This offer allows registration until January 31, 2011 and all eligible stays completed during the promotion period are counted. So register and get counted for SPG Gold elite.

Marriott Rewards offers instant Gold Elite via an Air China offer requiring 12 nights within 90 days to maintain elite for 2011. Join Air China Phoenix Miles (Star Alliance member airline) for free.  The great thing about this offer is hotel rates are their seasonal lowest of the year over the next three months in many locations.

Marriott Rewards normally requires 50 nights in a calendar year making this fast-track elite available for 2011 at around $1,000 to $1,200 compared to $4,000 to $5,000 by the normal hotel stay requirement.