SPG Birth Year rates are probably one of the lesser known rate discounts with the potential to cut your Starwood Hotel stay rate in half. The basic deal is you pay a generally higher than Best Flexible rate for the first night, then pay your birth year for the second night, and third night at some hotels. I was born in 1960 so my rate is $60 per night for the second and third nights. Even better is the flexible cancellation policy for these rates. Many hotels allow day before arrival or day of arrival cancellation with no penalty.

I have been writing about the birth year rate offer since 2009 and SPG has extended this offer for stays through 2012 at participating hotels.

Some changes I noticed in my recent review of these rates:

Read More…

Starwood Starpicks offer discount rates over the next six weeks at select properties.  The discount is typically 20% to 33% off the Best Flexible Rate. AAA and senior discounts are generally 10% off Best Flexible Rate.

Some hotels only offer Starpicks rates for weekends and other hotels offer discount rates seven days a week. Main point to know is these hotel rates are prepaid and nonrefundable. You can’t change the reservation or cancel. You lose the entire stay deposit if you need to change or cancel the hotel reservation.

The Starpicks list looks unusually large this week. January is the slowest period of the year in many places. My search of hotels in California and British Columbia show some good deal low rates at several hotels.

The format has changed and I do not see a webpage with a full list of hotels like in past weeks.

Sample of Starwood Starpicks hotels:

Paris – Le Meridien Etoile 149 EUR

Paris – Westin Vendome 272 EUR

Vancouver – Westin Bayshore 129 CAD

Read More…

Starwood Preferred Guest has a promotion specific to Asia Pacific hotels for one free weekend night after staying 5 nights and a second free night after 9 nights from November 29, 2011 through March 15, 2012 when stay is paid with a MasterCard. The nights are cumulative during the promotion period so can be done in one hotel stay or nine hotel stays. Maximum two free nights may be earned per member.

The nice thing about a steady travel partner is doubling up on these bonuses. I can earn two free nights and my wife can earn two free nights and then redeem all free nights on a single hotel stay of four nights.

This offer is available to all SPG members globally and requires promotion registration.

SPG Members must register for this promotion at http://www.spg.com/mastercard2days or by calling the nearest Customer Contact Center and saying “I want to register for 2 days of Happy!” requesting Registration Code “4MC” no later than March 15, 2012.

Twice as many hotels to earn free nights than burn free nights.

The particpating properties is an interesting aspect of the offer. There are about 220 Starwood Hotels in Asia Pacific for earning the free nights, but fewer than 90 hotels for redeeming the free nights. Granted that Four Points and Aloft may not be where you want to spend free nights when you can stay at the Westin Tokyo or Le Meriden Koh Samui Resort & Spa, but if you find yourself with a free night credit about to expire and the Four Points is the only thing around…

Redeeming Free Nights

Contact SPG customer service and mention Award ID 4MCFN.

• Free night valid at participating hotels Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights
• Redeemable between January 1, 2012 and April 10, 2012.
• Free night may not be transferred to any other SPG member.

Participating Starwood Hotels for Redeeming Free Nights

1. The Westin Sydney
2. The Westin Melbourne
3. The Westin Hefei Baohe
4. The Westin Fuzhou Minjiang
5. The Westin Xiamen – Opening Soon
6. The Westin Pazhou
7. The Westin Shenzhen Nanshan
8. The Westin Wuhan Wuchang
9. The Westin Nanjing
10. The Westin Xian – Opening Soon
11. The Westin Tianjin
12. The Westin Ningbo – Opening Soon
13. The Westin Nine Dragon Hill Resort, Zhejiang – Opening Soon
14. The Westin Wenzhou – Opening Soon
15. The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi
16. The Westin Mumbai Garden City
17. The Westin Nagoya Castle
18. The Westin Awaji Island Resort and Conference Center
19. The Westin Miyako, Kyoto
20. The Westin Sendai
21. The Westin Osaka
22. The Westin Tokyo
23. The Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok
24. The Westin Siray Bay Resort & Spa, Phuket
25. Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel
26. Sheraton Chongqing Hotel
27. Sheraton Guangzhou Hotel
28. Sheraton Guangzhou Huadu Resort – Opening Soon
29. Sheraton Bailuhu Resort, Huizhou – Opening Soon
30. Sheraton Qingyuan Lion Lake Resort – Opening Soon
31. Sheraton Zhongshan Hotel
32. Sheraton Sanya Haitang Bay Resort – Opening Soon
33. Sheraton Shenzhou Peninsula Resort
34. Sheraton Daqing Hotel – Opening Soon
35. Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers
36. Sheraton Hohhot Hotel
37. Sheraton Changzhou Wujin Hotel
38. Sheraton Changzhou Xinbei Hotel – Opening Soon
39. Sheraton Jiangyin Hotel
40. Sheraton Wuxi Binhu Hotel
41. Sheraton Zhenjiang Hotel
42. Sheraton Jinzhou Hotel
43. Sheraton Xian North City Hotel – Opening Soon
44. Sheraton Yantai Golden Beach Resort – Opening Soon
45. Sheraton Shanghai Hongkou Hotel
46. Sheraton Tianjin Binhai Hotel
47. Sheraton Hangzhou Wetland Park Resort – Opening Soon
48. Sheraton Qiandao Lake Resort
49. Sheraton Wenzhou Hotel
50. Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway
51. Sheraton Udaipur Palace Resort & Spa
52. Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel
53. Sheraton Hiroshima Hotel
54. Sheraton Sapporo Hotel
55. Kobe Bay Sheraton Hotel & Towers
56. Yokohama Bay Sheraton Hotel & Towers
57. Sheraton Grande Ocean Resort
58. Sheraton Miyako Hotel, Osaka
59. Sheraton Miyako Hotel, Tokyo
60. Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel
61. Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa
62. Sheraton Towers Singapore
63. Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel
64. Sheraton Hsinchu Hotel, Taiwan
65. Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers
66. Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa
67. Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort
68. Sheraton Pattaya Resort
69. Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers
70. Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa
71. W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak
72. W Taipei
73. The St. Regis Shenzhen – Opening Soon
74. The St. Regis Sanya Yalong Bay Resort
75. The St. Regis Tianjin
76. The St. Regis Lhasa Resort
77. The St. Regis Osaka
78. The St. Regis Bangkok
79. Le Méridien Xiamen
80. Le Royal Méridien Shanghai
81. Le Méridien Coimbatore
82. Le Méridien Taipei
83. Le Méridien Bangkok
84. Plaza Athénée Bangkok, A Royal Méridien Hotel
85. Le Méridien Chiang Mai
86. Le Méridien Chiang Rai Resort, Thailand
87. Le Méridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort
88. Le Méridien Koh Samui Resort & Spa
89. Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort

Participating Starwood Hotels for earning free nights

1. The Westin Resort, Guam
2. The Westin Sydney
3. The Westin Melbourne
4. The Westin Dhaka
5. The Westin Hefei Baohe
6. The Westin Beijing Chaoyang
7. The Westin Beijing Financial Street
8. The Westin Fuzhou Minjiang
9. The Westin Guangzhou
10. The Westin Pazhou
11. The Westin Shenzhen Nanshan
12. The Westin Wuhan Wuchang
13. The Westin Nanjing
14. The Westin Resort, Macau
15. The Westin Xian – Opening Soon
16. The Westin Bund Center, Shanghai
17. The Westin Tianjin
18. The Westin Ningbo – Opening Soon
19. The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa, Fiji
20. The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace
21. The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi
22. The Westin Sohna Resort & Spa
23. The Westin Mumbai Garden City
24. The Westin Pune Koregaon Park
25. The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali
26. The Westin Nagoya Castle
27. The Westin Awaji Island Resort and Conference Center
28. The Westin Miyako, Kyoto
29. The Westin Sendai
30. The Westin Osaka
31. The Westin Tokyo
32. The Westin Kuala Lumpur
33. The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa
34. The Westin Chosun, Busan
35. The Westin Chosun, Seoul
36. The Westin Taipei
37. The Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok
38. The Westin Siray Bay Resort & Spa, Phuket
39. Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort
40. Sheraton on the Park
41. Sheraton Mirage Resort and Spa Gold Coast
42. Sheraton Noosa Resort & Spa
43. Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Resort
44. Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel
45. The Great Wall Sheraton Hotel Beijing
46. Sheraton Chongqing Hotel
47. Sheraton Xiamen Hotel
48. Sheraton Dongguan Hotel
49. Sheraton Shunde Hotel
50. Sheraton Guangzhou Hotel
51. Sheraton Guangzhou Huadu Resort – Opening Soon
52. Sheraton Huizhou Beach Resort
53. Sheraton Qingyuan Lion Lake Resort – Opening Soon
54. Sheraton Dameisha Resort, Shenzhen
55. Sheraton Shenzhen Futian Hotel
56. Sheraton Zhongshan Hotel
57. Sheraton Guilin Hotel
58. Sheraton Guiyang Hotel
59. Sheraton Haikou Resort
60. Sheraton Sanya Resort
61. Sheraton Shenzhou Peninsula Resort
62. Sheraton Daqing Hotel - Opening Soon
63. Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers
64. Sheraton Changsha Hotel
65. Sheraton Hohhot Hotel
66. Sheraton Changzhou Wujin Hotel
67. Sheraton Changzhou Xinbei Hotel – Opening Soon
68. Sheraton Jiangyin Hotel
69. Sheraton Nanjing Kingsley Hotel & Towers
70. Sheraton Wuxi Binhu Hotel
71. Sheraton Zhenjiang Hotel
72. Sheraton Jinzhou Hotel
73. Sheraton Shenyang Lido Hotel
74. Sheraton Xian Hotel
75. Sheraton Xian North City Hotel – Opening Soon
76. Sheraton Jinan Hotel
77. Sheraton Shanghai Hongkou Hotel
78. Sheraton Shanghai Hongqiao Hotel
79. Sheraton Shanghai Pudong Hotel & Residences
80. Sheraton Chengdu Lido Hotel
81. Sheraton Jiuzhaigou Resort
82. Sheraton Tianjin Binhai Hotel
83. Sheraton Tianjin Hotel
84. Sheraton Urumqi Hotel
85. Sheraton Hangzhou Wetland Park Resort – Opening Soon
86. Sheraton Ningbo Hotel
87. Sheraton Qiandao Lake Resort
88. Sheraton Wenzhou Hotel
89. Sheraton Zhoushan Hotel
90. Sheraton Denarau Villas
91. Sheraton Fiji Resort
92. Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway
93. Sheraton New Delhi Hotel
94. Sheraton Rajputana Palace Hotel, Jaipur
95. Sheraton Udaipur Palace Resort & Spa
96. Sheraton Park Hotel & Towers, Chennai
97. Sheraton Surabaya Hotel & Towers
98. Sheraton Bandara Hotel
99. Sheraton Media Hotel & Towers
100. Sheraton Lampung Hotel
101. Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Towers
102. Sheraton Senggigi Beach Resort
103. Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta Resort and Spa
104. Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel
105. Sheraton Hiroshima Hotel
106. Sheraton Sapporo Hotel
107. Kobe Bay Sheraton Hotel & Towers
108. Yokohama Bay Sheraton Hotel & Towers
109. Sheraton Grande Ocean Resort
110. Sheraton Miyako Hotel, Osaka
111. Sheraton Miyako Hotel, Tokyo
112. Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel
113. Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort
114. Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa
115. Sheraton Towers Singapore
116. Sheraton Incheon Hotel
117. Sheraton Grande Walkerhill
118. Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel
119. Sheraton Taipei Hotel
120. Sheraton Hsinchu Hotel, Taiwan
121. Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers
122. Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa
123. Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort
124. Sheraton Pattaya Resort
125. Sheraton Hanoi Hotel
126. Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers
127. Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa
128. W Hong Kong
129. W Retreat & Spa Bali - Seminyak
130. W Retreat & Spa - Maldives
131. W Seoul – Walkerhill
132. W Taipei
133. W Retreat Koh Samui
134. The St. Regis Beijing
135. The St. Regis Shenzhen - Opening Soon
136. The St. Regis Sanya Yalong Bay Resort
137. The St. Regis Shanghai
138. The St. Regis Tianjin
139. The St. Regis Lhasa Resort
140. The St. Regis Bali Resort
141. The St. Regis Osaka
142. The St. Regis Singapore
143. The St. Regis Bangkok
144. Le Méridien Angkor
145. Le Méridien Chongqing, Nan’an
146. Le Méridien Xiamen
147. Le Méridien Shimei Bay Beach Resort & Spa
148. Le Méridien Cyberport
149. Le Méridien Qingdao
150. Le Méridien She Shan Shanghai
151. Le Royal Méridien Shanghai
152. Le Méridien Ahmedabad
153. Le Méridien Bangalore
154. Le Méridien Kochi
155. Le Méridien Pune
156. Le Méridien New Delhi
157. Le Méridien Jaipur
158. Le Royal Méridien Chennai
159. Le Méridien Coimbatore
160. Le Méridien Jakarta
161. Le Méridien Kota Kinabalu
162. Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur
163. Le Méridien Ile des Pins
164. Le Méridien Nouméa
165. Le Méridien Taipei
166. Le Méridien Bangkok
167. Plaza Athénée Bangkok, A Royal Méridien Hotel
168. Le Méridien Chiang Mai
169. Le Méridien Chiang Rai Resort, Thailand
170. Le Méridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort
171. Le Méridien Koh Samui Resort & Spa
172. Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort
173. The Astor Hotel, Tianjin
174. ITC Kakatiya, Hyderabad
175. ITC Windsor, Bengaluru
176. ITC Royal Gardenia, Bengaluru
177. ITC Grand Central, Mumbai
178. ITC Maratha, Mumbai
179. ITC Maurya, New Delhi
180. ITC Grand Chola, Chennai - Opening Soon
181. ITC Mughal, Agra
182. ITC Sonar, Kolkata
183. The Laguna Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua, Bali
184. The Andaman, Langkawi
185. Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok
186. The Naka Island, Phuket
187. Four Points by Sheraton Sydney, Darling Harbour
188. Four Points by Sheraton Geelong
189. Four Points by Sheraton Beijing, Haidian Hotel and Serviced Apartments
190. Four Points by Sheraton Guangzhou, Dongpu
191. Four Points by Sheraton Shenzhen
192. Four Points by Sheraton Shenzhou Peninsula Resort – Opening Soon
193. Four Points by Sheraton Lianyungang
194. Four Points by Sheraton Taicang
195. Four Points by Sheraton Yangzhou, Hanjiang – Opening Soon
196. Four Points by Sheraton Qingdao, Chengyang
197. Four Points by Sheraton Tai’an
198. Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Daning
199. Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Pudong
200. Four Points by Sheraton Lhasa
201. Four Points by Sheraton Hangzhou, Binjiang
202. Four Points by Sheraton Visakhapatnam
203. Four Points by Sheraton Navi Mumbai, Vashi
204. Four Points by Sheraton Pune, Nagar Road
205. Four Points by Sheraton Jaipur, City Square
206. Four Points by Sheraton Kuching
207. Four Points by Sheraton Langkawi Resort
208. Four Points by Sheraton Chung Ho, Taipei
209. Four Points by Sheraton Bangkok, Sukhumvit 15
210. Aloft Beijing, Haidian
211. Aloft Nanhai, Foshan
212. Aloft Zhengzhou Shangjie
213. Aloft Haiyang
214. Aloft Bengaluru Whitefield
215. Aloft Chennai, OMR – IT Expressway
216. Aloft Coimbatore Singanallur
217. Aloft Bangkok – Sukhumvit 11 - Opening Soon

Loyalty Traveler analysis:

This is a good value promotion offer if you have a MasterCard and find yourself in Asia Pacific. Many of these hotels for earning free nights have daily rates under $75 per night meaning the cost of earning two free nights could be under US$700. And if you are ultimately being reimbursed and not paying the hotel bill then price is not so important. Nine nights over the course of 14 weeks should be an easy bonus to earn.

Redemption properties include only two category 6 hotels with the W Retreat & Spa Bali, Seminyak and Westin Tokyo.

Assorted Category 5 hotels like Westin Sydney and Westin Melbourne in Australia and St. Regis Lhasa, Nepal or St. Regis Sanya Yalong Bay Resort are redemption options. Thailand has seven Le Meridien hotels and resorts. Most of the hotel redemption choices for free nights are SPG category-4 properties. You can value these free nights at 10,000 points per night and “good for you” if you redeem for a higher hotel. This offer looks to be the equivalent of earning 2,000 bonus SPG points for every eligible night. Keep that in mind when you are comparing rates and other promotion offers.

Of course we can all try and redeem at the W Retreat Bali.

This week’s Starwood Starpicks offers are available until Friday. I must state I am not impressed by the rates I see in San Francisco, Boston, and Amsterdam. Fresno Four Points at $79 looks reasonable, but my two stays there this year were both disrupted by late night partiers.

Westin Market Street at $299 for a Friday night makes me cringe. San Francisco has priced me out of the market this year. I miss the $99 weekend rates I periodically enjoyed the past three years from late-2008 through 2010. Those are just a memory in 2011 for the city that has seen the highest hotel room rate increases in the U.S. in 2011. I have primarily been burning through loyalty points this year when I go to urban hotels.

Take a look and perhaps something here works for you. Just remember to compare rates. W Boston was only $4 a night more ($263 vs. $259) for a flexible cancellation AAA rate compared to the prepaid, nonrefundable Starpicks rate.

Starpicks Hotel List and Availability Calendar links. Use this link to access availability calendars for Starpicks dates. The links below take you only to the hotel’s webpage.

Starpicks Hotels for Bookings by Friday October 28, 2011.

Belgium

Brussels Le Méridien Brussels

Brussels Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel

Brussels Sheraton Brussels Hotel

 

Canada

British Columbia

Vancouver The Westin Grand, Vancouver

Ontario

Toronto Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel

Quebec

Dorval Sheraton Montreal Airport Hotel

Montreal Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel

France

Paris Le Méridien Etoile

Mexico

Baja California Sur

Los Cabos Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf & Spa Resort, Los Cabos

Netherlands

Amsterdam Hotel Pulitzer, Amsterdam

Amsterdam Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel and Conference Center

The Hague Hotel Des Indes, The Hague

Portugal

Portimão Le Méridien Penina Golf & Resort

United Kingdom

England

West Drayton Sheraton Heathrow Hotel

United States

Arizona

Phoenix Aloft Phoenix-Airport

Phoenix Sheraton Crescent Hotel

Scottsdale Sheraton Desert Oasis Villas, Scottsdale

California

Fresno Four Points by Sheraton Fresno

Garden Grove Sheraton Garden Grove – Anaheim South Hotel

Rancho Cucamonga Four Points by Sheraton Ontario-Rancho Cucamonga

San Francisco The Westin San Francisco Market Street

San Francisco The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square

San Francisco W San Francisco

Florida

Fort Lauderdale The Westin Fort Lauderdale

Lake Mary The Westin Lake Mary, Orlando North

Orlando Four Points by Sheraton Orlando Studio City

Georgia

Atlanta Sheraton Suites Galleria-Atlanta

Atlanta The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta

Atlanta W Atlanta – Downtown

Hawaii

Honolulu The Royal Hawaiian, Waikiki

Maui The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka’anapali

Illinois

Chicago Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers

Chicago The Tremont Chicago Hotel at Magnificent Mile

Chicago The Westin Chicago River North

Indiana

Indianapolis The Westin Indianapolis

Massachusetts

Boston W Boston

Springfield Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel

Minnesota

Edina The Westin Edina Galleria

Minneapolis Le Méridien Chambers Minneapolis

Minnetonka Sheraton Minneapolis West Hotel

Woodbury Sheraton St. Paul Woodbury Hotel

Nebraska

Omaha Sheraton Omaha Hotel

New York

Hauppauge Sheraton Long Island Hotel

New York The Manhattan at Times Square Hotel

North Carolina

Charlotte The Westin Charlotte

Puerto Rico

San Juan Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel & Casino

Tennessee

Nashville Sheraton Music City Hotel

Texas

Houston Sheraton Houston West Hotel

Houston The Westin Houston, Memorial City 

San Antonio Four Points by Sheraton San Antonio Downtown by the Riverwalk

Virginia

Falls Church The Westin Tysons Corner

Washington

Bellevue Sheraton Bellevue Hotel

Seattle Sheraton Seattle Hotel

Starwood Starpicks offer rate discounts up to 40% for upcoming weekends with some hotels offering discount rates every day of the week over the next three to six weeks. The real value I see with Starpicks is for hotels with typically high weekday rates that are discounted to a set Starpicks rate regardless of the day of week. These rates can save quite a bit on a hotel for a Thursday or Sunday night when rates tend to be higher than Friday or Saturday.

These rates are available for booking until Friday, October 14, 2011.

Starwood Starpicks Hotels for week of October 11-October 14 bookings for stays in October and November.

Note: Use the link at the beginning of the post to see availability calendars. The hotels listed below are the participating hotels, but you need to go to the main page to view calendar of available Starpicks dates.

Aruba

Palm Beach The Westin Resort & Casino, Aruba

Bahamas

Nassau Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort

 

Canada

Ontario

Mississauga Four Points by Sheraton Mississauga Meadowvale

Toronto Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Toronto International Airport

 

China

Shandong

Qingdao Four Points by Sheraton Qingdao, Chengyang

 

France

Paris Le Méridien Etoile

 

Japan

Osaka The St. Regis Osaka

 

Malaysia

Kota Kinabalu Le Méridien Kota Kinabalu

 

Mexico

Baja California Sur

Los Cabos Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf & Spa Resort, Los Cabos

 

Netherlands

Amsterdam Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel and Conference Center

The Hague Hotel Des Indes, The Hague

 

South Africa

Cape Town The Westin Cape Town

 

United Kingdom

England

West Drayton Sheraton Heathrow Hotel

 

United States

Arizona

Phoenix Aloft Phoenix-Airport

Phoenix Sheraton Crescent Hotel

Scottsdale W Scottsdale

Tempe Aloft Tempe

California

Bakersfield Four Points by Sheraton Bakersfield

Fresno Four Points by Sheraton Fresno

Pleasanton Four Points by Sheraton Pleasanton

Rancho Cucamonga Four Points by Sheraton Ontario-Rancho Cucamonga

San Diego Four Points by Sheraton San Diego

Colorado

Steamboat Springs Sheraton Steamboat Resort

Steamboat Springs Sheraton Steamboat Resort Villas

Florida

Lake Mary The Westin Lake Mary, Orlando North

Orlando Sheraton Safari Hotel & Suites Lake Buena Vista

Hawaii

Kauai, Princeville The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas

Illinois

Chicago Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers

Chicago The Tremont Chicago Hotel at Magnificent Mile

Indiana

Indianapolis The Westin Indianapolis

Kentucky

Lexington Four Points by Sheraton Lexington

Maryland

Linthicum Aloft Baltimore Washington International Airport

Nebraska

Omaha Sheraton Omaha Hotel

New Hampshire

Manchester Four Points by Sheraton Manchester Airport

New Jersey

Ewing Element Ewing Princeton

New York

New York W New York – Downtown

Oregon

Portland Four Points by Sheraton Portland East

Pennsylvania

Allentown Four Points by Sheraton Hotel & Suites Allentown Airport

Lakeville Cove Haven Resort

Marshalls Creek Pocono Palace Resort

Mount Pocono Paradise Stream Resort

Puerto Rico

Rio Grande The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, Puerto Rico

San Juan Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel & Casino

Tennessee

Franklin Aloft Nashville-Cool Springs

Texas

Fort Worth Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa

Frisco The Westin Stonebriar

Houston Element Houston Vintage Park

Irving Element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North

San Antonio Four Points by Sheraton San Antonio Downtown by the Riverwalk

Virginia

Alexandria The Westin Alexandria

Arlington Sheraton Crystal City Hotel

Ashburn Aloft Dulles Airport North

Falls Church The Westin Tysons Corner

Washington

Seattle Four Points by Sheraton Downtown Seattle Center

Starwood Starpicks Terms & Conditions:

Reservations must be booked online by this Friday at a Starwood website to receive promotional rates.

• 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 three (3) weekends following the Tuesday launch of the sale. 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.
• Rates are per room, per night, based on single/double occupancy and availability at time of reservation and do not include additional per room, per night charges that may be imposed or state/local taxes.
• Offer not applicable to groups.
• Not to be combined with other special offers or promotions.
• Not responsible for omissions or typographical errors.
• Void where prohibited by law.
• Starwood reserves the right to discontinue this offer at any time.

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

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.

Here are some thoughts on maintaining hotel loyalty elite status while traveling in cities of rising rates. STR, the hotel data company for North America, reported average daily rates last week in the U.S. were $154.50 for upper-upscale hotel market segment with occupancy at 78.0%. The luxury hotel market segment had average daily rates of $260.71 with occupancy at a high 77.3%. 

As a leisure traveler over the past decade, I have felt that an adequate annual budget for maintaining top elite status while primarily staying in upper-upscale market segment hotels takes between $3,000 to $4,000 a year. I’ve spent more and I have spent less, but $3,000 is typically around the minimum spend I can expect when planning to earn top elite like SPG Platinum, Hyatt Diamond, Hilton Diamond or Carlson Concierge elite. 

Marriott will likely take more than $3,000 for Gold elite at 50 nights and much more for Platinum at 75 nights, although elite rollover nights can reduce the annual spend somewhat. Priority Club qualification on points should take far less than $3,000 to earn 60,000 points for Platinum. I requalified for 2012 Priority Club Platinum elite status yesterday after less than $500 in hotel stays in 2011.

My Priority Club account has earned 117,330 points in 2011 and Platinum elite membership is earned with 60,000 points in a calendar year. I have earned Platinum elite status through December 31, 2012 after just 5 paid hotel nights in 2011. 

Maintaining hotel elite status in a city of rising rates

Upper-upscale market segment hotels like full service Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt and Starwood properties will frequently have rates in the range of $150 to $200 per night. 

The highest rates might be during midweek nights like in downtown San Francisco where business travelers and convention goers fill hotels on high rates. The highest hotel rates may be weekend nights like in my hometown of Monterey where many Californians come to vacation on weekends. 

$150 to $200 per night hotels on a $3,000 to $4,000 budget gets you 15 to 26 nights a year in hotels. It is tough to earn top-level elite status with fewer than 30 nights a year in hotels unless you only do one-night stays. 

Most hotel loyalty programs qualify members for elite status by either nights or hotel stays. Carlson, Hilton, Hyatt and Starwood require fewer stays than nights for elite qualification. 

Top-Tier Elite Qualification Published Requirements (in a calendar year)

• Marriott Rewards Platinum = 75 Nights
• Club Carlson Concierge Elite = 30 Stays or 75 Nights
• Hilton HHonors Diamond = 28 Stays or 60 Nights or 100,000 base points ($10,000 hotel spend)
• Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond = 25 stays or 50 nights
• Starwood Preferred Guest = 25 stays or 50 nights 
• InterContinental Royal Ambassador has unpublished qualification terms which are generally reported to be around 50 to 60 nights in IHG brand hotels with stays in at least 3 different InterContinental Hotels in a 12-month period of Ambassador paid membership.

I have met many business travelers who spend 40 to 50 nights a year in hotels and never have attained top elite status. Most business travelers average two or three night stays. If you spend 60 nights a year in hotels with 20 hotel stays and 42 nights Hilton and 18 nights in Marriott, then your HHonors Gold and Marriott Silver elite receives minor attention compared to what you would likely experience as HHonors Diamond. 

The leisure traveler spending $3K to $4K can have four or five extended stay vacations a year staying in nice upper-upscale hotels at $150 to $200 per night. Most of my friends fall in this category of travelers who pay high rates in desirable places and never qualify for more than low-level elite hotel loyalty membership.

My objective throughout the year is finding upper-upscale hotels where my average daily paid rate is well below the average $155 per night for a U.S. upper upscale hotel. I regularly find upper upscale hotels in the $100 range during slow business and low occupancy periods. This allows me to stay 30 to 40 paid nights and the ability to maintain top-elite status with good elite benefits and hotel selection whether that loyalty program is Hilton, Hyatt, SPG or another hotel loyalty program.

Typically I spend about 80% of my paid hotel nights in upper-upscale hotels and around 20% in midscale brands like Four Points, Hyatt Place, Holiday Inn Express and Hampton Inn/Hilton Garden Inn.

Conventions and Events are a Leisure Traveler budget buster 

Conferences like the International Pow Wow in San Francisco this past week tend to push the daily hotel rates up to $250 to $300 per night for upper-upscale hotel brands like Hilton, Hyatt Regency, Marriott, and Westin. These high rates force the leisure traveler down to 10 to 16 nights a year if staying within a $3,000 to $4,000 budget. You are severely limited on your ability to earn hotel elite status while staying in the upper-upscale hotel market segment and paying high rates. 

I plan for hotel travel 12 months a year with a goal of maintaining top elite status in at least one program (currently I’m top-elite in four hotel programs). I seldom book a hotel more than one week in advance, but when I see good value hotel deals, like my W Silicon Valley $64 Best Rate Guarantee nights this weekend that I found a few weeks back, I jump on them to earn loyalty points and elite credit stays. 

Then, when I really need a hotel in a specific place like downtown San Francisco last week, I am able to spend points for nice upper-upscale hotel rooms with elite benefits like free internet or free breakfast and free room upgrades. Rates were over $200 and $300 at hotels around Moscone Center during International Pow Wow 2011 travel convention. Rates are about the same next month in downtown Vancouver for the Travel Blog Exchange 2011 conference.  My points earned steadily over the past year allow me to stay in upper upscale hotels in the center of the action at a fraction of the published paid rates by using points awards. 

The fact that most other guests at these hotels are paying $200 to $300 per night does not impact me. I spent $120 and 60,000 Priority Club points to stay two nights at the InterContinental San Francisco and saved nearly $500 on the published lowest rate. I stayed at the Starwood Luxury Collection Palace Hotel on a Cash & Points award and paid $103 (after tax) and 4,800 points to save over $200 on the lowest published rate. My SPG Platinum elite status also waived the $20 daily internet fee at the Palace Hotel. I booked both of these hotels within 24 hours of arrival during one of the year’s biggest conventions in San Francisco.

So if you are one of those high-paying guests during hotel convention times, or even worse, you are staying at the airport and spending two hours a day commuting to and from the city center from your budget hotel…

“Welcome to Loyalty Traveler.” 

This is where you will find tips on getting hotel value for the frequent guest. 

You do not have to book far in advance to get the best hotel rates. You just need to plan far in advance so you have plenty of points and hopefully elite status, rather than plenty of cash to cover your hotel needs when staying in a city of high-rise and high rate hotels.

Article Correction May 31: This post originally listed occupancy for upper-upscale hotel segment incorrectly at 68% rather than 78.0%.  The upper-midscale hotel segment was 68% occupancy.

“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?

Half the prize locations in this 4-day Starwood Resorts “Pack Your Bags” sweepstakes round 8 for five hotel nights and 150,000 points are valued at over $20,000. SPG members can have four entries total for this round with one entry each day Friday April 8, Saturday April 9, Sunday April 10 and Monday April 11 before 11:59pm Eastern time (New York City).

 

Basic Rules (Pack Your Bags sweepstakes FAQ link)

There are 9 resort categories for the sweepstakes and one final prize on April 15 for a total of ten grand prize giveaways over the next month.  Every Tuesday and Friday during the promotion period there will be a different set of hotels offering a grand prize package. 

• You can enter once every 24 hours. Each entry is unique and you may choose a different resort within the choices of the Starwood Resort category with each entry.
• You can only win one prize during the promotion period.
• Prize is not transferrable.
• Winners are chosen from member entries within the posted time frame for each category.

Starwood Resort Categories for Pack Your Bags Sweepstakes:

Sweepstakes Period Rounds:

ROUND 1 – Best Exotic Escapes

* Photos posted: 3/15/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/17/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

ROUND 2 – Best Winter Adventure Resorts

* Photos posted: 3/18/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/21/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

ROUND 3 – Best Family Adventure Resorts

* Photos posted: 3/22/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/24/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

ROUND 4 – Best Beach Resorts

* Photos posted: 3/25/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/28/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

ROUND 5 – Best Spa Indulgences

* Photos posted: 3/29/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 3/31/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

ROUND 6 – Best Golf Getaways

* Photos posted: 4/1/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 4/4/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

ROUND 7 – Best Romantic Paradise

* Photos posted: 4/5/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 4/7/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

ROUND 8 – Best Small Wonder

* Photos posted: 4/8/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 4/11/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

ROUND 9 – Best Island Retreat

* Photos posted: 4/12/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET

* Submission deadline: 4/14/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET 

The 10^th grand prize winner will be picked April 15 from the entrants for each of the previous rounds. The Grand Prize winner has the choice of any Starwood Resort in the SPG members’ favorites list.

Resort stays must be completed by December 31, 2011.

Who can enter: Anyone age 18 or over from

• fifty (50) United States (including D.C.),
• Canada (excluding Quebec residents),
• Argentina,
• Australia,
• Austria,
• Brazil,
• China,
• Indonesia,
• Ireland,
• Finland,
• France,
• Germany,
• New Zealand,
• Portugal,
• Singapore,
• South Korea,
• Switzerland,
• Taiwan
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom.

Important Promotion Term to Note:  Winner member may substitute a different resort from the one originally chosen. For this reason you should pick the most expensive resort stays since you can always trade down, but you can’t trade up.

What if I win, but then decide I don’t want to go to the resort I had originally chosen?

Members may substitute a resort of equal or less value from the resort options originally provided to the member during the Giveaway. 

Check the Pack Your Bags Terms and Conditions link to see the tables of hotels and prize value for each of the nine Starwood Resort categories during the Pack Your Bags sweepstakes.

 

150,000 Starpoints Component of Grand Prize

The points are yours for whatever purpose you choose. Air travel to the Starwood Resort prize is totally left up to the prize winner.

150,000 Starpoints are available for conversion into airline miles if you choose to use points for air travel.

150,000 points = 185,000 miles for most airlines with 1:1 point-to-mile exchange.

Loyalty Traveler Analysis:

Remember to enter every day through April 14.

Choose the most expensive resort for each entry. If you win, then you can always change to any other resort in the list for each resort category prize. You can always trade laterally to an equally expensive resort or trade down later, but you can’t trade up to a more expensive resort.

Air travel to the resort is left up to the member. In general, 150,000 Starpoints will have more value used for hotel nights rather than air miles.