• May 1 – July 31
• June 1 – August 31
• July 1 – September 30

The rules indicate that your stay activity applies retroactively once you register and pick a promotion period. By June 30 you should know how you match up for May 1 – July 31 and June 1 – August 31 periods based on the hotel stays you completed and the hotel stays you plan.

My strategy is to pick the best earning choices for my travel and keep that in mind as I make Starwood stays. By June 30 I will have a good idea of which bonuses are within reach and then compare the bonus value with my Starwood stay pattern.

I just have to remember to register for SPG Nice Choice by June 30.

The SPG Earning Choices

There are 11 different earning choices for SPG Nice Choice. You cannot change your earning option once you select a choice which is why I favor waiting until late June to register for SPG Nice Choice, if like me, you do not have your summer travel plans set at this time.

This post covers the six bonus points and free night offers. I analyze the elite credit and gift certificate offers in this follow-up post SPG Nice Choice Elite Credit, Hotel Credit and Merchandise.

1. Double Starpoints beginning with second stay. Minimum of 2 stays to earn any bonus with this choice.

SPG Terms: Members may choose to register to earn double Starpoints beginning with their second eligible paid stay. First eligible paid stay during the earning period does not earn a bonus. Eligible paid stays must be at SPG participating properties during the three-month promotion earning period as selected by the member (see “all offer terms” for a list of earning period options). Non-participating properties can be found at spg.com/t&c, section 1.2. Members who earn double Starpoints will earn an additional two Starpoints per eligible US$1 spent (for a total of four Starpoints per dollar). Elite level extra Starpoints earnings are not doubled. Only the base 2 Starpoints per dollar earnings are doubled. There is no limit to the number of bonus Starpoints that can be earned during the promotion earning period. Bonus Starpoints will be credited to the member’s account within 2–4 weeks of the stay posting to the member’s Starwood Preferred Guest account. See “All Offers” below for additional terms and conditions.

My Take: Double Starpoints favors high spenders. The good value here is there is no earning limit and the bonus is earned starting with the second hotel stay in your three month promotion period.

Personally I evaluate this as if I stay 10 nights and spend $1,000 at Starwood Hotels, then my bonus is only 2,000 points for $1,000 in hotel spend. Poor choice for my travel pattern.

2. Earn 3,000 Bonus Starpoints each 6 paid nights. Minimum 6 nights to earn any bonus with this choice. Maximum earning 9,000 bonus points after 18 nights.

SPG Terms: Members may choose to register to earn 3,000 bonus Starpoints after every six (6) eligible paid nights, up to a maximum of 9,000 bonus Starpoints after 18 paid nights. Eligible paid nights must be at SPG participating properties during the three-month promotion earning period as selected by the member (see “all offer terms” for a list of earning period options). Nights do not have to be consecutive and can be accumulated across multiple stays. Non-participating properties can be found at spg.com/t&c, section 1.2. Bonus Starpoints will be credited to the member’s account within 2–4 weeks of the stay posting to the member’s Starwood Preferred Guest account that has 6th, 12th, and 18th eligible night. See “All Offers” below for additional terms and conditions.

My Take:This choice favors longer hotel stays or low-cost one-night stays. This offer will allow me to earn 500 bonus points per night if I complete 6 or 12 nights during the promotion period. That is not much of a bonus for lots of one-night stays. This is a better deal if staying 5 or 6 nights somewhere and spend is too low to make double points a better deal.

$150 per night x 6 nights = $900 and earns 3,000 bonus points. This is still relatively low value in my analysis.

3. Triple Starpoints after 15 nights. Minimum 15 nights during promotion period to earn any bonus with this choice. Maximum bonus is unlimited.

SPG Terms: Members may choose to register to earn triple Starpoints on all eligible stays once they have stayed 15 eligible paid nights. Bonus is retroactive to all eligible paid stays during the earning period once the member completes 15 eligible paid nights. Nights do not have to be consecutive and can be accumulated across multiple stays. Eligible paid stays and nights must be at SPG participating properties during the three-month promotion earning period as selected by the member (see “all offer terms” for a list of earning period options). Non-participating properties can be found at spg.com/t&c, section 1.2. Members who earn triple Starpoints will earn an additional four Starpoints per eligible US$1 spent (for a total of six (6) Starpoints per dollar). Elite level extra Starpoints earnings are not tripled. Only the base 2 Starpoints per dollar earnings are tripled. There is no limit to the number of bonus Starpoints that can be earned during the promotion period. Bonus Starpoints will start being credited to the member’s account within 2–4 weeks of the stay posting to the member’s Starwood Preferred Guest account that comprises the 15th eligible paid night. See “All Offers” below for additional terms and conditions.

My Take on Triple Points:This bonus is the most lucrative for high spenders. The bonus applies retroactively to all stays during promotion period. Assume $5,000 in hotel spend and this offer earns an extra 4 points/$1 for 20,000 bonus points.

Assume a low spend of $100 per night average and $1,500 in spend earns 6,000 bonus points. Low spenders would do better with 3,000 bonus points for every 6 nights and it will only take 12 nights to earn 6,000 bonus points.

4. 500 bonus Starpoints per night at Sheraton hotels and resorts

SPG Terms: Members may choose to register to earn 500 bonus Starpoints per eligible paid night at Sheraton Hotels and Resorts worldwide. Eligible paid nights must be at Sheraton hotels that participate in the SPG program during the three-month promotion earning period as selected by the member (see “all offer terms” for a list of earning period options) and the stays must be booked online at either spg.com, Sheraton.com, or Starwoodhotels.comwebsites. Stays booked through other channels, including the Starwood customer contact center, are not eligible for the bonus Starpoints. Bonus Starpoints will be credited to the member’s account within 2–4 weeks of the Sheraton stay posting to the member’s Starwood Preferred Guest account. See “All Offers” below for additional terms and conditions.

My Take on Sheraton 500 points – this is brand limiting. This will be a good deal if you plan to spend a lot of nights in Sheraton. This is an option I would definitely wait on and see how travel plans work out. The value of this option is for someone with only one or two stays and no plans to stay at least 6 nights for the #2 choice for 3,000 bonus points for 6 nights. This is the choice if you only have one or two Starwood stays planned and they will be at a Sheraton.

5. Free Weekend Night after 10 paid nights. Maximum 2 free nights after 20 paid nights.

SPG Terms: Members may choose to register to earn one (1) Free Weekend Night in a standard room at a Category 1–5 hotel or resort after ten (10) eligible paid nights, up to a maximum of two Free Weekend Nights after 20 eligible paid nights. Eligible paid stay(s) must be at SPG participating properties during the three-month promotion earning period as selected by the member (see “all offer terms” for a list of earning period options). Non-participating properties can be found at spg.com/t&c, section 1.2. Free Weekend Night(s) Awards must be redeemed and used by December 23, 2012, for any Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night, and can be redeemed by calling your local SPG Customer Contact Center and mentioning Free Weekend Night Award ID NCHFN. Free Weekend Night Award stay(s) and night(s) will count toward elite earning qualification. Free Weekend Night Award(s) are combinable and may be added to existing paid or Award stays; however, the Free Weekend Night Awards are nontransferable and may not be given as gifts. Unused Awards are forfeited. Free Weekend Night Awards will post to the member’s account within 2–3 weeks of the eligible paid stays comprising the 10th and 20th nights posting to the member’s account. See “All Offers” below for additional terms and conditions.

My Take on Free Weekend Night

I think this is the highest potential value choice for a low spender. The restriction to category 1-5 definitely is a promotion value drop from the last two years when category 6 hotels were in the mix. This is a return to pre-2009 when category 6 hotels were never in the mix for free night promotions.

This offer is likely a 12,000 points value after 10 nights or even 16,000 points for a SPG category 5 hotel in peak season.

Back to my example of $100 per night means this offer is pulling in the equivalent of 1,200 bonus points per night once you reach the 10 night threshold. If you are a low spender and can reach 10 nights with Starwood, then this is a good offer. I will probably take this choice, but I want to be sure I have ten nights planned first.

6. 25%-Off Starpoints Redemption Award with 20 paid nights. Maximum of two 25% off awards after 40 nights.

SPG Terms: Members may choose to register to earn one (1) 25%-off Starpoints redemption Award with 20 eligible paid nights during the three-month promotion earning period as selected by the member (see “all offer terms” for a list of earning period options), up to a maximum of two (2) awards after 40 eligible paid nights during the promotion earning period as selected by the member. Eligible paid nights must be at SPG participating properties. Non-participating properties can be found at spg.com/t&c, section 1.2. 25%-off Starpoints Redemption Award(s) must be redeemed and used by December 23, 2012. Offer is nontransferable. Starwood Preferred Guest members must call 1-888-625-4991 or their nearest Starwood Preferred Guest Customer Contact Center and mention Award ID NCH. Each 25%-off Redemption Award may be redeemed for one stay at a Category 1–5 hotel or resort for up to a five-night stay. This 25%-off Starpoints Redemption Award excludes Category 6 and 7 properties, 5th Night Free, and Upgrade Awards. 25%-off Starpoints Redemption Awards and “no blackout dates” apply to standard room categories only. 25%-off Starpoints Redemption Award stays will count toward elite qualification. Member forfeits percent-off redemption when modifying award reservation outside the offer dates. If a percent-off redemption award is cancelled, only the number of Starpoints used by the member to redeem the 25%-off Starpoints Redemption Award will be credited to the member’s account. Awards will post to the member’s account within one (1) week of the eligible paid stays comprising the 20th and 40th nights posting to the member’s account. Advance reservations required. See “All Offers” below for additional terms and conditions.

My Take on 25% off SPG Redemption Award

20 nights? Are you kidding me?

This would be a deal worth considering if there were not so many limitations like:

• limited to a 5-night stay
• 5th night free not eligible for 25% discount.
• category 6 and 7 hotels excluded.
• must be redeemed by December 23, 2012.

Since the 25% off does not apply for a 5th night free award stay, then you are paying 45,000 points for a 5-night stay using the 25% off redemption at a category-5 hotel rather than 48,000 points. You save 3,000 points after 20 paid nights at Starwood. You get better value with a 3 or 4-night stay where you might save 9,000 to 16,000 points at a category 5 hotel.

This choice sucks. 

You can get two free weekend nights for the same number of 20 nights with Choice #5. That is a 24,000 points value.

This is primarily the choice for the uber-Platinums who can count the discounted award stays toward elite.

I remember once (around 2003?) getting a Platinum recognition gift from SPG for 50% off SPG Redemption Award and that deal saved me 20,000 points on a 5-night stay.

I cover the SPG Nice Choice gift certificates and elite credit choices in this post:

SPG Nice Choice – Elite Credit, Hotel Credit and Merchandise.

One entry is earned by registering for the sweepstakes. An additional entry is earned for every hotel night booked and stayed in a Starwood Hotel April 3-30. Drawing is around May 4, 2012.

FourSquare check-in at a Starwood Hotel earns one additional entry per day. You do not need to be a guest, just in the immediate proximity to a Starwood Hotel for a FourSquare check-in. I’ll leave the details to registering your SPG account to FourSquare up to the SPG member.

U.S. residents earn a $15 Live Nation concert cash code after first FourSquare check-in.

Hear the Music, See the World Sweepstakes link.

Sweepstakes details

ELIGIBILITY:On Tour with SPG®: Hear the Music, See the World Sweepstakes, (the “Sweepstakes”) is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States (including the District of Columbia), Canada (excluding Quebec), Austria, Australia, China, Indonesia, Ireland, France, Germany, New Zealand, Portugal, United Kingdom, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates who are at a minimum 18 years of age or older and have reached the age of majority in their respective jurisdictions at the time of entry and who are members of the Starwood Preferred Guest® program. Employees of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., Live Nation /Worldwide, Inc., Foursquare Labs, Inc. as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible. The Sweepstakes is subject to all applicable federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations.

PROMOTION PERIOD.The Sweepstakes begins at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on April 3, 2012 and ends at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on April 30, 2012 (the “Promotion Period”). Entries submitted prior to or after the Promotion Period will be disqualified.

Grand Prize Destinations

PRIZESNine (9) Grand Prizes: Each winner will be awarded their choice of one (1) of the following nine (9) event trips:

Event 1. The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, Miami, Florida, May 2012.The prize includes access for two (2) to an SPG exclusive pre-show cocktail reception and an SPG exclusive acoustic performance at The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort; two (2) nights accommodations at the hotel in a standard room, double occupancy; round-trip coach-class airfare for two (2) to a major airport nearest the event location from the major airport closest to the winner’s residence. (ARV $2800.00 US)

Event 2. Le Méridien Etoile, Paris, France, June 2012.The prize includes two (2) concert tickets to a local concert selected by SPG, access for two (2) to an SPG exclusive artist after-party at the Le Méridien Etoile; two (2) nights accommodations at the hotel in a standard room, double occupancy; round-trip coach-class airfare for two (2) to a major airport nearest the event location from the major airport closest to the winner’s residence. (ARV $4,100.00 US)

Event 3. Aloft Dallas Downtown, Dallas, Texas, July 2012.The prize includes access for two (2) to an SPG exclusive artist after-party at the Aloft Dallas Downtown; two (2) concert tickets to a local concert with roundtrip transportation to and from concert venue and hotel, two (2) nights accommodations at the hotel in a standard room, double occupancy; round-trip coach-class airfare for two (2) to a major airport nearest the event location from the major airport closest to the winner’s residence. (ARV $2400.00 US)

Event 4. Four Points by Sheraton , China, August 2012.The prize includes access for two (2) to an SPG exclusive pre-party at a Four Points by Sheraton in Asia Pacific, and an artist performance at a local concert venue; roundtrip transportation to and from venue to hotels, two (2) nights accommodations at the hotel in a standard room, double occupancy; round-trip coach-class airfare for two (2) to a major airport nearest the event location from the major airport closest to the winner’s residence. (ARV $4,000.00 US)

Event 5. Element Houston Vintage Park, Houston,Texas , August 2012.The prize includes access for two (2) to an SPG exclusive pre-party at the Element Houston Vintage Park; round trip transportation to and from concert venue to hotel, two (2) tickets to artist concert (concert TBD), two (2) nights accommodations at the hotel in a standard room, double occupancy; round-trip coach-class airfare for two (2) to a major airport nearest the event location from the major airport closest to the winner’s residence. (ARV $2400.00 US)

Event 6. Westin hotel in NYC (exact hotel TBD), New York, New York, October 2012.The prize includes access for two (2) to an SPG exclusive pre-show cocktail reception and an SPG exclusive acoustic performance at the hotel; two (2) nights accommodations at the hotel in a standard room, double occupancy; round-trip coach-class airfare for two (2) to a major airport nearest the event location from the major airport closest to the winner’s residence. (ARV $2500.00 US)

Event 7. Grosvenor House, Dubai, UAE, November 2012.The prize includes access for two (2) to an SPG exclusive acoustic artist performance with pre-performance cocktail reception at the Grosvenor House; two (2) nights accommodations at the hotel in a standard room, double occupancy; round-trip coach-class airfare for two (2) to a major airport nearest the event location from the major airport closest to the winner’s residence. (ARV $4100.00 US)

Event 8. W Santiago, Chile, November 2012.The prize includes access for two (2) to an SPG exclusive pre-show cocktail reception and an SPG Exclusive DJ performance at the W Santiago; two (2) nights accommodations at the hotel in a standard room, double occupancy; round-trip coach-class airfare for two (2) to a major airport nearest the event location from the major airport closest to the winner’s residence. (ARV $3500.00 US)

Event 9. Sheraton Macau, China, December 2012.The prize includes access for two (2) to an SPG exclusive pre-show cocktail and an SPG exclusive acoustic artist performance at the Sheraton Macau two (2) nights accommodations at the hotel in a standard room, double occupancy; round-trip coach-class airfare for two (2) to a major airport nearest the event location from the major airport closest to the winner’s residence. (ARV $4100.00 US)

Only a few of the musical acts have been announced and you can see them when rolling mouse over the map on the SPG site.

There is plenty of fine print for these prizes. You can read it here.

I like this warning clause best:

By entering this Promotion and accepting the Grand Prize, the winner agrees to maintain his/her behavior in accordance with all applicable laws and generally accepted social practices in connection with participation in any promotion- or prize-related activity. The Grand Prize winner understands and agrees that Sponsor or prize providers have the right, in their sole discretion, to disqualify and remove the Grand Prize winner or his/her designated guest from any activity at any time if the Grand Prize winner’s or his/her guest’s behavior at any point is uncooperative, disruptive, or may or does cause damage to person, property, or the reputation of Sponsor or otherwise violates the policies of the prize providers, and in such a case, the Grand Prize winner will still be solely responsible for all taxes and other expenses related to the prize.

Good Luck …and Behave!

Link: Starwood Restaurants and Bars 

San Francisco – 2 hotels and 4 restaurants

Checking San Francisco shows only 2 of 7 Starwood Hotels in the city participate in this program at present. The Palace Hotel has 3 of the 4 participating restaurants and bars and each offers a 10% discount.

If you have never been to the Pied Piper Bar at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, I recommend this as one of the must see tourist attractions to view the Maxfield Parrish mural behind the bar.

Around the World in 5 Meals Sweepstakes – Win an Around the World Food Journey

To celebrate the launch of the new culinary benefits, SPG is launching an exclusive SPG member only, global sweepstakes, ‘Around the World in 5 Meals.’

SPG members are invited to create a tailor made ‘around the world’ food experience by selecting five destinations from all participating venues on a world map.

SPG members submit their journey to be entered into a sweepstakes and one lucky member will then win their around the world culinary experience. To reward those SPG members that dine in participating restaurants and bars on an ongoing basis, every meal in a participating venue represents an extra entry to the sweepstakes. Register at www.SPG.com/aroundtheworld.

Sweepstakes Entry period runs from March 27, 2012, at 00:00:00 a.m. Central European Time (“CET”) and ends June 29, 2012, at 23:59:59 p.m. CET.

The Prize: A ten (10) day round-trip for the winner and one (1) guest a total of two (2) persons) to visit and have one (1) meal at all five (5) Starwood Restaurants that formed their winning entry. The cost of each meal shall not exceed $300.

The prize includes round-trip coach-class airfare to the five (5) destinations; two (2) nights’ standard room accommodation, double occupancy (cost of the hotel room and room tax/service charge only) at the Starwood hotel at each destination; a breakfast (not exceeding $20) for each person every morning of the stay (room service is not included); there will be no money provided to cover spending money and/or expenses. The final route for the destinations shall be decided at SPG’s sole discretion. Retail value of the prize is $23,000. The winner’s guest must be aged 18 or over.

This bonus may be earned multiple times at the same property or different properties for each eligible stay. Promotion FAQ.

SPG Renovations Worth Celebrating Promotion registration link. Registration by June 15, 2012 is required for this offer.

CANADA

British Columbia

• Four Points by Sheraton Kamloops

Ontario

• Four Points by Sheraton Toronto Mississauga
• Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel
• Sheraton Gateway Hotel In Toronto International Airport

Quebec

• Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel

UNITED STATES

Arizona

• The Phoenician, Scottsdale

California

• Sheraton Delfina Santa Monica Hotel
• The Westin Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego
• Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites, Los Angeles

Colorado

• The St. Regis Aspen Resort

Florida

• Four Points by Sheraton Orlando Studio City
• Sheraton Lake Buena Vista Resort

Hawaii

• Sheraton Kauai Resort

Illinois

• Sheraton Chicago O’Hare Airport Hotel

Indiana

• Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel at Keystone Crossing

Massachusetts

• Sheraton Needham Hotel

Michigan

• Sheraton Detroit Metro Airport

Missouri

• Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center

Nebraska

• Sheraton Omaha Hotel

New Jersey

• Sheraton Parsippany Hotel
• The Westin Governor Morris, Morristown

New York

• Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers
• W New York – Union Square

Pennsylvania

• Sheraton Society Hill Hotel

Texas

• Sheraton Dallas North Hotel by the Galleria

Virginia

• Sheraton Premiere at Tysons Corner
• Sheraton Virginia Beach Oceanfront Hotel

Washington

• Four Points by Sheraton Downtown Seattle Center

Here are a few of the hotels originally listed that did not change category and some new hotels that did change category since the February 16 list was published.

• Le Meridien Bora Bora remains category 7. This hotel was listed as dropping to Category 6.
• Westin Key West Resort went up from a category 5 to category 6. This hotel was not on Starwood’s original list.
• Le Meridien Istanbul Etiler went up from category 4 to category 5. This hotel was not on Starwood’s original list.
• Le Meridien Chiang Mai remains at category 2 and did not drop to category 1. This hotel is still listed on the current SPG list as dropping to category 1.
• Four Points Long Island – remains at category 3 and did not drop to category 2.
• Sheraton Bradley Airport Hartford, CT remains category 3 and did not drop to category 2.
• Sheraton Denver West – remains category 3 and did not drop to category 2.
• Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort – remains category 4 and did not drop to category 3.
• Westin St. Louis – remains category 4 and did not drop to category 3.
• Le Centre Sheraton Montreal listed as dropping from category 4 to 3 in the current SPG changes pdf online is actually now SPG category 5  according to its hotel website.
• Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers remains Category 5 and did not rise to Category 6. This is good news for New York guests and the one positive change from the original list.

The hotels listed here are the discrepancies between the February 16 list of SPG hotel category changes and the March 16, 2012 list of SPG hotel category changes. At least two hotels are still listed with the incorrect category level on the SPG March 16 list with Le Centre Sheraton Montreal and Le Meridien Chiang Mai. There may be more changes, but without an accurate list from SPG those changes will be hard to detect.

This really is a regular occurrence with SPG annual category reassignments. I have written articles over the past few years and been burned by reporting SPG category changes for Hotel Gritti Palace, The Pulitzer in Amsterdam and Prince de Galles, Paris that didn’t happen after the original SPG list was published.

I want Starwood to continue publishing the annual changes, but keep in mind next February 2013 that the initial published list of Starwood Hotel category changes is not set in stone.

Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel shown as dropping from Category 4 to 3 in pdf list online March 16.

This hotel actually increased and is listed on the Sheraton Montreal website today as SPG category 5.

Sheraton Lisboa hotel website link.

There are still numerous dates available throughout the year as of 7am Pacific time today. 

The website limits the stay to two days. I do not see any wording prohibiting booking multiple stays, but that might not be good karma if you hog too many nights for yourself at this special discount rate.

This offer is really a great deal for SPG Platinum members who receive free internet and breakfast. The rate is a published rate that qualifies for points and benefits.

Sheraton Lisbon regular rates are 133EUR to 172EUR BAR for dates in April, and rates rise to over 400EUR for a 60 sq meter (646 sq. ft.) suite.

FlyerTalk thread on this deal has a couple of comments describing the hotel as being in good condition and the tallest building in Lisbon with easy access to metro lines. The location is not the center of the tourist area, but is described as a decent neighborhood of shops, apartments and grocery stores.

At $53 per night you can’t go wrong if Lisboa, Portugal is in your sights.

Published rates for my stay dates were $239 per night prepaid, nonrefundable or $269 AAA. 15% tax and $40 resort fee on top of that. At 4,000 points per night I was getting redemption value over $60 per 1,000 points.

The day I arrived was unseasonably cold with the temperature in the low 60s and windy. It was Monterey-like fine weather. The locals were wrapped in sweatshirts and jackets. Pool sun bathers were layered in pool towels and other wraps.

Snowbirds were still swimming in the pools in trunks and bikinis.

Cable Beach is the casino competition to Atlantis at Paradise Island. Cable Beach is on New Providence Island, home to Nassau and midway between airport and Nassau/Paradise Island, Bahamas. A toll bridge crosses the harbor from Nassau to the smaller Paradise Island.

Cable Beach is undergoing major development to build Baha Mar convention center project with plans for Grand Hyatt Baha Mar, Rosewood Baha Mar luxury brand hotel, and a Morgans Group hotel. 20 acres of pools are planned along 3,000 feet of uninterrupted beachfront adjacent to the existing Sheraton and Wyndham beach resorts with Crystal Palace casino between them.

Sheraton Nassau Cable Beach sand frontage.

The taxi is a set rate of USD$18 to Cable Beach from the airport. I arrived at 1pm and I was told I had an upgraded room with #915 on the top floor, however the room would not be ready until 3pm. I was checked in and able to use the resort facilities using my 915 room number and name.

I logged onto the internet at the Sheraton Kiosk with four terminals in the downstairs lobby.

I hadn’t eaten since the night before and lunch sounded good. The café had $17 pizzas. The buffet was $25 + tax from 12pm to 2pm daily. I checked the time to see it was 1:40pm. I skipped lunch at the hotel.

I snapped photos before heading into town looking for other food options.

Sheraton Nassau Cable Beach main pool with Edgewater pool bar.

Sheraton Nassau Cable Beach main pool with Dolphin Grill pool cafe. Most food items are $8.00 to $14.00 for hot dog, hamburger, chicken and fish sandwiches.

The hotel food is less expensive here than Atlantis on Paradise Island and the adjacent Wyndham Nassau Resort is even slightly less for food than the Sheraton.

Beach chairs facing away from ocean to maximize afternoon sun exposure to the southwest.

The outdoor activity area has two ping pong tables, checkers and foosball table free for guest play. The inflated tower is some kind of slide ride that I never quite figured out. It is deflated daily in the afternoon and inflated in the morning.

Telegraph Bar in Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort lobby.

Aside from the buffet at Bimini Market with breakfast, lunch and dinner seatings, the Caribe Café in the downstairs lobby is the main food outlet inside the hotel.

Bimini Market

• Breakfast = $21.75 ($19 + 15% tax)
• Lunch = $28.75 after tax.
• Dinner = $32.20 after tax.

Amici a Trattoria is the evening fine dining restaurant at the Sheraton.

There is a small shop with liquor and food snacks in the hallway between the Sheraton hotel and Crystal Palace Casino.

I walked around the hotel and beach and then I headed west into the small town where I had seen fast food and restaurants.

At 4pm I arrived back at the hotel to be told #915 was still not ready and my room had been changed to #415. Same room, but with a completely different type of view since the 4th floor is quite a bit lower than the 9th floor. After 36 hours without sleep I was not willing to wait any longer for a room.

Room #415 Sheraton Nassau Cable Beach Resort

The junior suite was a large room with interesting angles at the juncture where the hotel wing changes direction. The room offered plenty of seating. TV reception was poor with the picture breaking up regularly.

There was a large patio balcony with comfortable chairs.

The bathroom was standard.

The room had a coffee maker and a couple of bottles of water.

The ice machine was just outside my door.

One of my main issues with the hotel was the difficulty of reaching anyone by phone. Several times when I tried the phone there was no answer and there were no clear directions how to dial any of the hotel services.

During my first stay at the hotel I complained about the wireless internet not maintaining a connection in my room. Turns out that on my second stay there was a slip of paper stating that the rooms are wired internet and wireless internet is available in the hotel lobby. None of the staff members mentioned that fact despite my complaints to several staff during my first hotel stay.

The main difference I noticed between the Sheraton Beach Resort and Atlantis is the proactive service at Atlantis. My experience between the two hotels was night and day in terms of service levels. I felt like I was staying at a resort during my time at Atlantis, whereas, the Sheraton had a very laid back attitude.

That being said, I found many aspects of the Cable Beach area preferable to Atlantis. There were no crowds at Cable Beach and guests can swim in the pools even when lifeguards are not around. Both hotels have blaring music with dj banter during the day. The Sheraton pool offered daytime activities for fun and prizes.

Room 415 at the Sheraton was definitely a nicer place to vacation. I loved the space.

At checkout I received my folio and another folio for a couple who must have left a day early. I paid $110 + 4,000 points per night. The other couple who had been booked in the room for six nights paid $399 per night for six nights. The published BAR rate for the room category of #415 was listed as a 545 sq. ft. suite at $519 per night at the time I made my reservation.

Room 965

My second stay at the hotel had the identical room type located on the top floor on the opposite wing of the hotel.

The interesting thing about my second stay is the day before at the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Global Conference I had attended a Club Carlson loyalty workshop. They ran a film of frequent guests who participated in a focus group. A top tier Club Concierge member stated that 9 out of 10 times she was not told at check-in that she was upgraded, even though she had been upgraded by the hotel to a higher category room. As I thought about my experiences, SPG came to mind as being great about telling me I had an upgrade.

My first stay at the Sheraton Nassau I was told I was upgraded and then I felt downgraded when my room floor dropped from top floor 9 to the 4th floor, even though the room was the same the view was different. And I kind of felt downgraded after arrival.

Then on my second stay the desk clerk never mentioned that room #965 was a room upgrade.

There were only slight differences in the junior suite room labeled as a suite on the hotel’s website.

The room view #965 overlooks the pools and offers far better views of the ocean compared to the 4th floor room.

Wyndham Nassau Resort

One important benefit to point out is the shared use policy of the beach facilities between Sheraton and Wyndham. Guests of either hotel may use the pools and facilities of the other hotel.

Wyndham Nassau Resort.

Wyndham pool.

Tiki Bar at the Wyndham.

Cruise ships are a regular sighting from Cable Beach.

There was a Canadian man feeding the beach cats. He and his wife were heading home after a week. He recruited a young woman to take over feeding duties. Every night he saved some of his meat dinner to feed the cats in the morning. He reminded me of why I needed to get back home to my own beach town to be together again with my wife and cats family.

All in all I think the Sheraton Nassau is a great deal on category 4 Cash & Point reward nights. This hotel was listed as dropping to category 3 for 2012, but the Sheraton Nassau SPG award category remained unchanged. I suspect this hotel may even rise in category once the Baha Mar resort complex is completed in 2014.

Leaving Nassau, Bahamas.

Related posts:

Dispatch from Cable Beach, Nassau, Bahamas (Feb 14, 2012)

Dispatch from Paradise Island, Nassau, Bahamas (Feb 16, 2012)

Photo: Rest day on Paradise Island (Feb 18, 2012)

Nassau Bahamas Resort Traveler: 5 things to know (Feb 22, 2012)

Atlantis Resort Paradise Island, Nassau, Bahamas (Feb 25, 2012)

Aquaventure Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas (Feb 26, 2012)

Atlantis Bahamas Marine Habitats (Feb 29, 2012)

This deal is not geared for SPG Platinum members who will likely have access to the Club Lounge anyway without booking a higher rate room.

From Milepoint.com:

Bookings made online at Sheraton.com/club or through Starwood’s Customer Contact Centers are eligible. If booking online, look for rate plans DAILYFS or SICLUB to auto-populate. If booking through the Customer Contact Centers, please ask for Promotion Code CL1.

Deal Analysis

Be sure to check other available rates. Gary Leff looked at this deal for the Sheraton Seattle and concluded it was a decent offer.

I looked at the deal for the same hotel for a midweek stay in April (Gary did not give a date and I used Tuesday, April 10).

Gary’s sample booking showed $10 more for a prepaid, nonrefundable Club Room ($215) compared to a prepaid, nonrefundable standard room ($205).

Refundable Sheraton Club rooms priced out at $249.

Sheraton Seattle April 10, 2012

The date I checked showed a higher Club Lounge room rate of $225 nonrefundable or $269 refundable. These rates correlate to the rates Gary found, but are $20 higher for this specific date.

What caught my eye though for the Sheraton Seattle is the small room size of 234 sq. ft. That is an oversized closet in my opinion. A guest will want the lounge for some room to stretch.

This same Club Lounge room is available on a refundable AAA or AARP/senior rate for $228.65 with day before arrival cancellation.

The 1,000 points American Express offer is a good deal at $225 if you are willing to risk a nonrefundable rate compared to $228.65 for a refundable group rate without 1,000 points.

Size Matters to Me

I have been in the Sheraton Seattle rooms and they are nicely furnished, however, any room under 300 square feet feels claustrophobic to me.

Sheraton Seattle standard room.

There were no large rooms available for Sheraton Seattle using AAA rates, yet the AARP/senior rate did have Deluxe room availability. AARP membership is available to anyone 50 years of age or older.

The oversized corner room is 433 sq. ft. or nearly double the size of the standard room at the Sheraton Seattle.

As a SPG Platinum member eligible for AARP rates, I would splurge on a larger room knowing that I have Club Lounge access anyway.

Sheraton Universal City

Another hotel I looked at for rate comparisons has an even more compelling AAA rate offer compared to the 1,000 bonus points Club Lounge rate.

Executive Suite 600 sq ft. is $289 using the Club Lounge special offer rate for 1,000 bonus points. The rate is $249 for a Club Lounge standard room size at 325 sq. ft.

Club Lounge Special Offer Rates eligible for 1,000 AmEx bonus points.

AAA rates reduce the cost of the Club Lounge rooms from $249 to $212 for a standard room savings of $37. The 600 sq. ft. Executive Suite includes Club Lounge access on a AAA rate of $246 per night for a savings of $43 + tax .

I would pass on 1,000 bonus Starpoints to save $40 or $50 for the same room using a group rate type like AAA or senior rates.

Sheraton Universal City AAA rates.

The American Express payment for a Sheraton Club Lounge room might be a good deal for your stay depending on the hotel and dates.

Just be sure to check other available rates to avoid paying more than you need and more than the 1,000 bonus Starpoints are worth with this deal.

Update March 15, 2012: The tables here were based on the initial February 16 release of SPG category changes in a pdf. I copied those changes into a spreadsheet. Several of the hotels showing category changes in these tables were removed from the final change list. Starwood Lurker on FlyerTalk stated March 2 that the initial pdf was outdated.

Here are a few of the hotels originally listed that did not change category and some new hotels that did change category since the February 16 list was published.

• Le Meridien Bora Bora remains category 7. This hotel was listed as dropping to Category 6.
• Westin Key West Resort went up from a category 5 to category 6. This hotel was not on Starwood’s original list.
• Le Meridien Istanbul Etiler went up from category 4 to category 5. This hotel was not on Starwood’s original list.
• Le Meridien Chiang Mai remains at category 2 and did not drop to category 1. This hotel is still listed on the current SPG list as dropping to category 1.
• Four Points Long Island – remains at category 3 and did not drop to category 2.
• Sheraton Bradley Airport Hartford, CT remains category 3 and did not drop to category 2.
• Sheraton Denver West – remains category 3 and did not drop to category 2.
• Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort – remains category 4 and did not drop to category 3.
• Westin St. Louis – remains category 4 and did not drop to category 3.
• Le Centre Sheraton Montreal listed as dropping from category 4 to 3 in the current SPG changes pdf online is actually now SPG category 5  according to its hotel website.
• Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers remains Category 5 and did not rise to Category 6. This is good news for New York guests and the one positive change from the original list.

[original Feb 21 post content continues below]

The numbers shown in this post may be off by a couple of hotels compared to the Starwood pdf. There are some hotels listed on the Starwood pdf of category changes that are no longer in the system (Syria) or exiting the Starwood family soon (Le Meridien Cancun). Four Points Seattle is shown as a change rising from category 2 to category 3, yet that hotel already is listed as category 3 on the SPG site.

The bad news is the hotels going up are concentrated in the upper tiers while hotels going down are primarily in lower tiers. This means that many resorts and high priced urban hotels will cost more points while many Sheraton and Four Points hotels already in the lower tiers will cost even less as of March 1.

SPG members can book hotels at the lower reward price until February 29, 2012. Pay attention to the cancellation policies.

Link to pdf of SPG Hotel Category Changes…

Members on FlyerTalk report being able to book reservations as far out as July 2013. You may need to try more than one agent to get someone willing to work with you on reservations far in advance.

Analysis of Category Changes

Category 1 Hotels = 3,000 points/night or 2,000 points Friday/Saturday. Cash & Points Award = $25 + 1,200 points per night.

27 hotels are in SPG Category 1 currently in February 2012.

• 17 hotels drop down from category 2 to category 1.
• 3 hotels rise to category 2.

There are currently 27 SPG category 1 hotels worldwide. For several years now I have stated each year that SPG category 1 is being emptied as the proportion of hotels dropped from around 20% of the global chain to less than 3% in the past decade.

The good news is the March 1, 2012 changes are repopulating SPG Category 1 as 17 hotels drop down from category 2 while only 3 hotels rise out of the lowest category 1 to category 2. There will be 41 hotels in SPG category 1 as of March 1, 2012.

Category 2 Hotels = 4,000 points/night or 3,000 points Friday/Saturday. Cash & Points Award = $30 + 1,600 points per night.

213 hotels are in SPG Category 2 currently in February 2012.

• 17 hotels drop down to category 1.
• 27 hotels rise to category 3.
• 1 hotel, Sheraton Baku Airport, Azerbaijan rises to category 4.

Category 3 Hotels = 7,000 points/night. Cash & Points Award = $45 + 2,800 points per night.

318 hotels are in SPG Category 3 currently in February 2012.

• 60 hotels drop down to category 2.
• 22 hotels rise to category 4.
• 2 hotels, Aloft Harlem, NYC and Sheraton Guangzhou, China rise to category 5.

The category 3 to category 2 shift is the most favorable consumer change. From here the changes are not so favorable as the higher SPG hotel categories see more hotels going up than down.

Category 4 Hotels = 10,000 points/night. Cash & Points Award = $60 + 4,000 points per night.

335 hotels are in SPG Category 4 currently in February 2012.

• 53 hotels drop down to category 3.
• 104 hotels rise to category 5.

Category 4 sees the largest shift in hotels of any category.

The real impact of shifting up to category 5 is the addition of peak season rates. The SPG changes mean about 10% of Starwood hotels globally will be added to category 5 and be subject to peak season rates. Not all Starwood high category hotels have peak season rates, however, many of the category 5 hotels currently have as many as 16 weeks of the calendar year at peak season rates. This can be an increase from 10,000 points per night to 16,000 points per night in the new category.

Category 5 Hotels = 12,000 points/night or 16,000 points/night during peak season dates specified by hotel.

Cash & Points Award = $90 + 4,800 points per night.

135 hotels are in SPG Category 5 currently in February 2012.

• 4 hotels drop down to category 4.
• 17 hotels rise to category 6.

Category 6 Hotels = 20,000 points/night or 25,000 points/night during peak season dates specified by hotel.

Cash & Points Award = $150 + 8,000 points per night.

54 hotels are in SPG Category 6 currently in February 2012.

• 1 hotel drops down to category 5, Grosvenor House, Dubai.
• 7 hotels rise to category 7.

Category 7 Hotels = 30,000 points/night or 35,000 points/night during peak season dates specified by hotel.

Note that many category 7 hotels do not have standard rooms and require double points or more for award nights. Some hotels require as many as 140,000 points per night.

Cash & Points Award = Not Available for Category 7 Hotels.

19 hotels are in SPG Category 7 currently in February 2012.

• 3 hotels drop down to category 6:
• Le Meridien Bora Bora.
• W Retreat Koh Samui, Thailand.
• St. Regis Punta Mita Resort, Mexico.
• 7 hotels rise to category 7 from category 6.

Observations and thoughts on SPG category changes

Sheraton Sofia Bulgaria is a Category 2 Luxury Collection Hotel. 26,000 points for 7 nights. Sounds like a deal to me. I’d love to see Sofia. Magnificent cultural history to delve into with time to relax in the big city.

Le Meridien Budapest at category 3 is a good deal. Budapest is one of the cheapest cities in Europe for a vacation.

Portugal is a great deal with several new Category 3 hotels, down from category 4. Three hotels dropped including the Luxury Collection Convento do Espinheiro Resort & Spa in Evora.

Sheraton Algarve rises 4 to 5.

Westin Kierland Scottsdale was category 5 in 2008, dropped and rises again.

San Francisco hotels all rise to category 5 and this change fits with fact that San Francisco had some of the highest rate hikes of any city in the U.S. for 2011. The increased rates kept me out of the city most of the past year.

Boston and Cambridge see four hotels rise to Category 5

W Hotels rise from 4 to 5 in Atlanta, Chicago, New Orleans, Minneapolis and Seattle and Taipei and Santiago.

Minneapolis sees three hotels move up from 4 to 5.

New York City has five Manhattan hotels rise from 4 to 5.

Four Points Kuwait rises to Category 5.

Four Points Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia is going to be a category 5. This hotel was a category 2 in 2003 when I stayed there.

Many hotels and resorts in China rise from category 4 to category 5.

Bali Nusa Dua is up to category 5 from category 4 hotels. These two hotels were category 2 (Westin) and category 3 (Luxury Collection) when I stayed there in 2003.

Chile and Argentina and Brazil all see most hotels rise.

Westin Riverfront Mountain Villas Beaver Creek in Avon, Colorado rising to Category 6 is a real drag, especially for summer travel. This Starwood Vacation Ownership property will be a poor redemption value outside of peak ski season. This resort was peak season all summer 2011. The Westin Riverfront hotel resort will remain at category 5.  This area typically has relatively low priced summer rates around $200 or less per night and favors spending cash rather than points.

St. Regis Aspen and Steamboat Villas, Colorado rise to cat 7. I didn’t think the St. Regis Aspen had that much to offer as a category 6 reward and now I see little value in this hotel at category 7.

Chatwal Hotel Manhattan, W South Beach Miami and St. Regis Puerto Rico rise to category 7. Costa Rica and St. Regis Florence rise to category 7. WOW!

My interest is seeing what peak season dates are added to the hotels when the new category ratings come out March 1.

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:

• Fewer participating hotels than in past years. Most of the high-end hotels in the W, Luxury Collection and Westin brands are not participating in 2012. SPG Birth year rates look to be primarily Sheraton and Four Points hotels in 2012.
• Far more hotels have a two night limit for the birth year rate. Since the first night is generally a much higher rate than say AAA rates, the two-night limit is not going to generate high savings at many hotels.
• Numerous hotel property blackout dates. Sheraton San Francisco Fisherman’s Wharf has all of March and April 2012 blacked out.
• Besides the list of participating hotels with Birth Year Rates are a list of other hotels in the state. California has numerous hotels participating in the Birth Year rate. When you click on Hawaii you find all hotels listed under the heading “Additional hotels in Hawaii” with 10 hotels listed, yet none of these hotels offer Birth Year rate.

Starwood Hotels with Birth Year Rates show the rate in the blue ‘Book Now’ box.

If you click on Hawaii you only see hotels showing Best Available Rate information in the blue ‘Book Now’ box.

SPG Birth Year Rate Analysis

My dad is celebrating 80 years and a birth year of 1932 makes for some cheap hotel nights with the Birth Year Rate.

Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City, California is near the Los Angeles Zoo and Griffith Park.

Best Available Rate = $229 and Pay your Birth Year rate is $249 for a Club Level standard room. Both rates allow day before arrival cancellation.

The Birth Year rate is $340 total for three nights at $32 per night after the first night paying $249.

The AAA rate for the same room and dates is $195/night = $675 for three nights.

$675 AAA – $340 BirthYear rate = $335 savings on this 3-night stay.

• SPG BirthYear rate (1932) = $340 after tax for 3 nights.
• SPG BirthYear rate (1960) = $405 after tax for 3 nights.
• SPG Birth Year rate (1985) = $463 after tax for 3 nights.
• SPG AAA rate = $675 after tax for three nights.

My birth year rate at $60 per night raises the price of a 3-night stay by another $65, but that is still a $270 savings. A person who is 25 years old will still have around a $200 savings with the Birth Year rate when paying $249 plus $87 for two additional nights rather than $195 per night for three nights.

Third night free rate compared to Birth Year Rate

Sheraton Universal Hotel also offers a Buy 2 and get Third Night Free rate using the same $249 used for Birth Year rate.

• SPG Birth Year rate (1960) = $405 after tax for 3 nights.
• SPG 3rd night free = $575 after tax for 3 nights.
• AAA = $675 after tax for 3 nights.

Starwood’s 3rd night free rate is prepaid and nonrefundable. This makes the Birth Year rate even a better deal than just a rate reduction for this hotel stay.

SPG Birth Year Rates

SPG Birth Year Rate T&C