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 launches its “Better by the Night” 2012-Q1 promotion on January 9 with double points for two night stays and triple points for longer stays through April 8, 2012. There are no bonus points for one night stays. There is no limit to bonus points members may earn with this offer.

Registration is required by March 15, 2012.

Registration confirmation page for SPG 2012 Q-1 promotion.

This promotion is valid for about 70% of Starwood Hotels worldwide with all Asia-Pacific hotels opting out of this offer. About 50 hotels in the USA are not participating, so check the hotel exclusion list carefully when planning your stays so you are not surprised when your $1,000 3-night stay does not earn an anticipated 4,000 extra bonus points with the triple points offer. Germany, Italy and Greece have many nonparticipating Starwood Hotels. Link to hotels excluded from this offer.

Loyalty Traveler Analysis

As a rule of thumb I estimate I will earn 1,000 bonus points from SPG promotions per stay. I am not that impressed by this offer. One night stays earn no promotional bonus points with this offer.

Stay two nights and spend $300 and you earn an extra 600 bonus points with double points.

Spending $1,000 on an extended stay will earn 4,000 bonus points (3x points bonus) with this promotion. That is a decent bonus on a high-priced extended stay, but is not appealing to me as a promotional incentive when I can get two free nights with Marriott Rewards after four stays (under $500) or 10,000+ points on a cheap $180 two-night weekend stay with Hilton HHonors.

Spend-based bonuses like this SPG offer leave minimal opportunity to leverage cheap stays into free nights like the Hilton and Marriott offers for Q1-2012.

SPG has a good offer for free weekend nights at Asia Pacific resorts with Two Days of Happy running through March 15, 2012. This SPG promotion earns one free night after five nights and two free nights after 9 nights when paying with MasterCard. There are over 200 hotels for earning free nights and nearly 90 resorts for redeeming free weekend nights by April 10, 2012. Nights do not need to be consecutive nights at the hotels. Five one-night stays at participating Starwood hotels will earn one free weekend night.

Fine Print Nuances for this Offer

Starwood’s FAQ for this promotion has an interesting term regarding a stay that includes a reward night on points or Cash & Points night combined with paid nights.

If part of my stay has an Award Night or a night using Cash & Points, will my stay qualify?

No.
Free Night Awards and Cash & Points are not Starpoints-eligible rates. Even if part of the stay is Award and part is paid, the member will not receive bonus credits for any part of the stay.

You do not want to include a reward night within a paid consecutive nights stay at a Starwood Hotel during this promotion. For example, if you booka 5th night free reward from Sunday-Thursday followed by two paid nights on Friday and Saturday, then you will not receive double points for the Friday and Saturday night portion of the stay stay since these paid nights are part of the same 7-night stay as the 5th night free reward.

Other fine print:

• Bonus points will be earned for a Starwood Hotel stay started before January 9 if guest checks out after January 9. Double or triple points will be earned for entire stay. The same principle applies for stays having arrival date before April 8 and check-out after April 8. Double or triple points will apply to entire stay.
• Members who register by March 15, 2012 will receive retroactive credit for all eligible stays during the promotion period completed prior to registration.
• Members may receive double or triple points for up to two rooms as long as SPG member is one of the guests.
• Third night free and other extended stay rate discounts count all nights for this promotion according to Starwood Lurker on FlyerTalk since revenue is divided up between all nights.

Calculating Double and Triple Starpoints

• SPG members earn 2 Starpoints per US$1 as the base rate for earning Starpoints.
• Double Starpoints = 2 bonus points per US$1 total earning rate.
• Triple Starpoints = 4 bonus points per $1 total earning rate.
• SPG Gold and Platinum elite members earn 1 bonus Starpoint per $1. Elite member bonus is one additional point per $1 on top of the 2x/3x rate.
• SPG American Express cardmembers earn an additional 2 bonus points per US$1 if Starwood Hotel stay is paid using SPG AmEx card.

Excluded Hotels for SPG Better by the Night promotion

(Once again there are no city/state identifiers for hotels. As if it isn’t bad enough to have a large list of excluded hotels for a hotel loyalty promotion, the hotel loyalty programs expect SPG members to know the hotels by name and deduce the geographic location on your own!)

UNITED STATES

• Aloft Charlotte Ballantyne
• Aloft Frisco
• Aloft Las Colinas
• Aloft Milwaukee Downtown
• Aloft Phoenix-Airport
• Aloft Plano
• Cove Haven Resort
• Four Points by Sheraton Destin Fort Walton Beach
• Four Points by Sheraton Charlotte-Pineville
• Four Points by Sheraton Jacksonville Beach
• Four Points by Sheraton Louisville Airport
• Four Points by Sheraton Newark
• Four Points by Sheraton Punta Gorda Harborside
• Four Points by Sheraton Tallahassee Downtown
• Four Points by Sheraton Norwalk
• Four Points by Sheraton San Jose
• Lakeside Terrace Villas, Avon / Vail Valley
• Le Parker Méridien Palm Springs
• Paradise Stream Resort
• Pocono Palace Resort
• Sheraton Bellevue
• Sheraton Grand Sacramento
• Sheraton Mahwah Hotel
• Sheraton Metairie – New Orleans Hotel
• Sheraton Reston Hotel
• Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel
• Sheraton Suites Key West
• SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills
• Sunset Key Guest Cottages
• The St. Regis Deer Valley
• The St. Regis Atlanta
• THE US GRANT
• The Westin Bellevue
• The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites
• The Westin Edina Galleria
• The Westin Galleria Houston
• The Westin Houston, Memorial City
• The Westin Imagine Orlando
• The Westin Key West Resort Marina
• The Westin Los Angeles Airport
• The Westin Reston Heights
• The Westin Riverfront Mountain Villas
• The Westin South Coast Plaza
• The Westin Tampa Harbour Island
• Vistana’s Beach Club
• W San Diego
• W Silicon Valley
• Walt Disney World Dolphin
• Walt Disney World Swan

ALGERIA

• Le Méridien Oran Hotel & Conference Center
• Sheraton Oran

ARGENTINA

• Sheraton Mar del Plata

AUSTRALIA

• Four Points by Sheraton Geelong
• Four Points by Sheraton Sydney, Darling Harbour
• Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas Resort
• Sheraton Mirage Resort and Spa Gold Coast
• Sheraton Noosa Resort & Spa
• Sheraton on the Park
• The Westin Melbourne
• The Westin Sydney

AUSTRIA

• Schloss Fuschl, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Fuschlsee-Salzburg
• Sheraton Fuschlsee Salzburg Hotel Jagdhof

BANGLADESH

• The Westin Dhaka

BRAZIL

• Sheraton Barra
• Four Points Curitiba

CAMBODIA

• Le Méridien Angkor

CANADA

• Sheraton Cavalier Saskatoon
• Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton Gateway
• Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton West

CHAD

• Le Méridien Chari

CHILE

• Sheraton Miramar

CHINA

• Aloft Beijing, Haidian
• Aloft Haiyang
• Aloft Nanhai, Foshan
• Aloft Yancheng
• Aloft Zhengzhou Shangjie
• Four Points by Sheraton Beijing, Haidian Hotel and Serviced Apartments
• Four Points by Sheraton Guangzhou, Dongpu
• Four Points by Sheraton Hainan, Sanya – Opening March 31, 2012
• Four Points by Sheraton Hangzhou, Binjiang
• Four Points by Sheraton Lhasa
• Four Points by Sheraton Lianyungang
• Four Points by Sheraton Qingdao, Chengyang
• Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Daning
• Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Pudong
• Four Points by Sheraton Shenzhen
• Four Points by Sheraton Shenzhou Peninsula Resort – Opening January 1, 2012
• Four Points by Sheraton Suzhou
• Four Points by Sheraton Tai’an
• Four Points by Sheraton Taicang
• Four Points by Sheraton Yangzhou, Hanjiang – Opening March 31, 2012
• Le Méridien Chongqing, Nan’an
• Le Méridien Cyberport
• Le Méridien Qingdao
• Le Méridien She Shan Shanghai
• Le Méridien Shimei Bay Beach Resort & Spa
• Le Méridien Xiamen
• Le Royal Méridien Shanghai
• Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel
• Sheraton Changsha Hotel
• Sheraton Changzhou Wujin Hotel
• Sheraton Changzhou Xinbei Hotel
• Sheraton Chengdu Lido Hotel
• Sheraton Chongqing Hotel
• Sheraton Dameisha Resort, Shenzhen
• Sheraton Daqing Hotel
• Sheraton Dongguan Hotel
• Sheraton Guangzhou Hotel
• Sheraton Guangzhou Huadu Resort
• Sheraton Guilin Hotel
• Sheraton Guiyang Hotel
• Sheraton Haikou Resort
• Sheraton Hangzhou Wetland Park Resort
• Sheraton Hohhot Hotel
• Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers
• Sheraton Huizhou Beach Resort
• Sheraton Jiangyin Hotel
• Sheraton Jinan Hotel
• Sheraton Jinzhou Hotel
• Sheraton Jiuzhaigou Resort
• Sheraton Nanchang Hotel
• Sheraton Nanjing Kingsley Hotel & Towers
• Sheraton Nanning Hotel
• Sheraton Ningbo Hotel
• Sheraton Qiandao Lake Resort
• Sheraton Qingyuan Lion Lake Resort – Opening January 1, 2012
• Sheraton Sanya Haitang Bay Resort – Opening February 18, 2012
• Sheraton Sanya Resort
• Sheraton Shanghai Hongkou Hotel
• Sheraton Shanghai Hongqiao Hotel
• Sheraton Shanghai Pudong Hotel & Residences
• Sheraton Shenyang Lido Hotel
• Sheraton Shenzhen Futian Hotel
• Sheraton Shenzhou Peninsula Resort
• Sheraton Shunde Hotel
• Sheraton Tianjin Binhai Hotel
• Sheraton Tianjin Hotel
• Sheraton Urumqi Hotel
• Sheraton Wenzhou Hotel
• Sheraton Wuxi Binhu Hotel
• Sheraton Xiamen Hotel
• Sheraton Xian Hotel
• Sheraton Xian North City Hotel
• Sheraton Yantai Golden Beach Resort – Opening February 20, 2012
• Sheraton Zhenjiang Hotel
• Sheraton Zhongshan Hotel
• Sheraton Zhoushan Hotel
• The Astor Hotel, Tianjin The Great Wall Sheraton Hotel Beijing
• The Royal Begonia, Sanya – Opening February 18, 2012
• The St. Regis Beijing
• The St. Regis Lhasa Resort
• The St. Regis Nanjing
• The St. Regis Shanghai
• The St. Regis Shenzhen
• The St. Regis Tianjin
• The Westin Beijing Chaoyang
• The Westin Beijing Financial Street
• The Westin Bund Center, Shanghai
• The Westin Changbaishan Resort – Opening April 30, 2012
• The Westin Fuzhou Minjiang
• The Westin Guangzhou
• The Westin Hefei Baohe
• The Westin Nanjing
• The Westin Ningbo – Opening January 1, 2012
• The Westin Pazhou
• The Westin Resort, Macau
• The Westin Shenzhen Nanshan
• The Westin Tianjin
• The Westin Wuhan Wuchang
• The Westin Xiamen – Opening February 23, 2012
• The Westin Xian
• W Hong Kong

COLOMBIA

• Four Points Cali
• Four Points Medellin

EGYPT

• Sheraton Cairo Hotel, Towers and Casino

EL SALVADOR

• Sheraton Presidente San Salvador

FIJI

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

FRANCE

• Prince de Galles, Paris

GERMANY

• Four Points by Sheraton Muenchen Olympiapark
• Four Points by Sheraton Muenchen Central
• Four Points by Sheraton Brauneck
• Le Méridien Grand Hotel Nuernberg
• Dom Hotel
• Le Méridien Parkhotel Frankfurt
• Le Méridien Munich
• Le Méridien Stuttgart
• Sheraton Frankfurt Congress Hotel
• Sheraton Offenbach Hotel
• Sheraton Munich Arabellapark Hotel
• Sheraton Munich Westpark Hotel
• Sheraton Munich Airport Hotel
• Arabella Sheraton Alpenhotel
• Sheraton Essen Hotel
• Sheraton Hanover Pelikan Hotel
• The Westin Grand Frankfurt
• The Westin Grand Munich
• The Westin Grand Hotel Berlin
• The Westin Bellevue Dresden

GREECE

• Hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens
• Vedema Resort
• Blue Palace Luxury Collection Resort and Spa
• Mystique, Santorini
• The Romanos, Costa Navarino
• Santa Marina Resort & Villas, Mykonos
• Sheraton Rhodes Resort
• The Westin Resort, Costa Navarino

HUNGARY

• Le Méridien Budapest

INDIA

• Aloft Ahmedabad, SG Road – Opening February 1, 2012
• Aloft Bengaluru Whitefield
• Aloft Chandigarh Zirakpur – Opening February 1, 2012
• Aloft Chennai, OMR – IT Expressway
• Aloft Coimbatore Singanallur
• Four Points by Sheraton Hotel & Serviced Apartments, Pune
• Four Points by Sheraton Jaipur, City Square
• Four Points by Sheraton Navi Mumbai, Vashi
• Four Points by Sheraton Visakhapatnam
• ITC Grand Central, Mumbai
• ITC Grand Chola, Chennai – Opening February 1, 2012
• ITC Kakatiya, Hyderabad
• ITC Maratha, Mumbai
• ITC Maurya, New Delhi
• ITC Mughal, Agra
• ITC Rajputana, Jaipur
• ITC Royal Gardenia, Bengaluru
• ITC Sonar, Kolkata
• ITC Windsor, Bengaluru
• Le Méridien Ahmedabad
• Le Méridien Bangalore
• Le Méridien Coimbatore
• Le Méridien Jaipur
• Le Méridien Kochi
• Le Méridien New Delhi
• Le Méridien Pune
• Le Royal Méridien Chennai
• Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway
• Sheraton New Delhi Hotel
• Sheraton Park Hotel & Towers, Chennai
• Sheraton Udaipur Palace Resort & Spa
• The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi
• The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace
• The Westin Mumbai Garden City
• The Westin Pune Koregaon Park
• The Westin Sohna Resort & Spa

INDONESIA

• The Laguna Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua, Bali
• Keraton at The Plaza, Jakarta – Opening February 15, 2012
• Le Méridien Jakarta
• Sheraton Bandara Hotel
• Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Towers
• Sheraton Lampung Hotel
• Sheraton Media Hotel & Towers
• Sheraton Mustika Yogyakarta Resort and Spa
• Sheraton Senggigi Beach Resort
• Sheraton Surabaya Hotel & Towers
• The St. Regis Bali Resort
• The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali
• W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak

IRELAND

• Sheraton Athlone Hotel

ITALY

• Gritti Palace
• Hotel Pitrizza, Costa Smeralda
• Hotel Romazzino, Costa Smeralda
• Hotel Cala di Volpe, Costa Smeralda
• Sheraton Diana Majestic
• The Westin Palace Milan

JAPAN

• Kobe Bay Sheraton Hotel & Towers
• Sheraton Grande Ocean Resort
• Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel
• Sheraton Hiroshima Hotel
• Sheraton Miyako Hotel, Osaka
• Sheraton Sapporo Hotel
• The St. Regis Osaka
• The Westin Awaji Island Resort and Conference Center
• The Westin Miyako, Kyoto
• The Westin Nagoya Castle
• The Westin Osaka
• The Westin Sendai
• Yokohama Bay Sheraton Hotel & Towers

JORDAN

• Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel & Towers

LEBANON

• Four Points by Sheraton Bhamdoun
• Four Points by Sheraton Le Verdun

LITHUANIA

• Le Méridien Vilnius

MALAYSIA

• Le Méridien Kota Kinabalu
• Four Points by Sheraton Kuching
• Four Points by Sheraton Langkawi Resort
• Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur
• Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel
• Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort
• The Andaman, Langkawi
• The Westin Kuala Lumpur
• The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa

MALDIVES, REPUBLIC OF

• Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa
• W Retreat & Spa – Maldives

MAURITIUS

• The Grand Mauritian Resort & Spa

MEXICO

• Sheraton Ambassador Monterrey

NEW CALDONIA

• Le Méridien Ile des Pins
• Le Méridien Nouméa

NIGERIA

• Sheraton Lagos Hotel

OMAN

• Sheraton Oman Hotel

PAKISTAN

• Sheraton Karachi Hotel

RUSSIA

• Le Méridien Moscow Country Club

SAUDI ARABIA

• Le Méridien Jeddah
• Sheraton Jeddah Hotel
• Sheraton Riyadh Hotel & Towers
• Sheraton Dammam Hotel & Towers
• The Westin Jeddah

SINGAPORE

• Sheraton Towers Singapore
• The St. Regis Singapore

SOUTH KOREA

• Sheraton Grande Walkerhill
• Sheraton Incheon Hotel
• Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel
• The Westin Chosun, Busan
• The Westin Chosun, Seoul
• W Seoul – Walkerhill

SPAIN

• Hotel Maria Cristina, San Sebastian
• Castillo Hotel Son Vida, Palma de Mallorca
• Hotel Alfonso XIII, Seville
• Sheraton Mallorca Arabella Golf Hotel
• Sheraton La Caleta Resort & Spa
• St. Regis Mardavall, Mallorca

SWITZERLAND

• Hotel President Wilson

SYRIA

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

TAIWAN

• Four Points by Sheraton Chung Ho, Taipei
• Le Méridien Taipei
• Sheraton Hsinchu Hotel, Taiwan
• Sheraton Taipei Hotel
• The Westin Taipei
• W Taipei

THAILAND

• Aloft Bangkok
• Four Points by Sheraton Bangkok, Sukhumvit 15
• Le Méridien Bangkok
• Le Méridien Chiang Mai
• Le Méridien Chiang Rai Resort, Thailand
• Le Méridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort
• Le Méridien Koh Samui Resort & Spa
• Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort
• Le Méridien Suvarnabhumi Golf Resort & Spa
• Plaza Athénée Bangkok, A Royal Méridien Hotel
• Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers
• Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok
• Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa
• Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort
• Sheraton Pattaya Resort
• The Naka Island, Phuket
• The St. Regis Bangkok
• The Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok
• The Westin Siray Bay Resort & Spa, Phuket
• W Retreat Koh Samui

TURKEY

• Le Méridien Istanbul Etiler
• Sheraton Ankara Hotel and Convention Center
• Lugal, A Luxury Collection Hotel Ankara
• Sheraton Cesme

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

• Four Points by Sheraton Sheikh Zayed Road
• Le Méridien Dubai
• Le Méridien Fairway
• Le Méridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina
• Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort & Spa
• Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort
• Grosvenor House
• Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel and Towers
• The St. Regis Abu Dhabi
• The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina

UNITED KINGDOM

• The Lanesborough, a St. Regis Hotel

URUGUAY

• Sheraton Colonia

VIETNAM

• Sheraton Hanoi Hotel
• Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa
• Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers

YEMEN

• Sheraton Sana’a Hotel

 

 

 

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.

News that Las Vegas Sands Macau unit signed a franchise deal to brand its resort project on Macau’s Cotai Strip as a 600-room luxury Hilton-brand Conrad Hotel caught my eye this week. I have found it a curious development decision by Hilton Worldwide to expand Waldorf Astoria Collection over the past few years while Conrad Hotels, Hilton’s other luxury brand,  didn’t grow much in the past decade.

All that is about to change as the Conrad Hotel brand expands rapidly through half a dozen properties opening in China, and several more Conrad hotels opening in India, Indonesia and South Korea over the next couple of years. The list of Conrad Hotels will grow by more than a dozen. Conrad Hotels locator.

Hotel Owners are not Brand Exclusive

The interesting aspect of the Conrad Hotel signing is the franchising of different hotel properties with three different major hotel brands – Hilton Worldwide, InterContinental Hotels Group and Starwood Hotels for the $4 billion Sands Cotai Central project in Macau by Sands China, a development company of Las Vegas Sands that also owns The Venetian Macau and Macau Sands.

Sands Cotai Central will open the 5-star Conrad Macau with 600 rooms and a 4-star Holiday Inn with over 1,200 rooms in early 2012. Sheraton Macau with over 4,000 rooms is a project that halted construction a couple of years ago and is now scheduled for June 2012 opening to be followed with Sheraton Towers opening in 2013. This will be the largest hotel property in the Starwood chain.

A side note for Priority Club members is in 2011 The Venetian and The Palazzo Resort Las Vegas were cobranded as an InterContinental Alliance Resort with the ability for guests to earn and burn Priority Club points. These two InterContinental Alliance Resorts were soon joined by The Montelucia Scottsdale which had been an InterContinental Hotel and then was sold and rebranded in May 2011 as Montelucia InterContinental Alliance Resort.

Macau is actually the premier gambling destination in the world surpassing Las Vegas where gambling revenues yield only about one-third of the US$20 billion gambling revenue  of Asia’s premier casino resort destination. The Venetian Macau is a 3,000 suite property not associated with a major hotel brand – yet.

Wall Street Journal (August 5, 2011)

Starwood Preferred Guest members who register by October 15, 2011 earn 1,000 bonus Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards points per stay at Sheraton, Four Points, Aloft and Element hotels in North America from August 1 through December 15, 2011. These points are in addition to regular Starpoints earning or may even be combined with earning SPG Airline Direct Deposit miles for Southwest or a different airline. SPG members can double dip for Points & Miles or Miles & Miles with this offer.

Promotion registration is required by October 15, 2011.

This offer encompasses about 350 hotels in North America in the Sheraton, Four Points, Aloft and Element brands only.

This is a no-brainer promotion offer since these bonus Southwest Rapid Rewards points are in addition to normal points or miles earning.

SPG Airline Direct Deposit

SPG Airline Direct Deposit is currently the only way to earn Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards points through the SPG program since Southwest Rapid Rewards is not a Starpoints-to-miles exchange partner.

SPG members earn a flat rate of 600 points per Starwood Hotel stay with SPG Airline Direct Deposit. This is the same number of points earned for a $100 Southwest Wanna Get Away discount fare. This current promotion for 1,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards points per stay at Sheraton, Four Points, Aloft and Element is a good deal.

Six Starwood stays will earn 6,000 bonus points redeemable for about a $100 Southwest Wanna Get Away frequent flier ticket.

Double Dip Fine Print

All bonus Rapid Rewards Points will be awarded as Rapid Rewards Points, regardless of the SPG member’s Airline Direct Deposit (“ADD”) status. If an SPG member is currently enrolled in ADD, they will earn Rapid Rewards Points for their stays as well as the bonus Rapid Rewards Points. If the member is not currently enrolled in ADD, they will earn Starpoints® for their stays and Rapid Rewards Points for the bonus. New members will be enrolled into Starwood Preferred Guest earning Starpoints and the bonus will be awarded as Rapid Rewards Points.

https://www.spgpromos.com/southwest2011/terms.cfm?language=en_us&EM=VTY_CORP_SOUTHWEST_PROMOTION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Starpicks Terms and Conditions

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

Argentina

Buenos Aires

Sheraton Libertador Hotel

Mar del Plata

Sheraton Mar del Plata Hotel

 

Canada

Alberta

Calgary

Four Points by Sheraton Calgary Airport

Calgary

Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire

 

British Columbia

Vancouver

The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver

 

Whistler

The Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler

 

Ontario

Blue Mountains

The Westin Trillium House, Blue Mountain

 

Hamilton

Sheraton Hamilton Hotel

 

Mississauga

Four Points by Sheraton Mississauga Meadowvale

 

Mississauga

Four Points by Sheraton Toronto Airport

 

Mississauga

Four Points by Sheraton Toronto Mississauga

 

Ottawa

Sheraton Ottawa Hotel

 

Toronto

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

 

Quebec

Dorval

Sheraton Montreal Airport Hotel

 

Montreal

Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel

Le Méridien Versailles

 

China

Shanghai

Sheraton Shanghai Hongqiao Hotel

 

Costa Rica

Guanacaste

Playa Conchal

The Westin Resort & Spa, Playa Conchal

 

Germany

Frankfurt

The Westin Grand Frankfurt

 

Guatemala

Guatemala City

The Westin Camino Real, Guatemala

 

Malaysia

Langkawi

The Andaman, Langkawi

 

Mexico

Baja California Sur

Los Cabos

Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf & Spa Resort, Los Cabos

The Westin Resort & Spa, Los Cabos

 

Campeche

Hacienda Puerta Campeche

 

Uayamon

Hacienda Uayamon

 

Yucatan

Santa Rosa

Hacienda Santa Rosa

 

Temozon Sur

Hacienda Temozon

 

Tixkokob

Hacienda San Jose

 

Netherlands

Amsterdam

Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel and Conference Center

 

Panama, Republic of Panama

Panama City

Sheraton Panama Hotel & Convention Center

 

Poland

Warsaw

Le Méridien Bristol, Warsaw

 

Thailand

Koh Samui

W Retreat Koh Samui

 

Pattaya

Sheraton Pattaya Resort

 

United Kingdom

England

London

W London – Leicester Square

 

United States

Alabama

Birmingham

Sheraton Birmingham Hotel

 

Huntsville

The Westin Huntsville

 

Arizona

Phoenix

Aloft Phoenix-Airport

 

Scottsdale

Sheraton Desert Oasis Villas, Scottsdale

 

Scottsdale

The Westin Kierland Villas, Scottsdale

 

Tempe

Aloft Tempe

Sheraton Phoenix Airport Hotel Tempe

 

Tucson

Sheraton Tucson Hotel & Suites

 

California

Carlsbad

Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa

Emeryville

Four Points by Sheraton San Francisco Bay Bridge

 

Los Angeles

Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles International Airport

 

Los Angeles

The Westin Los Angeles Airport

 

Mammoth Lakes

The Westin Monache Resort, Mammoth

 

Millbrae

The Westin San Francisco Airport

 

Rancho Mirage

The Westin Mission Hills Resort Villas, Palm Springs

 

San Diego

Four Points by Sheraton San Diego

 

San Francisco

Palace Hotel, San Francisco

The Westin San Francisco Market Street

The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square

W San Francisco

 

Ventura

Four Points by Sheraton Ventura Harbor Resort

 

Colorado

Aurora

Aloft Denver International Airport

 

Avon

The Westin Riverfront Mountain Villas, Beaver Creek Mountain

 

Avon

The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa at Beaver Creek Mountain

 

Broomfield

Aloft Broomfield Dnver

 

Lakewood

Sheraton Denver West otel

 

Lone Tree

Element Denver Park Madows

 

Connecticut

Meriden

Four Points by Sheraton Meriden

 

Florida

Cocoa Beach

Four Points by Sheraton Cocoa Beach

 

Fort Lauderdale

Sheraton Suites Cypress Creek Ft. Lauderdale

 

Jacksonville

Aloft Jacksonville Tapestry Park

Sheraton Jacksonville Hotel

 

Jensen Beach

Vistana’s Beach Club

 

Lake Buena Vista

Walt Disney World Dolphin

 

Lake Buena Vista

Walt Disney World Swan

 

Lake Mary

The Westin Lake Mary, Orlando North

 

Orlando

Four Points by Sheraton Orlando Studio City

Sheraton Orlando Downtown Hotel

Sheraton Vistana Resort Villas, Lake BuenaVista/Orlando

Sheraton Vistana Villages Resort Villas, I-Drive/Orlando

The Westin Imagine Orlando

 

Port St. Lucie

Sheraton PGA Vacation Resort, Port St. Lucie

 

Tampa

Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk Hotel

 

Georgia

Atlanta

Sheraton Atlanta Hotel

Sheraton Suites Galleria-Atlanta

The Westin Atlanta Perimeter North

The Westin Buckhead Atlanta

The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta

W Atlanta – Midtown

 

Augusta

Sheraton Augusta Hotel

 

Hawaii

Kailua-Kona

Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa

 

Illinois

Itasca

The Westin Chicago Northwest

 

Lombard

The Westin Lombard Yorktown Center

 

Louisiana

New Orleans

The Westin New Orleans Canal Place

 

Maryland

National Harbor

The Westin Washington National Harbor

 

Massachusetts

Cambridge

Le Méridien Cambridge-MIT

 

Norwood

Four Points by Sheraton Norwood

 

Wakefield

Sheraton Colonial Boston North Hotel & Conference Center

 

Michigan

Romulus

Four Points by Sheraton Detroit Metro Airport

 

Missouri

St. Louis

Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel St. Louis

 

Nebraska

Omaha

Element Omaha Midtown Crossing

 

Nevada

Las Vegas

Element Las Vegas Summerlin

 

New Jersey

Morristown

The Westin Governor Morris, Morristown

 

New York

New York

Aloft Harlem

The Chatwal, New York City

The Manhattan at Times Square Hotel

W New York – Downtown

 

North Carolina

Charlotte

Aloft Charlotte Ballantyne

 

Ohio

Columbus

The Westin Columbus

 

Pennsylvania

York

Four Points by Sheraton York

 

South Carolina

Myrtle Beach

Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel

 

North Charleston

Aloft Charleston Airport & Convention Center

 

Tennessee

Memphis

Four Points by Sheraton Memphis East

 

Texas

Dallas

Le Méridien Dallas by the Galleria

Sheraton Dallas North Hotel

The Westin Park Central, Dallas

 

Fort Worth

Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel and Spa

 

Frisco

The Westin Stonebriar

 

San Antonio

Four Points by Sheraton San Antonio Downtown by the Riverwalk

Sheraton Gunter Hotel San Antonio

 

Virginia

Alexandria

Sheraton Suites Old Town Alexandria

The Westin Alexandria

 

Ashburn

Aloft Dulles Airport North

 

Falls Church

The Westin Tysons Corner

 

Norfolk

Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel

 

Vienna

Sheraton Premiere at Tysons Corner

 

Wisconsin

Brookfield

Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel

 

Green Bay

Aloft Green Bay

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

Sheraton Denver West – Lakewood, Colorado.

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

 

Brokeass Mountain Road Trip, July 2011

Monterey, California – Denver, Colorado

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

Earn triple Starpoints for hotels stays in Japan from June 1-August 31. This is 6 points per $1 at 13 hotels in Japan for room rate and food/beverage purchases. No registration is required.

• Sheraton Sapporo
• The Westin Sendai
• Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay
• The Westin Tokyo
• The Westin Nagoya Castle
• The Westin Miyako Kyoto
• The Westin Osaka
• St. Regis Osaka
• Sheraton Miyako Hotel Osaka
• Kobe Bay Sheraton Hotel & Towers
• The Westin Awaji
• Sheraton Hiroshima
• Sheraton Grande Ocean Resort 

SPG members can earn triple points for Food & Beverage at these hotels even when not spending the night.

Japan Triple Points Promotion T&C.