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

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

Vancouver – Sheraton Vancouver Wall 135 CAD

Montreal – Le Meridien Versailles 109 CAD

Avon, Colorado – Westin Riverfront $299 (Park Hyatt Beaver Creek and Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch in same neighborhood and next to ski lifts on mountains. Westin is located at valley floor in town of Avon.)

Aspen, Colorado – St. Regis $499 (recently remodeled)

San Francisco – W San Francisco $179. Good rate for this hotel that frequently is $100 per night more.

San Francisco- St. Regis $335 (one of best beds I’ve ever slept in and great tub.)

Napa – Westin Verasa Napa $143 (some rooms have full kitchens)

Hollywood – W Hollywood $199

Here is the Starpicks link for Starwood hotels that must be booked by Friday, January 27 for these rates over the next six weeks.

Starpicks Terms & Conditions. Main one to know is hotels have a four-night limit on stays at Starpicks rate. Resorts have 14-night limit.

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

I just wish they included the hotel loyalty program for these hotels. In the past I have actually created a loyalty program list from the CN Gold List. Many of these hotels have sky high rates that are irrelevant if you are redeeming your points from Choice Privileges or Red Lion R&R Club points for a Preferred Hotel Group reward stay. Some hotels are Kimpton properties where Kimpton InTouch members earn a free night after every seven stays. There are Ritz-Carlton hotels you can redeem Marriott Rewards points for free nights and Waldorf-Astoria Hotels for using HHonors points.

St. Regis Monarch Beach courtyard and pools.

St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point, California is a Starwood Resort where I have redeemed several free nights over the years from various SPG free night promotions. This hotel is a SPG category 6 award night at 20,000 or 25,000 points per night.

The SPG “Stay Three, Getaway Free” promotion from May through July 2011 earned a free resort night after every three stays. Westin Monache and St. Regis Aspen are the other two hotels I used free nights from this year’s SPG Resort promotion. I probably should have stayed at Westin Riverfront in Avon, Colorado since the St. Regis Aspen didn’t make the 2012 Gold List and I wasn’t impressed with the hotel either.

Last month I stayed at the St. Regis Monarch Beach using free nights when the lowest published rate was $660 per night. I earned all my free nights for under $300 each.

Spa Gaucin men's room at St. Regis Monarch Beach.

St. Regis Monarch Beach Arrival

My wife was shocked when I actually let the attendant valet park my car for this stay. I do valet parking even less frequently than taking a taxi. There is a street a block away from the St. Regis with some unmetered parking where I usually leave the car, but I splurged this stay with $30 per day valet parking.

My tip for other cheapass travelers visiting the St. Regis Monarch Beach is the hotel has one hour of free self-parking in the garage. You can park in the garage and check-in with your luggage and then move your car to the free zone on Stonehill Drive if there is parking space. CNTraveler is not going to give you a tip like that on their Gold List.

Stonehill Drive has a block of unmetered free parking.

Check-in at St. Regis Monarch Beach

A couple of years ago I blasted St. Regis Monarch Beach for the response I got from the front desk when I mentioned being a SPG Platinum member. What a difference two years make. The young woman who checked us in for our stay went into detail about SPG Platinum benefits. I received 500 bonus points for a welcome amenity. In 2009 the desk clerk said something to me like, “We are a resort and we don’t have to provide a Platinum member amenity.”

The $25 resort fee was knocked down to $15 as a SPG Platinum member. Although I did have to point that out to the receptionist who checked us out when the folio showed $25 per day resort fee.

The jacuzzi in the men's locker room at Spa Gaucin.

The fact that there was some SPG Platinum member recognition was a huge improvement at the hotel from my last stay. And we received a better view room this time.

View from St. Regis Monarch Beach room.

Here was the room view from our last stay.

Room view of grand stairway wall from room #146 and busy traffic path to pool.

My first stay in 2005 back when I was still a wage earner business traveler provided the best room I ever had at the hotel. Since then my rooms at the St. Regis dispel the myth of special treatment upgrades for being a hotel travel blogger.

St. Regis Monarch Beach ocean view room.

The grounds and facilities of the St. Regis Monarch Beach are the highlight of the hotel. This place offers traditional luxury.

Stairway fountain from Spa Gaucin to fitness center.

St. Regis Monarch Beach lobby bar.

St. Regis conference center wing.

St. Regis Monarch Beach main building.

St. Regis Monarch Beach grand stairway fountain.

St. Regis Monarch Beach hotel is actually about 1/2 mile from the beach. There is a paved walking path through the golf course and a golf cart shuttle transports hotel guests to and from the beach.

Sunset at Monarch Beach.

Previous Loyalty Traveler posts provide more detail and photos on rooms and facilities.

St. Regis Monarch Beach – The Room (Sep 23, 2009)

St. Regis Monarch Beach – The Hotel (Sep 24, 2009)

St. Regis Monarch Beach – Pools and Beach (Sep 25, 2009)

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.

SPG-MasterCard Two Days of Happy Earn Nov 29-March 15 / Burn Jan 1-April 10, 2012

Patrick Sojka also runs FrequentFlyerBonuses.com which is a great resource for airline, hotel and car rental loyalty promotions. FFB has been on my go to list for finding deals many years now and a site you should bookmark too.

frequentflyerbonuses.com

Happy (U.S.) Thanksgiving to all my Canadian readers.

Hey all you Americans, go back to eating, drinking, talking to friends & family, watching football and planning your points and miles earning for the next month of shopping.

I am heading to Spa Gaucin for coffee and a paper. We are resorting for Thanksgiving thanks to the May-July 2011 free resort night after three Starwood stays. Yesterday was 73 degrees here in southern California.

Thanks for being a Loyalty Traveler reader.

And closing my laptop…now.

St. Regis Monarch Beach, Dana Point, California

• Most hotels offer these rates for Thursday through Sunday nights and resorts offer these rates seven days a week.
• The special rate is available everyday at all hotels November 20-26 and December 18-30, 2011.
• Rate Plan = FMNOV1-9.
• Promotion Rate Code = FMV

The guest does not receive the option to choose between parking, breakfast or room upgrade. Each hotel package rate includes one of these options and they are shown on the promotion booking page for the specific hotel.

Starwood ELEVEN Promotion Link

Loyalty Traveler Analysis

Breakfast for two persons at $11 is a great deal for many Starwood Hotels. Parking for $11 in cities where the daily rate is $30 to $50 is a good deal.

The problem I see are higher rates for some hotels I checked that pretty much negate the savings of discount parking and breakfast. You need to check hotels and compare rate options carefully to see if this is the best deal. I have provided examples below where this is a good deal and where it is not.

This promotion has more value for SPG members who are not Platinum elites. As a Platinum I generally receive complimentary upgrades at most Starwood Hotels and free breakfast when staying at Sheraton Hotels in North America.

St. Regis Monarch Beach

This hotel offers a room view upgrade. I have stayed at St. Regis Monarch Beach where I had the end room on the wing with ocean view and I have stayed at the hotel where I had a room view of the sidewalk and grand stairway wall. An upgraded view is highly desirable here.

St. Regis Monarch Beach November 24-25, 2011

• FMNOV rate = $416 King Balcony Room with Preferred Resort View
• AAA rate = $348 King Balcony Room with Preferred Resort View
• 11/11/11 rate exceeds AAA rate for same room by $68 + tax to net only 1,111 bonus points.
• 11/11/11 Special Rate offer is not a good deal in this example for St. Regis Monarch Beach.

Westin Verasa Napa, November 24-25, 2011

• FMNOV rate = $180 King Deluxe Room with $11 Breakfast for Two
• AAA rate = $194.55 King Deluxe Room (no breakfast).
• Both rates have same cancellation terms of 3 days before arrival.
• 11/11/11 special offer rate is $15 less than AAA rate and includes breakfast for two and 1,111 bonus points.
• Special Rate offer is a good deal for Westin Napa with a lower room rate than AAA and breakfast included, plus 1,111 bonus points.

Be sure to compare different rates before booking. This can be a good Starwood Hotel deal…or not.

Starwood Lurker, the Starwood Hotels representative on FlyerTalk stated this offer for 1,111 bonus points may be combined with the current Triple Up promotion running through December 18, 2011. The 1,111 bonus points will post separately from bonuses earned for the 2X/3X SPG promotion.

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.

Le Meridien Des Indes, The Hague, Netherlands (147 EUR/night)

SPG.com Starwood Hotels Compare Rates Tool

The main point of this article is to examine features of the SPG.com Compare Rates tool that allows three additional Starwood corporate, group and promotional rates to be compared to Standard Rates in a display.

My initial rate checks for the St. Regis Florence pulled up several dates with low rates at 550EUR or USD$752 per night in October and November 2011. This certainly seemed the appropriate time to search the SPG.com Compare Rates and Browse Dates/Rates tools. I also checked St. Regis Florence hotel special offers.

SPG Compare Rates allow me to check different rate types while Browse Dates/Rates allow rates on different dates to be compared far more quickly than simply plugging dates into the homepage calendar search.

Finding the SPG Compare Rates and Rate Calendar tools

1. Go to SPG.com or StarwoodHotels.com.
2. Enter City Location and preferred dates.
3. Hotel search results page looks like these two examples.

St. Regis Florence – No available rooms October 20-24, 2011 (click on image to open full size)

SPG.com St. Regis Florence Nov 3-6, 2011

Both screenshots show the option to compare more rates or browse dates/rates. My account is set to show AAA rates shown as SET/Corporate Account # 298940.

Compare more rates allows three rates to be compared and even a specific promotional or corporate rate code to be used.

Starwood Compare More Rates checklist for quick rate checks.

When my interest is paid rates rather than using points, then I can compare AAA, Senior and Breakfast rates together.

Starwood Compare Rates display for AAA, Senior and Breakfast rates.

Different dates I tried resulted in rate differences of a couple hundred euros per night.

Promotion Code Z3H is a third night free offer I entered into the Compare Rates option and the St. Regis Florence returned availability.

St. Regis Florence Compare Rates Display for November 3-6, 2011

The 3 nights for the price of 2 rate is prepaid and nonrefundable. The rate discount looked to be the best deal going.

St. Regis Florence 3rd night free rate.

Two special offers at the St. Regis Florence showed a 20% discount for a 3-night stay and 30% discount on a 4-night stay. These rates have the same prepaid, nonrefundable terms as Z3H and provide a smaller discount for a three night stay compared to Z3H for November 3-6, 2011.

St. Regis Special Offer 20% off Rate is higher than Starwood Z3H rate.

St. Regis Florence Rate Comparison November 3-6, 2011

Deluxe King (no river view)

• Z3H = 290 EUR/night
• 20% = 335 EUR/night

Deluxe King – Panoramic river view

• Z3H = 340 EUR/night
• 20% = 393 EUR/night

Premium Deluxe Panoramic River View

• Z3H = 390 EUR/night
• 20% = 445 EUR/night

St. Regis Florence Rate Comparison on 4-night stays

St. Regis Florence has a hotel special offer 30% discount on four night stays. This rate should be lower than Z4H fourth night free which works out to 25% discount. I went back to the SPG.com Compare Rates function to input Z4H.

Starwood Compare Rates function for Z4H 4th Night Free promotion.

Search results show no Z4H availability, but the lowest rate is the 30% discount on a four night stay.

St. Regis Florence 30% discount on four night stay.

The lowest rate so far is 262 EUR per night on a four night stay November 20-24, 2011.

Rate Calendar for Quick Checks of other dates

The 30% discount special rate on 4-night stays is the best deal seen. The Starwood Rate Calendar allows a quick check of other four-night dates to see if there are even lower rate dates for November 2011.

Starwood Rate Calendar for quicker comparative rate checks.

The 262EUR rate is for November 20-24, 2011. I can enter alternate dates and see a quick rate display.

Starwood Calendar Quick Rate Check Nov 19-23 St. Regis Florence

Shifting the arrival date one day earlier pushes the rate up 100EUR per night for the entire stay from 262EUR/night to 363 EUR/night. About $600 more to arrive one day earlier on a four night stay. The calendar rate function shows this rate instantaneously once dates are inserted into calendar.

Shifting the Arrival date one day later has no impact on the 262EUR rate. I can quickly check every date of the month using four night stays and find 250EUR/night is available beginning November 24.

Starwood Rate Calendar quickly reveals rate drop Novemebr 24-28, 2011 for St. Regis Florence.

Starwood Rate Comparison and Rate Calendar make searching for the best rate a simpler task. The features could be improved by showing lowest daily rates on calendar without having to enter specific dates.

Finding the lowest rates for your hotel stay can be challenging. Starwood’s tools make the task a little bit easier. There is still room for improvement.

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.

Las Vegas Element refrigerator-dishwasher

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

Element desk and flat screen tv

Element sitting area in studio suite

Element shower has two shower heads and refillable soap and shampoo.

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.

Sheraton Denver West mountain view

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.

Westin Westminster/Denver fountain lake

Lobby Westin Westminster, Colorado.

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