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

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

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

Read More…

Starwood Hotels has a new Facebook contest to win a 5-night stay at any North American hotel up to category 6. Contest is open to residents of 50 US states, DC and Canada excluding Quebec who are 18 years or older.

How to Enter Starwood Contest

• Entry period is January 24 to February 28, 2012.
• Like the Starwood Facebook page.
• Register and share what “vacation means to you” by submitting a photo, story, poem, or combination of any.
• Round 1 Voting Period allows voters to register and vote once per day for favorite entry. After February 28 a group of panelists will choose the top 10 entries. Voting results only count for 25% of the criteria used in judging finalists.
• The good news for voters is you get a sweepstakes entry for one prize of two free weekend nights at any North American hotel up to category 5 properties for a maximum 32,000 points prize.
• Top 10 finalists will be posted from March 6 to March 20, 2012 for Final Voting Round.
• The odd rule is it looks like voters can vote once for each of the ten finalists, but no more than one vote for any finalist?
• Entry with most votes in Final Voting Round wins Grand Prize of 100,000 Starpoints for two round-trip flights, $1,000 in spending money and up to 125,000 Starpoints for a 5-night hotel stay at any hotel in North America up to SPG category 6 hotel. (SPG category-6 hotel in peak season is 25,000 points per night. Fewer points are won if hotel costs less. Considering SPG has 5th night free I would think the maximum win is 100,000 points.)
• Next two highest vote entrants win First Prize. One random voting member also wins a Voting Sweepstakes First Prize. First Prize is two free weekend nights (Fri-Sat) at up to category 5 hotel in North America for a maximum prize of 32,000 points.

Read More…

This week’s Starwood Starpicks seem to have more than the usual number of hotels and a fine selection of properties. There are dates over the next six weeks available for booking. As always, check Starpicks rates with other available rates since these are not always the lowest rates around. Starpicks are prepaid at time of booking and nonrefundable rates.

Argentina

Mendoza – Sheraton Mendoza  Hotel

Salta – Sheraton Salta Hotel

Nassau – Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort & Casino

Belgium

Brussels – Four Points by Sheraton Brussels

Brussels – Le Méridien Brussels

Brussels – Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel

Brussels – Sheraton Brussels Hotel

Canada

Alberta

Calgary – Four Points by Sheraton Calgary Airport

Edmonton – The Westin Edmonton

British Columbia

Richmond – Four Points by Sheraton Vancouver Airport

Richmond – Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel

Richmond – The Westin Wall Centre, Vancouver Airport

Surrey – Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel

Vancouver – Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre

Vancouver – The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver

Vancouver – The Westin Grand, Vancouver

Victoria – Four Points by Sheraton Victoria Gateway

Victoria – The Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa, Victoria

Manitoba

Winnipeg – Four Points by Sheraton Winnipeg South

Nova Scotia

Halifax – Four Points by Sheraton Halifax

Ontario

Toronto – Four Points by Sheraton Toronto Lakeshore

Toronto – Le Méridien King Edward

Quebec

Montreal – Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel

Montreal – W Montréal

France

Roissy – Sheraton Paris Airport Hotel & Conference Centre

Germany

Frankfurt – Le Méridien Parkhotel Frankfurt

Frankfurt – Sheraton Frankfurt Congress Hotel

Frankfurt – The Westin Grand Frankfurt

Hamburg – Le Royal Méridien Hamburg

Ireland

Dublin – The Westin Dublin

Japan

Osaka

Osaka – The St. Regis Osaka

Malta

St. Julians – The Westin Dragonara Resort, Malta

Morocco

Marrakech – Le Méridien N’Fis

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

Seychelles

Mahé – Le Méridien Barbarons

Mahé – Le Méridien Fisherman’s Cove

South Korea

Seoul – Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel

Thailand

Bangkok – Le Méridien Bangkok

United Kingdom

England

Hayes – Sheraton Skyline Hotel London Heathrow

London – The Park Lane Hotel, London

London – W London – Leicester Square

Scotland

Edinburgh – Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh

United States

Alabama

Homewood – Aloft Birmingham Soho Square

Alaska

Anchorage – Sheraton Anchorage Hotel & Spa

Arizona

Phoenix – Aloft Phoenix-Airport

Scottsdale – The Westin Kierland Villas, Scottsdale

Scottsdale – W Scottsdale

California

Carlsbad – Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa

Culver City – Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles Westside

Hollywood – W Hollywood

Los Angeles – Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles – W Los Angeles – Westwood

Mammoth Lakes – The Westin Monache Resort, Mammoth

Pleasanton – Four Points by Sheraton Pleasanton

Rancho Cucamonga – Aloft Ontario-Rancho Cucamonga

Rancho Cucamonga – Four Points by Sheraton Ontario-Rancho Cucamonga

Sacramento – Four Points by Sheraton Sacramento International Airport

San Diego – Sheraton Mission Valley San Diego Hotel

San Diego – Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina

San Diego – The Westin Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego

San Diego – W San Diego

San Francisco – Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf Hotel

San Francisco – The Westin San Francisco Market Street

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

San Rafael – Four Points by Sheraton San Rafael

Colorado

Aurora – Aloft Denver International Airport

Delaware

Wilmington – Sheraton Suites Wilmington

Florida

Clearwater Beach – Sheraton Sand Key Resort

Fort Walton Beach – Four Points by Sheraton Destin-Fort Walton Beach

Hollywood – The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, Hollywood, Florida

Jacksonville – Aloft Jacksonville Airport

Orlando – Sheraton Safari Hotel & Suites Lake Buena Vista

Orlando – Sheraton Vistana Resort Villas, Lake BuenaVista/Orlando

Orlando – Sheraton Vistana Villages Resort Villas, I-Drive/Orlando

Georgia

Atlanta – Sheraton Gateway Hotel Atlanta Airport

Atlanta – W Atlanta – Buckhead

Illinois

Chicago – The Westin Michigan Avenue Chicago

Indiana

Indianapolis – The Westin Indianapolis

Kansas

Leawood – Aloft Leawood-Overland Park

Maryland

Annapolis – Sheraton Annapolis Hotel

Beltsville – Sheraton Washington North Hotel

National Harbor – Aloft Washington National Harbor

Massachusetts

Springfield – Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel

Minnesota

Minneapolis – Aloft Minneapolis

Minneapolis – Le Méridien Chambers Minneapolis

Minnetonka – Sheraton Minneapolis West Hotel

Richfield – Four Points by Sheraton Minneapolis Airport

Missouri

St. Louis – Sheraton St. Louis City Center Hotel & Suites

New Hampshire

Manchester – Four Points by Sheraton Manchester Airport

New Jersey

Ewing – Element Ewing Princeton

Jersey City – The Westin Jersey City Newport

Princeton – The Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village

New Mexico

Albuquerque – Sheraton Albuquerque Airport Hotel

New York

Brooklyn – Aloft New York Brooklyn

Brooklyn – Sheraton Brooklyn New York Hotel

Hauppauge – Sheraton Long Island Hotel

Jamaica – Sheraton JFK Airport Hotel

New York – The Chatwal, New York City

New York – The Manhattan at Times Square Hotel

New York – The Westin New York at Times Square

New York – W New York – Downtown

Tarrytown – Sheraton Tarrytown Hotel

North Carolina

Chapel Hill – Aloft Chapel Hill

Durham – Four Points by Sheraton Durham at Southpoint

Durham – Sheraton Imperial Hotel & Convention Center

Ohio

Columbus – Sheraton Columbus Hotel at Capitol Square

Cuyahoga Falls – Sheraton Suites Akron/Cuyahoga Falls

Oregon

Portland – Four Points by Sheraton Portland East

Portland – Sheraton Portland  Airport Hotel

Pennsylvania

Allentown – Four Points by  Sheraton Hotel & Suites Allentown Airport

Chambersburg – Four Points by  Sheraton Chambersburg

Langhorne – Sheraton Bucks County Hotel

Marshalls Creek – Pocono Palace Resort

Philadelphia – The Westin Philadelphia

Pittsburgh – The Westin Convention Center, Pittsburgh

Puerto Rico

San Juan – Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel & Casino

Rhode Island

Providence – The Westin Providence

Warwick – Sheraton Providence Airport Hotel

South Carolina

North Charleston – Sheraton Charleston Airport Hotel

Texas

Austin – Aloft Austin at The Domain

Frisco – Sheraton Stonebriar Hotel

Irving – Element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North

San Antonio – Four Points by Sheraton San Antonio Airport

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

San Antonio – Four Points by Sheraton San Antonio Northwest

Virginia

Alexandria – Sheraton Suites Old  Town Alexandria

Roanoke – Sheraton Roanoke Hotel & Conference Center

Winchester – Aloft Winchester

Washington

Bellevue – The Westin Bellevue

Seattle – Four Points by Sheraton Downtown Seattle Center

Seattle – Sheraton Seattle  Hotel

Seattle – W Seattle

Wisconsin

Brookfield – Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel

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 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.

Loyalty Traveler Update Dec 29, 2011 9:45am Pacific time: SPG is screwing around with this promotion since it first appeared five days ago. The links were all working this morning when I posted this article and the links are now all dead. This has happened before during the last few days and I thought SPG finally had their promotion ducks all in a row when I decided to post this offer today. I registered for the offer today. SPG apparently is still not ready for members to see this offer as posted in this FlyerTalk thread December 27  by Starwood Lurker, the official SPG voice. Seems odd to me that all the promotion pages were up this morning two days after Starwood Lurker’s post, however, the links may not be live again until January 9, 2012.

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.

Read More…

Germany has 18 Starwood Hotels participating in a winter season bonus points promotion for stays November 15 to January 31, 2012.

• 500 bonus points for 2 night stay.
• 750 bonus points for 3 night stay.
• 1,000 bonus points for 4 night stay.
• 1,500 bonus points for 5 or more nights stay.
• Consecutive nights at same hotel required for bonus points.

SPG Promotion registration is required by January 29.

Participating Starwood Hotels

• The Westin Grand, Berlin
• Sheraton Essen Hotel
• The Westin Leipzig
• The Westin Bellevue, Dresden
• Le Méridien Parkhotel Frankfurt
• Sheraton Düsseldorf Airport Hotel
• Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel & Confernece Center
• Sheraton Frankfurt Congress Hotel
• Sheraton Offenbach Hotel
• The Westin Grand Frankfurt
• Le Méridien Stuttgart
• Le Méridien München
• Sheraton München Arabellapark Hotel
• Sheraton München Westpark
• Sheraton München Airport Hotel
• The Westin Grand München
• Four Points by Sheraton München Olympiapark
• Four Points by Sheraton München Central

 

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.

RewardsCanada.ca has a 10th anniversary contest offering prizes of 125,000 Aeroplan miles, 100,000 Starpoints, Sheraton Robes and Etihad Airways miles. You must be a Canadian resident to win a prize. Entry deadline is 11:59pm November 30, 2011.

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.

 

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.

 

Starwood Preferred Guest has two Cyber Monday Advance Sales for SPG members at participating Starwood Resorts and Hotels. One offer is advertised as 50% off every other night on Suites and Upgraded Rooms - promo code S2S. So this is actually a 25% discount if you stay an even number of nights; or lesser discount if you stay an odd number of nights.

The other CyberMonday offer is 15% to 35% off Standard Room rates for each night at select hotels – promo code CYBERLTO. The offers are shown below followed by the list of participating hotels.

50% off Premium Rooms and Suites – Promotion Code S2S

Book by Sunday November 27 for stays from December 1 through April 30, 2012. Discount applies to every 2nd night.

Book online and use promotion code S2S for this offer or book by phone at 866-716-8147.

15% to 35% off standard rooms – Promotion Code CYBERLTO

This offer is up to 35% off Best Available Rate and may be booked through December 2, 2011 for stays from December 1, 2011 through April 30, 2012.

This deal brought the rate of Westin Verasa Napa down to $129 if you want to wake up Christmas day in wine country.

Participating Starwood Hotels for S2S Suite Discount – Book by November 27., 2011

Arizona

The Phoenician, Scottsdale

The Canyon Suites at The Phoenician

W Scottsdale

The Westin Phoenix Downtown

Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel

Four Points by Sheraton Tucson Airport

California

The US GRANT, San Diego

SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills

W San Francisco

The Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa

The Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites

The Westin Verasa Napa

The Westin San Francisco Market Street

The Westin Monache Resort, Mammoth

The Westin St. Francis

Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa

Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina

Sheraton Suites San Diego at Symphony Hall

Colorado

The St. Regis Aspen Resort

District of Colombia

The Fairfax Hotel at Embassy Row, Washington D.C.

W Washington D.C.

Florida

W Fort Lauderdale

The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, Hollywood

Walt Disney World Swan

Walt Disney World Dolphin

Hawaii

The Royal Hawaiian, Waikiki

The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas

Sheraton Kauai Resort

Illinois

W Chicago – Lakeshore

Louisiana

Sheraton New Orleans Hotel

Massachussetts

Sheraton Boston Hotel

Michigan

The Westin Book Cadillac Detroit

Minnesota

Hotel Ivy, Minneapolis

W Minneapolis – The Foshay

Le Meridien Chambers Minneapolis

New Jersey

Sheraton Lincoln Harbor Hotel

New York

The Chatwal, New York City

Sheraton Brooklyn

Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers

Pennsylvania

Sheraton Philadelphia University City Hotel

Texas

W Austin

Sheraton Suites Market Center

Sheraton Gunter Hotel San Antonio

Sheraton Suites Houston Near The Galleria

The Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio

The Westin Houston, Memorial City

The Westin La Cantera Resort, San Antonio

Sheraton Houston Brookhollow Hotel

Four Points by Sheraton Tucson Airport

Virginia

The Westin Reston Heights

Caribbean

The St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort, Puerto Rico

W Retreat & Spa – Vieques Island

The Westin Resort & Casino, Aruba

The Westin St. John Resort & Villas

Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel and Casino

Canada

W Montreal

Le Meridien Versailles

Le Meridien King Edward

The Westin Grand, Vancouver

The Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort and Spa, Victoria

The Westin Trillium House, Blue Mountain

Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel

Le Centre Sheraton Montreal Hotel

Mexico

Le Meridien Cancun Resort & Spa

The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort Villas, Cancun

The Westin Resort & Spa, Los Cabos

The Westin Resort & Spa, Cancun

The Westin Santa Fe, Mexico City

Sheraton Buganvilias Resort and Convention Center

Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf and Spa Resort, Los Cabos

Sheraton Miramar Hotel & Convention Center

Sheraton Ambassador Hotel

South America

Park Tower, Buenos Aires, Argentina

W Santiago, Chile

Sheraton Colonia Golf & Spa Resort, Uruguay

Sheraton Mendoza Hotel, Argentina

Sheraton Salta Hotel, Argentina

Sheraton Panama Hotel & Convention Center

Sheraton Porto Alegre Hotel

Sheraton Montevideo Hotel, Urguguay

Sheraton Libertador Hotel, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Sheraton Lima Hotel & Convention Center, Peru

Sheraton Buenos Aires Hotel & Convention Center

Four Points by Sheraton Santiago

Four Points by Sheraton Montevideo

 

Participating Hotels for CYBERLTO 15%-35% off Standard Rooms – Book by Dec 2, 2011.

You must go through a 4-step tedious dropdown menu to see participating hotels for this offer.

 

Starwood Hotels in North America have an 11/11/11 special rate offer for bookings from November 11-21 for stays completed by January 31, 2012. This special rate comes as a hotel value-added package with 1,111 bonus points and either $11 breakfast for two, parking for $11 per night, or a room upgrade.

• 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.

Starwood Hotels St. Regis Florence, Italy is a hotel built in the 15th century Giuntini family palace in the center of the city near the Uffizi Gallery and within 500 meters of the Duomo. This SPG category 6 hotel has River Arno views and commendable reviews on FlyerTalk since the hotel rebranded from Luxury Collection Grand Hotel Florence earlier this year. The hotel history is available on the St. Regis website.

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)

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.

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

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.

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

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 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.

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

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

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 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.