Tag: SPG
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From Knights Inns To The Westin: the Hotel Evolution of Ben Folds Five
As Starwood hotel openings go, we've seen some pretty wild (and occasionally nerdy) parties. But the one at Westin New York Grand Central last Friday seemed extra special.
About a dozen Westin heavenly beds were hauled up to the hotel's third floor ballroom, where select SPG members got cozy and settled in for a private performance by indie trio Ben Folds Five. It's not every day you get to watch a live concert in bed!
But that wasn't the only exciting thing about the grand opening. Earlier in the day, HotelChatter got to sit down for an exclusive interview with the band and quiz them on their early days in the 90s as motel-hopping road warriors. Sure enough, they had plenty of stories to share...
HotelChatter: When you guys were just starting out and traveling to different cities each night, what was it like? Where would you stay?
Ben Folds: The Knight's Inn. Usually, one of us would book the room as if it was just for one person, and the others would hide out in the van and wait. The reason being, if there was more than one of us, the price would go up. So then we'd get into the room; someone would share a bed, I usually blew up a mattress and slept on the floor.
HC:: And how much did you have to pay?
BF: $39.95 usually. We would use whatever cash we'd gotten from the night before.
W Hotels / SPG / Hotel Loyalty Programs / Hotel Services / → All Tags
Join SPG, Get Free Water at W Hotels
When we were checking out the W Scottsdale yesterday, our guide pointed out the hotel's bottled water selection, found in all the rooms.
On offer was two types of Fiji water ($3 and $2), a bottle of Smart water ($6) and one Nestle water ($1). But members of Starwood's Preferred Guest program actually get bottled water for free. (Just one and it's the cheaper Nestle kind.)
This free water perk used to be available to the elite tiers of the SPG program but now it's free to all members, even those who sign up on the spot. So, is this a nice perk for members, regardless of the member status, or a clever way to sign up the especially parched to SPG? You decide. Just remember, SPG's new perks go into effect on March 1.
