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Tag: Starwood Preferred Guest View All Tags

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Use Your Starwood Points to Get In On Some Jonas Brothers Action

May 12, 2009 at 3:08 PM | by Jenna | 0 Comments

Oh, goodness. Well, nobody seems to be rollin' around in beds of cash quite like the tween dreams The Jonas Brothers, who are to the recession what cockroaches are to the apocalypse. The Atlantis cashed in on the tweeny empire by hosting a whole JoBro getaway last year (now they've moved onto other big fish, i.e. Miss Miley) and hotels around the nation get a lovely little bit of pappy exposure when the stars are snapped going in and out of hotel lobbies.

And now Starwood wants in on some of this action: they've been named "Proud Sponsor" of the Jonas Brothers 2009 summer concert tour. Yes, oh yes. Tweens everywhere will be tugging at Daddy's shirtsleeves, begging to stay at a W on their next family vacay. Or we think that's the idea, at least.

But there are perks here: the company's loyalty program, Starwood Preferred Guest, is giving members to opportunity to use their Starpoints to bid (yes, bid) on VIP packages for the JoBro concerts this summer.

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Earn a Free Weekend Night for Every Two Starwood Stays

April 13, 2009 at 9:36 AM | by Jenna | 0 Comments

Sounds like everyone is hopping aboard the buy-a-couple-get-one-free train in the hotel biz nowadays. The latest: Starwood. Yeah, all of Starwood. This deal's not so bad, actually — especially for business travelers who will be staying in Starwood properties for work trips and want to take a little weekend vacay when the weather gets toasty.

This summer — that is, between May 1 and July 31st — every two times you stay at a Starwood hotel, you'll earn one free weekend night's stay. The two stays don't even need to be consecutive nights: you can stay in a Sheraton on a Wednesday and then in a W a week later, and then you've earned yourself a free weekend night somewhere else. So easy! You need to be a Starwood Preferred Guest member (SPG; the 'wood's loyalty program) to qualify, but the promo is open to SPG members of all levels.

The free nights are redeemable any Friday, Saturday or Sunday through the end of September '09 with no blackouts. Also, there's no limit to the number of free weekend nights you can earn, and the nights can be combined to make a whole free weekend.

Though you can start booking rooms now for the May 1 - July 31st window, you'll need to register for the promo here — and registration doesn't begin 'til April 17. For a little reminder, just text "WEEKENDS" to 95495 and Starwood will send you a little note when the registration page goes live.

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Starwood Preferred Guests Get Clear Cards for Christmas

December 22, 2008 at 9:05 AM | by JetSetCD | 2 Comments

At least someone is still getting a Christmas bonus: Starwood Hotels has teamed up with the Clear Card in order to wish their Platinum Preferred Guests a Merry Christmas. Beginning this month, the top-tier members of Starwood's loyalty program, Starwood Preferred Guests, will receive a free year subscription to the Clear card, which speeds its holders through security checkpoints at select airports (and random football stadiums) around the US.

Since this is actually a functional and time-saving accessory for frequent travelers, the $199 Clear card will surely be a more welcome present than another leather money clip or embroidered duffel bag. For those SPG Preferred members who haven't quite yet achieved Platinum status, we've got goods news for you too: Starwood will be sending its Gold and regular level members three-month offers on the card.

We've watched Clear grow exponentially over the last year, and their airport list (which already includes cities like Denver, Orlando, San Francisco, Atlanta and most of NYC) will officially become impressive once they secure LAX in 2009. Benefits like these are one of the many arguments for hotel loyalty (Hyatt Hotels offered this to their top-tier loyalty program members last year), but it also doesn't hurt to practically live out of their properties as the Starwood Platinums do.

[Photos: Clear and SPG.com]

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Starwood On the Go-Go For SPG Members

October 20, 2008 at 9:32 AM | by KatieK | 0 Comments

Everyone knows world dominion totally hinges on who has the best technology. Presumably, that's why Starwood Hotels just launched a brand new mobile site for SPG members.

Powered by Usablenet, the new site is spiffed up with all the bells and whistles of its regular website--but now just a thumb-click away from SPG loyalists and their ever-present Blackberries. SPG members can book reservations, contact customer care and reservation management, and read The Lobby blog by accessing Spg.com from any web-enabled mobile device. Or for those of us sans PDA (yes, we do exist!), a preview of the mobile site can be accessed at Spg2go.com. For now the mobile site is just for SPG members, but the initiative may expand to include all hotel guests in the future.

Not particularly thrilling stuff, mind you, but nobody ever said that world takeover would be all fireworks and laser shows. Even Starwood has to lay a little (boring) groundwork to make sure all its bases are covered.

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Starwood Introduces "Better Tomorrows"; Gives You The Second Night Half-Off

October 14, 2008 at 2:08 PM | by travelingmcmahans | 0 Comments

Planning a getaway soon? It may be worth checking out SPG's latest deal, Better Tomorrows. Though the tagline sounds more fitting for a weight loss clinic or natural health center, the deal is pretty good, and straightforward. For every night you pay "best available unrestricted retail rates" you get the second night half off. That's it, just use code ZBT.

Of course there's the usual fine print. You've got to choose a hotel or a resort depending on whether you'll travel mid-week or weekend. Hotels require a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday arrival. Resorts require a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday arrival. (Unless you're going to Hawaii you lucky thing you, there's no arrival requirement there.)

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Loyalty Program News :: Choose Your Own Adventure with SPG

September 23, 2008 at 9:45 AM | by travelingmcmahans | 1 Comment

Remember those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books from when you were a kid? (We're talking to the over 30 that is.) It worked like this--you read a chapter of an adventure tale and at the conclusion you have to make a choice. Depending on which choice you make, you turn to a different page to read the conclusion of your adventure. We loved those books.

And now we get to have just as much fun as grown ups with Starwood Preferred Guest's (SPG) You Choose promotion between October 1 and December 31.

Here's the deal. SPG members talked and Starwood listened. Travelers determine their earning power and choose from a dozen different reward options broken down into four categories: Free Nights, Elite Status, Bonus Starpoints and Gift Cards. Within each category, members choose an earning option and reward based on how they travel and what kind of loot they want to score out of their stays.

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Starwood's SPG Flight Program Takes Off Today

September 2, 2008 at 12:14 PM | by Jenna | 0 Comments

Here at HC HQ, we like to joke around about Starwood's plot to take over the world. It started with the insane expansion of Aloft, with new properties popping up all over the globe within a matter of months. Then there was that whole 100-hotels-in-China thing we just heard about, too.

And once they've conquered the land, we suppose the next order of business was to go after the skies: Westin recently partnered with United to bring some of the Westin amenities to United flights -- but they're not stopping there.

Today marks the launch of Starwood's SPG Flights program, a feature added to the S-wood loyalty program that will allow members to redeem Starwood Preferred Guest points for free flights -- with no blackout dates. Because Starwood owns the whole world and can make it happen, apparently.

More details -- including a points-to-price redemption chart -- after the jump.

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Loyalty Program News: 888 Bonus Starpoints From SPG

August 6, 2008 at 9:50 AM | by juliana | 0 Comments

Mattress runners: get your suitcases ready. 8-08-08 is coming up this Friday and even Starwood Hotels is getting in on the hoopla by offering its SPG members 888 bonus Starpoints.

Starting August 1st and running for eight days, guests can register to receive 888 bonus Starpoints at participating Starwood properties for qualifying stays. Qualifying stays include Friday and Saturday arrivals, August 2 - September 27, 2008.

That's a whole lotta Starpoints. The only other catch is you must be a member of the SPG program (duh) and you must register for the 888 promotion here.

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Loyalty Program News :: Free Starwood Food for American Express Gold Card Members

July 17, 2008 at 9:45 AM | by Jenna | 0 Comments

Got an AmEx Gold Card? Then you've also got a free dinner at any of four brands under the Starwood umbrella now.

Yesterday, Amex and Starwood announced a new program that gives a yummy perk to all Gold Card members: a $75 food and beverage credit. Score!

The conditions: you have to be (obviously) a Gold Card member, and you have to book a stay of two or more consecutive nights at one of the 500+ participating W Hotels, Westin Hotels & Resorts, Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts and Sheraton Hotels & Resorts.

The new delish benefit is offered through the Gold Card Destinations program, which already boasts a pretty long list of travel amenities with AmEx Gold Card travel partners - cool stuff like lift tickets at Ski.com destinations and access to tickets for Gold Card events.

So does this mean we have an excuse to demand that we get our drinks covered by the AmEx-toting dude we meet in the W bar next weekend? We haven't caught anything about alcohol being excluded from the deal, so we think yes.

More info on the AmEx/Starwood partnership can be found here.

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Aloft Hotels Throwing Special Party for Platinum SPG Members

May 30, 2008 at 11:12 AM | by juliana | 0 Comments

Aloft Hotels is on track to open its very first hotel this summer on August 1 in Lexington, MA. We can hardly believe how the time has...er...flown by.

To celebrate the pre-opening, Aloft is holding a party at their warehouse in Hawthorne, NY about 15 minutes from the Starwood corporate headquarters in White Plains. But not anyone can go to this party. It's for SPG Platinum members only.

Platinum members spend 50 nights in a Starwood hotel in a year to earn this elite status. They get late check-outs, automatic upgrades if available, and a special Platinum Concierge service at their disposal.

And now, Platinum members get party invites too. We don't have too many details on the party except that guests will be able to tour the Aloft rooms in the warehouse and that some "very famous girl (singing) power" will be in the house.

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Starwood Devalues Their SPG Points Yet Again

February 20, 2008 at 2:52 PM | by juliana | 1 Comment

Elliott.org reports that The Starwood Preferred Guest Program (SPG) is making significant changes to its categories of hotels starting March 4, 2008.

Basically a lot of action is happening in the lower categories like the 1, 2 and 3. But the bad new is that a lot of these hotels are moving up in category thus meaning you will need a heck of a lot more SPG points to get a free night at your desired hotel.

For instance, at the Four Points By Sheraton Hotel in Hagerstown, MD (yeah we never heard of it before either) you once needed 2,000 Starpoints® for a free weekend night and 3,000 Starpoints. Now that it's moving up to a Category 2 hotel, you will need 3,000 Starpoints® for a free weekend night and 4,000 Starpoints for a free weeknight.

Once you hit a Category 3 hotel, those point requirements jump up to 7,000 a night.

So essentially, Starwood is trying to cut back on the amount of free nights its reward program members can get which of course, sucks.

But hotels are doing more of this recategorization and more frequently. We reported on changes that Starwood, along with Hilton and Hyatt made back in December. And way back in May of 2006, Gary Leff over at FlyerTalk issued a pretty good theory on why Starwood does what it does.

Again, all of this still sucks for us hotel guests but as Gary said back then:

a little candor and honesty might make the pill go down a bit more easily.

[Photo: Goodgrief]

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HotelChatter's Guide to Loyalty Programs:: Starwood Preferred Guests

October 1, 2007 at 5:32 PM | by juliana | 6 Comments

Until recently we thought hotel loyalty programs were for Account Executives rolling their business travel points into a family vacation at a bland resort every year or two. However, funny thing happened when we started investigating these programs -- we found some of them are downright useful if you know how to cut through the red tape. This series is meant as a jumping off point to full fledged discussions on each loyalty program we feature. So comment, contribute, question, and cajole here.

If your traveling proclivities involve repeat stays at leading hotel chains, loyalty programs are undoubtedly worth the price of admission. Which, by the way, is free.

Earning free nights, however, isn't as straightforward as one might think, especially if you're looking forward to gratis nights in top markets or luxury properties, which cost more points than free nights in less popular markets or less opulant properties.

Herewith, an overview, with discretionary commentary. Whichever program or programs you choose, a few pointers: You won't earn a point if you don't book directly with the hotel chain. You must be the party paying for the room. There are tons of limits and conditions and perks, so read, don't skim, the fine print.

Up first? Starwood Hotels' SPG Program.

MORE after the jump.

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