I logged into SPG.com this morning to find that I have crossed the 500 night threshold necessary to obtain lifetime SPG Platinum. Unfortunately since I have met the requirement in just 4 years, (my first ever SPG stay was in late 2008) I have a solid 6 years of Platinum status to go to meet…
Starwood
Category Archives for Starwood.
SPG Breakfast Amenity on Mother’s Day – W Hotel Santiago Style
I forgot to set my alarm clock this morning. I wanted to make sure I got down to try the new Platinum complimentary breakfast amenity at the W Santiago. Thankfully, mother nature had me covered. I can’t recall ever receiving breakfast at any W hotel so I was quite excited about the experience. In short,…
Win 2 Nights At W New Orleans French Quarter Hotel
To celebrate the W New Orleans French Quarter hotel’s comeback after an $8 million renovation, the hotel is offering a chance to win two free nights and cocktails in their new SoBou restaurants & bar. The promotion runs through June 1, so you still have time to enter if you’re interested in visiting this corner…
Priceless Moments – Parting With 20,000 SPG Points Is Such Sweet Sorrow
Parting is such sweet sorrow and so is redeeming SPG points. SPG points are some of the most valuable loyalty program points. Their flexibility is powerful. You can redeem them for a lot of different things including hotel rooms, aspirational airline awards, and an often overlooked but interesting redemption, the SPG moment. But without pain…
SPG category 4 resort amenity: Private train station
In February, I wrote about how impressed I was to find that the (then) SPG category 4 Westin Miyako Kyoto had its own Category 4 helipad. For the SPG program, I find the best combination of aspirational properties and value in the category 5 range priced at 12000 to 16000 points per night. A large…
First experience using SPG Suite Night Awards
I’d like to report a positive first experience using SPG Suite Night Awards today. As I blogged before, I will be gallivanting through South America over the next few days. I chose the Tambo Del Inka resort in the Sacred Valley of Peru near Machu Picchu as my first test drive of the new Suite…
Weekend Reminder – Collect cash/points for every Starwood booking
This is a simple reminder to collect cash/points back for every Starwood booking. As entrenched as I am on a daily basis in earning points, I must admit I sometimes forget to collect these easy points when booking hotel stays. As I recommend, EVERY online purchase should begin with www.evreward.com. This website does a pretty…
Pampered With Points At Spas
Mrs Weekly Flyer likes to visit a Spa or two sometimes when traveling. So when the SpaFinder 40 SkyMiles offer came up last year I loaded up the truck. I could earn miles and give Mrs Weekly Flyer a nice gift at the same time. We purchased enough gift cards to earn about 20,000 Delta…
Get 25% Bonus Converting Hotel Points To Avios Points
British Airways Executive Club has teamed up with eight hotel partners allowing members to convert hotel points to Avios Points. For a limited time, the hotel to Avios point conversions will provide a 25% bonus. I’ve mentioned a few times how valuable hotel and airline programs can be, so it’s important to consider the conversion…
Free Music, Airfare, And Hotel Nights With SPG’s World Tour Contest
Starwood recently announced a World Tour where members can win a chance at one of nine live artist experiences. The events are all around the world so Starwood is throwing in airfare and two hotel nights for you and a guest. In the past, they’ve offered tickets to Live Nation events, which of course we took…
I have a surplus of hotel bath products (none of which are Portico)
I have a strange curiosity about the logic behind how bath products are selected by hotels. The most glaring question is what was Hyatt thinking when they selected Portico White Ginger products for a majority of their properties. It repulses just about everyone I know in the travel world. In fact, last weekend I was…
Konnichiwa Japan – Exploring Kyoto
I can confidently say Kyoto is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I would certainly include it in my top 5. For over 1000 years, Kyoto was the capital of Japan. As an American, that concept is extremely tough to grasp. Walking through today’s Kyoto you can’t help but appreciate the incredible…
Lifetime Starwood Platinum and Gold Status – I’m Golden
Starwood Preferred Guest recently announced new member benefits. Gold members will now receive a welcome gift. Platinum members will receive 10 suite upgrades, extra points, a 24 hour check in ability, a personal ambassador, and continental breakfast. My favorite part of this announcement is the Lifetime Gold and Platinum status. The best part is past…
SPG Points At Restaurants And Bars+ 5,000 SPG Amex Referral Points
To earn points at a restaurant in a Starwood hotel, all you have to do is take your receipt and SPG card to the front desk before you leave the hotel. We earned SPG points at the W Hollywood Delphine Brasserie on our way to Bora Bora last year. The process couldn’t have been easier and the…
Konnichiwa Japan – Westin Miyako Kyoto
The Westin Miyako Kyoto was our first stop in Japan after an outrageously long day of travel! (Downtown Chicago to Chicago O’Hare to Tokyo Narita to Tokyo Station to Kyoto Station to the Westin Kyoto) I had reserved 5 nights using 40K SPG points. I booked the Westin Kyoto before its deserved upgrade to category…
The St. Regis Aspen Hotel Review
I often recommend to my friends and clients that top notch ski resorts in the summer offer excellent redemption opportunities because you greatly increase your chance of receiving a complimentary suite upgrade. In addition, it is not uncommon with summer occupancy rates to have the amenities and service quality of a world-class resort all to…
Konnichiwa Japan Trip Report – Introduction and Planning
Five months ago I returned from a 2.5 week trip throughout South East Asia. I loved the trip and culture so much that I knew I wanted to see more in Asia, even before the Cathay Pacific 777 touched down in the US. I have a ‘book now and figure it out later’ mentality when…
Releasing My Returns – Points And Miles Game
Readers have called on me to release my returns for a while, so I’m releasing them just like Mitt Romney. But I’m not running for anything, except maybe just a mile or two. In an effort to provide transparency and allow readers to follow along as points and miles are earned, I’m releasing my points…
My Top 10 SPG Complimentary Hotel Room Upgrades–Part 2
Last week I presented #10-#6 of my top 10 SPG Complimentary Upgrades on Award Stays. One of the greatest differentiators of the Starwood Preferred Guest Program is that “Upgrades to best available room at check-in, including Standard Suites.†is a stated benefit as a Platinum member including award stays. This week we move in to…
Strategy To Earn Hotel Status & Bonus Points Faster
Some of us have to work really hard and have a difficult time earning hotel elite status. But the free trips all over the world with the extra elite benefits, like free breakfast and complimentary suite upgrades, make the journey to elite status a worth while endeavor. For others, the path to elite status and benefits…