Is one year of SPG Platinum Status worth $1184.69?

Hi Gang,

I’m sure we all just received the following new promotion from SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest – hotel rewards program):

"Choose from up to 16,000 bonus Starpoints, double
stays or double Starpoints.

Choose one earning option below for stays between December 1, 2007, and February 29, 2008, when you register by January 15, 2008:

1) Earn up to 16,000 bonus Starpoints®. With every three eligible stays, you'll earn 4,000 bonus Starpoints (up to 12 stays and 16,000 total bonus Starpoints).

2) Stays count double. Maintain — or enhance — your elite status. For example, if you stay three times, you'll receive credit for six stays toward earning elite-level status (Gold status typically requires 10 stays or 25 nights within a calendar year; Platinum, 25 stays or 50 nights).

3) Earn double Starpoints. Earn twice as many Starpoints — specifically, five Starpoints for every eligible dollar spent during your stays."

I’m intrigued with option 2, which brings the total number of stays to make Platinum down from 25 to 13. I did a little digging, and I can book 13 individual one night stays at the Four Points by Sheraton across from my office here in Portland in January and February 2008 for a total of $1184.69 (including all taxes). I can probably get the room rate even lower by shopping the dates and looking for deals too.

I can use some of those nights housing clients and/or visiting relatives, etc., but the vast majority of the rooms would not be used. So here is my question:

If we plan on staying in Starwood hotels this summer (on the East Coast, and possibly in Europe), would it be worth it to spend this $1184.69 (and probably less), to make SPG Platinum status before then?

Just wondering.

-nodge

The biggest perk of Platinum status would be suite upgrades or upgrades to an executive floor in hotels with lounges.

Whether the status is worth it depends on just how much you will stay at various hotels and the specific hotels you're looking at using. The suite upgrades are not guaranteed so if you only plan on a 1 week staying at one property in Europe, it's probably not worth it. If you're going to be traveling around Europe for a month or two this summer, then it probably is. It all has to do with how many stays you'll have to try to use the benefits. I've gotten many great upgrades in a single year (last year I had 5 nights upgraded to two ocean front rooms in Kauai, 2 nights in 2 junior suites in at the Sheraton Maui, all from award stays - those nights were worth much more than $1200). As they say, your mileage may vary.

nodge said:

I can use some of those nights housing clients and/or visiting relatives, etc., but the vast majority of the rooms would not be used. So here is my question:

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According to flyertalk.com posters, you do not get credit for a room unless you (or someone) actually physically checks-in to the room.

If you decide to do this, you could book weekends and give them as gifts - it would make a nice Christmas gift for a couple. You could make up little gift certificates and then book the weekends for the location of their choice.

If you did it in the beginning of the year, wouldn't you actually get two years out of it? With airline programs, they give you till the end of the year to re-make platinum, so I'm assuming your plat status would run out at the end of '09. That being said, I wouldn't do it, unless I had some really great European hotel-based trips coming up.

It's too bad Starwood doesn't do what Marriott does. I have silver staus with Marriott, from the credit card. The way they do that is to give me credit for 15 stays. So my first stay of the year actually counts as stay #16. If Starwood did that with gold members, this scheme would be a lot sweeter!

And Arlene - we could probably almost forget about suite upgrades! There would be a whole lot of Platinums out there!

stevens397 said:

And Arlene - we could probably almost forget about suite upgrades! There would be a whole lot of Platinums out there!

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Ahhh. Now you're thinking like a FlyerTalker!

arlene22 said:

It's too bad Starwood doesn't do what Marriott does. I have silver staus with Marriott, from the credit card. The way they do that is to give me credit for 15 stays. So my first stay of the year actually counts as stay #16. If Starwood did that with gold members, this scheme would be a lot sweeter!

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Starwood's Preferred Guest American Express gives you gold status if you spend $30,000 on your card during the year. Also, the points you earn via the card allow stays with no blackout dates, which is a big perk.

Hoc - Starwood owners are all automatically gold. The poster was talking about how to get from gold to Plat.

From what I've read on flyertalk, it you are planning to travel in Europe, you are much more likely to be upgraded there, especially if your stays are for several days rather than a week. There is a thread on flyertalk called "report your plat. upgrade sucesss". That might help you make your decision.

We have also had plenty of success being upgraded as gold members. But, as stevens rightly points out, that would all go away if it was easy to get to plat!

And Arlene - I'm proud to say I am indeed a FlyerTalk junkie. It would be hard to count all of the benefits I've learned of, the upgrades I've gotten and the money I've saved from trolling those boards. There is no doubt that every TUG member should be acquainted with FT!

nodge said:

I did a little digging, and I can book 13 individual one night stays at the Four Points by Sheraton across from my office here in Portland in January and February 2008 for a total of $1184.69 (including all taxes).
-nodge

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I hope you're not referring to the Four Points Sheraton in downtown Portland which is no longer a Four Points.

luv_maui said:

I hope you're not referring to the Four Points Sheraton in downtown Portland which is no longer a Four Points.

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Bummer. I just did a little more digging. Turns out that last week, the downtown Portland Four Points changed hands. It is now called "Hotel Fifty," and it is no longer a Starwood property.

So my great plan would now involve me either paying more for the Downtown Portland Westin (very nice, but also more expensive), or driving out to the PDX airport Sheraton or Four Points to physically check-in each time. (But we also have a brand spanking' new IKEA out there too which I've been meaning to visit).

On the plus side, I like the fact that if we do this deal, we'd really get almost 2 years of SPG platinum. This drops the price per year to about $600 (plus the airport run hassle).

Hmmmm. Am I the only one crazy enough to consider doing this?

-nodge

I don't think you're crazy! If you're going to get nearly 2 years and planning to go to Europe I say go for it!

nodge said:

Hmmmm. Am I the only one crazy enough to consider doing this?

-nodge

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No, you're not. Over on FlyerTalk.com there's a whole forum dedicated to Mileage Runs and lots of talk about Mattress Runs just to get status and collect miles/points.

A few months ago I sat next to a guy going from Dallas to Frankfurt. He was going to get off the plane at 7:20 am, go to the Admirals Club to shower and take the 10:55 plane back. He was a college professor from your neck of the woods collecting miles for a trip with his family the following summer. His itinerary:

Portland - Dallas - Chicago - Dallas - Frankfurt - Dallas - Portland, all back to back connections, not staying anywhere. He was upset the DFW - ORD - DFW segment got canceled due to bad weather in Chicago. He had searched hard for the cheapest fare that would result in the most miles collected.

Over in Flyertalk they sometimes go into the fine details of where to get the best prices for a mattress run. Note that you can't check out and check back in to the same hotel and get two stay credits. You probably have to wait at least a night before checking back in.

The times I've gone to Europe has been awesome in regards to Platinum upgrades. The value of the upgrades I've experienced has far, far exceeded a thousand-something dollars.

I don't think you can claim credit for the room if YOU don't stay in it. You could check in, then give the keys to whomever.... I guess. Here on the East Coast, it's common practice to ask for a credit card and picture ID when we check in. If it's not you, you don't get the stay credit.

KOR5Star said:

I don't think you can claim credit for the room if YOU don't stay in it. You could check in, then give the keys to whomever....

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Don't most hotel rooms offer express check-out now anyway? I'd just leave the keys on the counter in my room and leave.

OK, I'll fess up. I did just what you are suggesting and paid about $900 to attain Platinum status. Starwood targeted me for a double stays, double Starpoints promotion and I eagerly bit. I did get about 6,000 Starpoints for my efforts which lowered my net cost. I rarely get less than 5 cents per point so my net cost was only about $600.

That said, last summer, we traded into the Marriott in Marbella and went with my son, daughter-in-law and grandson. Afterwards, we went to Madrid and were upgraded to what was basically a magnificent two bedroom apartment! (It was a suite with a connecting junior suite). In terms of value, there is no question that we were already ahead of the game. Then my wife an I spent a few nights in Paris on the way home (we flew Air France) and were again upgraded to a suite in the Prince des Galles.

If you plan to travel to Europe, it will definitely pay off. But status for status purposed alone are rarely worth it.

Hi Gang,

Well I did it! Taking advantage of the 2 for 1 stay promotion, I just made my last stay required for SPG Platinum earlier this week. I even found a use for a few of the booked rooms, so not all of them were pure bed runs. My SPG Platinum status is good through February 2010, so my SPG Platinum status essentially cost me $40/month for the next 25 months of membership (give or take)

As soon as I get my SPG Platinum card/Little Orphan Annie decoder ring, with all the rights and privileges therein, I’ll be good to go. I just hope my first stay/message isn’t “We’re sorry but there are no SPG platinum upgrades available today”/“Be Sure To Drink Your Ovaltine.”

Regarding the bed runs I did in Portland, Oregon, I learned a few things about the downtown Westin, the Airport Sheraton, and the Gresham Four Points (aka “Four Points East”). Here are my findings:

This first thing that I found out was that the "Portland Four Points East" Hotel is really in Gresham, Oregon, about 10 miles from downtown Portland. Good to know.

SPG GOLD STATUS BENEFITS TEST:

Near as I could tell, the enhanced room benefits you are supposed to get as a gold member at each property are minimal. These appear to be a free bottle of water at the Westin, a disposable luffa-type back scrubber at the Sheraton, and a wet-bar in the bedroom area at the Four Points. The improvements are so small, they have to put a plaque on the door that says “SPG Elite” just so you know you were upgraded.

I only booked these hotels during non-peak times when they offered super-discounted rates, so I’m pretty sure all of these hotels were virtually empty when I did my bed runs. Moreover, I never asked for an SPG gold upgraded room at any property. Nevertheless, SPG gold members are supposed to receive an automatic upgrade to one of these enhanced non-suite rooms on check-in if available. Here are my SPG upgrade statistics:

Portland Westin: 2 out of 4 stays
PDX Airport Sheraton: 1 out of 4 stays
Gresham Four Points: 1 out of 5 stays

As you can see, if you don’t ask for an SPG Gold upgraded room, you probably won’t get one, even if the hotel is empty and even if the benefits provided are minor.

VARIABILITY IN ROOM QUALITY AWARD:

The winner of the most variability in room quality award goes to: The PDX Sheraton. One of my bed run rooms (2nd floor facing the runway) at the PDX Sheraton was so run-down and dirty, I would have refused it had I planned to actually stay there. However, an SPG upgraded room on the 5th floor facing the airport tower looked brand new. Having seen both of these rooms, I now understand how hotel reviews on tripadvisor.com often vary widely.

I’ll let you know of any SPG Platinum benefits that come my way. Now, what am I going to do with all of these little bottles of shampoo?

-nodge

congratulations, we are both starting a year as platinum, my first stay will be the westin diplomat in hollywood .fl. there club florr lounge is amazing, can't wait to see if they will put me oncean front or intercoastal front. keep us posted of the perks. i am going to keep a ruuning total of the $ amount of the perks to see if it is worth it.

Hey nodge-

Did you at least ruffle up the bedspreads a bit before you made your U-turn out of the rooms?

Enjoy the Plat status & may your year be filled with upgrades & bonuses!

I hope you find benefits for all your time and money.

Congrats! I hope you gets lots of great upgrades..keep us posted! I'd consider doing the same thing. We're thinking about a Europe trip with our kids in 2010 adn it would be grast o have plat staus even though upgrades aren't for certain. If they have the promo again later this year I'll have to really consider it.

First Platinum Stay: Goose-egged at the Seattle Westin

Hi Gang,

Armed with my shinny new Platinum SPG status, we just finished a one night stay at the Seattle–Westin. Sure Seattle is only a 3 hour drive from Portland, and I could have driven up and returned for my 1 PM meeting in a day. But, with the weather being so screwy lately, I thought it best to get there the day before . . . . plus I really wanted to check out the SPG Platinum benefits I’ve heard so much about.

So this is what we got for being SPG Platinum members: Brace yourself . . . . We got complementary 1 PM Check-Out.

No upgrade to a nicer room, no free welcome gift, no concierge floor with free food, blah, blah, blah, and not even 4 PM late check-out or a free bottle of water (which are SPG gold benefits no less). The room itself was fine. No complaints, but nothing special either.

Upon further inquiry about this whole SPG platinum thing, the check-in clerk reluctantly agreed to give us the courtesy 1 PM check-out, but only if we would first watch her roll her eyes while acting annoyed at us for asking. Deal.

I know, I know, some of you may suggest that we could have gotten all “Norma Rae,” but it was just an overnight, and I was really just trying to learn the SPG Platinum ropes. Hey all you SPG Platinums for life, is it typical to have to do battle with the Starwood hotel staff to obtain platinum benefits? If not, what’s the secret to actually getting them?

On the plus side, if you ever wondered what it would feel like to live in a slice of pie, the Seattle, Westin, with its twin circular towers, is the place to stay to find out. The first thing you learn is that the bathroom in a slice of pie is really small, but I digress . . ...

We’re 0 for 1 with SPG Platinum.

-nodge

nodge said:

Hi Gang,


Upon further inquiry about this whole SPG platinum thing, the check-in clerk did reluctantly agree to give us the courtesy 1 PM check-out, but only if we would first watch her roll her eyes while acting annoyed at us for asking. Deal.

-nodge

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:hysterical: :hysterical: You should really write for a magazine! Keep it coming.

Katherine