# Latest pricing for Westin Kierland or SVO Orlando properties?



## ZDJ (Jun 21, 2006)

Hi All,
I'm beginning to look at a warm weather destination on the mainland, and was wondering if anyone has current pricing on either the Kierland Villas or anything Starwood properties in Orlando.
Thanks,
ZDJ


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## DeniseM (Jun 21, 2006)

You should consider a resale at a mandatory resort - the only option you would lose is converting to Starpoints, which isn't a good deal anyway, and you would save a lot of money.

Mandatory Resorts on mainland (Staroptions with a resale)

Vistana Villages
Westin Kierland Villas


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## saluki (Jun 21, 2006)

ZDJ-

There are other benefits to purchasing from the developer - namely lifetime SPG Gold status (great if you travel for business) & incentive Starwood points included with the purchase. Also, you can charge a developer purchase to a Starwood Amex giving you that amount of Starwood points, as well. Few, if any, resales can be purchased with a credit card.

While Denise is correct that many find the resale route the most bang for the buck, others prefer purchasing from the developer based on their specific situation.

Good luck!


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## Ken555 (Jun 21, 2006)

saluki said:
			
		

> There are other benefits to purchasing from the developer - namely lifetime SPG Gold status (great if you travel for business)



I received SPG Gold status with my resale purchase. I've got the card right here!


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## duke (Jun 21, 2006)

You may also want to consider Westin Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, CA as a resale.  It's alot less expensive than Kierland.


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## glenn1000 (Jun 21, 2006)

duke said:
			
		

> You may also want to consider Westin Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, CA as a resale.  It's alot less expensive than Kierland.



WMH is not a mandatory resort so you could only exchange with Interval International (not through Starwood). It's also sold out so there are no developer units available.


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## saluki (Jun 21, 2006)

Ken555 said:
			
		

> I received SPG Gold status with my resale purchase. I've got the card right here!



Ken-

I remember the thread where you somehow got gold status with your resale. Good for you, but it sounds like you were the beneficiary of some kind of fluke based on everything else I've read. I would also think there's a good chance that your gold status would be dropped at some point.

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18089


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## ZDJ (Jun 21, 2006)

What prices would I be looking at if I bought from the developer?  Has anyone toured there recently?
Thanks!


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## DeniseM (Jun 21, 2006)

saluki said:
			
		

> ZDJ-
> Also, you can charge a developer purchase to a Starwood Amex giving you that amount of Starwood points, as well. Few, if any, resales can be purchased with a credit card.



When we bought our first SW timeshare, we planned on doing this, but AMEX will not give new customers (even with excellent credit) a limit that high ($44K for us) on a new credit card.  They told us that they require you to have the card for 6 mos., before you can request an increase in your credit limit.  Making payments at Starwood's interest rate for 6 mos. while you wait is not feasible...



			
				saluki said:
			
		

> ZDJ-There are other benefits to purchasing from the developer - namely lifetime SPG Gold status (great if you travel for business)


Since they give Gold Status away, there are easier (free) ways to get it than paying extra for a developer unit, and there are so many gold members, the value has been diluted to almost nothing.  Takes Plat status to get big upgrades on a regular basis.



			
				saluki said:
			
		

> & incentive Starwood points included with the purchase.


I'm not sure the $5K-$10K more you pay the developer is a good value for a one time incentive of 100K Starpoints.


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## zinger1457 (Jun 21, 2006)

ZDJ said:
			
		

> What prices would I be looking at if I bought from the developer?  Has anyone toured there recently?
> Thanks!



It's been a few months since I visited Westin Kierland.  At the time the developer was selling  a 2-BR Plat. for about $34K.  Resale is in the $20K range.  When I visited they were pushing the gold season hard and they were offering more Starpoints for a Gold season purchase then they were for Plat.


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## saluki (Jun 21, 2006)

DeniseM said:
			
		

> When we bought our first SW timeshare, we planned on doing this, but AMEX will not give new customers (even with excellent credit) a limit that high ($44K for us) on a new credit card.  They told us that they require you to have the card for 6 mos., before you can request an increase in your credit limit.  Making payments at Starwood's interest rate for 6 mos. while you wait is not feasible...
> 
> 
> Since they give Gold Status away, there are easier (free) ways to get it than paying extra for a developer unit, and there are so many gold members, the value has been diluted to almost nothing.  Takes Plat status to get big upgrades on a regular basis.
> ...



Denise-

Your position on this is clear, but not everyone is in the same boat. The poster asked about Kierland or Vistana - neither of which are anywhere close to $44K, so they could charge most or all of their purchase to their Starwood Amex (my initial credit line was $25k). And while SPG Gold is not a huge deal for everyone, it certainly has it's benefits for many (late checkouts, upgraded rooms, SPG bonus points when staying @ Starwood properties, etc.) Yes, there are other ways to get SPG Gold status, but typically they are short-term opportunities (or $350 per year Amex Platinum card). As far as the developer incentive points, they alone are of course not sufficient to justify the price difference vs. resale but are just another item in the plus column. 

My point is that while buying resale is a good deal for many, there are certainly a number of advantages to purchasing SVO through the developer. It is up to each person to do their homework & decide what works best for them.

I appreciate all of the info you add to the boards & am just trying to give a broad perspective.


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## DeniseM (Jun 21, 2006)

saluki said:
			
		

> I appreciate all of the info you add to the boards & am just trying to give a broad perspective.



And I appreciate your input as well!    The more info. we share, the better.


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## Ken555 (Jun 21, 2006)

saluki said:
			
		

> Ken-
> 
> I remember the thread where you somehow got gold status with your resale. Good for you, but it sounds like you were the beneficiary of some kind of fluke based on everything else I've read. I would also think there's a good chance that your gold status would be dropped at some point.
> 
> http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18089



Saluki-

Hi. Take a look at that link you include in your post. Courts quoted the SVN book:


> 4B.6. Owners who are members of the Starwood Vacation Network and/or Vistana Plus program (collectively, the “Vacation Network”) will automatically receive Gold Membership and are not subject to the Minimum Gold Requirement to maintain Gold Membership. One Owner will be enrolled per vacation ownership interest purchased. Owners will maintain their Gold Membership, provided (i) the Member maintains his/her membership in the Vacation Network, and (ii) all fees, dues, taxes, and payment balances remain in good standing as defined by the vacation ownership contract.



I'm a member of SVN, so if the above quote is accurate then it will not be dropped, and every member of SVN - whether by resale or developer purchase - is entitled to Gold status. Do you interpret this differently, or is there other rules that would prohibit resale purchasers from this benefit?


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## saluki (Jun 21, 2006)

What about this post in the same thread by atstpier: 

"I recently purchased a Vistana Villages week via resale. I asked Starwood about gold status and received the following email. What do they mean about "unauthorized resale?" Has anybody been given gold on a resale?

Thank you for your inquiry. When you purchase at an SVN property, you 
are entitled to the Starwood Vacation Network however you do not have 
access to Gold level membership within Starwood Preferred Guest. The unit 
you purchased was not purchased directly from us and is considered an
unauthorized re-sale. Therefore your Starwood Preferred Guest membership will remain at Preferred status."

Or this post by Pedro in another similar thread:

"However, the same rules (in the same section 4B.6) indicate:

Gold Membership and Starpoints cannot be transferred to a third party upon the sale of an Owner’s vacation ownership interest.

You can see the rules at:http://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/terms_conditions.html#6 "

Ken555-

It seems very clear to me that resales absolutely do not qualify for SPG Gold. You're just livin' right, I guess!


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## Ken555 (Jun 22, 2006)

saluki said:
			
		

> It seems very clear to me that resales absolutely do not qualify for SPG Gold. You're just livin' right, I guess!



Wow, now that I've read the original I agree totally with you. I had no idea the earlier excerpt was an abridged version (which obviously was quoted with good intentions, but...incomplete to say the least). 

Well, I have no idea why I have a Gold card. Of course, I'm not going to rock the boat! And, to make this even better, I still haven't contacted Starwood on my WMH resale and SVN membership...which they *did* charge me for this year!

FWIW, Gold has gotten me absolutely nothing so far. And, I doubt it ever will...it's one of those perks which I won't spend a dime on and just hope it provides a nice treat now and then. That said, I did recently get a Starwood AMEX and am planning a 5-for-4 trip to Whistler sometime next Winter...


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## formerhater (Jun 22, 2006)

Don't let a low limit get in the way of charging to your AMEX.  Once you secure your financing through a lender, you can take that money and write a big check to AMEX before charging to your card.  You essentially establish a credit with AMEX that eliminates the limit problem.


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## JillChang (Jun 22, 2006)

For all of my purchase of timeshare with the exception of one, they were all charged to my Plat. AmEx which I get 1.35 points per c$1 spent. 

I am not so sure that being able to charge the developer's price to AmEx is that much of a benefit, I certainly will not consider paying developer's price just to get the points.

I also don't care about SPG gold status.  I always use priceline for a hotel, and if I get a Starwood hotel, they will not honor gold status.  Although I am loosing out on perks, but I rater save $100+ a night using Priceline.

For OP's information, I bought my Sheraton Vistana Village with 81,000 staroptions for $6500.  I think there are two on eBay right now.


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## timeandenergy (Jun 24, 2006)

Okay, this is a test of my memory from 1 week ago.  To address the originial question.  Westin Kierland -  1br silver annual approx 10000
                                      1br gold - annual approx 12000
                                       2br gold l/o -EOY approx 15000

            Vistana Villages (Key West Phase) - 2br plat l/o annual approx 24000

There were many more variations offered, but I don't recall those prices


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## bigbillf (Jun 25, 2006)

There is a 2br Vistana Villages (Bella Phase) platinum buy it now on Ebay for $8,495.  It states that it comes with 81,000 StarOptions.


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## reddiablosv (Jun 25, 2006)

JillChang said:
			
		

> For all of my purchase of timeshare with the exception of one, they were all charged to my Plat. AmEx which I get 1.35 points per c$1 spent.
> 
> I am not so sure that being able to charge the developer's price to AmEx is that much of a benefit, I certainly will not consider paying developer's price just to get the points.
> 
> ...



Yeah, and I bought my prime season VV unit on ebay for $7000 worth 81K staroptions and I saw another high season l/o sell on ebay for $3100 worth 81K staroptions!!!!!  That tugger got an even better deal than I did!!  IMHO, Those of you suggesting that the original poster should buy from the developer should be asking, How much do you want to overpay?   The original poster is talking about VV and Kierland.  He is not talking about St. Johns or Maui.   No one has even asked if he intends to purchase the unit for the primary purpose of using it or trading it? If I needed a particular week for myself every year on St. Johns and I had unlimited resources then I would consider buying that week from the developer.  There is no other way to guarantee that I will get that week every year.  But, VV or Kierland is a whole other story.  IMHO,  the poor guy who buys a silver season Harborside 2 bedroom unit from the developer worth 81K staroptions for 25k with the $1800 per year MFs can never rationalize how he got a better deal than the tugger who paid $3100 on ebay for a VV unit worth 81K staroptions and a $1080 MF that can trade into the Harborside for the same size unit ten out of ten years during the silver season!!!!!    Ben


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## harzim (Jul 12, 2006)

How does your Am Ex get you a 5 for 4?  Or are you talking about the gold membership?  Thanks.



			
				Ken555 said:
			
		

> Wow, now that I've read the original I agree totally with you. I had no idea the earlier excerpt was an abridged version (which obviously was quoted with good intentions, but...incomplete to say the least).
> 
> Well, I have no idea why I have a Gold card. Of course, I'm not going to rock the boat! And, to make this even better, I still haven't contacted Starwood on my WMH resale and SVN membership...which they *did* charge me for this year!
> 
> FWIW, Gold has gotten me absolutely nothing so far. And, I doubt it ever will...it's one of those perks which I won't spend a dime on and just hope it provides a nice treat now and then. That said, I did recently get a Starwood AMEX and am planning a 5-for-4 trip to Whistler sometime next Winter...


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## DeniseM (Jul 12, 2006)

ghbbi said:
			
		

> How does your Am Ex get you a 5 for 4?  Or are you talking about the gold membership?  Thanks.



5 for 4 = Use starpoints for 4 nights and get the 5th night free.


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## nodge (Jul 17, 2006)

I just called the Westin Kierland to inquire about its current (as of July 17, 2006) inventory and pricing.  Here is what they told me.

The following inventory is currently available at the Westin Kierland:

Platinum Season:  Nothing available (They may have one one-bedroom premium (big unit – 81,000 StarOptions) available for $22,900 (annual usage), but the sales rep didn’t know for sure at the time of the call and wasn’t willing to find out without me submitting a written offer for it).

Gold Season:   
2-Bedroom L/O (81,000 StarOptions) ($22,400-Annual usage or $14,995-EOY usage) (3 units available)
1-Bedroom deluxe (small unit – 37,000 StarOptions) ($13,995-Annual usage or $9495-EOY usage)

Silver Season:
2-Bedroom L/O (56,300 StarOptions) ($15,400-Annual usage or $10,495-EOY usage)
1-Bedroom Premium (large unit – 30,500 StarOptions) ($11,995-Annual usage or $8195-EOY usage)

If you purchase an EOY unit, you have a year to purchase the other half at a discounted price.  The discounted price for the second half would be the difference between the above-noted annual usage price and the price paid for the EOY usage.  However, the second purchase is subject to having inventory available at that time, which could be unlikely in most categories if you actually waited a year to make the second purchase.

-Nodge


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## jramat (Oct 22, 2006)

*Just Returned from Kierland Resort Presentation*

Hi Folks...We are brand new and this is our first posting so bear with us....lots of confusion!! We went to Arizona for the presentation at Kierland. We were guided toward Orlando Vistana Villages for a two bedroom lockoff villa timeshare. The points each year are 95,700 and 56,000 for the hotel piece. It said two weeks II and the red level and gold card. The annual fee for now was $1,184. They enticed us with 150,00 points for signing up right then and then added another 90,000 points two days later for us to "think about" while we were leaving to think about it. So....an "extra" 240,000 points. The price for the deal described above was $27,900. Currently we have no basis for comparison. It seems the properties are quality items. It just seemed like a lot of money without enough comfort that we had enough information. Still researching and any advice sure would be handy and very much appreciated. Thanks for your patience. Notice I used full words and no abbreviations...I'm not smart enough yet to figure out all that stuff I've been reading.

Jramat


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## grgs (Oct 22, 2006)

jramat said:
			
		

> Hi Folks...We are brand new and this is our first posting so bear with us....lots of confusion!! We went to Arizona for the presentation at Kierland. We were guided toward Orlando Vistana Villages for a two bedroom lockoff villa timeshare. The points each year are 95,700 and 56,000 for the hotel piece. It said two weeks II and the red level and gold card. The annual fee for now was $1,184. They enticed us with 150,00 points for signing up right then and then added another 90,000 points two days later for us to "think about" while we were leaving to think about it. So....an "extra" 240,000 points. The price for the deal described above was $27,900. Currently we have no basis for comparison. It seems the properties are quality items. It just seemed like a lot of money without enough comfort that we had enough information. Still researching and any advice sure would be handy and very much appreciated. Thanks for your patience. Notice I used full words and no abbreviations...I'm not smart enough yet to figure out all that stuff I've been reading.
> 
> Jramat



240,000 StarPoints may be one of the highest incentive amounts I've ever heard of!  I would value those points at approx. $4800 (2 cents a point; some value StarPoints up to 5 cents each, though).  So I would subtract $4800 from the purchase price of $27900.  This comes out to $23,100.  Could you buy the equivalent amount of StarOptions for that amount?  Look at resale sites such as redweek.com or myresortnetwork.com and see what 2 bedroom Vistana Villages lock-out asking prices are.  I believe they are significantly less than $23,100.  E-bay prices are even lower.

Another option, would be to look at a Westin Kierland platinum 2 bedroom resale.  This unit would come with 148,100 StarOptions.  You could probably buy one of these in the mid-20s and get more StarOptions for about the same purchase price & maintenance fees!

If you buy resale, you will lose the ability to covert your timeshare to StarPoints and you will not get Gold status with SPG.  Some Tuggers don't feel these benefits are worth much.  Others feel they do have some value.  Only you can decide for yourself, how much you're willing to pay to get these things.

This article gives a great overview of the Starwood system:

http://www.tug2.net/advice/Starwood_Vacation_Network.htm

Take your time and don't rush into anything.  Whatever you decide to do, you want it to be an informed decision.  Good luck!

Glorian


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## Denise L (Oct 22, 2006)

240K Starpoints, wow  !

Years ago, I heard that the "cost" for the salesperson to "give away" Starpoints was .02 each. So that would have been considered the "wholesale" price back in 2003.  So hopefully they would be worth more than that to someone if used wisely.

Glorian has good advice. Decide what the Starpoints, Gold level, and Starpoint conversion are worth to you. Check out resales. I think I have seen one 95,700 resale at that resort and one at Harborside. Mostly, the resales that I see on ebay come with 37K, 67.1K, or 81K Staroptions.  Those are either 1 bedrooms or 2 bedrooms, with the occasional lockoff for sale.

We bought our first timeshare from Starwood and are happy with the system.


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## DavidnRobin (Oct 22, 2006)

jramat said:
			
		

> Hi Folks...We are brand new and this is our first posting so bear with us....lots of confusion!! We went to Arizona for the presentation at Kierland. We were guided toward Orlando Vistana Villages for a two bedroom lockoff villa timeshare. The points each year are 95,700 and 56,000 for the hotel piece. It said two weeks II and the red level and gold card. The annual fee for now was $1,184. They enticed us with 150,00 points for signing up right then and then added another 90,000 points two days later for us to "think about" while we were leaving to think about it. So....an "extra" 240,000 points. The price for the deal described above was $27,900. Currently we have no basis for comparison. It seems the properties are quality items. It just seemed like a lot of money without enough comfort that we had enough information. Still researching and any advice sure would be handy and very much appreciated. Thanks for your patience. Notice I used full words and no abbreviations...I'm not smart enough yet to figure out all that stuff I've been reading.
> 
> Jramat


Hi - lots of decisions - huh?
First - I think the 2Bd LOs at VV are worth 95.7 StarOptions (SOs) - this is key.  separate SOs - used for timeshare stays - from StarPoints (SPs) used for hotel stays (and as incentives to buy).

You are paying 29 cents per SO - this is much more than resale - which - depending on the home resort location (say Kierland vs VV) runs more in the range around 17 cents per SO = paying 12 cents more per SO comes to ~$12K.

Bottom-line is that you are paying approx. an extra $12K for those 240K StarPoints versus resale (if that is really what they are offering... get it in writing) - 80K SPs are about a week in a nice hotel - so... a little under $4K per week of hotel - this is why we bought resale.  

You can get more SOs (148.1K) at Kierland for around $22K with the same approx MFs that is worth a 2Bd LO in Hawaii (for example) upon exchange.

This is a major consideration about resale or developer purchase.  Also, consider buying where you want to go - if that is orlando - great - but 'home' resort ownership does have some value above settling for something in order to do exchanges.  Buy your initial TS where you want to stay - and buy resale unless SPs are really important to you.

You can get Gold status by getting an Starwood AMEX card.


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## jramat (Oct 23, 2006)

*Thanks to Glorian*

Thanks for the quick response. We are taking our time for sure. I don't know how long the incentive points will last, but we'll see. I see so much info here about re-sales vs. buying from the developer. Can anyone comment about the dangers of resale purchases please? You folks are great!!

jramat


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## DavidnRobin (Oct 23, 2006)

jramat said:
			
		

> Thanks for the quick response. We are taking our time for sure. I don't know how long the incentive points will last, but we'll see. I see so much info here about re-sales vs. buying from the developer. Can anyone comment about the dangers of resale purchases please? You folks are great!!
> 
> jramat


I do not think that the incentive points (although quite high) are worth it - but you will have less to do and follow-up on (and better comfort level) in buying from the Developer - sort of like buying your first home.
The issues/hassles that you will have when buying resale are based on where/who you find selling the TS. You must be willing to do your own due diligence (like finding TUG...).

I will emphasize again - that you first should determine where and what (home resort, SOs, season, unit size) you want to buy (no matter if from Developer or Resale).  After you have done that - if you decide to buy resale then watch and wait (patience pays off).  Find the various TS websites (incl TUG) - and watch on eBay. Set a reasonable/fair price per SO and yearly fees - and wait.

IMO - DO NOT finance your TS unless you have some creative way of paying very low interest. Definitely DO NOT finance thru the Developer unless you can pay-off in full very quickly.

What you find out there will be dependent on the seller or broker - if buying direct from a seller you will have to do more, but will likely get a cheaper price - a TS broker is acting as a middle-man and there is a certain premium (usually) for that.

Read (and re-read) the TUG advice section on buying/selling and the SVO/SVN - Starwood - system).  Perform searches on TUG - and read as much as you can - Also - now that TUG has saved you money - become a member!

Don't bother with Title Insurance unless you need that assurance - I did this with our St John purchase for a few reasons...) - use a reputable TS Title Company - and all should go smoothly. Good Luck.


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## grgs (Oct 23, 2006)

jramat,

I send you a pm with additional info.

Glorian


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## DavidnRobin (Oct 23, 2006)

*Gold Status*



			
				saluki said:
			
		

> What about this post in the same thread by atstpier:
> 
> "I recently purchased a Vistana Villages week via resale. I asked Starwood about gold status and received the following email. What do they mean about "unauthorized resale?" Has anybody been given gold on a resale?
> 
> ...


I just saw this --- again, you get Gold Status by getting an Starwood AMEX card and owning SVO (resale or not) - I got one with my first resale (WKORV) - and not from living right or any other sort of loop-hole.  Others who have bought resale also receive 'Gold' status - yes, this status is not transferrable - why? because it doesn't have to be.


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## saluki (Oct 23, 2006)

blujahz said:
			
		

> I just saw this --- again, you get Gold Status by getting an Starwood AMEX card and owning SVO (resale or not) - I got one with my first resale (WKORV) - and not from living right or any other sort of loop-hole.  Others who have bought resale also receive 'Gold' status - yes, this status is not transferrable - why? because it doesn't have to be.



I would be curious if others agree that this is a current Starwood policy. I don't think being a resale owner currently helps in being granted SPG Gold status. It is my understanding that an SPG Amex can currently only get you gold status by virtue of spending $30k per year. And, that status would only be good for one year.

blujahz - I am not doubting you in the least about your situation, I just do not think this is current policy. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.


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## duke (Oct 23, 2006)

jramat said:
			
		

> They enticed us with 150,00 points for signing up right then and then added another 90,000 points two days later for us to "think about" while we were leaving to think about it. So....an "extra" 240,000 points.



If it is true that they offered you 240,000 StarPoints as an incentive then it is because sales are slow.

New Homes Real Estate is way down and instead of dropping prices builders are offering incentives such as upgrades, etc.

In the timeshare world this would be StarPoints.  They do not want to drop price so instead they offer higher incentives.

What usually comes next is even slower sales and then lower prices.......


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## formerhater (Oct 23, 2006)

Gold can be achieved for via SPG AMEX with $30K in spending during a calendar year.  It lasts one year and must be requalified each year.  This just went into effect on Oct. 1 of this year.  A new perk of the card along with an extra point per dollar spent on the card at Starwood properties.  New look cards are on their way as well.  Gobs of info on this at flyertalk.  

What may be causing some confusion is the fact that AMEX Platinum Cards (NOTE: NOT SPG Plat Credit Card, but AMEX Platinum--~$300 annual fee) qualifies one for gold.  At least it used to and I know some SPG personnel were mistakenly upgrading people to Gold because they were confusing the two credit cards.  Some suggest this may be a reason for the redesigned card that will no longer contain the "Platinum" moniker.

By the way, 240,000 Starpoints is HUGE.  Not saying that it would prompt me to buy somewhere I wasn't already interested in, or bypass significantly lower prices elswhere, but a savvy point spender can do quite well with that many points...especially somewhere like New York.


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## DavidnRobin (Oct 23, 2006)

saluki said:
			
		

> I would be curious if others agree that this is a current Starwood policy. I don't think being a resale owner currently helps in being granted SPG Gold status. It is my understanding that an SPG Amex can currently only get you gold status by virtue of spending $30k per year. And, that status would only be good for one year.
> 
> blujahz - I am not doubting you in the least about your situation, I just do not think this is current policy. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.



Not a problem - just thought I'd let you know.  There are no conditions on my Gold status - it was very 'matter-of-factly' by SPG.  They offered it to me - sent me an AMEX application and I filled it out.  I just re-checked my SPG account and it states 'Gold Preferred'.  I do not have an annual fee.  To follow-up on formerhater's post - my card states 'SPG Platinim'

As DeniseM pointed out - and I agree - no big deal having 'Gold' status.  I really don't care if I have it or not.  Although the points are building up.


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## Transit (Oct 23, 2006)

240,000 starpoints is the highest Starwood incentive i've heard of.....My last 2 stays one at the Sheraton Yankee Trader and one at the  Sheraton Key largo both got me upgraded with gold status to ocean veiw rooms.On the Spg website with a florida discount a standard room at the Yankee Trader was 159 a night the ocean veiw was 329 nightand I used the late (4PM) checkout.That was a 170 dollar savings .I do like the small perks of having the gold status.It doesn't always get you upgrades or late checkouts but its nice when they do throw you a bone.


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## influential (Oct 24, 2006)

I bought two x 2 bed l/o's at Harborside a couple of months after 9/11 and got a very substantial incentive in the form of Starpoints. With that, and the ability to effectively get a further 90,000+ each year, I quickly learnt how to make the most of those points.

At the time, and with the need to travel around the world, I could utilise 50,000 Starpoints to achieve a first-class transatlantic flight (including Concorde, flying at the time), thus a $4-10,000 value (i.e. up to $0.20 a point!). Currently, the deals are valuing them at about half that price, if using for First Class travel.

For hotels, the value is considerably less, but still good. For example, $0.04 a point, generally. They are costed by Starwood about $0.01 a point, and are typically valued at $0.02 a point minimum, as stated above.

Having said that, don't buy something you don't want for the sake of 240,000 Starpoints. They're valuable, especially if you travel around and want to fly in the better cabins / stay in the decent hotels, but if you're happy with Coach and paying for your hotels, you're probably better off saving your money, using it on whatever you want, forfeiting the points and buying resale.

I've been lucky enough to be SPG Platinum for several years, and always receive a wonderful upgrade (on occasions, I've used a few thousand points and received an upgrade to a penthouse suite worth $'000s). I'd say that SPG Gold upgrades are also plentiful, as are SPG Gold holders. So, don't be taken in too much by the benefit of being SPG Gold - it's nice, but I think it's lost some of its cachet now there's so many different ways to achieve it, and there are probably too many cards out there.

In summary, as most posters have said, the decision is yours. There are pro's and con's both ways. I personally chose to buy from developer as (a) I didn't realise there was an alternative and (b) the Starpoints were valued so highly for me, that the incentive was amazing. If I were to buy again today, I'd probably buy resale to add to my developer unit.


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## skim118 (Oct 24, 2006)

influential said:
			
		

> I bought two x 2 bed l/o's at Harborside a couple of months after 9/11 and got a very substantial incentive in the form of Starpoints. With that, and the ability to effectively get a further 90,000+ each year, I quickly learnt how to make the most of those points.
> 
> At the time, and with the need to travel around the world, I could utilise 50,000 Starpoints to achieve a first-class transatlantic flight (including Concorde, flying at the time), thus a $4-10,000 value (i.e. up to $0.20 a point!). Currently, the deals are valuing them at about half that price, if using for First Class travel.



Thank You, Thank you for all your help in 2002. Your posts in Flyertalk were crucial in helping us get incredible deals using Starpoints.  

We received amazing deals thru the Starpoints-Qantas 1:2 transfers(laundering ?)
--  1st class tickets to Europe 
--  SFO-Maui RT coach tickets on American Airlines for just 12,000 Starpoints each

Unfortunately now we are completely out of Qantas points(we have never flown on them), and we miss deals like that, even though it seemed like a crazy idea at that time.


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## influential (Oct 24, 2006)

A pleasure to have helped.

I had never and nor since flown Qantas either and have also run out of their points - we are in the same position as you! It was a crazy time, but an ideal time to have some Starpoints in the account. 

I actually still keep in touch with someone I met on Concorde (I probably posted this at the time, so forgive the duplication) who was seemingly a bit interested in the deal. He acquired over 10m Starpoints as a result of that one conversation, and (as someone who flew on Concorde weekly) saved his company an absolute fortune in flights. He has also recently run out of the points! I'm seeing him next month for another catchup. Apologies for this being slightly OT, but I'm sure those new to the Starpoints game will be interested to know they're not just valued at a hotel room rate.


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## j&j1986 (Oct 25, 2006)

Thank you for putting this in such clear terms. I just purchased from the developer and am within the 7 day recission period for the contract. After reading this thread it appears that I am better off terminating my current contract and buying on the resale market. Any advice on:

1. Rescinding the contract? My 7 days runs out on 10/18.

2. Buying resale and educating myself on the best way to do this? (Actually I think your post #29 probably covers this)

Thanks

John


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## DavidnRobin (Oct 25, 2006)

j&j1986 said:
			
		

> Thank you for putting this in such clear terms. I just purchased from the developer and am within the 7 day recission period for the contract. After reading this thread it appears that I am better off terminating my current contract and buying on the resale market. Any advice on:
> 
> 1. Rescinding the contract? My 7 days runs out on 10/18.
> 
> ...


You can always rescind, and decide later.
Depends on resale availabilty at the resort you are interested in.
Some Tuggers like the StarPoints - and comfort of buying from Developer.
Patience and Research pays off.


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## RLG (Nov 20, 2006)

formerhater said:
			
		

> Gold can be achieved for via SPG AMEX with $30K in spending during a calendar year. ..
> What may be causing some confusion is the fact that AMEX Platinum Cards (NOTE: NOT SPG Plat Credit Card, but AMEX Platinum--~$300 annual fee) qualifies one for gold.  At least it used to and I know some SPG personnel were mistakenly upgrading people to Gold because they were confusing the two credit cards.



My understanding of the availability of SPG gold for SPG amex holders is the same as formerhater.

A couple of things I would add.

SPG amex holders and AAA members get "Preferred Plus" status.  The only important benefit of being Gold instead of Preferred Plus is that you get a 25% bonus on starpoints for hotel spending.  The late checkout and room upgrade benefits are the same.  (Note that room 'upgrades' aren't nearly as good as SPG platinum holders get.)

I was originally Preferred Plus based on my SPG amex.  When I learned about the Gold status available from my Amex Platinum card, I had my status upgraded.  I haven't noticed any difference in treatment.

I would definitely *not* pay extra to get gold status.  Platinum would be a different story.


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