Star options to marriot points

[tschwa2]

Not sure on what you are saying unless it's that my 'money' devalued by 14% overnight when the switch happened. All I know is I had just over 7,000 points prior to the switch and enough to get a night in the hotel of my choice but that became just over 21,000 points after the switch and not enough

YYJMSP mentioned it's a wash but I've yet to see any of the Starwood hotels I've used in the past or intended using in the future where the new point value is below the 1:3 conversion ratio.

Over time the points required at various hotels overall migrates up but the points that you receive for your timeshare unit never increases. It's much like making $10 an hour when gas was $1 per gallon and 20 years later you still make $10 an hour but gass now costs $3 per gallon.

 

[YYJMSP]

YYJMSP mentioned it's a wash but I've yet to see any of the Starwood hotels I've used in the past or intended using in the future where the new point value is below the 1:3 conversion ratio.

all depends what you're booking. We've gotten quite a few higher end SPG properties lined up for next year at the max 60K/nt that were more than the equiv 20K/nt. Of course, these will increase in cost after Jan when the cap is removed and peak points also come online.

we've also got some Marriott bookings which we think are a good deal compared to nearby SPG properties. A couple got booked before the new rewards chart came in to play, and i think they're a steal.

on the other side of the equation, a lot of our cheaper stopover stays have gone up a bit.

 

[DavidnRobin]

all depends what you're booking. We've gotten quite a few higher end SPG properties lined up for next year at the max 60K/nt that were more than the equiv 20K/nt. Of course, these will increase in cost after Jan when the cap is removed and peak points also come online.

we've also got some Marriott bookings which we think are a good deal compared to nearby SPG properties. A couple got booked before the new rewards chart came in to play, and i think they're a steal.

on the other side of the equation, a lot of our cheaper stopover stays have gone up a bit.

I am curious about this. I made a SP reservation quite a while ago. If I cancel I assume I will get 3x Marriott Points (MP).
So I can cancel and rebook using MPs if the rate dropped?

 

[controller1]

I am curious about this. I made a SP reservation quite a while ago. If I cancel I assume I will get 3x Marriott Points (MP).
So I can cancel and rebook using MPs if the rate dropped?

Yes, you can do that and that's exactly what I've done for two such properties.

I had one property that previously cost 35,000 Starpoints per night. I cancelled that reservation and made a new one at the same property for 60,000 Marriott points per night. That is a significant savings. Just remember that you need to check to ensure an award room is available prior to cancelling your current reservation as there is no guarantee that the cancellation will place the room back into availability for an award reservation.

 

[DavidnRobin]

Yes, you can do that and that's exactly what I've done for two such properties.

I had one property that previously cost 35,000 Starpoints per night. I cancelled that reservation and made a new one at the same property for 60,000 Marriott points per night. That is a significant savings. Just remember that you need to check to ensure an award room is available prior to cancelling your current reservation as there is no guarantee that the cancellation will place the room back into availability for an award reservation.

Thanks. I am in process of trying. They are telling me it could take up to 10 days to get my points returned to me. Damn, I wish I looked at this sooner.
How long did it take to get your points credited back to your account?

This is significant- I used 80K SPs (now 240K MPs) to make a reservation that is now 200K for same reservation. Or, I can upgrade from Cat6 to Cat7 for 240K MPs

 

[controller1]

Thanks. I am in process of trying. They are telling me it could take up to 10 days to get my points returned to me. Damn, I wish I looked at this sooner.
How long did it take to get your points credited back to your account?

This is significant- I used 80K SPs (now 240K MPs) to make a reservation that is now 200K for same reservation. Or, I can upgrade from Cat6 to Cat7 for 240K MPs

I didn't do this until I had combined my Starwood and Marriott accounts so that will be my history. I did it online and the cancelled points were returned immediately (or at least within three minutes). Also, this was not a Marriott Travel Package but a normal online hotel reservation.

 

[DavidnRobin]

I didn't do this until I had combined my Starwood and Marriott accounts so that will be my history. I did it online and the cancelled points were returned immediately (or at least within three minutes). Also, this was not a Marriott Travel Package but a normal online hotel reservation.

A very nice woman from the SPG Gold line helped me make the transfer - I used the 240K MPs to switch from Cat6 to Cat7 in NYC. SWEET!!!
And now next to Central Park vs. in Time Square - which is where we wanted to be in first place.
Thanks - glad I looked into this.

 

[YYJMSP]

Also, this was not a Marriott Travel Package but a normal online hotel reservation.

sigh, the old travel packages were a great deal, too bad they got massacred in the new system. Have one booking for next year for effectively 20000/nt vs 80000/nt if we were to rebook after Jan

 

[tperez]

I appreciate the detail and actual examples you site above. When you say that you convert a potion of the star options to star points does that have to do with owning a unit with the lock off feature?

How does that work in terms of converting a portion either to star points or to interval international or I guess a 3rd option is banking in vistana, correct? Thanks

We own multiple weeks so we've converted an entire 2bd unit and also just the studio side of a lockoff when we use the 1bd side. With Vistana its pretty easy to do on line and the SPG/MR points show up in less than a day it seems. Although we haven't done it much, banking is easy to do on line too as long as you make sure you do it by the deadline based on your status. We've never traded our Vistana in II and probably never will. Occasionally we have to use II with our Marriott timeshare and there are just too many fees and limited availability.

 

[dss]

Also, there is a known "issue" with legacy SPG point reservations. They are able to cancel/change, but if you want a refund of your points, quite often it cannot be done. I wasted 4-5 hours on hold (with the Plat line!!) and multiple calls/tickets on their held desk trying to get them to refund a decent amount of points for a stay I had to cancel. It was something so simple, but with their botched integration, just absolutely torture.
The times wrote about the botched integration here and in typical Marriott fashion, they downplayed the impact instead of leaning in, owning it, and committing to doing better.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/08/business/marriott-hotel-reward-program-members.html

 

[controller1]

Also, there is a known "issue" with legacy SPG point reservations. They are able to cancel/change, but if you want a refund of your points, quite often it cannot be done. I wasted 4-5 hours on hold (with the Plat line!!) and multiple calls/tickets on their held desk trying to get them to refund a decent amount of points for a stay I had to cancel. It was something so simple, but with their botched integration, just absolutely torture.
The times wrote about the botched integration here and in typical Marriott fashion, they downplayed the impact instead of leaning in, owning it, and committing to doing better.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/08/business/marriott-hotel-reward-program-members.html

Thanks for the link to the NYT article.

 

[EnglishmanAbroad]

all depends what you're booking. We've gotten quite a few higher end SPG properties lined up for next year at the max 60K/nt that were more than the equiv 20K/nt. Of course, these will increase in cost after Jan when the cap is removed and peak points also come online.

we've also got some Marriott bookings which we think are a good deal compared to nearby SPG properties. A couple got booked before the new rewards chart came in to play, and i think they're a steal.

on the other side of the equation, a lot of our cheaper stopover stays have gone up a bit.

Thanks for that information. It's been 10+ years since we made our purchases and received the big SPG incentives so they were spent long ago. Added to that we have avoided taking the SPG points for our ownerships in lieu of either selling the weeks or banking the SO. Consequentially we only have small accruals, usually from doing owner updates, and end up using those at the cheaper hotels near airports when we have an early flight.

 

[tperez]

We've also found that with the merger, we have a lot more choices with properties available pretty much anywhere now. Also as an added bonus, with the Residence Inn and Towneplace Suites you get a kitchen. Helps to keep costs (and our weight) down when we're traveling.

 

[DavidnRobin]

Also, there is a known "issue" with legacy SPG point reservations. They are able to cancel/change, but if you want a refund of your points, quite often it cannot be done. I wasted 4-5 hours on hold (with the Plat line!!) and multiple calls/tickets on their held desk trying to get them to refund a decent amount of points for a stay I had to cancel. It was something so simple, but with their botched integration, just absolutely torture.
The times wrote about the botched integration here and in typical Marriott fashion, they downplayed the impact instead of leaning in, owning it, and committing to doing better.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/08/business/marriott-hotel-reward-program-members.html

They refunded my points back - 240K MPs that came from 80K Legacy SPs from a canceled reservation. I used these points to book another reservation, but wasn’t required.


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[cherylK]

You can’t convert StarOptions to Marriott Points.

Perhaps you are talking about StarPoints? These are converted 1:3 to Marriott points.
You can convert SOs to SPs then to Marriott Points. But, the 1st step (SO-SP) is generally not worth the conversion (in most cases).


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HI David,
If I am understanding this conversion correctly am I assuming correctly the SPG members got the raw end of the deal? The points tripled at our 4,000 a night hotel-- went to 17,500. So even tripling 4,000 x3 = 12,000 we really seem to be on the losing end. Also, I'm a little confused... we own at Westin Lagunamar, I wanted to convert some of my staroptions to starpoints but #1 what is the conversion rate? Will I really be losing a lot? #2 above you said you have to convert SO to SP then to Marriott? I feel like we just lost so much with this conversion. We lost so many nights in SP (MP).

 

[DavidnRobin]

HI David,
If I am understanding this conversion correctly am I assuming correctly the SPG members got the raw end of the deal? The points tripled at our 4,000 a night hotel-- went to 17,500. So even tripling 4,000 x3 = 12,000 we really seem to be on the losing end. Also, I'm a little confused... we own at Westin Lagunamar, I wanted to convert some of my staroptions to starpoints but #1 what is the conversion rate? Will I really be losing a lot? #2 above you said you have to convert SO to SP then to Marriott? I feel like we just lost so much with this conversion. We lost so many nights in SP (MP).

Hi -
not an expert... but, never stopped me...

I think there are some winners and some losers between SPs and MPs.
For example - my conversion for NYC improved - so I cancelled and rebooked.

As to Lagunamar - if you bought from SVO/VSE - you can convert your week to SPs. But the amount depends on your villa and season. The conversion is 3:1 from the SP conversion chart. Or could already be converted - depending on source. If over 200K - then that is MPs.

Overall, look at your MFs compared to the number of MPs you would get.
That (including fees to convert) is your cost per MP.

That $/MP value is your comparison for hotel stays.

I bought 100K SPs for 1.65c/SP (Special offer) and used 80K SPs (240K MPs) to stay at the JW Marriott in NYC - cost with tax/fees is $300/nite (Bargain!) vs. $700/nite (fuzzy math cause I would never spend that...)

Hope that helps.



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[cherylK]

Hi -
not an expert... but, never stopped me...

I think there are some winners and some losers between SPs and MPs.
For example - my conversion for NYC improved - so I cancelled and rebooked.

As to Lagunamar - if you bought from SVO/VSE - you can convert your week to SPs. But the amount depends on your villa and season. The conversion is 3:1 from the SP conversion chart. Or could already be converted - depending on source. If over 200K - then that is MPs.

Overall, look at your MFs compared to the number of MPs you would get.
That (including fees to convert) is your cost per MP.

That $/MP value is your comparison for hotel stays.

I bought 100K SPs for 1.65c/SP (Special offer) and used 80K SPs (240K MPs) to stay at the JW Marriott in NYC - cost with tax/fees is $300/nite (Bargain!) vs. $700/nite (fuzzy math cause I would never spend that...)

Hope that helps.



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thanks David, it will once I decipher the lingo here. What's a MF? Marriott____ ?
I own a 2br lockoff. I don't think I have a season? We go whenever we want... 171,200 StarOptions a yr. ( I'm probably a little confused here with "season").
I want to go to Italy this year and there are 6 of us. I found that to be a problem because all the hotel rooms only hold 2 people. SO I need to book 3 rooms!!! So either I outright rent to a friend a week in Lagunamar (book with my staroptions and take the cash from her to get an AirBNB) or book 3 rooms using points (very pricey). I'm just trying to figure out if conversion of my Staroptions to MP/SP was possible.

 

[DavidnRobin]

MF = Maintenance Fees
MP = Marriott Points (Hotel)
SP = Star Points (Hotel)
SO = Star Options (Timeshare)

You can’t convert to SPs if resale purchase.

How many SPs do you get with converting your WLR week?
These SPs convert 3:1 to MPs

Then use your MFs and any other fees to convert to SPs (if any).

That becomes your $ per MP. And can be used to estimate your EU hotels

btw - there is an acronym thread in Owner Resources in Stickies

I have never converted my weeks to SPs - not worth the value ($/SP). I either use, rent, and use SOs for WKORV and WPORV

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[YYJMSP]

thanks David, it will once I decipher the lingo here. What's a MF? Marriott____ ?
I own a 2br lockoff. I don't think I have a season? We go whenever we want... 171,200 StarOptions a yr. ( I'm probably a little confused here with "season").

if it hasn't changed there are two seasons at WLR. the 2BR lock off is either worth 148100 StarOptions or 81000 StarOptions. not sure where you got 171200 from.

if your unit is not resale, and you have not used it in any way in the use year, you can convert an entire week at a time to points. the higher season 2BR was worth 72000 SPs which is 216000 points. the larger side is worth approx. 114000 of those points while the studio is worth approx. 102000 of those points. the lower season 2BR is worth about 2/3rds that. remember, you are converting a unit week usage, not StarOptions.

DnR's comment about MFs is that both seasons cost the same annual maintenance fees, so you are getting more points per dollar if you own the higher season and converting it.

 

[dioxide45]

if your unit is not resale, and you have not used it in any way in the use year,

Is Vistana different from Marriott. WIth Marriott, if you want to convert to Reward Points, you need to do so before December 31st of the year prior to the use year. So to convert 2018 use to Reward Points, you need to have done so before December 31st 2017. Which would now be too late. Does Vistana allow you to convert up to December 31st of the use year?

 

[YYJMSP]

Is Vistana different from Marriott. WIth Marriott, if you want to convert to Reward Points, you need to do so before December 31st of the year prior to the use year. So to convert 2018 use to Reward Points, you need to have done so before December 31st 2017. Which would now be too late. Does Vistana allow you to convert up to December 31st of the use year?

you can't have a future booking (home or SO's) against a unit week that you are trying to convert.

dates depend on your eliteness level.

I believe all owners can start to convert 2019 as of Oct 1st 2018 if you prepay your estimated 2019 fees.

regular owners have until Mar 31 2019 (I think) to convert 2019. elite owners have until later in 2019.

 

[dioxide45]

you can't have a future booking (home or SO's) against a unit week that you are trying to convert.

dates depend on your eliteness level.

I believe all owners can start to convert 2019 as of Oct 1st 2018 if you prepay your estimated 2019 fees.

regular owners have until Mar 31 2019 (I think) to convert 2019. elite owners have until later in 2019.

So by now, for most (non elite) Vistana owners, it is too late to convert 2018 use year to reward points?

 

[controller1]

I think there is a lot of confusion here referring to Starpoints. Starpoints are now obsolete/extinct/not around. When one goes to their Vistana Dashboard and looks under Account Balances/What I Own at the conversion from StarOptions to points, the amount of points shown is the Marriott Points amount. There is no need to perform a 1:3 conversion, etc.

 

[YYJMSP]

So by now, for most (non elite) Vistana owners, it is too late to convert 2018 use year to reward points?

too late for everyone -- non elites had to end of Mar, 3*'s had to end of Jun and 4/5*'s had until end of Sep

Oct 1st was the beginning of conversion for 2019 usage...

 

[cherylK]

if it hasn't changed there are two seasons at WLR. the 2BR lock off is either worth 148100 StarOptions or 81000 StarOptions. not sure where you got 171200 from.

if your unit is not resale, and you have not used it in any way in the use year, you can convert an entire week at a time to points. the higher season 2BR was worth 72000 SPs which is 216000 points. the larger side is worth approx. 114000 of those points while the studio is worth approx. 102000 of those points. the lower season 2BR is worth about 2/3rds that. remember, you are converting a unit week usage, not StarOptions.

DnR's comment about MFs is that both seasons cost the same annual maintenance fees, so you are getting more points per dollar if you own the higher season and converting it.

thank you, yes i realized we have 148,100... we rolled over some extra options. I forgot. It's not a resale, and now I understand what you are saying. I think I should rent it to a friend. I think that's the best option. Thank you!