Is one year of SPG Platinum Status worth $1184.69?

[stevens397]

Nodge-

I feel like I'm reading my own biography! It's only people on TUG and FlyerTalk who don't think we're nuts - I don't even speak about this to friends anymore!

Having used double-stay to get Platinum through 2/09, I also wrote to Hyatt. I'm writing from an incredible suite at the Park Hyatt in Washington, DC. Diamonds get free Continental breakfast for two at $19 per person. We'll be down in DC almost monthly - our son and his family moved here and yesterday presented us with a new granddaughter! So the $38 per trip in breakfast benefits will go to reduce what my investment was to get to Platinum!

So now here's the downside. Lots of Platinums get really bummed when they don't get the suite upgrade! There are many times I so want it, I just pay the extra points and forget about trying my chances - in which case, who needed the Platinum! But if you can just enjoy what you get, when you get it, you'll be fine.

 

[pointsjunkie]

just got back from the westin diplomat and my first platinum experience. we had 4 rooms on all points and we all were uggraded to balcony rooms with club floor access for the 9 of us. i figured out if i had to spend the cash it was over $510 per room. i also used points to get a cabana buy the pool each day. gosh, i love starpoints. that would have been $600 for the 2 days

 

[Transit]

just got back from the westin diplomat and my first platinum experience. we had 4 rooms on all points and we all were uggraded to balcony rooms with club floor access for the 9 of us. i figured out if i had to spend the cash it was over $510 per room. i also used points to get a cabana buy the pool each day. gosh, i love starpoints. that would have been $600 for the 2 days

Thats great I would figure it diffiicult for upgades this time of year. Yes you gotta love those starpoints.

 

[nodge]

Domestic US SPG Plat Upgrade Update

Hey Gang,

I just wanted to update my SPG Plat Upgrade data to date. I think I’m getting a reputation here for being a Starwood poopy-pants, so I wanted to wait until I got a legitimate upgrade to report my data. That way, I could wax poetic about being an SPG Platinum (albeit not for life, I’m just renting that status for the next year and half or so) just to show that I am indeed capable of praising Starwood when warranted.

So here is my recent data:

Hotel / When / Upgrade

Sheraton Wild Horse Pass (Chandler, AZ) / March ’08 / Squat

Portland Westin (Oregon) / April ‘08 / Upgraded to “Jr. Suite”

Portland Westin (Oregon) / Today / Squat


I won’t put my usual spin on this data, except to note that during my bed runs to earn SPG Plat status, it turns out that I was upgraded to a “Jr. Suite” once as a lowly gold member (and I didn’t even know it was considered an upgrade). The name is the most impressive thing about the “Jr. Suite.” at the Portland Westin. Basically, it is ever so slightly larger so they can wedge a small sofa in there instead of just the single easy chair provided in the regular “deluxe” rooms.

I booked the Portland stays for visiting family (but Starwood didn’t know that when I checked in or paid for the rooms). To my visiting family, I was all, “let me take care of your accommodations. I know Portland and can pull some strings don’t cha know, ‘cause I’m an SPG Plat, and we get extra special treatment, blah, blah blah.” So getting stiffed today on check-in was just that much more of a treat.

So, I just wanted to vent a little, even if it reinforces my status as a Starwood Poopy-pants.

On the plus side, we’re likely going to Paris on StarPoints in late July/Early August to dovetail with our week in London (thanks to exchanging our SDO through SFX). I hope I can get out of the poopy-pants closet by reporting my successful upgrades from that trip.

We’re now 1.5 for 5 with SPG Platinum (Giving .5 for the Portland Westin “Jr. Suite” upgrade is very generous)

-nodge

 

[formerhater]

The upgrade game is such a difficult one. I've been Gold for the better part of the past 5 years (some as a result of earning it and now from my SVO developer purchase) and my experiences have been all over the map. I've gone through stretches where I've received nothing stay after stay. Recently, I've had much better luck with room upgrades, free wine at two props in Italy, champagne in Hawaii, etc. There is huge variation between properties and even within a property, it seems to be luck of the draw as to who is helping at the front desk. Since I'm on a roll right now, I feel pretty favorable about status with SPG, but certainly not enough to convince me to drop a bunch of dough for 5* (not that I have that dough to drop) or even enough to spend the $1100+ to rent Plat status for a year.

 

[Troopers]

It's only people on TUG and FlyerTalk who don't think we're nuts - I don't even speak about this to friends anymore!

I think you guys are slightly nuts but certainly not as nutty as those on Flyertalk that do mileage runs. I hope it works out for you guys.

 

[dss]

The westin portland is a notoriously tough upgrade with a high percentage of Plats vs Suites available. I stay there often and on my last trip they actually upgraded me to the presidential suite which I think was a mistake but it was an interesting room. It actually wasn't that special, it was a huge bed in the middle of the room with a full dining table for eight and a (poorly connected) plasma TV with a sitting area. I love the hotel overall but they have an admittedly hard time giving out SPG upgrades.

 

[pointsjunkie]

does the westin portland have a club floor? as a platinum you are entitled to club floor access.

 

[SDKath]

What's a club floor? I see this a lot on flyer talk too but I have no idea what that means.... Thanks! K

 

[Henry M.]

Many Starwood hotels have a lounge/club in one of the club floors. Rooms in those club floors get access to the lounge. The quality of the lounges varies significantly, but some offer warm appetizers in the evening along with a warm breakfast in the morning. Some just offer cold appetizers and continental breakfast. Other's still, just fruits and maybe water and soft drinks. You often find free wireless internet access in lounges.

In some hotels the appetizers are substantial enough that they could serve as dinner and breakfast is similar to what you get in the hotel restaurant. Some also serve free alcohol (wine, beer, open bar at some hotels).

SPG Platinum guests usually get access to the lounge even if they are not in a club room. I find European lounges to be generally better than US lounges.

 

[nodge]

FWIW, these private club floor lounge areas are commonly referred to as the "cheese room" by flyertalkers because of all the cut-up cheese sitting out.

No. The Portland Westin does not have a cheese room/club floor.

-nodge

 

[Henry M.]

Yes, many lounges, especially in the US, just have Swiss and American cheese cubes with perhaps some crackers. I was the the Westin Casuarina in Las Vegas and that is what they served, but they did include free wine and beer. They also had some sort of pizza-like food but it wasn't very good and once the first serving was gone they didn't serve more (not that I would have wanted any). FlyerTalk.com is a good place to find out what lounges are good.

 

[pointsjunkie]

the westin diplomat has a fabulous club floor, food is great.
sheraton manhattan towers has a very good club floor.
the westin times square is also good.


i try to stay at hotels that have the club floor this way i know breakfast is taken care of and the hor duerves are a snack before dinner. saves on ordering an appetizer.

the westin in atlanta has a great club floor also.

i have stayed at all of these when i was gold level as an upgrade. now that we are platinum club level is open to all platinums and make sure you ask about it if it is not offered and of course they have one. if not i would ask for free breakfast vouchers.

you are also entitiled to a platinum amenity, everywhere but at St. regis.i always get the 500 starpoints. so far the 3 stays i have had as platinum they have also sent up a bottle of wine and cookies or fruit to the room.

 

[Troopers]

nodge-

My 2 cents here...SPG Platinum is worth the $1184.69 only if you had truly intended to spend more than $1184.69 in room upgrades (i.e. the cost difference between the standard room and the deluxe room/suite). If I was Starwood, I think we would have “won”. We were able to tease you to and get you to spend $1184.69 that you wouldn’t have otherwise spent. The upgraded room/suite costs *wood nominally more than a standard room.

It’s like saving 50% on a $400 pair of shoes when all you really needed was a $100 pair of shoes. You saved $200 on the shoes but you still spent $100 more than you really intended to (but at least you can enjoy your $400 shoes).

 

[rocky]

nodge-

My 2 cents here...SPG Platinum is worth the $1184.69 only if you had truly intended to spend more than $1184.69 in room upgrades (i.e. the cost difference between the standard room and the deluxe room/suite). If I was Starwood, I think we would have “won”. We were able to tease you to and get you to spend $1184.69 that you wouldn’t have otherwise spent. The upgraded room/suite costs *wood nominally more than a standard room.

It’s like saving 50% on a $400 pair of shoes when all you really needed was a $100 pair of shoes. You saved $200 on the shoes but you still spent $100 more than you really intended to (but at least you can enjoy your $400 shoes).

Agree with every word. EVERY word. Any potential benefit from being Platinum is given on a wing and a prayer to the user.... to be recinded, devalued, or unacknowledged at their whim.

 

[nodge]

If I was Starwood, I think we would have “won”. We were able to tease you to and get you to spend $1184.69 that you wouldn’t have otherwise spent. The upgraded room/suite costs *wood nominally more than a standard room.

Starwood has lured me into spending far more than that. My visiting family would have been much more comfortable at the Embassy Suites or Residence Inn down the road this weekend. Both offered larger two room suites for about the price of the Westin, but also included free breakfasts, and self-parking (instead of having to wait for the valet at the Westin.)

The lure of free stuff from the Westin hooked me into choosing it over these much better alternatives. I think I’m done “testing” the value of the SPG Plat program in the US.

I sure hope the European Starwood properties can justify my pursuit of SPG Plat status. Otherwise, I’ll just chalk it up to an expensive life lesson, of which I’ve paid for many.

Live and learn.

BTW, where were you voice of reason guys earlier this year when I first posted this?

-nodge

 

[Henry M.]

To quote post #2 in this thread:

"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 value of a Platinum stay is heavily dependent on the particular hotel you stay at.

I would view PFL as a nice perk, but not a deciding factor as to whether or not to get more timeshares. The timeshares I buy have to stand on their own as places I'd like to go to over and over. There's no guarantee a particular property won't be sold or the whole SVN program could get shut down.

Now Nodge, I think I know what your issue is. Go read the thread Personal files on SPG guests? on FlyerTalk. Your file is probably a mile long based on all your needling of Starwood here on TUG! They must have one of those files with a special flag just for you...

 

[LisaRex]

If Flyertalk folks are a true sample, then I think you'll be very happy with the platinum perks overseas.

As far as the voice of reason goes, I think $1100 was a fairly small price to pay for you to test drive the program and gather first hand data using your own unique travel patterns. It's certainly far more rational than paying hundreds of thousands of dollars buying timeshares BEFORE gathering data as to whether PFL would offer you dependable, impressive upgrades.

I believe each person needs to really look at their own unique circumstances and figure out who'd "win" by their pursuit of PFL status using timeshares as the vehicle. In some circumstances, I think the consumer could actually come out ahead, especially in the short term. For most, though, I think it's a very expensive and risky route to take for non-guaranteed upgrades.

Certainly the inflation of StarPoints and air miles throughout the years, with Starwood making no adjustment to the StarOption ->StarPoint conversion, is by far the biggest deterrent.

I used to be able to book coach seats from Cincinnati to Hawaii for Delta SkyMiles for 35k SkyMiles. This year it cost me 70k SkyMiles. So I'm moving my spending from the SkyMiles Amex to the Marriott Rewards Visa, because the "return" on each point accumulated will be a better value for me. Divesting myself of the SkyMiles program costs me nothing. I can't imagine the thought of having to "divest" myself of timeshares because the program is no longer working for me, especially timeshares that will only fetch me 30-40% of my purchase price.

 

[Ken555]

[...]I'm moving my spending from the SkyMiles Amex to the Marriott Rewards Visa, because the "return" on each point accumulated will be a better value for me.

Out of curiosity, why did you choose the Marriott card rather than the Starwood card? I made a similar switch a few years ago to Starwood. At this point, I'm enjoying Starwood hotels but remember the days when I could book in any city almost anywhere in a Marriott with longing... I haven't compared programs lately, but is there more bang for the point these days with Marriott...or Starwood? Yes, I suppose I should invest in a few hours at FlyerTalk for this one...

 

[LisaRex]

Out of curiosity, why did you choose the Marriott card rather than the Starwood card? I made a similar switch a few years ago to Starwood. At this point, I'm enjoying Starwood hotels but remember the days when I could book in any city almost anywhere in a Marriott with longing... I haven't compared programs lately, but is there more bang for the point these days with Marriott...or Starwood? Yes, I suppose I should invest in a few hours at FlyerTalk for this one...

There are more Marriotts in places I want to go (e.g. Charleston/Hilton Head, South Carolina), and I enjoy Residence Inns when I'm traveling with the kids. Starwood doesn't really have an equivalent. (Hilton's Embassy Suites are great, but I had to pick one and concentrate on that. The Marriott Visa Premiere card ($65/year) gives you double dining points, which really add up. Plus it gives you a free Cat. 1-5 night on each anniversary.

I've definitely found the best bang for my buck is with Marriott.

The only real reason I have my Starwood card is because I own a Starwood timeshare. Otherwise I'd ditch it altogether.

 

[nodge]

Now Nodge, I think I know what your issue is. Go read the thread Personal files on SPG guests? on FlyerTalk. Your file is probably a mile long based on all your needling of Starwood here on TUG! They must have one of those files with a special flag just for you...

Ut Oh. But SVO makes it so darned easy that it's just too tempting a treat to pass up. Maybe SVO offers classes or something to help me lower my expectations to match its current standards. You know maybe something involving electric shock while repeating phrases like "queen beds and convection/microwaves are good," and "double digit maintenance fee increases with a simultaneous decline in owner services are even better" and of course “SVO needs even more worthless VP’s” over and over will do the trick.

As far as the voice of reason goes, I think $1100 was a fairly small price to pay for you to test drive the program and gather first hand data using your own unique travel patterns. It's certainly far more rational than paying hundreds of thousands of dollars buying timeshares BEFORE gathering data as to whether PFL would offer you dependable, impressive upgrades.

There you go. A true voice of reason. Thanks for making me feel better.

-nodge

 

[hvanv0405]

Did you catch the Flyertalk discussion about they guy selling Platinum upgrades on ebay?

I contacted him and some of the people that had left him feedback.

They go upgraded instantly for $200 to $500 depending on what his auctions closed at. He doesn't have any more listings but was very easy to email via ebay and responded to my questions. . offered to upgrade me for $200 through Feb 2010.

whats everyones thougths on that?

 

[SDKath]

Well, last year I got suckered into a free GOLD upgrade by someone on eBay. It was a total scam. I never got GOLD (this was before my TSing purchases) and when I asked for the money back on Paypal, they said they could not prove it that I never got it since it was "electronic media" that he was selling -- ie not a tangible product! UGH. I was out $40. I thought of reporting him to Starwood but I figured it was not worth my time.

Instead I bought a bunch of TSs and got to Gold that way. LOL. I would DEFINITELY avoid the Platinum scam. This guy changes his identity all the time from what I have seen. It's not worth the $$. I see this auction right now with 0 feedback, probably his 10th identity on eBay. One of these days, Starwood will put a stop to it as it must be an internal employee: 220239944571

Katherine

 

[hvanv0405]

well my bad . . probably just won't use the account.

sorry everyone. . .just had to find out if it was a scam or not.

I have my Gold Owner account that i'll be using but couldn't resist the urge to give him a number to see if he could do what he said. My guess is he/she works for Starwood.

 

[LisaRex]

You might be able to get away with it, but it's still cheating. It is very clear in the T&C that SPG points cannot be sold or bartered. I'd hate for someone to "buy" an upgrade from some stranger on the internet and risk Starwood closing my account for fraudulent activity.

Whoever is selling these upgrades is cheating the people who earn their platinum status honestly, which is usually people who spend a great deal of their time on the road. I don't scam other people nor do I scam businesses. I'd rather sit in a regular old hotel room with my integrity intact than to engage in a practice that I know is wrong so that I could get a bigger room and some cheese and crackers.