Politico
TUG Member
Oh, Aussie, can you post where I can find this justification?
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So should I give up?
- Thread starter SDKath
- Start date
Oh, Aussie, can you post where I can find this justification?
mkfisher
TUG Member
Go for it Kath!
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To me, not knowing ahead of time is the biggest drawback. I hate uncertainty and would prefer that they let me know ahead of time whether or not I'll receive an upgrade. Even if the answer is no, at least I wouldn't start my vacation with dashed expectations and would have the opportunity to upgrade with points if I wanted.
I hate uncertainty so much that if I were magically a Platinum member, I'd probably end up booking the upgraded room anyway just to guarantee the view/room type I wanted, which kind of makes Platinum status useless. Of course, I don't travel but 2 weeks a year max, so it's not a huge outlay of cash either way. If I was planning to travel extensively in hotels, esp. overseas, I'd probably try and get platinum status because it's really the only way the $$ to get the status is worth it, IMO.
Henry M.
TUG Member
I start out expecting to get the room I reserved. I very often get upgraded, but since I wasn't expecting it to begin with, I'm always happy with what I get. I know that I will have access to the lounge no matter what and that is one of the nicest perks at some hotels.
I don't really need a suite most of the time. Even if I'm staying a week somewhere, I don't spend that much time in the room. The suites were most useful when my kids were younger the couple of times a year I had my family with me. Now that my kids are both in college, I get a second room anyhow, usually with points. If I'm vacationing somewhere, late check-out and perhaps free breakfast in a lounge are more important than a bigger room. I'm there to see the sights, not to spend time in a suite.
The program is "based upon availability" so I don't know why I've seen some people demand that they must absolutely get something better and are furious if the hotel is full and nothing is available other than what they reserved and are paying for. No sense in setting yourself up for disappointment. The PFL program is a very nice perk if you go in with the right expectations.
5* is also pretty nice if you don't start out with a sense of entitlement. The staff will generally try to help you but sometimes it's just not possible if a property is full. Most of the time it does make a difference, though. I've gotten 1BR units instead of studios at WKORV and they do try to be accommodating regarding room requests. My flight usually leaves around 5 pm so late checkout at noon is very useful to me too. The option to wait until October 1 to convert to Starpoints and get an extra 10% of those points is good too. I do value Starpoints enough that I don't feel I'm losing much compared to renting. Renting is better, but if for some reason I haven't found a renter and I don't want to deal with it anymore, the Starpoints will bring me enough value that I don't regret converting. The conversion provides just a little more flexibility to my ownership.
Is 5* worth a lot of money - probably not, especially in a strictly financial sense. Does it make my vacations a little nicer? Definitely. It is a luxury item, like anything else you might splurge on. The number of weeks I own in Hawaii cost me what a lake house would have cost in a more remote part of the state. I enjoy my Hawaii trips much more and I spend as much time there as I would in any other full time ownership real estate, without maintenance hassles. I can't get my money back, but I have no interest in selling anyhow. I couldn't get anything similar to what I have in Hawaii for the money I spent. Kath is doing it for a whole lot less, so it's even better!
I don't really need a suite most of the time. Even if I'm staying a week somewhere, I don't spend that much time in the room. The suites were most useful when my kids were younger the couple of times a year I had my family with me. Now that my kids are both in college, I get a second room anyhow, usually with points. If I'm vacationing somewhere, late check-out and perhaps free breakfast in a lounge are more important than a bigger room. I'm there to see the sights, not to spend time in a suite.
The program is "based upon availability" so I don't know why I've seen some people demand that they must absolutely get something better and are furious if the hotel is full and nothing is available other than what they reserved and are paying for. No sense in setting yourself up for disappointment. The PFL program is a very nice perk if you go in with the right expectations.
5* is also pretty nice if you don't start out with a sense of entitlement. The staff will generally try to help you but sometimes it's just not possible if a property is full. Most of the time it does make a difference, though. I've gotten 1BR units instead of studios at WKORV and they do try to be accommodating regarding room requests. My flight usually leaves around 5 pm so late checkout at noon is very useful to me too. The option to wait until October 1 to convert to Starpoints and get an extra 10% of those points is good too. I do value Starpoints enough that I don't feel I'm losing much compared to renting. Renting is better, but if for some reason I haven't found a renter and I don't want to deal with it anymore, the Starpoints will bring me enough value that I don't regret converting. The conversion provides just a little more flexibility to my ownership.
Is 5* worth a lot of money - probably not, especially in a strictly financial sense. Does it make my vacations a little nicer? Definitely. It is a luxury item, like anything else you might splurge on. The number of weeks I own in Hawaii cost me what a lake house would have cost in a more remote part of the state. I enjoy my Hawaii trips much more and I spend as much time there as I would in any other full time ownership real estate, without maintenance hassles. I can't get my money back, but I have no interest in selling anyhow. I couldn't get anything similar to what I have in Hawaii for the money I spent. Kath is doing it for a whole lot less, so it's even better!
Oops - my bad
I misread my HOA newletter. Here is the quote:
"As some Owners manage backruptcies or mortgage foreclosures in a stagnant economy, the association compensates for unpaid maintenance fees and real estate taxes. We have budgeted for a 20.8 percent decrease in 2009, or $11.69 per ownership week". (emphasis is mine)
Very sorry - I could blame this on my progressive bifocals, but......just sloppy reading skills.
Ann
I misread my HOA newletter. Here is the quote:
"As some Owners manage backruptcies or mortgage foreclosures in a stagnant economy, the association compensates for unpaid maintenance fees and real estate taxes. We have budgeted for a 20.8 percent decrease in 2009, or $11.69 per ownership week". (emphasis is mine)
Very sorry - I could blame this on my progressive bifocals, but......just sloppy reading skills.
Ann
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- she sure knows how to work it :hysterical:Politico
TUG Member
I misread my HOA newletter. Here is the quote:
"As some Owners manage backruptcies or mortgage foreclosures in a stagnant economy, the association compensates for unpaid maintenance fees and real estate taxes. We have budgeted for a 20.8 percent decrease in 2009, or $11.69 per ownership week". (emphasis is mine)
Very sorry - I could blame this on my progressive bifocals, but......just sloppy reading skills.
Ann
Interesting. No worries.
stevens397
TUG Member
It's a very mature perspective, but since the only really tangible benefit is PFL, it's important to know that you often may not get the upgrade you crave!
I ALWAYS look at the room availability and see what type of suites they have. Now this usually only works in Europe, but it has worked well. Very often in Europe, a Junior Suite is actually two rooms altho the "living room" is very small. I can often book it for a small premium over the normal amount of points. Then I can sit back and wait and see what happens. In Paris, at the Prince des Galles, I ended up in a truly magnificent, $2,000 per day suite that I will never forget. At the Westin Palace in Madrid, I reserved two such rooms, and ended up in a magnificent two bedroom apartment! But both times, I knew I would end up in a suite, one way or another.
As I said before, if you generate enough points through the SPG Amex, you really don't need PFL!
I ALWAYS look at the room availability and see what type of suites they have. Now this usually only works in Europe, but it has worked well. Very often in Europe, a Junior Suite is actually two rooms altho the "living room" is very small. I can often book it for a small premium over the normal amount of points. Then I can sit back and wait and see what happens. In Paris, at the Prince des Galles, I ended up in a truly magnificent, $2,000 per day suite that I will never forget. At the Westin Palace in Madrid, I reserved two such rooms, and ended up in a magnificent two bedroom apartment! But both times, I knew I would end up in a suite, one way or another.
As I said before, if you generate enough points through the SPG Amex, you really don't need PFL!
Henry M.
TUG Member
I didn't mean to imply that suite upgrades weren't worthwhile. I am always happy when I get one and it is indeed nice. It's just that the upgrade is "based on availability" and it doesn't bother me if I don't get one. Many on FlyerTalk seem to get really angry if all they get is the room they reserved and paid for! I've seen some customers become irate because they reserved the cheapest possible room and they're not put up in a suite.
The upgrade benefit is indeed very worthwhile, but not guaranteed. I'm batting probably better than 50% but others have had less luck.
I haven't found any real "tricks" to get upgraded. However, some hotels don't completely follow the rules so if you don't get one, it is always advisable to ask if one is available and point out the Platinum benefit. I do that all the time, but don't get flustered if a suite doesn't materialize. It's the expectation that they are entitled to something, when they are not, that gets people mad.
I stay at the Sheraton at the airport in Frankfurt 5 or 6 times a year and they often just upgrade me a couple of room categories. When I ask, they do offer to give me a suite, but it is in the tower away from where the lounge is and for my one night stay I'd rather go to the lounge (pretty decent hoer d'oeuvres and open bar, a terrace on warm days) than have a large room that I barely even look at. They do put me up in a Towers room when it is available. They don't have to do that since the Towers section is not the standard hotel. The rooms aren't really any different, just on the same level as the lounge and they offer free internet access. I think there's an exercise room on the same level too. As long as I go in with a good attitude and treat the front desk staff decently, I get the service I expect.
The other thing to know is that you can indeed reserve better rooms with points than what the SPG site allows you to do. The site just gives you a standard room for whatever points a category costs. However, if you call the Platinum number, you can reserve higher level rooms with just a few extra points per night. That can be very worthwhile and will avoid disappointments. They'll still upgrade you to a suite if one is available.
The thing with hotels in Europe is not so much that they give you more, but rather that the hotels are often much more impressive and with much more character than in the US. I stayed in a hotel in Austria that was opened as an inn in 1564 (I got my two rooms upgraded to suites there). You just don't have anything like that in the US, regardless of price. The hotels in Paris are also generally more impressive than a large city luxury tower in the US. With the current exchange rate, using points is also a very good deal. Don't let anyone tell you a Starpoint conversion is not worthwhile if you travel over there.
The upgrade benefit is indeed very worthwhile, but not guaranteed. I'm batting probably better than 50% but others have had less luck.
I haven't found any real "tricks" to get upgraded. However, some hotels don't completely follow the rules so if you don't get one, it is always advisable to ask if one is available and point out the Platinum benefit. I do that all the time, but don't get flustered if a suite doesn't materialize. It's the expectation that they are entitled to something, when they are not, that gets people mad.
I stay at the Sheraton at the airport in Frankfurt 5 or 6 times a year and they often just upgrade me a couple of room categories. When I ask, they do offer to give me a suite, but it is in the tower away from where the lounge is and for my one night stay I'd rather go to the lounge (pretty decent hoer d'oeuvres and open bar, a terrace on warm days) than have a large room that I barely even look at. They do put me up in a Towers room when it is available. They don't have to do that since the Towers section is not the standard hotel. The rooms aren't really any different, just on the same level as the lounge and they offer free internet access. I think there's an exercise room on the same level too. As long as I go in with a good attitude and treat the front desk staff decently, I get the service I expect.
The other thing to know is that you can indeed reserve better rooms with points than what the SPG site allows you to do. The site just gives you a standard room for whatever points a category costs. However, if you call the Platinum number, you can reserve higher level rooms with just a few extra points per night. That can be very worthwhile and will avoid disappointments. They'll still upgrade you to a suite if one is available.
The thing with hotels in Europe is not so much that they give you more, but rather that the hotels are often much more impressive and with much more character than in the US. I stayed in a hotel in Austria that was opened as an inn in 1564 (I got my two rooms upgraded to suites there). You just don't have anything like that in the US, regardless of price. The hotels in Paris are also generally more impressive than a large city luxury tower in the US. With the current exchange rate, using points is also a very good deal. Don't let anyone tell you a Starpoint conversion is not worthwhile if you travel over there.