Starwood Preferred Guest - Westin at Palm Springs

What's the skinny on the Westin at Palm Springs?

Thank you.

Nice place. But real sprrrreeeeaaaaddd out. Remember the "resort fee" for the gym you might not use, the coffee you may not drink, the fax you might not receive, etc.

I stayed there in 2000 over the Labor Day weekend. I will not return. The property upgraded me to a suite, gave me a really good tin of chocolate chips cookies as a platinum amenity and even gave me two free drinks at the bar because the room was not ready yet. The pool is attractive and they have heavenly beds too. The staff was friendly and nothing went wrong. So… you might think I would want to return…

… But I actually checked out a day early and moved to one of the nice Inns in old Palm Springs. This move probably explains why I did not like the resort. I though it had the charm of a corporate office park. Another big problem was the pool that, although attractive, was absolutely overrun with swarms of screaming, running kids. The rooms are in two story clusters and have VERY poor soundproofing. My vacation time is limited so while there is nothing truly bad about the place, it is not worth wasting valuable time off time there.

Please be aware this is from a stay taken(at least 3 years ago) prior to the Starwood ownership or early with Starwood.
During high Season.Have to agree nice property.
But................. very spread out as the other poster has mentioned.
The grounds outclass the property.First I remember seeing a nice brochure showing a classy attractive guest room.
My expectations were sky high for $300 a night and up.This property may have high appeal to strolling golfers especially.
Upon arrival to the main building and lobby area it was explained what would take place. A golf cart took me (I followed it in my rental car to the parking lot as near as I could to the building I was housed in) (not near enough for my taste without valet parking!) and my luggage to my guest room quite far away from the main building.Which translates into long walks.
Great for those that like a long walk .The bad news is if it rains.You are at the mercy of waiting for a golf cart for 45 minutes or more (sometimes less) to come get you.Or driving all over the property.Parking was difficult at the peak time I was there.Don't think it would be a problem off season or weekdays if there are no major functions going on. Your golf cart driver struggles up stairs with the luggage (no elevators)request a ground floor room if this bothers you.The room was huge but not near the luxury product one would expect for the price paid.(maybe this has changed?)Blah lighting and basic standard hotel decor seen in a million properties @ $99.The key thing here was large and spacious.
My room would have had a great view had it not been blocked by a huge tree obstructing it.
Clearly decor and guest room was not at the time as presented in brochure which seemed very deluxe.Health club satisfactory I've seen better at resorts.Food just satisfactory but nothing memorable.Staff as I remember very kind and accomodating even if a little overwhelmed at times.
Enjoy Happy Travels

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AA & Starwood ,Marriott Platinum
Diamond Hyatt, Hilton Diamond
U/A 1 K



[This message has been edited by 777 global mile hound (edited 02-03-2002).]

We have family in Palm Springs and I choose it when we have the whole family. The pool is great for kids but this is not an adult hang out.

The poster who descibes it as an office park says so accurately if you aren't staying facing the pool or golf course. Too mych concrete. Also, the rooms could use a little sprucing up as of November 2001 but that was the first time I felt that way in many stays.

Staff is good, food is too. But when we don't bring kids we don't stay there.

I would never return to this resort for other reasons. My main complaint with the pools was not all the screaming kids; in fact, they were the least of the problem. At one of the smaller pools, it was like a white trash convention. A group of guests brought plenty of their own hard liquor, were blaring music, and all of them were clearly very drunk. At the main pool, Westin had their own piped in music playing so loudly it was impossible to relax. So unless any of this appeals to you, I would stay far away.

I was there the first weekend in January of this year, and really enjoyed my stay. I got a great rate of $159/night. Yes, the property is spread out, but the weather was so pleasant it was enjoyable to walk back and forth. The health club was small but well-equipped, and my husband had a very good massage at the spa (unfortunately I couldn't get in because they were booked up). As a platinum, I was given the choice of being upgraded to a mountain view room or a suite without a view. Chose the suite and it was very comfortable. and my husband appreciated the high speed internet access in the room. The food at the restaurant was good but pricey. Service was good and the staff was friendly. I would definitely go back, and hope to within the next year.

Try the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort in Indian Wells. I highly recommend it or (to a slightly lesser extent) the neighboring Renaissance Esmerelda Resort. Both are beautiful hotels with nice, large pools (the Renaissance pool has a sandy beach).

Stayed summer 2001. Room / Bathroom very dirty. Yuk. Ritz Carlton Rancho Mirage has never disappointed me.

We arrived today at ~11:30 am for a two night stay, and since it was far off season (it was ~110 degrees F today) I was very surprised to be told that there were no suites available when I asked about an upgrade to a suite. I was told that we would be upgraded to a room with a view of the golf course, but it would not be ready for 1 to 1.5 hours. The young woman offered to take our cell phone number and give us a call when it was ready. I phoned the Platinum Concierge number and learned that I could reserve a suite for the next two nights at this property. After about 2 to 2.5 hours without hearing anything, we returned to the hotel and were told by a young man that the room was ready. When I asked again about a suite, he said that there were no suites available. I told him that I had just learned from SPG reservations that I could reserve a suite, and he said that he had no idea where they were getting their inventory from, as no suites were available. We went to the room, and I called SPG again and confirmed the availability of a suite. I was then transferred to Customer Service, where the associate offered to call the hotel while I was on hold. She then told me that I was being transferred to a suite, and connected me to the front desk. Amazingly, this was the same woman who had earlier denied the availability of any suites, and she did not even bother to make an excuse or apology for what had transpired. She said that the suite was not yet available, but that they would call our cell phone within the hour. After about 1.5 hours, I called the front desk to ask about whether it was ready, and the man said that he needed to check with the front desk manager, and would call me back within 5 minutes. After about 15 minutes I received a call saying that the suite was now ready. This was a relief, as I was getting tired looking at the large cobweb just above the desk in the room in which a large insect was trapped. As noted above, the decor and furnishings in the room were on a par with a $99 motel. The room aslo had the feel of being in a basement. The suite was large (but not luxurious). This all goes to support the concept that first impressions of a hotel at check-in can color one's overall impressions... :td:

Upon checking out this morning, the same young man who had assured me that no suites were available was at the desk. He asked how my stay was, and I said "Okay, after a rocky start." When he did not even say anything else, I felt compelled to remark that no one had even offered an excuse or apology for why I was told that no suites were available and was then given one. He said that "Cancellations happen all the time." My advice to Platinums is to avoid the Westin Mission Hills at Rancho Mirage (for those doing a search, since I do not think that the name of the property appears in this thread).

We usually stay at this property 4-5 times per year and alway get a great rate 100-130 per night. Only had an issue once about getting a desert view room as opposed to golf view, but other than that we find it an excellent resort. As a Plat, we always get comped breakfast, which is a nice perk that would normally be ~$35 per day.

ehe123...looks like we almost crossed paths. Just left the resort about an hour ago.

We arrived today at ~11:30 am for a two night stay, and since it was far off season (it was ~110 degrees F today) I was very surprised to be told that there were no suites available when I asked about an upgrade to a suite.

If the crowds at the pool yesterday and today (Sat July 24 & 25) were any indication...off season or not...the hotel seemed packed when we were here. Something like 114 degrees predicted today!

schriste notes: Another big problem was the pool that, although attractive, was absolutely overrun with swarms of screaming, running kids.

Man...that was certainly true this weekend. Although the pool area is nicely designed, it seems too small for the number of guests and certainly for the number of families that enjoy this place. Perhaps the resort is offering specials for local residents or hotel.com and priceline deals? Seemed more like a Water Park crowd rather than an upscale resort crowd.

Another problem are the Westin Timeshare salespeople there. They are everywhere! Desks, signs, material and sales personnel all over the place. You get assaulted in your room, by the pool, when you walk into the lobby. Wouldn't be surprised if there was a salesperson waiting at the 18th hole of the golf course for you!

I got the feeling that the operation of the Resort Hotel is secondary to the sales of timeshares. Almost as if the hotel's primary existence right now is just providing fodder for the timeshare sales folk to pitch to.

I am a Platinum. Never offered breakfast, but always get a suite upgrade. Yes, it has the feel of a corporate office park and it's hard to avoid the time share hustle.

When I checked in, the message light was flashing. Called the front desk. Was told that a gift was awaiting at the front desk. Hiked to the front desk, only to receive an invitation to a 7 night a week "cocktail" reception in the time share promo area.

Once the time share people invade the hotel, the charm goes out the window. Westin Maui is the worst. At least in Palm Spings, the lobby can be avoided.

Stayed there as a Gold in May. The low stucco buildings and their layout seem tacky to me, but our suite was very nice. My girlfriend enjoyed the jacuzzi in the bedroom. Received a Westin Rancho Mirage labeled jar of toffee popcorn with nuts and a form letter from the GM. Front Desk also sent up four Coronas with lime and pretzels shortly after we checked in very late and very sunburned from a nearby rock music festival.

Not a bad place, but I don't golf and I want to be nearer to, well, anything other than sand and strip malls. We paid $240 using an SPG50 but saw the place on sale for $149 later in May.

When I did a search on spg.com, it looks like there are two properties; the Villas and then the actual Resort Hotel. They also have two different (albeit markedly similar) addresses. I booked a stay for one night at the Villa and then one at the Resort and Hotel. The nights are back-to-back. I've stayed at the Resort before and I have noticed that the Villas seem to be behind some gated entry.

Does anyone know if...
...I will get two stay credits?
...there is a seperate and distinct check-in spot for each?

When I did a search on spg.com, it looks like there are two properties; the Villas and then the actual Resort Hotel. They also have two different (albeit markedly similar) addresses. I booked a stay for one night at the Villa and then one at the Resort and Hotel. The nights are back-to-back. I've stayed at the Resort before and I have noticed that the Villas seem to be behind some gated entry.

Does anyone know if...
...I will get two stay credits?
...there is a seperate and distinct check-in spot for each?

Actually, I'm going to change my initial answer to the first question until I get some clarification.

When you go to the overview page for The Westin Mission Hills Villas, you find this:

Special Condition
This property has limited participation with the Starwood Preferred Guest program. For further details please see the Starwood Preferred GuestTerms and Conditions <http://www.starwood.com/preferredguest/terms_conditions.html>.


But, when you go to Terms and Conditions, there is this description of its limited participation, but note that the 1369 property code is missing, so it is hard to differentiate between it and 1098. At my first glance, I did not see it:

STARWOOD VACATION OWNERSHIP
Earning Starpoints

5. The following properties have limited participation with Starwood Preferred Guest. Members will earn Starpoints for all qualifying stays; however as this is a vacation villa property, upgrades, late check out, and other in-hotel benefits are not available. Also, Free Night Awards are offer in the hotel but not the Villas.

Participating Properties:
1386 Westin Kierland Resort & Villas, Scottsdale, AZ
1098 Westin St. John Resort & Villas, Great Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI Westin Mission Hills

So, I'm asking if you get stay credit here and what rates are considered to be qualifying. If the answer is what I suspect it is, then you would get stay credit for any rate booked at spg.com.

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Cast your vote! Visit www.freddieawards.com and choose your favorite frequent travel programs today.

Looking forward to the answer on this one too. I was going to book a few nights at the Villas since the other side I've normally stayed at is sold out. Went to the T&C's and the Villas seem to be missing...

Lurker, while we're talking about the Villas, can you also find out if they are bookable with Starpoints? They are listed as a Cat 4, but when you go to book them via the website, they are not listed in the available properties for Palm Desert, just the Hotel.

Thanks!

Looking forward to the answer on this one too. I was going to book a few nights at the Villas since the other side I've normally stayed at is sold out. Went to the T&C's and the Villas seem to be missing...

Lurker, while we're talking about the Villas, can you also find out if they are bookable with Starpoints? They are listed as a Cat 4, but when you go to book them via the website, they are not listed in the available properties for Palm Desert, just the Hotel.

Thanks!

Here is your answer to whether or not you can book Preferred (free) Night Awards at The Westin Mission Hills Villas:

STARWOOD VACATION OWNERSHIP
Earning Starpoints

5. The following properties have limited participation with Starwood Preferred Guest. Members will earn Starpoints for all qualifying stays; however as this is a vacation villa property, upgrades, late check out, and other in-hotel benefits are not available. Also, Free Night Awards are offer(ed) in the hotel but not the Villas.

Participating Properties:
1386 Westin Kierland Resort & Villas, Scottsdale, AZ
1098 Westin St. John Resort & Villas, Great Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI Westin Mission Hills

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Cast your vote! Visit www.freddieawards.com and choose your favorite frequent travel programs today.

We received a 3N for $199 offer from SVO and booked a room for Easter weekend 2004. What a disaster.

Called in advance to re-confirm n/s king room. "No problem." Also received a call from the concierge offering to book restaurant reservations. Arrived mid-afternoon Thursday, were told that we had been "upgraded" to a room in the Villas (the SVO) property. Ended up in a 2nd Floor room that was basically a 1BR timeshare with a Queen bed and a small living room. No in-room high speed internet as promised in website listing (apparently only available in hotel rooms, not villas). Called front desk to request re-assignment to the room we reserved, was told that hotel was sold out and we could not move.

My list of other deficiencies:

(1) Only one person at check-in desk despite long line.
(2) Concierge called in advance of visit to offer assistance, then failed to make restaurant reservations as requested.
(3) No luggage assistance.
(4) Called for extra towels: 2.5 hours from time of request to actual delivery.
(5) No show/long wait for golf cart transportation around property (more on this later.)
(6) Noisy leaf blowers between 9-10am. Don't plan to sleep late.
(7) Did not receive daily newspaper (supposedly included in resort fee) despite repeated requests each day. However, they had no problem delivering the final bill under the door. Note: papers are available from the hotel valet parking desk, but of course we were in the villas which is quite a hike.
(8) In-room safe did not function (also incl. in resort fee)
(9) Limited availability of gym facility (also incl. in resort fee) due to use by a large group. Also, the spa personnel (adjacent to gym) did not have a key to let us into the gym (room keys didn't work). Had to call security to get into the gym.
(10) Wake up call was late.
(11) Heinous loud music in Villa pool area, which was crowded beyond capacity. I disabled the speaker, but maintenance later came by to fix it after receiving "complaints."
(12) People sleep in pool cabanas in order to reserve them for daytime use. I kid you not! Don't count on getting a cabana unless you are willing to stake it out at 6am.
(13) Unsupervised minors in hot tub during evening hours.
(14) Did not receive spg points (spa services not included, which makes little sense presuming you want to incentivize people to book expensive massages, etc.)

Needless to say, we were quite dissatisfied and expressed our displeasure at checkout. To be fair, the hotel told us that our stay was comped due to the presence of a large group which negatively impacted the availability of spa facilities, restaurants, free breakfasts, etc. (They said we should have been called in advance and apprised of the situation - yeah, right.) Of course, they did not comp the "resort fee" for services that weren't received.

We later learned from relatives who previously stayed at the hotel that the Villa rooms are actually much nicer than the hotel rooms. The property itself is quite luxurious and the staff are very friendly. But Westin needs to provide more golf carts to shuttle people between the hotels and villas as it is a hike between the properties and the parking lots are not terribly convenient to some of the rooms.

Would we stay here again? Definitely not at $400/nt, and probably not at $200/nt, at least until the service issues are resolved. But it's not a bad deal at $66/nt, and you get 8000 points for sitting through the 90 minute timeshare sales pitch.

P.S. I realize that many of these items are fairly minor and I would not be complaining about similar deficiencies at a Holiday Inn. But I have high expectations for a resort property, and quite honestly the Westin Mission Hills does not match up to what is expected of a "resort property" or for that matter, to the local competition, i.e. Marriott Desert Springs.

Took advantage of this SVO offer in November. I agree that this property was a disappointment. A very motel-like setup. Though only a gold, I hoped for more than a ground level room that opens up to a never ending parking lot. Real life didn't seem to match the pictures on the website. The room had newer Westin furnishings, but they were in disarray (lamps out of place, armoire pulled away from wall and crooked). At $65/night and a 8,000 *point bonus, I could deal with the disappointment, but we won't be returning to this property. Probably the only time I've left a *wood feeling this way.

I would have posted this sooner, but didn't feel like scrolling through pages of posts--but search is now back!

We stayed at this property over Easter week (Spring Break), on the AMEX SPG preview offer, $289 for 4 nights and 10K starpoints. This was a great deal, especially since rates for high season are ~$300/night. (Of course, I did book this 6 mo in advance, mainly because I wanted the points and thought this would be a good spring break destination). Overall, it was a pretty positive stay, especially if you're bring kids. If you don't have kids, well, I probably wouldn't recommend this place unless you like sharing your vacation space with tons of kids. However, our kids had a blast, and this place is very geared towards a family friendly experience.

We were "upgraded" to the Villas (told that this was "unusual" but I'm assuming that they would try to do so for as many people as possible since they want to sell you the timeshare). We looked out over the other units, but were very close to the pool without directly facing it (and all the noise), so all-in-all, a nice room assignment. The only better one would have been to face the golf-course, while still being close to the pool, but there aren't many of those. Anyway, the 1 bdrm suite was nice and new. While it wasn't huge (550 sf according to the website), it was well-designed, and had a large balcony. From the comments about the old rooms in the hotel, I'm glad that we were upgraded to the villas! I checked summer rates, and the hotel rooms go for $99, and the villas for $125. If you're booking directly, I think the villas are definitely worth the premium.

The villas have a decent size pool area, with a very nice waterslide. The slide is much better than the hotel slide. Actually, the hotel pool area is bigger, but was much more crowded. We also stayed at the Hyatt, and their slide didn't match up either. The villa pool area is reserved for villa guests only (you need a key), so while it was crowded, it was not nearly as crowded as the hotel pool. Even then, there were still tons of kids around (but since we added two kids to the mix, we couldn't really complain about that part!). Also, some of the older kids (teenagers) were somewhat rowdy, and did "take over" the hot tub area. Technically, they aren't allowed to be there without a parent, and I did see other guests complain and get a hotel employee to remove the rowdy kids from the hot tub. There were also lots of games and contests for the kids. The poolside service (and restaurant) had very reasonable prices for lunch.

Housekeeping was a little sloppy (eg we requested service one day at 4pm, and it never happened). If I had been paying $300/night, I would have been more upset, but overall we were happy with quality of the room and amenties. Also, since this is a SVO property, you actually have to pay for daily housekeeping/fresh towels, etc. if you're staying there as an owner, or booked through a timeshare exchange. I think this must have contributed to the housekeeping lapses. There is a $14/night resort fee (though I only got charged it for 2 nights), but that was very clearly disclosed when I purchased the package.

I was offered an additional 8K points to go on the timeshare presentation, but didn't end up having the time to do so. I'm curious as to how much these would cost. However, I don't see buying timeshares, especially since flyertalk allows you to maximize the amount of free/cheap nights you get from hotel loyalty programs and other deals!

Just booked my SVO 2005 Use Year for Mission Hills Resort for the end of the year (BEFORE READING THIS POST) and now I am scared if my time will turn to be a disappointment vacation.

My last Christmas stay at the Westin in Scottsdale was so memorable.

Maybe I need to change my reservation but the one in Hawaii is already full (Dec 23-30).

110+ degrees this past weekend. OUCH! :eek:

(But at least it is a dry heat) :D

I've stayed often at this property. Its very hit and miss. When its a hit, its a home run. When it misses, its a rip off. Yes, its very spread out, but that's a consequence of any good golfing resort. The rooms are average for the type of resort. The best rooms are the suites with a resort view. They can be awesome. They have porches on the fairway which makes for a great place for breakfast or an evening cocktail with friends. Unfortunately, those are no longer part of the platinum upgrade, nor do the automatically upgrade the plats. The best they will give is a suite with a parking lot view. The configuration is less appealing and the porch is usually completely enclosed for safety? Privacy? In any event its nowhere as nice.

Also, its not worht $250 per night. If all you want is a room, Palm Springs has numerous other hotels. If you want a resort, go the the JW Marriott.