Starwood Preferred Guest - Booked on Starwood Website: REFUSED credit for stay

I just stayed at the Palm Springs Westin---racked up quite a bill at the restaurant and spa, as a splurge...My room had been reserved on the Starwood website, and I selected a flashing GOLF icon, which gave me a rate of >$350. Imagine my surprise when I call Starwood today, and am informed that I have booked a 'Non-qualifying Rate' on their website, and was refused credit for the stay AND refused points for what I paid for the room. Do I have to call Starwood on every booking I make from now on to see if I have a qualifying rate? Booked on THEIR OWN WEBSITE!!!! Wow! Or was this just a glitch???

wow. i don't think i have *EVER* booked a room on spg.com and been told it didn't qualify for stay credit.

what was their rationale?

It's been discussed before that some of the links on Starwood's web site resolve in non-Starwood sites (e.g., site59). Many, including myself, thought it was not a good practice (especially since design of those external web sites and pages was strikingly similar to Starwood's own and made to make an impression of being a part of Starwood family).

It looks like when you click on the "Golf" icon, you are transferred to another site, http://www.starwoodgolf.com/ . Browsing that site, I stumbled on the following statement (http://www.starwoodgolf.com/viewspecial.asp?resortid=0&specialid=2):

"Starwood Preferred Guest members will earn 2500 Bonus Starpoints per room on every completed Starwood Golf Vacations package at participating hotels"

I'm not quite sure whether it means that you are only eligible for 2,500 Starpoints total for your Golf Vacation (which is most likely, unfortunately), or if this 2,500 points bonus is on top of regular SPG earnings.

Might you have stayed in one of the timeshare units? They tend to be priced >$350 and do not result in SPG credits unless you're paying an exhorbitant "qualifying rate" :( and of course for miscellaneous charges at the restaurants and spas.

Might you have stayed in one of the timeshare units? They tend to be priced >$350 and do not result in SPG credits unless you're paying an exhorbitant "qualifying rate" :( and of course for miscellaneous charges at the restaurants and spas.

It appeared to be a regular 2 queen bed hotel room....I've e-mailed Starwood and will follow-up with their reply...On the Starwood website, there was nothing in the description to indicate anything unusual with this booking as opposed to all the other bookings I've made....

. . . Do I have to call Starwood on every booking I make from now on to see if I have a qualifying rate? Booked on THEIR OWN WEBSITE! . . .

It is starting to feel that way. I think this is crossing the line. Personally, I'd take the issue as far up the chain of command as I could until I got someone in authority to listen.

FWIW, I can say that something similar happened to me at the Westin Whistler 2 or 3 years ago. I couldn't book anything on-line so I called SPG. They had nothing. I called the hotel. They said that a large quantity of their rooms were held for a couple of vacation booking agencies and that I could probably get rooms if I called one of them. She even gave me the number and person to call. I called them and got booked, and at a pretty high price at that -- it was definitely no bargain.

After my stay, when my points & stay didn't post I contacted SPG and they told me that because I booked via the third party I would not receive any credit or points. I couldn't believe they would draw that line, so two supervisors later, I got to someone who understood the fairness of the issue and issued me the points and stay credit.

So, I'd be patient, work politely through their system and see what you can get. In all fairness, you deserve the credit. Hopefully you can find someone like I did who can see it similarly.