Starwood Preferred Guest - Westin Vacation Offer

Did anyone else get the offer from Westin Vacations for 4 nights at the new Westin Kierland in Scottsdale, AZ? The deal is for 4 nights at $379 plus 8,000 bonus points or $100 in resort credit. I thought it was a deal where you had to sit through the time share promo, but it does not refer to that anywhere. All I have to do is book it in the next 15 days and pay up front, then reserve the rooms any time in the next 12 months....opinions or feedback from anyone who has ever used something like this would be appreciated!

Did anyone else get the offer from Westin Vacations for 4 nights at the new Westin Kierland in Scottsdale, AZ? The deal is for 4 nights at $379 plus 8,000 bonus points or $100 in resort credit. I thought it was a deal where you had to sit through the time share promo, but it does not refer to that anywhere. All I have to do is book it in the next 15 days and pay up front, then reserve the rooms any time in the next 12 months....opinions or feedback from anyone who has ever used something like this would be appreciated!

This is a good deal, for I would do it!

It's a great resort, been there 2wice. If you go in the summer it can get uncomfortably hot.

Better check the fine print on the back. Mine (from Westin Kierland Villas - with slightly different offer) requires me to sit through a 120-minute presentation.

Better check the fine print on the back. Mine (from Westin Kierland Villas - with slightly different offer) requires me to sit through a 120-minute presentation.

This is what I was afraid of....I'll double check and make sure it doesn't have that requirement. Those presentations are AWFUL!!!

This is what I was afraid of....I'll double check and make sure it doesn't have that requirement. Those presentations are AWFUL!!!

Reports here are that Starwood Vacation Ownership presentations tend to be very low pressure (see, e.g. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=175706 ). Also, I am interested to to see what dates are available for the stay. Could be a real nice deal.

I plan on calling tomorrow to see about the weekend after Mothers day....I'll let you know if that is available.

I just received the two nights at the Villas for $129 + 10k Starpoints offer.

Went over to check it out. Looks like a fine property, but I am not sure I want to spend $129 to stay in the Villas and not earn status or starpoints. I personally love the Sales pitches. I always look forward to the point when the bring the heavy hitter over to try to get you to buy. It didnt matter that I told them upfront that I came in to get the 10k points. They still add some type of small talk to get their best sales guy over.

You ask : Why is the sky blue ?
Salesperson: I dont know, but let me have Joe Top Salesman answer that because he has been outside before and might know the answer.

So then the guy answers the question, then proceed to offer you a little more to get you to bite. Love to see it in action. Its gotta work, they sell too many of these things.

Ken in Phx

We attended this presentation last fall. It was not high pressure at all. I really like the concept of Starwood VO but I really can't get past paying the monthly maint. fee ($60-70/month for this property I believe). This negates the whole value of vacation ownership to me. When that is factored in, I might as well stay at a Starwood, Marriott or anywhere else which gives me much more flexibility with the same outlay and also the possibility of a pricleline steal.

Offer is also available at other Starwood locations.

http://www.westinpreviews.com/amexspg/

It is a very nice property, have stayed there twice.

Excellent promotion. I just signed up for the Westin Maui. The CSR said no Timeshare pitch was required on this promo. So the only con is the low-level room you will likely get.

Excellent promotion. I just signed up for the Westin Maui. The CSR said no Timeshare pitch was required on this promo. So the only con is the low-level room you will likely get.

just signed up for westin maui as well. was told i've been upgraded to a studio room with washers and all that. the catch - i think - is that you will almost certainly get the windows facing the wrong side - the street or something. :(

anyways ... too late to do anything...

These AMEXSPG deals look suspicious to me. They don't say it requires time share presentation but the fine print seems to imply that (you got to pick up your certificates from the Vacation desk).

The deals are just too good to be true - $289 for 10,000 points by itself is pretty good already.

Steven

A Good deal , wish I had some vacation time left to use these. Does anyone know if this continues into 2005?

From the reservation request form:

By submitting the above contact information, I give Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. ("SHRW") and its subsidiaries, including Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc. ("SVO"), permission to contact me about this and future offers, using the contact information I have provided. I understand that this permission supercedes my listing on any governmental do not contact list, and that I may update my consent status at any time by requesting to be placed on the company do not contact list of SHRW. The first sentence is the only mention of SVO on the whole website, as far as I can see. But does the second sentence say that I can take the vacation but refuse to listen to the pitch? :-)

--Chris

I toughed out the 1.5 hour sales pitch at the Westin vacation property in Phoenix recently during a long weekend stay at the hotel. It took around 6 weeks for the 10k to post but it did eventually hit the account. The units were certainly nice enough, quite nice in fact. But vacation ownership is something that simply doesn't fit my current or foreseeable lifestyle.

Somewhere in the piles of paper in what passes for a home office, I have another offer given to me at the end of the visit once they truly understood the word no. It was something like $1'000 or $1'500 USD for 3 nights at any of Westin's vacation properties. The kicker was the 50k or 80k points along side. (This is where I need to find the document again. But it was a boatload of points plus a nice getaway at a not outrageous fee)

What Michswiss refers to sounds like what we did buy after our pitch: 4 days at Kierland Westin and 50'000 pts for $1600 and a promise to talk to SVO again. I wasn't really pleased to the see the 4 day for $289 thing but we were there on a $70 PL stay and will put those points to good use so I'm not going to get too bent out of shape about it.

That doesn't sound like a bad deal at all. Add 10,000 points to that and you've got enough for a Nights & Flights deal...five nights at a category 3 location, as well as the airfare to get two people there (but not back). $1600 is nearly as much as you'd pay for that in the first place...*and* it includes the future stay (with a pitch, naturally) at a different SVO property?

--Chris

Do you get nights and stay credit with this promo?

just signed up for westin maui as well. was told i've been upgraded to a studio room with washers and all that. the catch - i think - is that you will almost certainly get the windows facing the wrong side - the street or something. :(

anyways ... too late to do anything...

If it's true that you are going to stay in a studio villa (these are at the actual timeshare property versus the Westin Maui hotel where they also put promo stays), then you will be very pleased. It's 450 sq. feet with a kitchenette and a Heavenly Bed. The current building is all oceanviews or oceanfronts. You either face north (open space, highway, ocean at an angle) or south. Some of the units are closer to the beach than others, but it's a relatively small resort so you are pretty close to everything no matter where you are placed.

In July 2005, they will open up two additional buildings, and then you can get what they call island view, which will be farther away from the ocean. But for the price you are paying, what a deal. We rented there last year at a promotional rate for $289/night for a 1-bedroom villa (950 sq. feet). Current prices are much higher if you rent through Starwood.

Enjoy!

What Michswiss refers to sounds like what we did buy after our pitch: 4 days at Kierland Westin and 50'000 pts for $1600 and a promise to talk to SVO again. I wasn't really pleased to the see the 4 day for $289 thing but we were there on a $70 PL stay and will put those points to good use so I'm not going to get too bent out of shape about it.

These packages are called Explorer Packages, and are generally offered to prospects who have seen the property and can't make a decision. They offer these at most, if not all, of the SVO properties. The Maui package is $1995, includes 5 nights at the Westin Maui (or possibly the villas) and 50K Starpoints. You do need to listen to the presentation again though.

These packages are called Explorer Packages, and are generally offered to prospects who have seen the property and can't make a decision. They offer these at most, if not all, of the SVO properties. The Maui package is $1995, includes 5 nights at the Westin Maui (or possibly the villas) and 50K Starpoints. You do need to listen to the presentation again though.

We will be staying at the Westin Mission Hills soon on an explorer pack. Can anyone who has been one one of tese tell us if we will stay in the hotel part or in the timeshare condos?

Thanks.

We will be staying at the Westin Mission Hills soon on an explorer pack. Can anyone who has been one one of tese tell us if we will stay in the hotel part or in the timeshare condos?

I think it depends on what is available, so your best bet is to ask when you make your reservation, and be persistent if you want to stay in the villa. At the time we purchased our Westin Ka'anapali package, we had the option to stay at the Westin Maui but asked for a villa instead. It took some calls but eventually we were given a 1-bedroom villa with a full kitchen (950 sq. feet), much better than a 354 square foot room. With two kids, we needed the kitchen too! Good luck!

Well, we visited the Kierland Villas on our Explorer package and apparently I did get over the annual maintenance fees since we are now the proud owners of a one bedroom premium unit for a week.

We were very impressed with the property, the staff and the wonderful people we met including a couple we later dined with who are very well traveled and much fun to be around. They will be a welcome addition to Flyertalk soon.

Upon checkin, we were given a one BR deluxe overlooking the golf course. It was very tasefully decorated with a sleeper sofa in the living room and a queen size bed in the bedroom. During our presentation (which was very low pressure) we discovered that the deluxes were nice ...but the premiums were even better, with a King size bed, larger kitchen, a large shower and a separate jacuzzi tub. High speed internet is supposed to be hooked up after the first of the year.

Two pools with jacuzzis, a nice fitness center, a grilling area, a deli type market and a business center round out the other amenities on the property. An on-demand shuttle runs to to the Westin and Kierland Commons.

If the rest of SVO properties are this nice, we are going to be very pleased.

Well, we visited the Kierland Villas on our Explorer package and apparently I did get over the annual maintenance fees since we are now the proud owners of a one bedroom premium unit for a week.

We were very impressed with the property, the staff and the wonderful people we met including a couple we later dined with who are very well traveled and much fun to be around. They will be a welcome addition to Flyertalk soon.

Upon checkin, we were given a one BR deluxe overlooking the golf course. It was very tasefully decorated with a sleeper sofa in the living room and a queen size bed in the bedroom. During our presentation (which was very low pressure) we discovered that the deluxes were nice ...but the premiums were even better, with a King size bed, larger kitchen, a large shower and a separate jacuzzi tub. High speed internet is supposed to be hooked up after the first of the year.

Two pools with jacuzzis, a nice fitness center, a grilling area, a deli type market and a business center round out the other amenities on the property. An on-demand shuttle runs to to the Westin and Kierland Commons.

If the rest of SVO properties are this nice, we are going to be very pleased.

muy intersante. how many points did you get and what were the price points for the different condos?

muy intersante. how many points did you get and what were the price points for the different condos?


The Explorer package was $1600 for four nights and 50K points, deal or no deal. We got this because the villas weren't open yet at our first Kierland presentation and I wasn't buying anything I haven't seen.

The Premium I BR was $14,400 for one week in the Gold season minus the $1600 for the explorer pkg plus an additional 80K points ...so $12,800 plus 130K points total.

The 1BR Deluxe was a bit less, the 2BR lockoff was a bit less than $20K. I believe these prices were up a little from last year but can't remember for sure. If it's what you're looking for, they sell themself. This fit our needs perfectly. Hope that helps.

i checked this website last week or the week before, it was still available. today it seems to be taken off. I got to go to Maui - wanted to try the other ones. Should have booked sooner !