Starwood Preferred Guest - Possible to change a paid reservation to an award reservation?

I have some upcoming travel where I am unsure of whether I will have the points to cover the hotel stay when the time arrives. Thus, I booked a paid reservation for the whole stay to ensure that I at least have a reservation at my chosen Starwood hotel.

If I eventually get enough points to cover the stay before I leave on my trip, is it possible/permissable to simply call SPG and have them convert this to an award reservation?

I have some upcoming travel where I am unsure of whether I will have the points to cover the hotel stay when the time arrives. Thus, I booked a paid reservation for the whole stay to ensure that I at least have a reservation at my chosen Starwood hotel.

If I eventually get enough points to cover the stay before I leave on my trip, is it possible/permissable to simply call SPG and have them convert this to an award reservation?

Only if the same room type you booked originally is still available at the time you want to switch or there is an alternate room type on the award rate plan that would be acceptable for you to change to.

Personally, I don't recommend this for that very reason, but people do it all the time.

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Reading this makes me think that having a paid reservation has no advantage (other than having a reservation somewhere)--I still need to check if there is award availability if/when I have enough points to do so.

In other words, making a paid reservation now doesn't "hold a slot" so to speak, for award availability later?

...In other words, making a paid reservation now doesn't "hold a slot" so to speak, for award availability later?

No. The so-called advantage never made any sense to me either. <shrug>

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

OK--thanks. :)

but people do it all the time.

The so-called advantage never made any sense to me either. <shrug>


Those people all fall for the misleading SPG marketing ("Starwood Preferred Guest is the only program without blackout dates or availability restrictions on free nights. If we have a room, you have a room."). If that were true, then it makes perfect sense to reserve a paid room and later switch it to an award room.

Those people all fall for the misleading SPG marketing ("Starwood Preferred Guest is the only program without blackout dates or availability restrictions on free nights. If we have a room, you have a room."). If that were true, then it makes perfect sense to reserve a paid room and later switch it to an award room.

I guess we will just have to agree to disagree about your assumptions. ;)

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

I guess we will just have to agree to disagree about your assumptions. ;)


What other logical explanation would there be?

SPG: If we have a room, you have a room.*

SPG Member: Great. I need a room. But I don't have the SPG points available right now. So I'll reserve a a paid room, and then change it to an award stay if and when I acquire the necessary SPG points, because if you have a room (and I know you do, since I'll be holding it), I have a room.

SPG: *But, you forgot (1) to read the fine print and/or (2) that we allow each property to play games with the definition of "standard" rooms available for redemption.

What other logical explanation would there be?

SPG: If we have a room, you have a room.*

SPG Member: Great. I need a room. But I don't have the SPG points available right now. So I'll reserve a a paid room, and then change it to an award stay if and when I acquire the necessary SPG points, because if you have a room (and I know you do, since I'll be holding it), I have a room.

SPG: *But, you forgot (1) to read the fine print and/or (2) that we allow each property to play games with the definition of "standard" rooms available for redemption.

As the OP, I have to say that the first two lines of this dialogue exactly explain the assumption I was operating under. Not knowing what the final line of the dialogue would be (which ends up being line 3) is what prompted me to post the question.

What other logical explanation would there be?
...

Like I said before, we shall have to just agree to disagree concerning your assumptions. :)

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Actually I did this once because the SPG rep advised me to do it. I had more points that had not yet posted and I did not want to risk not being able to get all three days at the hotel. At first, I booked 2 award, 1 revenue. Once the points showed up, I called and changed the reservation to all points.

I do not know what happens internally in these situations, but it was what the rep advised me to do so I did it.

Actually I did this once because the SPG rep advised me to do it. I had more points that had not yet posted and I did not want to risk not being able to get all three days at the hotel. At first, I booked 2 award, 1 revenue. Once the points showed up, I called and changed the reservation to all points.

I do not know what happens internally in these situations, but it was what the rep advised me to do so I did it.

So, what would you have done if when you called back the third night could not be changed because the hotel was sold out?

This is just a bad idea, IMHO.

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

So, what would you have done if when you called back the third night could not be changed because the hotel was sold out?

This is just a bad idea, IMHO.



I don't see the downside. Worst-case scenario if the hotel was sold out on the third night--you pay for one night, get two free.

I don't see the downside. Worst-case scenario if the hotel was sold out on the third night--you pay for one night, get two free.

Then there is no downside if you are willing to accept that as a possibility. If you booked a stay at a paid rate for three nights and expected to change it later and couldn't and were satisfied with having to stick to the paid rate instead, then go for it.

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

:p

So, what would you have done if when you called back the third night could not be changed because the hotel was sold out?

This is just a bad idea, IMHO.



:confused:

There's no way to hold an award room if you don't have the points. So what is the downside?

:confused:

:p



:confused:

There's no way to hold an award room if you don't have the points. So what is the downside?

:confused:

I think you missed the discussion just previous. ;) Basically, there isn't one if you are willing to accept that you may have to stay on a paid rate instead of changing it to an award.

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Those people all fall for the misleading SPG marketing ("Starwood Preferred Guest is the only program without blackout dates or availability restrictions on free nights. If we have a room, you have a room."). If that were true, then it makes perfect sense to reserve a paid room and later switch it to an award room.

A different angle : consider the effect of essentially using a paid reservation as a placeholder for a future award booking. You're blocking others who may also want an award room, and have the points to secure it. Rather than being allowed to switch room a paid to an award room, the paid room should be cancellled, and the room released back into inventory. If it then comes up as an award room, then everyone is happy.

A different angle : consider the effect of essentially using a paid reservation as a placeholder for a future award booking. You're blocking others who may also want an award room, and have the points to secure it. Rather than being allowed to switch room a paid to an award room, the paid room should be cancellled, and the room released back into inventory. If it then comes up as an award room, then everyone is happy.

Sorry, that is nonsensical. :confused: No different than making any other reservation.

Those people all fall for the misleading SPG marketing ("Starwood Preferred Guest is the only program without blackout dates or availability restrictions on free nights. If we have a room, you have a room."). If that were true, then it makes perfect sense to reserve a paid room and later switch it to an award room.

One reason why that doesn't work is that a hotel may be in an overbooked situation. You don't actually switch the pricing method, but you cancel and rebook a new room. If the hotel is oversold, then canceling your paid reservation does not create an available room. It just makes the hotel less overbooked.

A different angle : consider the effect of essentially using a paid reservation as a placeholder for a future award booking. You're blocking others who may also want an award room, and have the points to secure it. Rather than being allowed to switch room a paid to an award room, the paid room should be cancellled, and the room released back into inventory. If it then comes up as an award room, then everyone is happy.

Isn't this pretty much how it happens, as William described above? You can't directly convert the room, but if there is not a waiting list and your cancellation puts it back into inventory, you can immediately redeem it. Thus, you can effectively "convert" to an award *unless* someone was denied the room by your "hold", in which case they get first dibs at it.


Can we make this a sticky or add it to the FAQ? It comes up fairly frequently and this thread seems to discuss most of the aspects of the question.

Isn't this pretty much how it happens, as William described above? You can't directly convert the room, but if there is not a waiting list and your cancellation puts it back into inventory, you can immediately redeem it. Thus, you can effectively "convert" to an award *unless* someone was denied the room by your "hold", in which case they get first dibs at it.

If the above scenario is wholly accurate, then I say that's a fair arrangement. I don't have an issue with *wood (or any other hotel co) telling me that I can always convert a paid stay to an award stay as long as there exists room availability and NO ONE on a wait list to get in.

I don't think this is necessarily confusing -- it may disappoint some, but I see it as fair.

Most of the time, what clarkef describes is what happens. A hotel has its status set to over-sell, but does eventually sell-out over their status set. A reservation (or even several) may end up being cancelled, but the rooms are never returned to inventory because the hotel is still behind the eight ball.

You have a paid reservation you'd like to convert because you'd rather use points, but the hotel has no open inventory for us to draw on. Even though you are holding a room, we can't change anything in regard to it once the hotel has sold out as it is just systematically impossible. There has to be "live" inventory for us to draw on.

You can always ask the hotel to make an exception and allow you to use points instead, but if they feel they aren't going to get as much money from us as they are you, they may not be willing to do so. Also, it's a bit messy. It requires them to change the rate plan on their end and call us to get an award number. Not every hotel is willing to do that, especially if they might lose money in the end. Yes, if they are 90% full we will reimburse at their ADR, but that is an average and may not cover what they could have gotten if they left it as a paid rate.

Bottom line...if you really want to stay at a certain property at a particular time and want to chance not being able to change to an award and will be happy staying under the paid rate if it can't be changed, then there is no downside to your situation. Otherwise, it's risky business.

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

So, what would you have done if when you called back the third night could not be changed because the hotel was sold out?

This is just a bad idea, IMHO.

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

I would have insisted that SPG convert the stay as promised and would ask for a supervisor if it were not done. It was the SPG rep that told me to do this and advised me that this would work, it was not my idea.

I understand that it is probably not in SPG's interest that people make reservations in this fashion, but I was recommended to do it. I was waiting on about 1,000 points to clear that were to come in a week or so. I booked this stay in 2003 for 2004, I am not sure if things have changed since.

That being said, I have yet to ask for an award stay and not get exactly the nights and hotel that I wanted. Whatever system SPG is using, I have no complaints. I cannot say the same thing for the airlines, where I have often spend an entire evening making phone calls and sitting on hold to get flights that were not even on the exact dates that I wanted in the first place.

What's the downside of "Starwood sugar daddy" making an award reservation for someone else who is still short of Starwood points, presuming the award reservation beneficiary can transfer points back to "Starwood sugar daddy" in advance of their stay?

I would have insisted that SPG convert the stay as promised and would ask for a supervisor if it were not done. It was the SPG rep that told me to do this and advised me that this would work, it was not my idea...

Which is exactly my point. No one from SPG should ever be suggesting this method of attempting to hold a Preferred (free) Night Award. ;)

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com