bdemaria

Its the same scenario at SPG as Hyatt: if a standard room is available, then you can book it for points, but it has to be a standard room.

biosurfer1

"Buckets" is a gross, monumental understatement. The Hilton premium rewards can be a complete and utter joke. When I booked my honeymoon in Moorea, the standard room was 45,000 points/night. Since I was diamond, I got the best "non-OWB" room so the next room up over the water...care to guess how much EACH night was for that room on points? 280,000. I understand their premium rewards are a set cent/point but they removed any and all common sense from that part of the program.

eefor jfp

Actually, SPG has four categories of rooms that you can book with points--standard, specialty, specialty select and [standard] suite. Points rates for the two middle categories are usually good but paying double for a small suite is often a poor value.

Hyatt has three (standard, club and suite [though to be fair, there is a three night minimum for a suite). Suites only cost 1.5 times what a standard rooms costs (or at least they used to--after January 7 they will be roughly 60% more than a standard room).

Anyway, if those particular categories of rooms are not available either at Hyatt or at Starwood, you're out of luck. It's not "any room, anytime" at either chain. As other posters have noted, that's only at Hilton, but the rates you'll pay are insane.

To address your other issue with Napa, it doesn't seem right that there would be upgrade availability with points from a cash rate but no points only availability (unless it's the minimum stay issue). Maybe you can email one of the GP concierges on the forum and get them to take a look.

canyonleo

A complete failure for "aspirational properties" is why I make all attempt to never give Hilton my business. This is one area where Hyatt - while not great anymore - is still the best.

cottonpatch

I'm confused. Do you mean to say that you make all attempts to NOT give Hilton your business because of their "aspirational properties" irrationality? That's precisely why I left Hilton.

biosurfer1

I think canyon meant Hyatt. There are no more Hilton "aspirational properties" as far as I'm concerned regarding points. They may have well charged 1,000,000 points per night, at least then they would have received publicity (any publicity is good publicity). I'm still quite shocked at the severity of the devaluation Hilton did.

canyonleo

You should be confused, my post was missing "never", as in "never give Hilton my business" - I corrected it