Starwood Lurker

Arbitrarily? No. With the approval of SPG? Possibly.

Have you called the Platinum Concierge folks to see if they can attach SNA's to the reservation? If you have, and they can't, my suspicion is that something isn't set up right and it needs to be looked into.

Regardless, as usual, feel free to send me any pertinent details and I'll gladly look into it further.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

The_Wrath_of_Khan

I can't believe how useless these SNA are. I have had only 1 clear this whole year and have 10/10 about to expire. I'm 2 stays away from requalifying for Platinum and debating if it is even worth it to requalify.

PremEx

Wow! That was quick. You've got PM. Thanks.

JK

You can debate the value of SNA's all night (and day) long... however, for my money, Platinum is definitely worth the cost of the 2 more nights before the end of the year (presuming you're able to find some reasonably priced MR opportunities around you). Even if you get the regular Platinum upgrade into a nice suite a couple of times, those extra 2 nights should pay for themselves. While I too would struggle to put a value on SNA's - Platinum itself is definitely a benefit worth having IMO, and has saved me considerable amounts of money over the year (wifi, breakfast, upgrades, early/late checkout, the extra attention and freebies I often find in my room etc..)

Are you also unhappy with the Platinum benefits, or just the SNAs? If so - separate the two. Just because you feel SNAs are worthless, you should consider the merits of being Platinum individually.

Seat 1F

I agree that achieving Platinum status is worth the extra stays. Not for the SNA's, but for the status. Frankly, I would be happy if Starwood did away with the SNA's altogether. Seems to be a "benefit" that frustrates more often than it rewards.

travelswithmyself

Going to share some positive experiences to balance things off.

I've cleared 9 of the 10 that were expiring this year. Haven't really got a stay planned that needs the 10th so it will probably expire.

I'm happy with the programme. I used 7 on a trip to S America and got the upgrades 5 days out. I'm not sure if I would have gotten the upgrades at check-in but it doesn't matter, I got what I needed, when I wanted them. In two cases I was further upgraded, a double and a triple upgrade.

I don't check the hotel thread too much to guesstimate whether the hotel has a reputation for upgrading at checkin, and apply the SNAs fairly liberally. I travel for leisure so I don't have one big trip a year that really needs the SNAs which does make it easier and maybe less disappointing when things don't pan out.

If they were to amend the programme or remove the SNAs completely, I hope they will remember that there are those of us who find the programme very useful and make an effort to hit >50 each year.

geminidreams

If you are a plat by stays already then no. If you require the 50 nights to reach plat then yes.

megalab

Totally agree Plat status is worth it in and of itself and SNAs don't add much. I've had better luck getting Plat upgrades at check-in than with SNAs, and several times got a Plat upgrade even when the SNA failed to clear. I also agree SNAs can be a frustration, but they've been worth more than I paid for them so I appreciate the benefit.

karung99

I qualified on the stays already, it seem I rather save my money for next year, unless there trip between now and the end of the year.

Viking547

Another negative experience here. In town stay at the St Regis in Atlanta, multiple suites showing available 4 days out (and confirmed by Plat desk), and only an email the day before arrival stating that the award didn't clear. Contemplated paying $ for the upgrade and booking the suite direct, but figured if my SNA currency isn't good enough, then neither is my money. Called the hotel direct and was basically told I should just cancel my reservation.

UA-NYC

Be sure to report back what happens at check-in if you keep the reservation; don't forget to do a dummy booking as well to see what rooms are available

TerryK

I like SNAs. Sometimes they clear sometimes they don't. I wished Starwood would grant 5 extra SNAs for every 25 nights beyond 50.

TerryK

Have you confirmed that those suites are eligible to SNA and you have selected those suite types in your request?

RogerD408

A dummy booking only shows what the property is willing to sell, it does not show what's been allocated to SNAs or even truly available as they may allow overbooking. This is part of the lack of transparency SPG has built into the program and should be eliminated. If they can't provide it to us, at least let their own reps see what's happening.

UA-NYC

Aware & agreed - but the dummy booking is a nice proxy for how many suites are available at check-in.