terpzone

thanks! And I'd never even consider it! I'll petition the Cuban govt. to return any seized Starwood land while I'm at it!

On a completely off topic note that I don't believe warrants its own thread-- can you point me in the right direction for booking a wedding block at a starwood hotel? Not finding much and I'm looking at venues specifically close to Starwood hotels for my guests so I can hopefully build a nice starpoint balance for the honeymoon!

Starwood Lurker III

Hi terpzone,

If you can let us know which hotel you are interested in via private message or email, we will look into the contact information for you.

Best Regards,

Christina Zhou
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

iflyjetz

Yes, I showed my SPG account through the mobile app on my phone. The person at the Rewards desk wanted make sure it wasn't a photo so he had me move stuff around on the front page of my SPG app. No physical card required.

Note: You can only get a VIP Access card at the Total Rewards desk at Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, and The Cromwell. My first attempt was at Paris.

I also ended up getting a Total Rewards Visa, which gives you TR Platinum for the first year (then keep it based on $5K annual spend on the credit card). 10K TR points (worth $50) if you spend $750 in first 90 days at non-Total Rewards merchants. Also gets you one night at an Atlantic City property OR 2 buffets (upcharge for Bacchanal Buffet), OR 2 tickets for High Roller carousel.

The VIP Access card gives you perks associated with TR Diamond (one level above Platinum). You can also get a VIP Access card by spending $10K/yr on the TR Visa.

I plan on using my 2 free buffets for the Bacchanal Buffet, so I went there and asked which line to stand in with the VIP Access card. She said to stand in the Seven Stars (top tier) line.

Finally, in case anyone's wondering about what the TR tiers are, they are:
Seven Stars
Diamond
Platinum
Gold

FTDDD

Thanks for following up, William. Much appreciated - great promo, I'll make sure to try it out and report back

htown

William - I just acquired Diamond with TR. I linked my account previously when I had no status with TR. Does the system automatically update your status with TR? I want to make sure I get the 100 tier credits for each SPG stay going forward. Thanks in advance.

iflyjetz

Were you able to get Diamond in an economical manner through gambling? I'd like to get Diamond but it looks costly to get that many tier credits. It's got some nice perks.

controller1

I've been Diamond for several years (via gambling). But you may have missed the TR promo earlier this year where one would be awarded a 50% Tier Credit bonus based on one's Tier Credit balance at March 31. Therefore, if one had 10,000 Tier Credits at 3/31, the bonus of 5,000 Tier Credits would have provided Diamond status through March 2017.

christianj

I just spent 5 nights at the Nobu Hotel at Caesars and was VERY impressed with my stay. Beautiful tranquil small hotel in the middle of Vegas chaos and noise. Beautifully decorated room with a huge very nice bathroom and probably the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on. Would stay there again in a heartbeat when I return to Vegas. Only negative is that the rooms offer no view since they are located in a very low tower section of the Caesars complex.

VIP status card was easily obtained at the Total Rewards desk once I provided my SPG Platinum membership details.

Starwood Lurker

Congratulations on reaching that milestone. The systems are updated automatically, but it can take up to six weeks for it to happen.

Best regards,

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

[email protected]

Travelosopher

Hello Lurkers. I'm an SPG plat & recently completed a 2 night stay at the Harrah's Reno hotel. I registered for the partnership, researched the details, and called the spg platinum line to double check on the requirements before my trip. Today I called SPG to inquire about my spg missing points and 2 night elite credit, and I was told that I was NOT eligible for ANY points or credit as I'm not a seven seas or other high level elite with the Total Rewards program. I read this flyertalk page before my trip and was certain from the Lurkers and other posts that I would have no trouble getting my points/credits. Please help me as no one at SPG seems to understand what I'm saying. THANK YOU!

Starwood Lurker IV

Hi Travelosopher,

If you are not a Seven Star Members and do not have Diamond or Platinum status in the Total Rewards program, you are not eligible to earn points or credits for your stay.

Quoting from the FAQ for the SPG-Total Rewards:
"Can Total Rewards members that are not Seven Star Members and do not have Diamond or Platinum status in the Total Rewards program earn Reward Credits through SPG-Total Rewards Member Benefits for Eligible Stays at SPG Participating Hotels?
No. If you are registered for SPG-Total Rewards Member Benefits and you are not a Seven Star Member and do not have Diamond or Platinum status in the Total Rewards program, you will not be able to earn Reward Credits for Eligible Stays at SPG Participating Hotels through SPG-Total Rewards Member Benefits."

You may check out more on the T&Cs and FAQ of the program.

[email protected]

Chua Chie Ling | Social Media Specialist
Starwood Customer Contact Centre (AP) Pte Ltd

Travelosopher

That is not what previous Lurker responses say on this thread.

Starwood Lurker IV

Hi Travelosopher,

My apologies, I have misunderstood your question. Could you please email us your stay details and SPG membership details so that we can do a check on our end?
In addition, could you please check with Caesars if your stay is booked under an eligible rate?

[email protected]

Chua Chie Ling | Social Media Specialist
Starwood Customer Contact Centre (AP) Pte Ltd

iflyjetz

Whoa! You guys are mixing apples and oranges.

Reward Credits are associated with Total Rewards. You need to be TR Plat or higher to get Reward Credits for stays at SPG properties.

For any SPG member who has registered with both programs should get both points and night credits for stays at TR properties. No stay credits for TR properties, but you should get everything else.

Eujeanie

And don't forget that any restaurant/incidental spend at TR properties also means you get both your total rewards credits and spg points.