Starwood Lurker

Cool. Internal data would concur that this property will be launched at Category 5; however, as we all know and have discussed previously, nothing is written in stone w/r/t that.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

sc flier

No, I won't share all my spy secrets!

It helps to have a pretty good understanding of Starwood's websites and database relationships, and to develop good search skills for Google and other search engines. I have some favorite keywords and phrases that I use in searches, but I won't share some of them publicly because I don't want those ITB to learn which tracks they're failing to hide. Whenever I discover a useful webpage, I bookmark it for future reference. No, I don't normally use any spider software (though I have used some in my job).

In terms of skills, I'm especially good with data manipulation. If I can gather a list of info such as names, addresses, property numbers, opening dates, etc., I'm talented at being able to parse the different parts of that data in order to get it all into a format that meets my needs. For my Google Earth data, I store and maintain it all in a database and then generate the mapping files with scripts that I wrote specifically for this project.

The hardest part now is maintaining the data. Another hard part for me is that I'm a perfectionist who prefers not to release anything that is incomplete. (I'm still sitting on similar mapping data for Hyatt, Hilton, and Marriott that is probably about 85% ready. But without fine tuning the remaining 15%, I really don't want to publish it to my website. "Soon," I keep thinking.)

But I have been fooling around recently with building some tools to search room inventory quickly. I've sent some demo results to a couple FTers in this forum already. Most notably, I have some scripts set up to search a variety of rate types (including SET codes) and then report back with the resulting rates all combined in order from lowest to highest. This weekend, I'm going to see if I can figure out how I can best port it to a web interface. No promises there yet.

Back on topic, the Equinox website does show it as Cat5 now.

ghia74

My friends parents used to have a house in Manchester and we spent many Saturdays hanging out at the Equinox. Had some great meals there as well. I also am glad to see it added to SPG and look forward to a winter stay.

NBSPGMEMBER

Nice property! This one is no cookie cutter, lots of character. This is a great addition for Vermont and all of New England.
Category 5 seems fair, but I thought it would be 4.

stevens397

Entered a lot of dates but none brought up any Starpoint redemptions. I assume this will change!

Starwood Lurker II

Hi stevens397,

I am able to retrieve some availability on my end. Do give our Customer Contact Center a ring for assistance.

Have a nice day!

[email protected]

wsbombers

I somehow missed this thread and had no idea Equinox was joining Starwood. I happened to already have plans to stay there June 30-July 1. On the morning of the first, I received a note under the door indicating the hotel was now a Luxury Collection property, so I'm 99% sure, I'm the first person to earn points there.

I actually was fairly impressed with my room. I don't know what it was like before, but the renovations worked. Service for lunch at the Marsh Tavern was spotty. The breakfast buffet and dinner were both good. Of course, the focus of the trip was spa services which were outstanding. The hotel's also very close to some nice outlet shopping.

andymo99

I can't believe I missed this thread for over a month!

At the risk of complete immodesty, I am going to declare myself the Equinox expert for the time being, as my wife and I were married there just 6 weeks ago. My wife grew up a short drive away (in the direction of Stratton Mountatin), where her parents still live, and her father works just a quick walk down the street from Equinox.

We began planning our wedding there ~ April 2007. Around that time, new ownership (HEI) was taking over from Rock Resorts. News of their purchase can be found here.

The wedding planning period included a fair amount of anxiety based on the renovations that were taking place. I'll skip the drama, but by the end of May, everything was in excellent shape. The staff at The Equinox did a fantastic job, and I would encourage anyone planning a wedding in the area to strongly consider it. Catering was fantastic, and all employees went out of their way to ensure that the experience was perfect. In all seriousness, if anyone is thinking of a Southern Vermont wedding (very popular for those who want a "destination wedding," and equally convenient to Boston and New York City), please contact me separately for lots of thoughts.

Much of what we appreciated in our experience carries over to the guest experience (and we filled many rooms at the resort that weekend). The staff was wonderful. They really bent over backwards for us and for our guests. The grounds were fantastic. The spa is very nice, including exceptional treatments. The bar is classy. Many rooms are newly renovated, though I think a fair number of rooms are still to be renovated. The guestrooms are a bit modern for the history/tradition of the hotel, but they are well done. Wearing my SPG Plat hat, I will say that there are very few upgrade opportunities here. The hotel has precious few suites in the main building. There is an Inn on the property called The Orvis Inn, which has many suites, though I am not sure if this will be included in the SPG program. The associated golf course ("The Golf Club at Equinox," until recently called "Gleaneagles Golf Course at The Equinox") is fantastic, albeit with lofty greens fees.

When we first started conversations with Rock Resorts, they offered wedding couples 4 nights at any of their resorts. We had our eye on one in New Mexico. Since they sold the Equinox property early in our negotiations, the new owner offered us 4 nights at any HEI property, which is much less enticing, but we can make use in NYC or SFO. Perhaps we can re-negotiate for SPG points

I will see if I can put a photo in here shortly.

1AAFlyer

Has anyone seen a promotion code for the opening there?

travelbug007

I am thinking of taking the wife and kids (3 and 6) for 2 days to the Equinox. For those who've been there, is there enough to do for the kids? The place and surroundings look nice, would appreciate any recent stay feedback,

Thanks

TTT103

This is a wonderful catch for Starwood. The location is just a short drive to Stratton mountain; however, I question the CAT 5. We have stayed at this property a number of times when it was part of RockResorts. Quite often Rock ran promotional rates of $99 a night. I guess if the St. Regis in NYC can be a CAT 7 (for no aparent reason, given their rates haven't tripled since they used to be a CAT 4), then the Equinox can be a CAT 5.

Sweet Willie

Orvis' flagship store no less http://www.orvis.com/intro.asp?subject=379&bhcp=1

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travelingtireman

What is the closest airport to fly into using Delta or AA miles? Also is Stratton the closest ski resort?

boston aa flyer

Just booked a reservation... two rooms on points... fantastic... BUT i must say, i'm kind of appalled at the three week cancellation policy. but anyways.

Friends of mine have gone there for years and will be giving me a cheat sheet on the property and all the local places to go, so i promise to share all

ghia74

Stratton is the closest major mountain but I used to go to Bromley. It might be a little closer, we preferred it as it had smaller crowds but nice trails (even if there are less of them when compared to Stratton).