It is hard for me to imagine that I would get 30,000 points worth of satisfaction from a stay at the St. Regis New York -- at least how I value and use Starpoints. It's not as though you're going to end up in an over-water bungalow in Bora Bora.

On the other hand, I suppose, the St. Regis can't be getting too many point redemptions at this rate (no doubt the point), so perhaps a Platinum member would end up in a fabulous room or suite. But I think I'd find that out before laying out the 30K.