This comment rings a little hollow to me. Since its inception, the SPG affinity program has been very aggressive with stay promotions -- both in heady times and in tough times. It's hard to remember a time when the program wasn't offering a very rich offer for those consumers willing to spend a significant number of nights with their properties.

My point is that this may mark a turning point in the SPG program. My hunch is that, in an attempt to minimize promtional costs, the SPG program with this offer passed on a greater cost to the individual properties, which is why we're seeing so many more of them opting out. That's a shame, but it's the reality. While I'm certain that some hotels are seeing their business return to more profitable levels, I also suspect that some properties opted out of this promo due to a higher participation cost. It's worth noting that several properties that have *ALWAYS* participated in previous promotions opted out for this one. I suspect that may have more to do with the associated costs than it does with the property's overall health.

Just my $00.02.

If SPG feels that it's in a position to pull back on promotions, then good for them. But, it must be pointed out that this marks a notable change for the program -- one that has been known for besting the competitions' promotions now for a decade.