<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by TTT103:
True, but the amount is minimal. Every once in a while I see the revenue postings for free night stays and they are very small. I thought I was helping the hotel out by freeing up the room for the night. I figured that they could charge $200 for the room rather than receive $45 or so from Starwood. I was trying to be kind, but the hotel didn't "get it."</font>
TTT103 -- Not always. If you were staying at a time when the hotel was not 90% or more booked, then the rate may have been a very low one; however, if the hotel is nearly booked full or even oversold, their contract with *wood allows for a major compensation increase for nights paid with starpoints. For example, as a Plat, I was squeezed into a hotel last fall using points. The agent advised that the hotel was already packed, but would get me in the door somehow.
When I arrived at the hotel, the rep told me that I was lucky to have a room. She also accidently let me see that Starwood was paying $385 for a category 2 hotel (Sheraton Nashua NH)! Unbelievable!