Originally Posted by
pbiflyer
Delta has the points exchange with SPG too. You get to double dip essentially.
Money spent at either gets points for the other.
Buy a $500 ticket on Delta, get 500 Starwood points.
Spend $500 on a room at a Starwood, get 500 DL Skymiles.
SPG is better at redemption IMO. I do like the late checkout option.
Premium lounges tend to be better at Marriott.
It really just depends what he wants out of it all.
If SPG had more and a wider ranges of properties, I would think it would be a no brainer to go with SPG. But that is just not always the case.
This is the crossover program between DL and SPG. IIRC the benefits you mention require high tier status in both directions. Others with high status only one way get either upgrades after everyone else on DL or some minor benefits during a Starwood stay. It's pretty complicated.