MSPeconomist

OK, so I tired this new rate plan for a room this weekend, Friday and Saturday. In the following, all exact numbers have been altered to protect my privacy, but I do want to show the details to suggest what to watch on this new rate plan.

First of all, I had been holding a fully refundable reservation at a AAA or similar rate that was considerably cheaper than the regular BAR on offer and similar to what the hotel had previously offered as their best "regular" nonrefundable rate. Let's call it $250 per night (plus tax). I noticed that the new rates were slightly better over the weekend, say $240 per night. After debating with myself regarding whether I wanted to switch to a nonrefundable rate to save a small amount of money, on Monday I switched to the SPG Member Exclusive Rate of $240 per night (plus tax, of course). Today, I was looking to see what upgrades looked available and noticed that the SPG Member Exclusive Rate for the two-night weekend stay had dropped to $225 per night. However, I also noticed that Friday was available for $210 while Saturday (as a one night stay) was $225.

So I could have saved more money(or not) by waiting to switch to the nonrefundable rate. These rates seem to fluctuate a lot, based on my single data point. They also can vary by the night, even if they're available for all nights, and one should not assume that the rate offered for a multiple night stay will be the average of the individual nights.

Enjoy!